State/End of Season

Congratulations to Paul and Nathan as they end the season yesterday at the State Meet.  Paul finished in 75th in 16:52 and Nathan in 129th in 17:18.  Both ran smart races, did what they could and had a great experience!  Thanks to all of those that came down to watch and support these two!!  If you would like to see the results for the meet, you can go to Wayzata Results above or go to mshsl.org, click on Boys Cross Country under Activities and they will be posted on the right side of the page.
But, with this, the season has come to an end, and I would like to thank everyone for all of the hard work and dedication as well as all of the support from the families, parents, and friends of the programs! It make things easier when all of you do what you have been!
A reminder that the banquets will be on Tuesday for the Girls and Wednesday for the Boys.  Both will be at the high school cafeteria at 6:30pm.  Please read the earlier posts on what you need to bring.
Thank you once again for a positive season with lots of growth and potential for the years to come.  If you are in a Winter sport or activity, I wish you all the best.  If you will not be in anything this winter, please see me at the banquet for a Winter Running plan and info on a program that will be held this winter for CR athletes to help you maintain and continue to get better with your running.
Any other questions, please let me know
Thank you!
Denny

Sunday

https://www.facebook.com/wilson.kipsang.42/posts/1656259681322140

If anyone is looking for something to do Sunday, here is a chance to meet a former world record holder, and still one of the best marathoners in the world!
Thanks,
Denny

State

Below is the schedule for the State Meet on Saturday at St Olaf College in Northfield, as well as info on parking. For those that are going on the bus with us, we will be leaving at 7:00am from the front of the high school. We are leaving so early because we are going down with Blaine.
Paul and Nathan will be running at 11:00 and have decided that they want to wear black uniforms. If you are heading down, give yourself time, because there will be a lot of people there and you will parked quite a distance from the start/finish area.
Any questions, please let me know,
Denny

DIRECTIONS TO ST. OLAF. 35W south to Minnesota Highway 19, go east on 19 to Northfield and follow the Saint Olaf College signage. Alternative routes include Cedar (77) and Highway 3 out of St. Paul.
The Schedule
The Class AA girls race will start at 10:00am, followed by the AA boys race at 11:00 am. The Class A girls race will start at 1pm, followed by the Class A boys at 2pm. A combined awards ceremony will take place approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the boys race in each class.
Parking
School teams, meet officials, media, and vehicles displaying handicapped passes will be allowed to park on the St Olaf campus near the race course at Skoglund Athletic Center
Spectator parking is available at four remote parking lots at the southeast end of St Olaf campus. Large red signs will direct spectators to these lots. Shuttle service to and from campus will be provided from 9:00am to 5:00 pm. The pick up and drop off points will be posted with large red "Bus Stop" signs.

Girls Banquet Info

2015 Girls Cross Country Banquet

 

The season is coming to an end it is time to look back on the accomplishments of the 2015 edition of the Coon Rapids Girls Cross Country team. 

 

This year, our banquet will be on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 starting at 6:30 at the CRHS Cafeteria.  This will be a Pot Luck affair with each grade of athletes bringing the following:

 

7 Seniors: Salads

7 Juniors: Desserts

2 Sophomores: Beverages      

9 Freshmen & Under and Managers:  Entrees

 

Please note that there are 25 members of the team, plus four coaches and a manager, as well as family members of these athletes that will be attending, so please bring accordingly.  All plates, silverware, napkins, and cups will be supplied.

 

This will be a night in which we will be handing out all team awards and such, so we do appreciate you being a part of this event to celebrate the accomplishments of the athletes and the team. 

Boys Banquet Info

2015 Boys Cross Country Banquet

 

The season is coming to an end it is time to look back on the accomplishments of the 2015 edition of the Coon Rapids Boys Cross Country team. 

