Section 5AA

Our individual results for today's Section 5AA are now posted.  Also, the meet results can be found above under Mtec Results. 
Today was a great day to end the season for most of the runners.  Hands down it was the best overall race for both the boys and the girls, and that is all that we can ask for the runners to do, to run their best races at the end of the season. 23 Boys and 20 Girls ran their personal bests! 
Team placing's and average team times improved as well, with the Boys Varsity finishing in 5th out of 16 team; the Girls Varsity finishing 10th of 16 teams; both the Boys and Girls JV teams finished 7th, showing that there is potential as we move forward.
But, we are not done yet!  Congratulations to Paul Breitbach and Nathan Mueggenberg as they both have qualified for the Minnesota State Meet which will be held next Saturday, Nov. 7th at St. Olaf College in Northfield. For those that are interested in going, I will post info for it next week.  To go along with that, Nathan and Tanner Aust have added their names to the Boy's Sub 17 Club, with Tanner missing the final qualifying State position by 10 seconds!

Lastly, Friday after school, those at the high school will be taking an online survey, and then everyone will be doing team voting and finishing their goal sheets for the season.  For those that would like to run after, we will be practicing.  Next Tuesday after school will be our uniform turn in after school.We also will be practicing next week for those who would like run with Paul and Nate.  I have, however, asked those that are intending to be in a winter sport that starts on Nov. 9th to take next week off to get rested.
Any questions about anything, please let me know,
Thanks for all of your support today!!!
Denny

Sections/Banquet

Sorry I didn't get this out sooner, been busy with work stuff.  But below is the information for the Section 5AA Meet that is on Thursday, Oct 29 at Anoka High School.  This is the same location as our first meet of the season, but there will be many more teams and people there.  Parking shouldn't be too much of an issue, but still plan accordingly so you are able to watch your child run.
Girls Varsity will be first at 3:30
Boys Varsity at 4:00
Boys JV at 4:30
Girls JV at 4:35
The reason that the Girls JV is only 5 minutes after the Boys JV is because most Sections have a JV race the same day, but our coaches have always wanted to, so we pay for the extra costs, the timer, but also want to make sure that the awards for Varsity are done in a timely fashion and before it gets to dark.
Usually there will be t-shirt sales, but have not seen any information on them yet, or a cost, but it is usually around $15-$20.
One thing to also note about Thursday is that there are not pets/dogs allowed on the course, so please leave your dogs at home if you were intending to bring them.   They don't want a dog getting loose and affecting the outcome of a race.

As for the Banquets, we will be having separate banquets because of the numbers, but also so we can make each team feel like the focus is on them.  The Girls Banquet will be on Tuesday, Nov. 10th at 6:30pm in the High School Cafeteria, and the Boys Banquet will be on Wednesday, Nov 11th at 6:30pm in the Cafeteria.  Both events will be potluck with each grade bringing something different.  I will be sending out the information on Friday with the runners but will also post on here as well.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks
Denny

5K JK

Our times for today's 5K JK on the Section course at Anoka are now posted.  Our focus was more on the first mile and then building back up for the finish.  There were many who did run personal bests, with many more running near, as well as faster than last week at the Conference Meet.  It's good to see them run that way with a different approach.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Thursday

Just reminding everyone that at tomorrow's JK 5K we will not be competing against anyone else, and that it is just a time trial for us to work on some things on the Section course, so no need for anyone to come to watch.  We should be there no longer than an hour, and will be back to the school shortly after 4:00.  If you have any questions, please let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

Conference Results

Results from yesterday's Northwest Suburban Conference Meet can be found above under Raceberry Jam.  I will have our individual results up later today.
CongratultIons to All Conference winners Nathan Mueggenberg, 2nd year, Paul Breithbach, 2nd year, Tanner Aust first time All Conference, and Ali Hedlund, first time recipient as well as the youngest to receive the award.
It was an overall rough day for many of our runners. Temps were warmer than what we had run in lately and the course had some changes this year to make it more challenging.  It wasn't the race that many were hoping for, but one that we hope to learn from and build off of.
The Boys team finished in 6th overall just a few points out of being in the top 5 again for the first time in two years. The Girls finished in 12th, but we are in a spot where we know that we can do better and are hoping to regroup and hit the Section Meet hard.
Practice at 10:00am this morning at the high school and 10:00am Friday at Bunker.
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

NWSC Meet

Below is the time schedule for tomorrow's Northwest Suburban Conference Meet at the Elk River Country Club.  This meet will determine the Conference Champions for both team and individuals as well as who will be All-Conference and Honorable Mention.
Directions are also at the bottom.  Please note with regards to parking, there will be 14 schools participating and there will be many spectators, so please give yourself plenty of time to make it to the race you are intending to watch.  Most spectators will be able to park on the the driving range or will be in the Woodland Trails parking lot just north of the golf course.  It is possible you may have to park in a residential neighborhood, thus having to cross a busy country road, so please be careful.

