Blog Archives for 2016
Summer 2016 Important Dates
Below are important dates for the summer of 2016. Please note that the parent's meeting on August 9 is at 6:30pm. The calendars sent home said it was at 6:00.
May 31- August 5--Summer running; Mon-Thur at 7am at the WHS track
Tuesday and Thursday throughout the summer--Weight Lifting after running
Fridays all summer--Run at Bear Creek Park (meet at Gladiator at 8:00am;, parents are asked to help with rides for groups of kids)
June 18--Chick Fil A 5K @ Metcalf Park in Fountain, 9am(?), register at http://cfafountain.com/family5k/
July 4--Palmer Lake 4 mile
July 17--Barr Trail Mountain Race--Team Fundraiser!
July 30--Classic 10k; I-25 & Woodmen to MVP, 7am
August 6--Run for Rwanda; Cottonwood Creek Park, 8am
August 8-12--Cross Country Camp; details TBA
August 9--Parent’s Meeting @ WHS auditorium, 6:30pm
August 13--Physicals in Bower’s Gym, girls at noon, boys at 12:30 pm
August 15--First day of Cross Country practice
**Other special events (team camping trips, dinners, movie nights, etc.) will occur throughout the summer and will be coordinated only at our morning runs!
Pre-Season Info
As summer vacation comes to an end, those of us who run and coach cross country take heart in knowing that with the end of summer comes the beginning of the best time of the year: Cross Country Season!
In preparation for the beginning of our season, all of the important dates yet to come are listed below. Some have been updated, including a link to information on our Pre-Season Camp.
Please note, athletes will not be allowed to practice until they have their yellow card from the high school. To get a yellow card, athletes must have their completed Athletics Paperwork turned in to the main office, along with their physical. Please be sure to have plans to get a physical before the season starts so no one misses the first day of practice!
Upcoming Dates:
August 6--Run for Rwanda; Cottonwood Creek Park, 8am
August 8-12--Cross Country Camp
August 9--Parent’s Meeting @ WHS auditorium, 6:30pm
August 12, 13* & 15* (*=pending qualification)--WHSXC alumni Boris Berian runs in the Olympics!!
August 13--Physicals in Bower’s Gym, girls at noon, boys at 12:30 pm
August 15--First day of Cross Country practice
Weather Update for Pre-Season Camp
Please note that all information for the beginning of the year is below this post!
With the forecast of afternoon thunderstorms every day this week, please be aware of our approach to weather issues and running.
First and foremost, we will not run if it is unsafe to do so. If you (parents and/or athletes) deem it unsafe due to lightning, it is okay to not come to our runs this week.
However, that being said, this is Colorado! Weather comes through quickly and can be drastically different in one part of town than another. The coaches will show up every day regardless or weather to make sure everyone makes good decisions. If we need to delay running for a while, that is a possibility. A suggestion would be to show up and see what we decide to do each day.
Remember, we run when it is crazy to do so, but not when it is unsafe!
2016: Let It Begin!
The greatest season in the history of Widefield High School Cross Country will begin on Monday, August 15. We will meet daily at 2:55 at the track unless there is a schedule change due to a holiday or different schedule at school.
August 15 also marks the day that WHSXC and track alumni Boris Berian runs for gold in the Rio Olympics! We will be gathering together to watch Boris race from 7-8 pm at Coach Kasyon's house. If you are planning to attend this awesome event, please plan on having a ride home no later than 8 pm as it is a school night!
Let's Get It Started!
The start of the 2016 racing season is nearly upon us!
This Friday, August 26, we run in the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede/Pre-State Meet at Noris Penrose Event Center and Bear Creek Regional Park.
This year Pre-State will have a new feature: 1.5 mile novice races for new runners. Race times will be as follows:
Girls 1.5 mile novice race--2:30
Girls JV--4:00
Girls Varsity--4:30
Boys 1.5 mile novice race--5:00
Boys JV--6:30
Boys Varsity--7:00
Come support our team as they get the season off to a great start!