 

This year, our banquet will be on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015 starting at 6:30 at the CRHS Cafeteria.  This will be a Pot Luck affair with each grade of athletes bringing the following:

 

8 Seniors: Salads

9 Juniors: Desserts

1 Sophomores: Beverages (+ Captains will bring beverages as well)

11 Freshmen & Under and Managers:  Entrees

 

Please note that there are 30 members of the team, plus four coaches and a manager, as well as family members of these athletes that will be attending, so please bring accordingly.  All plates, silverware, napkins, and cups will be supplied.

 

This will be a night in which we will be handing out all team awards and such, so we do appreciate you being apart of this event to celebrate the accomplishments of the athletes and the team.

Uniform Turn In Change

Because of a staff meeting after school on Tuesday, or uniform turn in has to be changed to after school on Wednesday.
Also, Paul and Nathan will be practicing today at 2:45, then after the staff meeting on Tuesday, after uniform turn in on Wednesday, and at 2:45 on Thursday.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks
Denny

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

Swain Invite

Below is the schedule and directions for Saturday's Swain Invite in Duluth.  There will be 3 races for both the boys and the girls and we will be gone for most of the day.  Our bus will be leaving at 7:00am and we won't be back until probably after 6:00pm.  There will be a lot of teams at this meet, so you may need to plan to make sure you see your athlete run.  It will be about a 2 hour drive to Duluth.
Thing of note if you are planning on going to the meet is that there are no dogs allowed since this race will be on a golf course.
Please find info on the meet at the following link: http://swaincrosscountry.org/  and we will be in the AA races.
If there are any questions about anything, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

T-Shirts:Long sleeved Swain T-shirts sold at $20.00, short sleeved $15.00. Get them early

Swain Invite (Enger Golf Course): 1801 West Skyline Parkway
Duluth, MN 55806 Enger Park Golf Course, 18th Ave. West and Skyline Parkway, Duluth. Take I-35 North to EXIT 255A on the left toward 21st Ave W. Go about 1.5 miles to the stop light. Turn left onto Piedmont Avenue. Take the 1st left onto N 24th Ave W. Take the 1st left onto W Skyline Parkway up the hill to golf course.

RACE SCHEDULE:
Girls 7-9 10:00 a.m. (3000m)	Boys JV “AA” 12:40 p.m. (5000m)
Boys 7-9 10:25 a.m. (3000m)	Girls Varsity “A” 1:10p.m. (5000m)
Girls JV “A” 10:50 a.m. (5000m)	Girls Varsity “AA” 1:50 p.m. (5000m)
Girls JV “AA” 11:30 a.m. (5000m)	Boys Varsity “A” 2:30 p.m. (5000m)
Boys JV “A” 12:10 p.m. (5000m)	Boys Varsity “AA” 2:55 p.m. (5000m)

Griak Results

Results for yesterday's Griak can be found at the following site:
www.gophersports.com/sports/m-xc/spec-rel/roy-griak-invitational-results.html  We were in the Maroon Divisions for the high school races.

Our individual results for yesterday as well as from Friday are on the right side of our page.
Many positives from Friday's race despite only two teams in the JV race.  10 of the 13 girls running JV ran personal bests and we ended up with 6 of the top 7 overall finishers, including race winner Ali Hedlund.  The boys did nearly as well with 4 of the top 7 and overall race winner Reed Smith.  The Middle School boys also placed well, despite not having enough for a team score and were led by 2nd place finisher Isaac Johnson.

As for Saturday, the course and the competition were much more difficult, the boys led the way with both Nathan Mueggenberg and Paul Breitbach finished in the top 40 out of 485 runners.  The girls may not have looked as though they finished well, but most of the girls ran faster than they did a few weeks ago in our first meet and were focusing mostly on getting the first mile figured, which most did.  It's a new race strategy that they girls need to learn with switching to 5k's, so it will take time, but they are improving.

This week will be the Swain Invite on Saturday in Duluth.  I will be posting info on this meet in a couple of days.

Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Griak and Champlin JV Results

Results for today's JV meet at Champlin can be found above by clicking on the Wayzata Results link. Look for Rebel Autumn Classic.

