Osseo Results

A really nice night out lead to a another positive step forward for both the Boys and the Girls teams today at Elm Creek!  24 Season Bests or All Time PR's came from the runners that raced and it showed in the team results as well, with both the Boys and Girls Varsity teams and the Boys JV team all gaining top 10 finishes out of the 20+ teams that were competing!  

Peyton lead the way for our individual finishers with a Top 10 finish himself, earning 9th place overall in the Boys Varsity race.  On the Girls Varsity, Ruby was the first to finish for the Cardinals with a solid 13th place finish overall.  Not to be out done by the Varsity, Hannah was 3rd and Emmy was 7th in the Middle School Girls race!

It was a lot of fun to see the compete level continue to grow with these two teams and to know that we were a little shorthanded and possibly could have been higher up in the standings.  We continue to move in the right direction and will continue to make adjustments and try to bring everyone to their bests at the right time.

Next up is the Cardinal Cup 2 Mile Time Trial on Monday evening at Cardinal Stadium, with the first race going at 7:00 and the second to follow shortly after the first finishes.  This will be a great opportunity for the runners to push a little faster than they usually do, but also be able to do so under the lights.

Lastly, on Saturday we do have a scheduled practice at 9:00am.  We understand that there are some family and other priorities that will prevent everyone from being there, but we still would like as many as possible to make the workout.  From start to finish, we should be about an hour long. Also, we are going to meet at a different park than we have in the past, to mix it up and give the runners a different place to put in some work.  We are going to meet at Pine Hills North Park in Andover, about 7 miles from the High School.  The address is 3535 161st Ave NW, Andover.  To get there, take Round Lake Blvd North to 161st Ave, take a left, go about 1/4 mile, and the park entrance be on the right.

Thanks for all of those that were able to make the races today!
Denny

Conference T Shirt Sales

Sorry for short notice on this, but I got this email this morning:

 
 "2022 Conference Championship" t-shirts. T-shirts will only be available for pre-order via the link provided: Northwest Suburban Conference T-Shirt Order Form

T-shirts will not be sold on site. Runners will be able to pick-up the shirts at the Conference Meet on October 12th. All orders must be submitted by this Thursday, September 29th at midnight

Thanks

Denny

Osseo Invite

Below is the time schedule and location for this Thursday's meet at Elm Creek.  Please note that there will be 25 schools participating, so parking may get a little tight, so plan accordingly.

Elm Creek Park Reserve (near picnic and beach area)

12400 James Deane Parkway
Maple Grove, MN 55369

Take Hwy 10 to Hwy 610 and continue to Elm Creek Parkway in Maple Grove and follow into the park. The main parking lot and location of the meet will be about a mile and half into the park on the left.

Schedule

3:20PM: National Anthem at starting line

3:30PM: Boys C Race 5000 M

4:00PM: Girls JV 5000M

4:35PM: Boys JV 5000M

5:05PM: Girls Varsity 5000M

5:35PM: Boys Varsity 5000M

6:00PM: Co-Ed Middle School 2500M (6th thru 8th grade only)

6:30PM: Awards Ceremony by Osseo Tent

Course:  2 loop course (5K) for JV/ Varsity/C and one loop for middle school race 2.5K on the trails of the park

Meet Information and Course Map

Team Pictures

This Wednesday, Sep 28th, will be our team pictures.  We will be doing them at a different location than in the past, and we will be at Thorpe Park.  Please follow along with these directions:

How To View and Purchase Photos Text the access code PGTR96588 to 90738 or visit: https://galleries.photoday.io/ 

Thanks and any questions, please let me know,
Denny

Griak/Mustang Results

Results for both the Roy Griak Invite and the Mustang Invite are now posted on the right side of the blog, with a link to the Overall Results in there as well.