Gladiators Stampede the Stampede
The opening to the 2016 cross country season was a truly special one. Dubbed the "Pre-State" meet because it marks teams only opportunity to run the State course before State, for 4A it truly is a preview of things to come.
And, boy do things to come look good for Widefield Cross Country.
Up and down the order of the team our runner ran hard, finished strong, competed well, and exceeded expectations. From novice runners to Varisty, we took care of business as the meet crescendoed into a clamor of excitement as the Boys Varsity closed the day out with arguably the biggest win in team history.
If you were there for the awards, you know, this is no longer just about us. Our community is hungry and excited and behind our success.
This upcoming weekend, on Saturday September 3rd, we host the Widefield Cross Country Invitational. Come support our team as we build on our amazing start. If you are willing and able to volunteer as a course marshal or with course set up or tear down, please let Coach Nelson know.
We are excited to see you on Saturday!
Must Be The Water
"Must Be The Water" shirts are available for parents and friends of the team for $15. Currently we have sizes small through XL, but if there is need we can get larger sizes.
The kids have also been given order forms for various cross country gear. Order forms and payment are due on Friday, September 2nd.
Finally, if you are interested in helping with the home meet please let Coach Nelson know! The meet is this Saturday, September 3 at 9am.
Thrice as Nice
This year's version of the Widefield High School Cross Country Invitational featured the most competitive field we have seen in several years. With 15 schools and a variety of 4A and 5A competition, the competition was as hot as the morning got.
The boys started the day with a set of 3rd's--as in the 3rd consecutive time we won the team and individual titles at our home meet. With 7 of the top 19 runners, the Gladiator boys were pushed more than in years past, but dominated none the less.
The Varsity girls followed. In a more spread out race, it was harder to assess which team finished 3rd. Caitlyn Anderson led the way in 9th and Tabi Frandsen finished in the top 20 as well, leading the ladies to a 3rd place team finish.
The JV races saw the morning heating up considerably. Times slowed as the heat crept up on the field, but for many it was a first race and for all it was what should be the toughest combination of conditions and course difficulty we will see the rest of the season.
This upcoming Saturday, September 10 the team travels to Lyons High School in Lyons Colorado. Race times will be: Varsity Girls at 8:40, Varsity Boys at 9:30, Open Boys at 9:55, Open Girls at 10:25. We will stop for lunch on the way home, so please bring some money for food.
Info For the Week of September 26, 2016
The upcoming week will be a full, but fun week for WHSXC.
The fun starts with an exciting race at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, hosted by Canon City. We treat this as a JV meet, although several of our JV boys will have the opportunity to run in the Varsity race. The course is an out and back that runs away from the Royal Gorge parking approximately 1.3 miles. The course finishes by doubling back on itself and finishes by going across the Royal Gorge Bridge. Race times are as follows:
Varsity Boys: 4:00
JV Boys: 5:00
JV Girls: 5:05
PLEASE NOTE: There will be a $10 fee for parents to get into the actual Park and cross the bridge. This is a discounted rate from the normal price. Much of the start and finish can be seen without entering the park, and the finish may be visible without paying as well, although from a distance.
On Friday night, Max Martinez will be in Arizona representing WHSXC at the Desert Twilight meet in Casa Grande. This is an exciting opportunity for Max as well as all of Widefield and WHSXC.
The fun finishes up Saturday with the Rampart Foxes and Hounds race. This meet features a unique racing and scoring format, as there is a JV and Varsity race for each gender featuring a "Foxes and Hounds" start and scoring. The way this works is each team designates the members of their team by their position on the team. When the race starts, each team's 7th runner will start along with all of the other 7th runners. 20 seconds later the 6th runners will start, and so on until the 1st runners start 2 minutes after the 7th runners. The meet is scored like a traditional cross country meet, with whoever finished first, regardless of where he or she started, getting 1 point. All runners will get a "gun time" and an actual time it took them to run the course.
