Character,

Commitment

& Culture

We emphasize character as a prerequisite for a student athlete to earn a roster spot in our program.

Character can often best be measured by what others say about you as a person. Not just a loving mother or a close friend, but teachers, teammates and classmates not in your inner circle, and, very importantly, strangers at a cross country meet who are noticing your conduct and overhearing the content of your conversation.  Our goal should be to conduct ourselves in a way that if others were to comment on our character, it would be described as upstanding.

As we assemble a team with an emphasis on character, it is imperative that each student athlete makes a commitment to the team.

It is not enough just to say it.  What does true commitment look like?  We are a team sport, so it comes down to doing what the team does, and how the team does it, for the benefit of the team.  The word “team” keeps coming up here. So to commit is not to just show up and be willing to work hard. You are buying into a way of doing things.  Do the workouts as prescribed. Take it upon yourself to learn the plan, then follow it closely.

People often describe a great team as having the right culture.

What exactly does that mean?  The definition we follow is this … culture is a group of people working together for a common goal.  Three things are emphasized …
1) group of people, 2) working together, 3) common goal. We are a team, which means we are connected with similar interests and/or abilities.  We realize our strength comes from working with–not against–each other. Our goals are team-oriented; individual goals will come and are celebrated within that context. But our mindset will always be that the group is greater than any one individual.

A mark of a strong high school distance program can be measured by how many runners break the elusive 10-minute barrier in the 3200 meter run.  At a mid-season dual meet in 2022, Whitney lined up many of the boys on the distance team to gun for that 10-minute mark.  The teamwork and poise of these runners is impressive as they lay it on the line.  And the result was historic.

One of Whitney’s all-time greatest distance races. 

This video features the 12 best milers in the Capital Valley Conference competing at the 2017 League Championships.  Watch Logan, Austin, and Josh as they position themselves for a thrilling final lap against the best in the CVC.