A lot of times, a new coach is an additional challenge for teams to overcome. The players have to learn how to communicate with the coach and understand what the coach is asking for. This was not a problem for the cross country team when they met the new coach, Janet Kline.

For most of the girls on the team, meeting Kline was not a meeting at all. Kline has worked for years at the high school, coaching the girls indoor and outdoor track team. So, she was “no stranger” as senior captain Ashley Tromblay said.

“Coach Kline has been working with the indoor and outdoor track teams all throughout my years of high school. We are all excited to see how the season turns out, but we are already proud of where she has helped us to get,” said Tromblay.

However, the environment of track is a little different from the tight-knit environment that the smaller Cross Country team creates. The girls had already bonded with each other through years of running mile after mile together and pasta parties. Although the girls are past the point where they need to be taught to act like a team, Kline still plans fun activities for them like team picnics.

The team’s views of the importance of team chemistry matches up perfectly with Kline’s views.

“From the first day of practice my freshman year, I was taken under the wing of some upperclassman, and I made a lot of lifetime friends,” said Tromblay. “Now four years later, I try to give the underclassman the same experience that I had. We're definitely a team that knows how to have fun while being serious about working hard.”

Although the girls do have a lot of fun, both the girls and Kline are striving to prepare themselves for the final race at Western Mass.

“My expectation this year is for a successful season,” said senior captain Molly Brunelle. “We have a really strong core of top runners, and we should be able to beat most of the teams.”

“Our expectations for this year are to get everyone to better their times and take home as many wins as we can, while having fun doing it,” said Tromblay. “We know what we have to do going into our meets like when we need to step it up, and everyone has been doing an amazing job.”

Kline is doing everything she can to have the girls ready for each race. Before the meets, she compares her team’s times to the times of the other teams’ competitive runners telling each girl who they should be with and who they can beat.

There have already been signs of a successful season. This year at their first meet, the entire team crossed the finish line in under 31 minutes.

“This is something that we haven't had in a while and something to be proud of. Everyone is working really hard and by the end of the season, I am eager to see how everyone improves,” said Tromblay.

Kline is there to help the girls on the team in any way she can. She rewards the girls’ success with play-dough but gives them candy either way. She has popsicles for them on the hottest days and a snack in her bag if a girl forgets to eat lunch.

Brunelle put it best when she said, “She’s a great addition to our team. I know she will work us hard and introduce us to a lot of new things that could benefit us.”