2:30  Boys Varsity Race
3:10  Girls Varsity Race
3:50  Boys JV Race
4:30  Girls JV Race
5:15  Awards Presentation

Elk River (Conference Championships): 20015 Elk Lake Rd.  Highway 10 west to Proctor Ave. in Elk River, go north (right).  Go 2 miles to the Elk River Country Club, which will be on the right.  Additional parking will be available at Woodland Trails, just north of the Country Club.

Lastly, as for the rest of the week, we will still be having practice on Thursday and Friday, both days at 10:00am.  Thursday we will meet at the high school, Friday at Bunker Golf Course, Parking Lot 1.  Also, if any of the athletes are looking for a workout for Saturday, they can meet me in Elk River on Saturday in the morning.  Time and exact location will be determined if anyone is wanting to go.  This workout is completely optional and they would need to have a ride to Elk River since that is where I live.

Any questions on any of this, please let me know,

Thanks

Denny

Blaine Results

Our individual results are posted on the right and you can find meet results under Raceberry Jam above.
As an overall, this was another positive day for the runners.  Many ran PR's on a spongy course, and the Girls Varsity were able to finish 2nd in the White Division.  The boys finished in 9th in the Blue Division, but were not far out of moving up a few spots.  On the JV side, the Girls were the big surprise for us as the finished in 9th out of 20 teams, with the Boys finishing 11th out of 24 teams but were 13 points out of 6th place, which is not much with that many runners and teams.
Next up will be the Northwest Suburban Conference Meet on Wednesday at the Elk River Country Club.  This will be a 14 school event that will determine all-conference and the conference champion for the Varsity teams.  Our top 10 boy and girls will be in the Varsity races, and the rest of the runners will be in the JV races on the same day.
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Blaine Invite

For those not sure how to get to Majestic Oaks for tomorrow's races, here are directions.  Once again, the Girls Varsity will be at 3:35, Boys Varsity at 4:00, JV Boys at 5:00 and JV Girls at 5:50.
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Majestic Oaks Golf Course (Blaine Invite):  North on Hanson Blvd to Main St.  Go east on Main St. to Jefferson Ave.  Take a left (north) and go to Bunker Lake Blvd., go right and golf course will be on left.  Watch for signs for parking.

Cross Country is... By Greg Hall

Coach Lauren found this and shared it with me and felt I should share with all of you.
Enjoy!!
Denny

I wrote my Baseball Is… verse in 1994 as the MLB players went on strike and I feared my son would grow up wondering what this wonderful sport was all about.

My Cross Country Is… verse comes from my experiences with the sport since the 1970s and continues today as I photograph many of the high school meets in the Kansas City area and beyond. I hope you enjoy it.

Cross Country Is…

Cross Country is not simply about the race. Cross Country is all about what you do to prepare for the race.

Cross Country is sitting in the school gym during the football team’s Friday afternoon pep rally consumed in thought about your race the next morning.

Cross Country is your alarm clock rudely reminding you on a humid July morning that your competition is not sleeping in.

Cross Country is a team sport that requires incredible individual efforts.

Cross Country is that coach who somehow evolved from your worst nightmare into a member of your wedding party.

Cross Country is scored backward but everything else about the sport revolves around moving forward as quickly as possible.

Cross Country is a tightly-knit family of runners who are bound by sweat, tears and cheers.

Cross Country is the never-ending pursuit of a PR or a PB and a delicious PB&J.

Cross Country is not the most popular sport in school. It is simply the best sport in school.

Cross Country is Steve Prefontaine’s words on the back of a kid’s t-shirt 100 years from now because Pre was that special.

Cross Country is that bugger of a hill on your route that you would love to skip but don’t because you know how much you will need it come November.

Cross Country is kids who are thought to be some of the smartest students in class — until you sit next to them on a three-hour bus ride.

Cross Country is track without all the hoopla. All you need is shoes, shorts and heart.

Cross Country is what allows you to eventually lose your public inhibitions at an age when many kids are frozen by theirs.

Cross Country is a pristine dew-covered field at dawn awaiting the onslaught of wet spikes unleashed by the echo of the starter’s gun, as the hoard of runners sprint from the start, into a wedge, and then form a serpentine parade.

Cross Country is the entire varsity team going bonkers as the slowest kid on the JV team stumbles through the finish line to record a new PR.

Cross Country is a beautiful sport where you get to experience nature close up, smell the unfiltered outdoors and feel your body adapt — oh, does it ever feel!

