ROCK SPRINGS — As the cross country season kicks off, the Rock Springs Tigers, led by head coach Eric Urlacher, are setting high expectations for their student-athletes. Coach Urlacher emphasizes a holistic approach to developing his team, focusing on more than just athletic performance.

“Our goal is for each student-athlete to become the best version of themselves athletically, academically, socially, spiritually, and in every regard,” Urlacher said. “For some athletes, this may mean running a 5K without walking, and for others, it may be training to medal at the WHSAA state cross country championship.”

Urlacher also shared his process for determining varsity and junior varsity teams in cross country, noting that the selection criteria go beyond just speed.

“Varsity races top seven athletes in each gender according to NFHS guidelines. We choose our top seven weekly based upon season PR, race consistency, academic eligibility, and leadership qualities following our four team pillars,” he explained.

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The coach is particularly excited about some of the new faces on the varsity team this year. “Leading our boys’ varsity pack this year is returning junior William Maes, who hopes to break into the 17-minute range,” Urlacher said. “Aria Wheeler, on the girls’ side, ran a stellar performance as a freshman last year at Nike Cross Regionals of 22:03 and is leading our girls’ group. We have a host of new and returning runners of all grades hoping to reach their personal best!”

When asked about a typical day of practice, Urlacher emphasized the importance of team building and a diverse training regimen.

“We start out with a team-building game, speech, or activity,” he said. “Our first team pillar is ‘UBUNTU’ – a South African phrase, ‘I am a person through other persons.’ We head into our workout following team pillar #2, ‘GRIT.’ Depending on the day in our training model, we might be doing VO2 max 1-kilometer intervals, hill sprints, a long aerobic run, or strength training. We end with some flexibility, following team pillar #3 – ‘Happy, Holistic, Healthy!’ Our last team pillar is ‘Empowerment,’ and we hope through our program we are building lifelong runners, be it at the recreational, community, or collegiate level!”

The Rock Springs Tigers are also deeply involved in their community, participating in various events and fundraisers. Urlacher highlighted a recent event that was particularly meaningful for the team.

“This last weekend, we had our 7th annual ‘Coats for Kids’ 5K/10K community race. We had exactly 100 participants and raised $1,600 for our cross country student account as well as our Coats for Kids charity drive!”

With a commitment to personal growth, community engagement, and athletic excellence, the Rock Springs Tigers are ready to tackle the season ahead.