I will have our race results up sometime tomorrow, as well as the Varsity results, as well as info on how everything went, just a hint, lots of PR's today!!

Lastly, the Boys on Saturday will be going with the Ghost uni's, so they will be in all white. This will make it easier to spot the boys, as well as represent the idea of the 'Ghost Runner,' John Tarrent. It's an interesting story and one that one should consider checking out if you are interested in history and running.

Any questions, please let me know,

Denny

Champlin JV/Griak Invite

Here is the information for Friday's Champlin JV meet and Saturday's Roy Griak Invite at the U of M golf course.
Champlin JV:
This meet is for all of our runners that will not be participating in Saturday's meet.  Directions are below as is the time schedule.  This will be a smaller meet, so should go pretty smoothly
Schedule:
JV Girls - 3:30
JV Boys - 4:00
Middle School Girls - 4:30
Middle School Boys - 5:00

Champlin JV (Northwoods Park): Go East on Hwy 10 to Hwy 610 West.  Continue on Hwy 610 to Douglas Dr exit and go North (right).  Continue going north until you come to 109^th Ave and take a left.  Park will be on the Left about 1 mile west.

Griak Invite:

This is one of the bigger meets for high school runners in the state and will also have many college teams at as well.  College races will be starting right away in the morning and the high school races will be in the afternoon.  At 12:45 this year there will be a Hall of Fame presentation that will be to Honor Coach Griak, former U of M coach and big supporter of the Coon Rapids Girls team that we will be going down early to see.  Please be aware though of the admission fee as well as the parking for spectator's.  Any questions, please let me know.

4:05 p.m.	High School Boys' Maroon Competition
	4:10 p.m.	Gary Wilson High School Gold Awards
	4:55 p.m.	High School Girls' Maroon Competition
	5:00 p.m.	Boys' High School Maroon Awards
	5:45 p.m.	Girls' High School Maroon Awards

Admission Fee	The University will be charging $8 entry fee for adults and $5 for students/youth/seniors (62 & above).  Kids age 2 & under are free. The official Griak Invitational program can be purchased for $2.
Spectator Parking	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 the city streets.

Roy Griak Invitational: 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.

Lakeville Invite

Our individual results are posted on the right under results and meet results can be found above at the link for Online Race Results.  When on that page, look for Lakeville Applejack XC Invite, click on it and results will  be on the right side under events.  Just click on the race you want to look at.

As for the race, it was a solid day for many of the runners.  There were a few that struggled, but it is understandable when you look at the past couple of weeks with the first week of school and with Homecoming this week, not to mention some solid workouts.  The course was also a bit of a challenge the later the day went on. There had been over 3 inches of rain in the area in the 48 hours before the race, thus making a nice muddy course.  Hopefully the runners will be washing their uniforms or they might be a little crusty next week!! haha

But, there were still many solid performances.  The C Race groups, which were our 9th grade and younger, had great days and finished in 4th for the Boys (4 boys in the top 20) and 5th for the Girls (3 of the top 25), with Reed Smith, 5th overall for the Boys, and Abby Ellenbecker, 3rd overall for the Girls, leading the ways.  The only other medalist that we got to day was Paul Breitbach in the Boys Varsity race as he finished in 18th, but we did have many that finished just out of the medals.

Next up will be the Champlin JV on Friday and the Roy Griak Invite at the University of MN golf course on Saturday.  Everyone will be notified on Tuesday which race they will be in.

Lastly, because of the amount of work we have done and the stresses of school this past two weeks, we will not have practice on Monday.  We are asking the runners to go home after school to catch up on school work and to relax.

If there are any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Lakeville Invite

Thank you to those that were apart of the Cardinal Mile last night! It was a little wet, but those that were there were having a good time and I think we might have gotten our name out to a few that will be possibly running for us soon!

Friday is the Homecoming game and the Boys team will be running the game ball in from Anoka. Because of this, the boys will be having their pasta party tonight, Thursday.  As for Friday though, there will be a bus that will be taking the boys to Anoka for the run back.  It is a 6 mile run, and since we have a meet on Saturday, we won't be going too hard.   The Girls team will be practicing at normal time on Friday and will have their pasta party after practice.

