Photo Courtesy of Hillcrest Academy Yearbook

Members of the Hillcrest Academy Raven cross country team took a road trip to Colorado this summer, but it wasn’t just a vacation, it was to put in work ahead of the new season. Every two years, Hillcrest head cross country coach Marty Gingerich takes a group of runners into the Rocky Mountains to train for a week at altitude and join together in team building exercises. Gingerich spoke this week on the KCII PM Sports Page about the itinerary for the 2024 trip.

Gingerich said, “Every two years, the team takes a trip to Colorado for one week. It serves as a team bonding activity. We run most days. We do different types of running on different days. We volunteer at a camp, so we work a full day for the camp where we stay. We go white-water rafting and sightseeing. We had 11 participants on the trip. They were all from Hillcrest this year. It was a great week!”

11 members of the Raven cross country team made the trip this year. Hillcrest officially opens the new season Tuesday when they host their annual Early Bird meet on campus in Kalona.