‘Exercise and friendship’: Laconia cross-country teams celebrate victory through focusing on fun

LACONIA — A picture of a cross-country race would likely show a group of athletes, each pushing themselves to achieve their personal best. For coach Wesley Bates, the key to success in the sport is what’s happening in the space between those runners.

Bates took over the Laconia Middle School cross-country program about five years ago. He had nine athletes that year — a thin roster when the school’s population qualifies it for Division II. But he succeeded in building the program into something that attracted student interest. He now has 40 girls and boys on the team, and last weekend, at the state championships held in Hanover, the girls team won third place and the boys brought home the championship.

What Bates has done is take some common beliefs about running — that it’s a solo activity, and it’s something to be suffered through or used as punishment — and flipped those on their heads. Bates said he wants runners on the LMS cross country team to have fun while running, an enjoyment propelled by camaraderie and friendly competition.

Gathering at a team feed the Friday night before the championship, several Laconia runners said Bates has succeeded in those goals.

Emily Ayer, a sixth grader, said she likes cross country because she has gotten to meet new people and, when she runs, “you have other people, teammates, cheering you on. ... In the end, even if you don’t get a good score, your teammates are still cheering you on.”

Aviera Chuilli, sixth grade, said some of her best friends are on the team. She appreciates how the sport allows her to test her personal supply of grit.

“Last race I fell right on my face, but I got right back up because I’m strong,” Chuilli said, adding the experience gave her resolve for the next race.

“I think it’s going to help me for next time. It’s going to help me because I was mad that I fell, and I thought I did bad, but I remember that I can do it.”

Emily Guertin, sixth grade, said she relishes the challenge of running up hills, while her seventh grade teammate Berylin Ippolito said she joined the team this year for the exercise and friendships.

“Normally after school, I don’t really hang out with my friends because they do sports, but I can hang out with them after school with cross country and see them doing something I like to do,” Ippolito said.

Rylee Hahn, a sixth grader, said it’s a more adventurous way to run, because the courses often feature trails that wind through woods.

“You have to be energetic and I really like to run. I always have a lot of energy and I thought that cross country would be a very fun sport to play,” Hahn said. “Ever since I was little, I would tell my mom, ‘Oh, I am going to be such a good runner, I’m going to run a marathon.’”

Another first-year runner, Jackson Chertok, said he made a new friend on the team, and has become a stronger runner over the course of the season. He “collapsed on the ground” after his first meet.

“The last meet I was fine and I love seeing that improvement.”

Chertok said it was a step outside of his comfort zone to join the team.

“I never wanted to because I’m never comfortable being on any sports,” Chertok said. “My mother said it would be good for me, and I guess she was right.”

Undefeated

Laconia’s runners went into the state championship meet with confidence. The boys team had just completed their second undefeated season, and the girls weren’t too far behind, with an undefeated record this year and just one second-place finish blemishing last year’s season.

Bates said his team got to this point as a result of a team culture he was careful to cultivate.

Running doesn’t require any sport-specific skills, it’s something most middle schoolers can do at some level, so he leans into that by making his team inclusive.

“I think it all starts with the fact that we’re not a team that makes cuts at the start of the year. We want as many people, as many students involved as possible in coming and running and being part of the team,” Bates said. “So we build a really strong base and from that we’re able to have the camaraderie that drives everybody together to be more successful.”

The esprit de corps is something of friendly competition, with a healthy balance between both “friendly” and “competition.” The runners work hard during practice so they can keep up with their friends, then during races they like to see who can post the fastest time.

“And it’s very friendly, it goes back and forth depending on week to week, who’s going to be on top,” Bates said.

Along the way, students turn into runners who are bitten by the bug: those who put in the effort can see the payoff in the form of dropping times, and any runner, whether they typically finish first or last, has the opportunity to notch a personal best at any given meet.

“There’s a reward for it, a very personal, intrinsic reward,” Bates said. “There’s that growth that all of our runners have seen this year, which is really cool.”

While preparing his runners for the next race, Bates said he often coaches them to reach inside their own reserves of strength, to push a little harder than they thought they could, for a little longer than they thought they were able.

“You may be tired, but it’s all about your heart at this point. It’s about your mental willpower to see this thing through.” Bates said it’s a capability that will serve his students for the rest of their lives.

“You know, we’re all going to do hard things in our lives, and if you can build that skill here and build that willpower and resolve, then you’ll carry that through to every other activity in your life.”