Saturday is the Lakeville Invite.  Below is the schedule of the races as well as directions to the meet location.  This is a bigger meet, so please plan accordingly because parking is not always easy.
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Start Time	Event	Distance	Max runners/ school
9:30 AM	Coaches Meeting –near finish line /timing area
10:00 AM	Girls C  Race	3200 meters	No limit
10:30 AM	Boys C Race	3200 meters	No limit
11:00 AM	Middle School Girls Race	1 mile	No limit
11:10 AM	Middle School Boys Race	1 mile	No limit
11:20 AM	Girls Junior Varsity Race	5,000 meters	No limit
12:00 PM	Boys Varsity Race	5,000 meters	Up to 10
12:30 PM	Girls Varsity Race	5,000 meters	Up to 10
1:00 PM	Boys Junior Varsity Race	5,000 meters	No limit
1:40 PM	Kids’ Fun Run	500 m	No Limit
2:00 PM	Awards	South side of  Main Pavilion

Lakeville Invite (Arnoson Park): Highway 10 east to Hwy 610. Merge onto Hwy 252 and continue south to I 94.  Take I 94 south to I 35W South and proceed on I 35W to the merge for I 35.  Exit at CR 5/50 (Exit 85) and go east on CR 50 for about 4.5 miles.  Park will be on the right.

SPECTATOR PARKING:
 Parking at this meet is limited!!    PLEASE make every attempt to CARPOOL or expect to walk a distance.   Park in only approved areas  (East Parking Lot at Aronson, St. John's Church until full and  Lakeville City streets.    NO EVENT PARKING BEHIND CEMETERY OR HIGHVIEW HEIGHTS SENIOR LIVING FACILITY.  VEHICLES MAY BE TOWED from these locations if they are parked there.   Please respect all traffic police and parking volunteers, safety of our athletes and spectators is our top concern. 

**PEDESTRIANS CROSS Cty Rd 50 at DESIGNATED AREAS ONLY (marked)**

Cardinal Mile Tonight

For those helping tonight at the Cardinal Mile, registration people I would like at the stadium by around 4:45, all others can be there by 5:30. Race will start at 5:50 and as soon as the last person finishes, we are pretty much done.
Lastly, you are all welcomed to participate as well, so bring your running shoes and get a mile in!
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

Cardinal Mile

The Cardinal Mile is an event that we are trying to do every year to help promote the running and other distance programs in the school to the community as well as do a little recruiting for the years to come.  It is an event for everyone, runners and skiers alike, open to the public, but one in which we invite all of the elementary age students in Coon Rapids to participate for free and with the opportunity to run with a current member of the team.  
We will be doing the 3rd annual Cardinal Mile next week for Homecoming prior to the Parade as a fundraiser and with the race just a week away, I am trying to finalize everything, and one of those items is volunteers to help with set up and running of the event. The Cardinal Mile is on Wednesday, Sep. 16th.  Registration would be from 4:30-5:30 and the race would start at 5:50, with the Parade to start around 6:00. If any of you would be able to help with the following areas of need, I would appreciate it.
3-4 to help with registration
2 to help at the 1/2 mile turn around (Crocus St)
2-3 to help at the start/finish line as well as the clock.  Might also have one of you start the race
2-3 to help hand out awards to the top 3 male and female of each award, after they have crossed the finish line (no awards ceremony)

The CC Boys and Girls and I will be setting up the tent and doing things prior to.  I am also looking for someone who might want to lead out a couple of minutes before the races to begin to let people know the race is coming as well as clear the course.  Two years ago we had our assistant coach Luke Stocker ride his motorcycle, but he is now in Hibbing, so we are needing something new this year.  If you have any ideas or would like to do this, please let me know. 

I think that is all for now.  If I think of anything I will get it out to you, or if any of you think of anything, please let me know.
Thanks for your time,
Denny