EVERYONE CAN BE A RUNNER. You don’t have to buy [anything special] [or] do crazy things. It is open for everyone to do. 

This is the philosophy of Boys Cross Country Coach, Mrs. Zucker. She has been coaching at Lakes for 6 years, and during that time she has bolstered the Cross Country teams, taking LCHS Varsity runners like Cooper Summy and Brady Mock to State. This has left many people around campus wondering, how has the team gotten so good? What goes into building a strong Cross Country team? Zucker said that the team practices in phases.

“In the summer we’re running a lot of mileage, running a lot of hills and building aerobic ability,” Zucker said. “In the second phase we’re doing anaerobic, building speed, getting faster [over] less distance. And in the third phase we’re preparing for state, lower intensity, [where] you’re able to talk while running.”

The team is entering phase 3 as they are now preparing for Conference.  Cross Country is a very difficult and very mental sport. Going into high stakes meets can be very challenging for new and even experienced runners.

“Running is an extremely mental sport,” Zucker said. “No matter what the weather is, we have to say I’m ready for those challenges. Some kids are scared […] of the course which brings them into a bad head space where they can’t focus on being a runner.”

The team has done very well and improved drastically, with people like last year senior Jackson Summy placing 7th in State and his younger brother, current junior Cooper Summy, placing 72 at state in 2024.

Coach Zucker finds other things more important than individual performance.

“The friendships [I’ve] made, stories we [have]. I always tell the kids the number 1 thing I miss is running with my friends, with my team. Walking away and saying I’ve got to run by myself? This isn’t as fun.”