Avenues Athletics Track and Cross Country Teams

Cross country is a unique sport because everyone runs the same race. All ages and genders start at the same point at the same time and run the same course. Because of this, the 5K is a unifying race both in practice and competition. As team captain, organizing team bonding dinners didn’t inspire the passion I had expected, but seeing how people connected over this odd uniform made me realize the power of apparel. So I designed the first ever cross country merch, a matching team sweatset. After ordering the sweatsets, I organized a team gathering to iron on customizations in a craft night event. With the proceeds from the merch, we were able to raise hundreds of dollars for Girls on The Run and surprise our two coaches with sweatsets of their own. Now, that sense of community extends beyond practice into everyday life each time a cross country hoodie enters the hallways.