Two days, two meets, and a number of races, but the same feeling for all of them, positive!  It is something that I don't like to do, comparing a race from one year to the next, but it is hard not to notice the improvements of everyone from where they were a year ago, and how much stronger they are looking from week to week!  More steps were taken, much improvement was had by all, and it still was not a perfect day/weekend.  

The Boys Varsity led the way on the weekend with an 18th team placing out of 55 teams, led by Peyton finishing in 23rd overall in the Maroon Division at Griak!!  The Girls Varsity was led by Ruby's 80th overall position to finish a solid 28th out of 55 teams!  On the JV side of things, there were many PR's across the races.  When I was putting there were still some troubles with the overall results, some duplicate places and struggles pulling up team results, but some of the top finishers were Hannah and Emmy in the Girls JH/MS race; Justin and Josh in the Boys JH/MS race; and Vlad in the Boys Green 5K race!

Thanks to all of the parents and fans that came out to watch this weekend!  Sorry for not mentioning anything about where the 3200m finish was going to be today, I didn't find out myself until it was mentioned to us when we got there this morning!  A little goofy, but those that had to finish there handled it very well!

Next up is the Osseo Invite at Elm Creek on Thursday.  I will put out information on that meet on Monday.

Thanks,

Denny

Mustang Change

There was a change to the schedule for tomorrows, Saturday, Mustang Invite at Anoka that I just found out about.  They added two races, thus pushing our JV runners races back. Those race times are now 11:20 for the Girls and 12:00 for the Boys. The JH/MS races are still at 9:30 for the Girls and 9:55 for the Boys.

Sorry for any issues,

Denny

Last Minute Griak Items

Here a couple of last minute items for the Varsity runners at the Roy Griak Invite tomorrow, Friday.  First, both the Boys and the Girls will be wearing white tops to help possibly be spotted easier with around 500 runners competing in each race.

Also, the weather is going to feel much cooler, with temps in the 50’s, stronger winds, and a chance of rain throughout the day. Hope to see as many of you at the races!!

Denny

Roy Griak Invite/Mustang Invite

Below is the information for both Friday's Roy Griak Invite at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in St Paul, and Saturday's Mustang Invite at Anoka High School.  For Friday, we are in the Maroon Division for both the boys and the girls races.  Start times are 4:30 for boys and 5:15 for girls.  For Saturday, we are only doing the first four races, so our first race is at 9:30 am and last at 10:55 am.  Please note that at both races, pets are Not allowed.

Lastly, for those that will be running on Saturday, they are all more than welcome to come watch, though we would still like for them to do their workout.   For any of the JV that do not come along, you will still have practice and a workout to do.  Also, for Saturday's races, those that raced on Friday are welcome to come with for support.

Any questions, please let me know,

Thanks
Denny

Roy Griak Invitational (Les Bolstad Golf Cours):  Bus leaves at 3:00

U of M Golf Course. Take 35W South to Cleveland Avenue South to West Larpenteur. Turn right and follow for a ½ mile on Larpenteur and you will see the Driving Range and Golf Course on the right. For parking use S101 (on the corner of Cleveland and Commonwealth) and the Gortner Ave Ramp. Shuttles will transport to the golf course. Park at your own risk on city streets. 

The University will be charging $10 entry fee for adults and $8 for students/youth/seniors (62 & above). Kids age 2 & under are free. Tickets are available for purchase online.

Please click on this link for more spectator information: Griak Spectator Information

Mustang Invite Roster:

Boys
Green Race	JH/Middle School
Vlad Vorobyev	Justin Bauer
Marco Velasquez	Joshua Hyatt
Gilbert Kostuck	Truman Smith
Nico Cocchiarella	Jacob Thoen
Orion Carter	Landon Egerstrom
Kevin Cheaye
Michael Kane
Tristan Golen
Nolan Rife
Josh Holder
Girls
Green Race	JH/Middle School
Ash Cocciarella	Hannah Berndt
Anna Winter	Emmy Fuller
	Addie Erickson
	Faith Kue
	Emily Bornes
	Jessika Larson
	Nyah Fruth

