Hey Coach, are you really good at Fruit Ninja?” said a runner as cross country coach Kirk Flatow drove a butcher’s knife through another watermelon.

Every year, the Cross Country team kicks off its first time trials with the Watermelon Run. After running from MVHS to Stevens Creek County Park, the players organize into groups based on speed and begin a loop that ends at the picnic tables. Times are ceremoniously tallied on a posterboard that two people have to carry. Then, the team marches to Flatow’s truck and carry the dozens of watermelons to the picnic tables. For the grand finale, Flatow and co-coach Jodi Johnston slice the fruit open to the great enjoyment of the team.

Every year, cross country runs, slices, and eats.

“I had to fill the whole shopping cart with watermelon,” Flatow said. “Everyone was like, what are you doing?”

Though Flatow shows his support with a cartload of watermelon, the runners take their turn to cheer every athlete at the finish line.

“I thought [the cheering] doesn’t really make a difference… because they can’t make your muscles physically less sore,” junior Isabel Ju said. “But it really does.”

Although every athlete runs a different time, everyone gets the same prize: lots of watermelon.

The team room’s locked. Junior Bronwen Hardee, who sees field hockey coach Denise Eachus, runs to her and fetches the keys. The players, who wait on the curb, line up to enter the room.

“[The team room] kind of creates a sense that we have our own field hockey oasis or home,” junior Nikki Stuart said. “It just fosters a sense of community.”

Unlike other after-school sports teams, field hockey doesn’t just treat their team room as a place where they get ready to play. Each year, the team fixes up the room in a unique way.

During the first week of school or so, the team seniors rally together to decorate the room. Free time is utilized to cut, glue and stream materials in utmost secrecy. After an unveiling of the room to the varsity and junior varsity players, the room is free to be used for the season.

The players get ready with Christmas lights on top of the lockers and purple and gold streamers running across the ceiling. Quotes that range from “You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take” to “YOLO” to “I like it raw” adorn the walls. The team hashtag #wwbd (What would Belshe do?) glares at players from the various posters around the room.

Even though the team is only in their team oasis for 10 minutes or so a day, it’s a part of the field hockey experience.