The cross country Christmas party is a hit every single year. There is food, games, prizes, and people mingling about. Some play “pin the carrot on the snowman” while others reminisce on the cross country season. The Secret Santa that goes along with it is a blast, and everyone is to be a part of the festivities. This is just one of many ways that Lee Sims goes above and beyond for his athletes, supporting them and fostering a sense of family within the sport outside of the season as well as in.
One of Sim’s philosophies is that the way a coach does their job matters, and that remembering the human aspect of things is important.
“[A big] piece is kind of a respect, just a baseline of how we operate, and how we treat people as human beings. That baseline respect is integral in me, and I expect that out of my athletes too,” Sims said.
There were close to sixty cross country runners on the team last year, and with a group that big it is hard to ensure everyone feels like they have a spot on a team in which only the top seven runners are on varsity. The rest of the team is junior varsity, or JV.
To approach this challenge, Sims took a page out of the York University cross country team’s book by separating the team up into groups. The top seven runners for each gender are the varsity squad, with the top five out of that scoring points, and the next seven are the scoring JV team. While the rest of the team is considered JV, Sims decided to make two additional groups of seven after that are the developing crew, and the runners after that are the chase pack.
“When we have 35 guys, and only the top seven count as varsity, what are the other 28 going to do; are they just there for fun? No, there is an identity. You do have a place on the team,” Sims said.
Runners soon become friends with the people in their groups, for the most part sticking together during runs, and pushing each other to get better.
Cross country is a sport that has an incredible social aspect to it. Runners often compare the cross country team to a family, and Sims helps to foster that environment for everyone. At the start of the season, the team takes a field trip to Pattison State Park for a fun team bonding day. The day starts off with a run on the trails followed by a game of water balloon capture-the-flag on the beach. Then comes lunch and some team building activities, including a relay race. After taking pictures at Big Manitou Falls, the team finishes out the day with another trail run.
“Spending all day with each other, running, playing, eating, is just a good way to start the season. I think that set the tone for that togetherness experienced throughout the season,” Sims shared.
The trip to Pattison Park is just the start, Sims plans many more team building things into the season. The team takes a trip up to UMD’s Hartley and Bagley nature centers for practice one day a season for some great trail running. As a special treat on some Fridays, ultimate frisbee is part of the practice plan, letting athletes have fun and let off some steam after a long week.
“I am also a coach that likes to have experiences as best we can,” Sims stated.
While all of these activities are great for bonding during practice, arguably the most important team bonding happens the night before a meet at the spaghetti dinners. Each week, a family volunteers to host a spaghetti dinner for the team. Yard games like pick up football, volleyball, and spikeball are the evening activities after the food is gone. For the last two years, there has been a family that volunteered to host a spaghetti dinner for every single meet.
To Sims, cross country isn’t just a sport; it’s a lifestyle. This is the belief that he tries to share with his runners before practice throughout the season. He will show videos of runners pushing themselves to achieve greatness like Cole Hocker winning the mens 1600m run in the 2024 Summer Olympics, or when Faith Kipyegon attempted to run a sub four minute mile.
Most famously, he talks about Dan Conway before our home meet every year that is named in his honor. Conway was the high school’s cross country coach before Sims, and a world class runner. He once held the world record for the 10 kilometer road race, and made running a core part of his life until he passed. Sims wants to pass this philosophy to the next generation of runners, and that starts with the cross country team.
“Trying to get you guys thinking about what we do isn’t just: “I’m running three miles today, and then I’m going to go home and get on with the rest of my life.” There is potential that this is a lifestyle of healthiness, of wanting to push yourself, and it just feels good to be in shape,” Sims said.
Part of supporting his athletes to succeed and be healthy is being understanding when they are injured. When it comes to injuries, Sims doesn’t hesitate to protect his athletes. Whether it be shin splints, a pulled muscle, or some other injury, he won’t let them run hurt.
“I think that evidence for us is when kids are injured, you can see how disappointed and upset they are that they can’t do the thing that is every other sport’s punishment.”
Senior captain Max Carey understands the feeling that an injury brings, spraining his ankle at the annual trip to Hartley Nature Center last year. He was carried back to the bus by a few senior runners, and of course, Coach Sims.
“I remember the next couple weeks, it was tough because I couldn’t run. Mr. Sims checked in with me, and borrowed me a boot. Homecoming was later that week, and he let me be on the homecoming float and everything, and it was just awesome he kept me involved,” Carey shared.
Sims has shown the countless ways that he supports his athletes; keeping them healthy, involved, and always chasing greatness.