Race Schedule and Times:

a.       9:00am    Coaches Meeting at Finish Line area

b.       9:30am     JH/MS Grade Race-Girls         Team and Open Girl’s Race   3,200 meters  (Unlimited entries)

c.       9:55am    JH/MS Grade Race-Boys          Team and Open Boy’s Race   3,200 meters  (Unlimited entries)

d.       10:20am    Green Race-Girls              Open Junior Varsity Girl’s Race    5,000 meters     (Unlimited entries)

e.       10:55am    Green Race-Boys              Open Junior Varsity Boy’s Race   5,000 meters      (Unlimited entries)

f.        11:25am    Gold Race- Girls            Girl’s Team Race 5,000 meters     ( NOTE: change: 10 entries; runners 11-20)

g.       11:55am    Gold Race- Boys            Boy’s Team Race 5,000 meters     ( NOTE: change: 10 entries; runners 11-20)

h.       12:20pm    Varsity Race- Girls            Girl’s Team Race 5,000 meters      (team’s top 10 entries)

i.         12:50pm    Varsity Race- Boys            Boy’s Team Race 5,000 meters      (team’s top 10 entries)

j.          1:20pm    Awards Program

Last Day of Fundraiser Campaign

Today, Tuesday, is our last day for our fundraising. We have more than exceed our goals and we are so grateful for what the runners have been able to raise so far!! There is still one aspect that hasn’t been decided, though, and that is the competition between the Boys team and the Girls team and which one will raise the most. The Girls had the lead for most of the campaign, but last night the Boys finally got up and actually passed the Girls, and now have a narrow lead of just over $400, which is actually pretty close and cool that they are that close. The team that will have raised the most by the end of tonight will be the winners, so help out your favorite side!

Thanks again!

Denny

Lakeville Recap

34 of the 41 Cardinal Runners that competed on Friday at the Lakeville North AppleJack Invite ran a Season Best or an All-Time best (PR) on a day that showed dramatic improvements across the board for the team and is a huge step forward from a year ago, with everyone that competed in last years race, running faster this year!! 

All of these times are now posted on the right side of the blog.  I am working on putting together the Season Best list as well and will have that posted soon as well.

Congrats to Hannah and Emmy for finishing in 5th and 6th respectively in the Girls C Race and leading the Girls C racers to a 3rd place team finish!! Justin barely missed the top 10 in the Boys C Race and helped the Boys C racers to an 8th place finish. On the Varsity side, the Boys moved up and finished in 11th out of 23 teams competing and the Girls finished solidly in 12th place as a team out of 23 teams!  The Boys JV also moved up in the rankings to finish in 12th out of 20 teams.  

Was it a prefect day, no, and it is something that we know that we can perform better, but we also know that we are still a few weeks away from wanting to be even close to having a perfect day.  We know that we have some tough practices ahead and that we still have goals that we want to reach.  We will continue to take the steps we need and would like to take and continue to help everyone find the runners within themselves.

Below is a list of who will be competing on Friday evening at the U of Minnesota Roy Griak Invite.  For all of those that are not on this list, they will be competing on Saturday morning at the Mustang Invite at Anoka High School.  I will be sending out information on both of these races later in the week.

Thanks for all that made the journey to Lakeville on Friday and for all of your support and for those that take pictures.
Denny

Roy Griak Invite, Sep. 23, 2022 @ U of M
Boys		Girls
Peyton Martinek		Ruby Demmer
Aaron Casey		Stella Bone
Lachlan Demmer		Ella LaGree
Kjell Norquist		Kaylee Buerman
Nehemiah Kue		Lily McKenzie
Albi Ludwig		Kendall Martinek
Owen James		Megan Fuller
Cole Burnett		Grace Berndt
Tythe Kue		Casey Amelsberg
Nate Bornes		Sophia Greiner

Lakeville Results

Here is a link to the overall results for yesterdays Lakeville North AppleJack Invite: http://www.fastfinishresults.com/ 

I will put our Individual results later this weekend as well as our reflection on the day, which was another overall positive step forward for the team.

