The friendship began with a pair of running shoes. Seniors Eric Doorn and Dylan Gesell met as freshmen while running cross country and bonded over having the same shoes.

“Basically I saw that he had the same shoes as I did, and I went over and was like ‘Hey, we have the same shoes,’” Doorn said. “And he was like ‘Yeah, we do.’ And it just kind of happened from there.”

Cross country was a constant throughout their friendship and brought them closer together. Some of their best memories resulted from this sport. One of their favorite memories was during cross country camp where the team went camping at Kent Park. Their friendship strengthened through playing games, blasting music and participating in Ultimate Frisbee.

Even though they’ve experienced downsides such as weather fiascos while running, both can get a laugh out of their adventures. They’ve faced runs through the rain where they ended up splashing in rivers and puddles. Either way, they’ve turned runs and practices from a mundane task to something enjoyable.

“A lot of our runs, especially this year and last year, they’re supposed to be really hard and train us, but oftentimes it just turns into a joke as we mess around … find a big puddle and start swimming in it or something,” Doorn said.

Because of this common passion, Doorn and Gesell made plans to create a spring running club, a way to continue running without joining track, which the pair didn’t enjoy as much as cross country. While they did not enjoy track as much as cross country, they both still enjoy running for the same reason.

“A lot of times runs are really fun because you can kind of mess around,” Doorn said. “Sometimes you actually try, but a lot of times you just goof off the whole time.”

Gesell agreed, saying, “You either goof off or you’re pushing yourself. That’s what I like about cross country; there’s a lot of free time.”

Besides sharing the same passion, Doorn and Gesell also have somewhat similar personalities and looks. With blonde hair, blue eyes and a tall stature, many people have mentioned that they look like twins. While they have their differences, they are similar in that they can both be quiet but also outgoing at times. They both like to have fun and they share a similar sense of humor.

Doorn and Gesell’s friendship also benefits from the two living close to one another.

“We found out that we lived by each other for seven years and didn’t know,” Gesell said.

“I was walking to the bus stop, and it was my first time going on the bus. I looked over and I saw Dylan, and I was like ‘What?’” Doorn added.

The two ended up riding the bus together, keeping each other company with little games they made up, like stick fight wars.

Since the two are so close, both in proximity and in personality, they rarely have conflicts. The two believe their friendship has strengthened throughout high school, because they can communicate their problems easily.

“Usually between the two of us, neither of us really gets too angry or fired up; [we’re] more calm,” Doorn said.

“[Our friendship] has increased since we [started] high school. We’ve just always been so close,” Gesell said.

The two plan to continue their friendship in the future. They are both interested in the same general career field: Doorn with chemical engineering and Gesell with biological engineering. If they end up attending the same college, both agree that they wouldn’t want to be roommates with the other.

“Dylan has a bit of a messy room, [so] that might not be too fun. I wouldn’t mind the same floor or same building,” Doorn said.

“I don’t think I’d want to room with Eric; I like making new friends, but as long as he’s close,” Gesell added. 

The two have formed a strong bond throughout high school that they hope to continue in the future. While they find it fun to joke around with each other, they hold an appreciation for one another beyond the funny moments.

“There’s nothing that I dislike about Eric. He’s awesome, amazing. [He] always has something positive to say about me,” Gesell said.

“Dylan, he’s a quiet guy, but he really speaks from the heart too sometimes,” Doorn said. ”When he means something he actually means it, and he doesn’t want to pull anything past you.”