Sports are one of the more unifying activities that exist in high schools.

Corona del Sol High School’s cross-country team includes many athletes who have developed relationships that run past the course.

Senior Emily Rugg says being involved in sports opens opportunities to meet new people.

“I met some of my best friends through this sport, and I think it's really important to do a sport or some sort of physical activity with school, not only to stay active, to stay fit, but also to meet people and be involved in your school,” said Rugg.

Sport builds a sense of community around the runners, according to junior Peyton Burnside.

“I like it because of the community it provides", she said. “You always have your friends to talk to every day after school and you feel like you're accomplishing something every day.”

Athletes can find a sanctuary around the people they constantly practice with. This creates a bond that is hard to duplicate elsewhere.

“It’s its own set of family and so everybody on the team is friends, and it's just a really good bonding experience,” said freshman Kelsey Gunning.

“Some it's fun to play sports with them, others you can get an actual friendship with them and become close friends,” said freshman Grant Murad.

The time spent with each other following similar passions has built more motivation among each other. Competition is one of the common elements that brings these runners together.

“I like running because it's competitive, I like the environment, a lot of the people who are really dedicated to this sport, and being able to see myself get better,” said sophomore Ashlinn Aguayo. “For being on the team you get to meet so many new people and form a lot of relationships with people who also love running and share one of your passions."

One of the reasons the relationships on the cross-country team are so unique is that a majority of them also run together on the track team. They run both sports because of their passion for loving to run.

This means they see each other in the fall and the spring. Cross-country and track athletes go through a lot of the same training in the offseason together, which further builds their bonds.

“I joined the cross-country team as a parallel to track so I could get into better shape," said sophomore Bennett Gunning. "It's given me a lot more time to spend time with some of my good friends. It builds my endurance and gives me a better base for when I start track."

“It's another way to stay in shape and another way to compete, get a break and then get ready again for track,” said sophomore Diego Diaz. 

Along with building strong relationships through the team, it has taught them ways to balance time for sports and school.

“I like that it keeps me busy after school. It keeps me fit and in shape and tends to keep me focused in school and out of school,” said Steven Ortiz.

“It helps teach how to balance your life between school, sports, family and working,” said Rugg.

They also mentioned meeting some of their best friends while being on the team. 

“I met my best friend through cross-country and track, and because we're not in the same grade we don't get to see each other as much during the day so it's nice having these extra two hours to hang out with my friends," said Rugg.