When “Run a lap” is privilege not punishment

Cross country skiers teamed up with cross country runners for an "epic" work out. Photo: Michele Roepke

 PARK CITY, Utah. — Other days, when the coach tells an athlete at Dozier Field at the Park City High School to “Run a lap” it may be because they did something wrong. Thursday, it was because these athletes were doing everything right. The cross country skiing team and the cross country running team teamed up for a cross-over event.

Three-time Olympian, Liz Stephen, is the head coach of the Park City Ski and Snowboard (PCSS) Cross Country Nordic Competitive Ski Team and Steve Cuttitta is an elite competitive runner himself and the 14-year head coach of the Park City High School (PCHS) Cross Country Running Team. The two created this first-time nighttime training session whereby the athletes opted in to show up at eight’0’clock to run 20, 400-meter sprints. The boys and girls were given 2 minute, 45-second intervals so if they ran a lap fast, they provided themself more rest time each time. If not, not.

When asked if the night was more for competition or camaraderie, Cuttitta said, “During the last year of COVID sports we didn’t have a lot of opportunities to have a lot of fun and even in the best of times, practicing these two sports aren’t always a lot of fun. Running isn’t necessarily fun. So, a goal of ours is to make memories by making the comps and camps and meetings and training sessions fun.”

Coaches provide a plethora of guidance including omnipresent ‘what to bring lists’. In the run-up to this night, Stephen wrote, in explicit detail to her athlete’s families that she strongly suggested to not eat a big family dinner after 6 pm so as to ensure no one, um, lost calories and along with plenty of water, bring a healthy snack for during the workout and directly after for in the car ride home to rapidly replenish calories.

Stephen said afterward, “That one goes down in my book of all-time favorite training sessions. That is saying a lot, considering how many training sessions I have put in over the course of my years on the planet!”

Two weeks prior, this event was on the books but one of the most menacing lightning storms Park City had experienced in years called home-field advantage thus canceling the run. This time out, a simultaneous freshman football game meant that these cross country athletes had football fans in the stands which gave an extra treat for the eyes of the runners and for the surprised sports supporters.

The Cross Country Ski Team next heads to Jackson, Wyoming to a camp over UAE weekend whereas the Cross Country Running Team hosts their big fundraising race, The Park City Invitational, this Friday starting at the softball fields at Round Valley. Wyoming will send some of the 37 regional high school teams which pay to register and purchase concessions. All local spectators/donors are welcome to come out and cheer on the athletes. 

In the hours and days since the unforgettable Thursday night session, friendships have been forged and weekend on-your-owns (OYO) brought athletes from the two sports together. Rooting each other on at meets and comps is an activity not only encouraged by the two coaches but they officially carve out time within the weeks to do so as a team.

It all lends itself to their philosophy of developing well-rounded people who are student-athletes with part-time jobs which the coaches appreciate, friends, families, down-time, and other non-related sports.