For Bailey Eaton, 16, her competitive spirit thrives in running.
“Racing is what drives me,” said the junior on the Whitefish cross country team.
But when Eaton describes her proudest accomplishments and goals for the season, it is always in terms of her team and the fun of the sport.
Eaton recalls as freshmen, in 2007, an optional workout at Pig Farm Trails. The task was strenuous. Run up a hill as fast as you can and jog back down.
“We charged the hill,” said Eaton. Attacking at full speed, she and her teammates let out a battle scream in unison. “We were one, all working together. It unites us as a team. Showing our guts, we’re all in this together.”
That was the first year Whitefish won state.
Off the road, course and trail, Eaton finds ways to express herself through tap dancing as a member of the Feet by Feet Tap Company in Whitefish.
“The more dedicated you are, the more you get out of it,” said Eaton.
Still, Eaton doesn’t feel the weight of the team’s past two state titles.
“Friendship and (a team) bond is more important,” she said. “That’s the only way it happens.”