POULSBO — Inside North Kitsap’s cross country circles, “the 500 club” is a source of pride for the upcoming season.

The club — denoting those runners who ran 500 miles during summer — was accomplished by many returning athletes and new team members alike. And ultimately for new head coach Lee Hodin, it shows just what a dedicated group he has to work with this year.

“We definitely have the work ethic,” Hodin said, “and a whole bunch of inspiration.”

Sixty runners have come out for the team this year — about three times as many from when Hodin started with the team three years ago. The boys outnumber the girls by about 35 to 25.

As far as experience is concerned, Hodin has a large contingent of team veterans including the Vikes’ Wes Power, Will Cameron, Sara Brand and Greta Stickney. On the other hand, there are quite a few incoming runners from Hodin’s Poulsbo Junior High School track team he co-coached last season, including Britt Seaburg and Kelly Cates.

Hodin was the team’s assistant coach for three years before taking over as head coach this year for Helen Smith. Thus, he’s working with a few of the athletes he started with as freshman.

“We had a large group of freshman that have now become juniors,” Hodin said. “This is when they get ready and start to do great things.”

But the team’s goals have also shifted a bit from last season, when the goal was solely to qualify for the state race. No one made it a year ago — but great strides were made in individual times. The focus now is on improvement, not necessarily results.

“A lot of the kids felt like failures a year ago because they didn’t go (to state),” Hodin said. “This year, we’re stressing that success is based on the effort and that it’s the journey not the end result.”

“Every year, I’ve improved about a minute,” Cameron added, stating he finished last year in a little over 17 minutes per race.

Though he didn’t make it to state a year ago, this year, Cameron said he likes his chances — and regardless, he’ll still focus on the effort, not the end result.

“We just want to try as hard as we can, no matter what,” he commented.

The most important aspect is work ethic above all else, Power added.

“You gotta have dedication,” he said. “This sport is all about pushing yourself. And I like to work hard.”

The girls’ side has more youth than it does experience. But those who’ve competed for a few years now — including Stickney — have been preparing ever since the season ended, especially during June, July and August.

“I think we’ll have a pretty strong top five,” she said. “We’ve all been working hard this summer.”

The Vikings have also added assistant track coach Joan Starr as assistant coach for the squad. Starr, who is a NKHS ‘98 graduate, attended Whitworth College in Spokane and coached for a year following her college graduation in 2002. She said the team’s blend of both first-year members and veterans can take the team a long way.

“They’ve got a lot of young kids and a lot of experience,” Starr said. “It’s a great combination.”

Britt Seaburg and Kelly Cates are two ninth graders who Hodin coached in track at Poulsbo Junior High School in the spring. Both athletes said they’re looking forward to seeing what they can do this season — and having a good time doing it.

“I have nothing to lose as a freshman,” Seaburg said. “And it’s a lot of fun to train with these girls.”

“I started in track and just decided to do cross country,” Cates added. “Though it’s a different sport and different group of people, we have a lot of fun together.”