Thanks

Denny

Lakeville Apple Jack Invite

Below is the information for Friday's Lakeville Apple Jack meet with directions, schedule and line up.  Also, the Pasta Party this week will be for the whole team at the Winter household.  Directions will be available at practice.

DIRECTIONS TO THE MEET

From the North:  From Interstate 35 south,  Take CR 46 Exit  Left (EAST)  to Ipava Ave. go Right (SOUTH) TEAM BUSES CONTINUE 1.2 miles to MICHAUD PARK Entrance, take SECOND LEFT and STAY RIGHT.  SPECTATORS/CARS  FOLLOW PARKING SCROLL BOARD INFORMATION. Continue to Michaud Park if still available,  IF FULL, TURN RIGHT (WEST) on 163rd St.   Follow 163rd and turn LEFT at the first parking entrance.  Follow signs/volunteers.

SPECTATOR PARKING:
 ON-SITE PARKING AT MICHAUD PARK IS EXTREMELY LIMITED.

SPECTATORS SHOULD EXPECT TO PARK OFF-SITE AND ALLOW TIME FOR SHUTTLE OR WALKING.

Free parking  and Shuttle will be at Hosanna Lutheran Church  located on 160th Street (CR 46) and Ipava Ave.  (approx. 1 mile from race site). 

Other Parking options - on-street in nearby neighborhoods in unrestricted zones.

**PEDESTRIANS CROSS at DESIGNATED AREAS ONLY (marked)**     FOLLOW POLICE OFFICERS AND DESIGNATED PARKING VOLUNTEERS

Schedule:

Start Times	Event	Distance
3:00 PM	Coaches Meeting –near finish line tent
3:20 PM	National Anthem
3:30 PM	Boys Junior Varsity Race	5,000 meters
4:00 PM	Girls Junior Varsity Race	5,000 meters
4:35 PM	Boys Varsity Race	5,000 meters
5:05 PM	Girls Varsity Race	5,000 meters
5:35 PM	Boys C Race	5,000 meters
6:05 PM	Girls C Race	5,000 meters
6:45 PM	Awards	East side of  Main Pavilion

Boys	Girls
Varsity	Varsity
Peyton Martinek	Stella Bone
Aaron Casey	Ella LaGree
Kjell Norquist	Ruby Demmer
Lachlan Demmer	Kaylee Buerman
Nehemiah Kue	Grace Berndt
Cole Burnett	Lily McKenzie
Albi Ludwig	Megan Fuller
Owen James	Kendall Martinek
JV	C Race
Tythe Kue	Emmy Fuller
Marco Velasquez	Hannah Berndt
Vlad Vorobyev	Sophia Greiner
Nate Bornes	Casey Amelsberg
Joshua Holder	Ash Cocchiarella
Gilbert Kostuck	Anna Winter
Nico Cocchiarella	Faith Kue
Orion Carter	Addie Erickson
Kevin Cheaye	Emily Bornes
	Jessika Larson
C Race	Nyah Fruth
Justin Bauer
Joshua Hyatt
Truman Smith
Michael Kane
Jacob Thoen
Landon Egerstrom
Nolan Rife
Tristan Golen

Cambridge Results

I have updated the results with our Individual Results from yesterday's meet at Cambridge-Isanti on the right side of the blog.  There is also a link at the top of that page to the Overall Results.

Yesterday was a day that the current program needed, to show the work that they have been putting in and to know that they can come back from tough meets/days, and by just continuing to believe in the work that they are putting in and staying positive, good days will come along as well, and often times more than the rough days.  It wasn't a perfect day for us, but one that we can look at as a possible turning point and to give us a step forward that we will need to build off of and be willing and prepared to take another step this upcoming week. 

