The Berkshire Running Camp fosters community
The Berkshire Running Camp trains high school cross country runners during one week over the summer. The training not only consists of running, but also weight training or yoga, for example.
Making new friends. Camaraderie among runners. Learning new and interesting concepts. These are what student athletes at the high school love about the Berkshire Running Camp.
The Berkshire Running Camp is a week-long sleepaway camp to train high school cross country runners. Campers sleep in cabins, play sports, go for runs and complete bonding activities.
In the mornings, campers do activities such as yoga, weight training and running. After that, campers have classroom sessions where they learn a variety of topics relating to running, such as the best shoes for running. In the evenings, campers have “evening group” times where they get to know each other better. After that, they gather at a bonfire where they get to relax for the rest of the day.
Elliott Pertel, senior and member of the cross country team, said the community building was one of the reasons he decided to go to the camp.
“It’s a great time to really bond with your teammates and people from other teams,” Pertel said. “It’s a really good time to foster those relationships.”
Pertel said the camp teaches the importance of consistency. He said he learned a lot from the camp, about more than just running.
“There’s just emphasis on keeping consistent,” Pertel said. “I think that’s a great aspect of the camp that I’ve taken away because then it also applies to schoolwork. You don’t want to spend every day going 100 percent crazy for 24 hours a day, but it adds up over time if you keep it consistent.”
Ruben Mendoza, a senior and captain of the cross country team, also attended the camp last summer. He said that meeting new people from other cross country teams is a great part of the camp.
“I’ve been able to see people that I recognize from camp [at cross country competitions] and I think that’s really nice to be able to know people who aren’t from Brookline and have someone else to talk to during meets,” Mendoza said.
At the camp, attendees run every day. Mendoza said he sees the daily running as a positive aspect of the camp. He also said the camp is inclusive to people of all running levels.
“If you’re interested in running, you don’t need to be a top runner to do this,” Mendoza said. “There’s a bunch of different levels of running groups for everyone. It’s something for everyone and something you can do just for yourself to get better at running.”
Senior and member of the cross country team Ana Martino said the camp emphasizes building community.
“The value of community is something that I really enjoyed,” Martino said. “Getting to have that team aspect of it was really nice before the season started.”
One way the camp fosters community is through bonding activities like “Cabin Wars,” where all cabins get together to compete.
“Your cabin has to come up with a team costume, and then you go out and do relay races,” Pertel said. “I remember our team. We went as princesses and it was really funny. I just remember it was a lot of fun.”
Martino said she enjoyed her time at the camp last summer and would encourage others to go.
“It’s a really cool experience,” said Martino. “I’d recommend it to anyone. I think it’s really fun and I think it’s a good experience.”