Cross Country is lying awake in bed the night before a big race because your mind refuses to obey your legs’ pleas for sleep.

Cross Country is a fresh start with each dawn, knowing that daybreak brings the chance for you to be better, faster and less weird.

Cross Country is working out twice a day because we know the pain while we train is far less than the pain of what we might fail to gain.

Cross Country is not a religion but many have come to know a greater power through the agony of the long distance training run.

Cross Country is a herd of teammates attaining perfect stride cadence as they sprint toward coach’s pick-up truck as another practice comes to a satisfying close.

Cross Country is a starting line of chaotic colorful singlets stretching from the giant oak tree to the scattered shards of the sunrise.

Cross Country is a group pasta dinner at one of your teammate’s homes the night before you hope to keep your legs from turning into spaghetti.

Cross Country is learning that hills can be your friend, albeit the kind of friend you would like to see move to North Dakota.

Cross Country is a tiny starting box that appears not nearly large enough to hold seven runners but proves to be more than enough space once chins point up and the gun is raised.

Cross Country is that crushing and disappointing race that comes out of nowhere, just when you thought everything was finally falling into place.

Cross Country is a bond between runners from opposing teams that is frayed during the heat of the race but melts into lasting friendships on the medal stand.

Cross Country is your parents, grandparents and family seated in folding chairs in the middle of a pasture just to watch you run by once or twice in your underwear.

Cross Country is hard work, the kind of hard work that builds strong muscles, stronger minds – and hilarious characters.

Cross Country often favors the skinny kids but beware to never take that not-so-skinny kid in front of you lightly.

Cross Country is a frigid winter training run through your familiar hometown streets escorted by the silence of sub-freezing temps and the chorus of Sauconys on ice.

Cross Country is the incredible satisfaction one gets from doing the work necessary to improve.

Cross Country is that summer trip to a faraway place to train and bond with your team and coaches where the only pressure is your squad’s limited cooking skills.

Cross Country is that painful pang of regret of that missed or shortened workout gnawing at your confidence as you nervously wait in the starting box with your teammates.

Cross Country is running side-by-side with an opponent and hoping they are just as exhausted as you, but never allowing them to know you have no idea if you can hold this pace.

Cross Country is that old photo of you in short shorts and long hair that looks odd and humorous to all your adult friends except your old teammates.

Cross Country is odd in that there is no scoreboard updating the race as it unfolds. There is just hope and panic and lots of whispering as the results are slowly tallied.

Cross Country is trying to squash your exploding pride over your just-completed PR race while your best friend pouts about their latest injury.

Cross Country is growing up one stride at a time.

Cross Country is about losing – a lot, and coming back the next race determined to lose by less.

Cross Country is coming in as a freshman intimidated by the strange terms, tights and times and leaving as a senior in love with it all.

Cross Country is not for all, rather it is for all who are unafraid to try.

Greg Hall greghall24@yahoo.com 913-579-4455

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Week Ahead

Our individual results are now posted and the Season Bests and the Boys Sub 17 Club pages have been updated.

Here are a couple of things for the upcoming week.

Wednesday will be our Picture Day, which will be at the CR Dam.  I will be handing out order forms tomorrow at practice. We will have a bus take us to the CR Dam for our practice, we will take our pictures there and then we will run our workout for the day.

Thursday is the Blaine Invite at Majestic Oaks Golf Course.  There will be around 30 schools represented, which means parking is a major issue, so please be aware of when your runners race is at, so you have plenty of time.  The Girls Varsity will be in the White Division race which will be at 3:35 and the Boys Varsity will be in the Blue Division race which will be at 4:00.  The JV races will be at 5:00 for the Boys and 5:30 for the Girls.

Any questions about any of this, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Swain Results

Results for today's Swain Invite can be found on the Winter River Sports Timing link above, then scroll down to Swain Invite.  We were also is the AA races for the boys and girls and for the Varsity and JV races.  I will have our individual times posted tomorrow.
But a very positive day for the runners today, despite the bigger hills and a wind that was getting stronger.  There were many new PR's for both the girls and the boys with some dropping more than a minute.  It was fun to see the teams becoming more competitive and moving up in the standings and see the runners putting in really solid performances.
Despite only having two medalist, we were happy with were everyone finished as individuals and as a team. As for those two medalist, congrats to Paul Breitbach, 8th, and Nathan Mueggenberg, 13th, with Paul becoming the 50th member of the boys Sub-17 Club and Nathan just missing joining the same club by 3 seconds.
Next up will be the Blaine Invite on Thursday at Majestic Oaks Golf Course on Bunker Blvd.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks,
Denny