We had two race winners in the 6 races run.  Congrats to first time race winners Emmy in the Girls Middle School/C Race, and Albi in the Boys JV, both making decisive moves in their races to give them the wins.  We also had a few other top 5 finishers.  Hannah made her own power move on the hill to take over 3rd, also in the Middle School Race, while Kendall had one of her best races to finish in 3rd in the Girls JV Race.  Peyton took 4th in the Boys Varsity race against the top team in Class AA in the State, while a trio of Varsity Girls finished less than 2 seconds apart, with Stella 4th, Ella 5th, and Ruby 6th!!

On the Team side, it was where some of the biggest positives came into play.  The runners really worked well together and supported one another, and it helped with solid team placings.  Both the Boys and Girls Varsity finished in 2nd out of the 5 teams competing, with the Boys falling to Big Lake (#1 rated team in AA in Minnesota) and the Girls just 10 points off of Centennial, a team that is always solid.  The Girls Middle School/C runners finished in 2nd as well, as the JV Boys were in a tight battle and ended up in 3rd place.  The Boys Middle School/C Race showed some of the biggest improvements on the team and finished a solid 4th, while the Girls JV were an incomplete team with only 4 Girls running, but if only 4 runners were counted, they would have been in 2nd as well.

So, a good day, a sort of redemption for the Cambridge Invite from last year, proving to the team that they can do well on that course, but also for last week, and showing the team that we are a better team and that we can push past rough days, and to do so the following race!  No, it wasn't the perfect day, there were those that wished they could have done better, and I am positive they will, because this is a determined group of individuals that I hope are starting to see what they can do and to continue to trust the work they are putting in!!

Thanks,
Denny 

Cambridge Invite

Here is a link to the Overall Meet Results from today's Cambridge Invite: https://advantagetiming.com/.  The results for this meet are currently on the far left side of the page.

I will be putting out more info on the race as well as our individual results tomorrow.  But, just a sneak peak on my thoughts, this was a big positive step forward and a mile ahead of where we were mentally after this meet last year, as well as where we were after last week.

Thanks for the fans that came to watch and support!!
Denny

Cambridge Invite Information

Below is the information for Friday's Cambridge Invite.  Please note, this race is at Isanti Middle School, and is not in Cambridge!

Reminder, there will be pasta parties on Thursday.  The Boys will be at the Ludwig's and the Girls at the McKenzie's.  Directions will be available at practice Thursday.

First race is at 4:15 and then it will be a rolling clock, so exact times of the next races are not known.
7-8/C Race Girls (3K)
7-8/C Race Boys (3K)
Girls Varsity
Boys Varsity
Girls JV
Boys JV

Directions: Isanti Middle School - 201 Centennial Drive, Isanti, MN 55040. Take Hwy 65 North to Isanti. At stop light, take a left (west) on County Road 5 and the school will be 1.2 miles on the left side.  The Parking Lot at the school will not be available until after 3:30.

Thanks,

Denny

Girls	Boys
Varsity	Varsity
Ruby Demmer	Peyton Martinek
Ella LaGree	Aaron Casey
Stella Bone	Kjell Norquist
Kaylee Buerman	Cole Burnett
Megan Fuller	Lachlan Demmer
Lily McKenzie	Nehemiah Kue
Grace Berndt
	JV
JV	Albi Ludwig
Kendall Martinek	Owen James
Casey Amelsberg	Tythe Kue
Ash Cocchiarella	Justin Bauer
Sophia Greiner	Marco Velasquez
	Vlad Vorobyev
C Race	Gilbert Kostuck
Hannah Berndt	Nico Cocchiarella
Emmy Fuller	Joshua Holder
Addie Erickson	Nate Bornes
Faith Kue	Kevin Cheaye
Jessika Larson	Orion Carter
Nyah Fruth
?Emily Bornes	C Race
	Joshua Hyatt
	Truman Smith
	Jacob Thoen
	Landon Egerstrom
	Michael Kane
	Nolan Rife