Race times for this meet will be:
8:25: JV Girls (Foxes and Hounds)
9:20: JV Boys (Foxes and Hounds)
9:50: Varsity Girls (Foxes and Hounds)
10:20: Varsity Boys (Foxes and Hounds)
10:50: Open Boys (traditional race start)
10:53: Open Girls (traditional race start)
*Please note, approximately our top 14 boys and girls will get to participate in a Foxes and Hounds style race. All others will be in a traditional open race.
On To Championship Season
The TCA Titan Thunder Invitational this past Friday marks the end of the "regular season" for WHSXC. While it wasn't an altogether satisfying end, a win for the Varsity boys (their 4th of the year) and a nice pack time for the Varsity girls portend well for the next phase of the season.
Our only meet this week takes place at Monument Valley Park (PLEASE NOTE, this is a change of location from that previously published.) Race times will be as follows:
Boys Varsity: 3:00
Girls Varsity: 3:30
Open Boys: 4:00
Open Girls: 4:05
Come support the team as we run for League bragging rights!
Please note that on Thursday, October 20 we host our Regional meet at the Community Center. We will put any and all volunteers to work and would love to have great fan support!
A League of Our Own
At the Colorado Springs Metro League Championship meet this past week, Widefield came in with the sights set on getting momentum, growing confidence and earning some team and individual awards. They came away with more than they could have hoped for.
The boys Varsity race got the day started. With a plan to pack run in order to pull the 5-7 runners up to the front group, the boys started slowly but moved up throughout the race. By the end a pack of 5 boys had passed all but one member of the 4A competition, finishing in 2-3-4-5-6. They followed that up with a 9-10-16 finish from their 6-8 runners. Bringing home 7 of the top 10 places and 8 of the top 16, the boys brought home their second straight league title.
The girls Varsity started with high hopes of a potential team trophy, but it quickly became apparent to those counting the 4A places that there would be little competition for the Glads this day. Led by Caitlyn Anderson's second place finish, the Lady Gladiators finished in 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 15th to easily win the first girls league title in school history.
With two major accomplishments already in the books, the JV runners looked to keep the momentum going and did so. The boys took the top 5 spots and both teams took 8 of the 15 ribbons that were handed out.
This week our JV runners wrap up their season with one final race at Monument Valley Park on Wednesday. Boys race at 3:30 at girls run at 4:00.
On Thursday, for the first time in memory we will host our regional meet. Both the boys and girls will be running to qualify teams for State and the boys are running to win their first ever Reguonal Title. The boys race at 3:30 and the girls race at 4:30. The top 4 teams and top 15 individuals will qualify for state. Come cheer on the Glads as they race for history!
History Made, More to Come
For the first time in known history, this past week Widefield hosted their regional meet. Both teams came in with high hopes: The boys were aiming to win their first ever Regional championship; the girls were looking to qualify for State for the first time since 2007 and if both of those happened it would be the first time since 2001 that both teams made it to State in the same year.
As a host, it is important to have things go smoothly for your guests. Everything went very smoothly with the meet itself, but some of our guests may have gone home feeling like we were slightly less than generous as hosts.
The boys started the day by executing a perfect race plan. They started strong but under control and moved up throughout. As we finished, we had 4 runners in the top 11, 5 of the top 18, 6 of the top 20, 7 of the top 24 and 8 of the top 30. Any way you look at it, our boys took home more than their fair share of early places. All of this led to a relatively easy victory and school history.
Not to be outdone, the girls also executed a great game plan. With Durango dominating up front, our top 4 girls showed very well coming through in 11th, 16th, 20th, and 22nd. With her 11th place finish, Caitlyn Anderson became the first back to back individual qualifier for the girls since 2003. Kayler Miles got the job done as our 5th runner, securing a third place team finish and a State berth.
At State this weekend the boys will run with the goal of executing a perfect race, scoring less than 100 points, and bringing home a big trophy. The girls will run with the goal to compete well and get invaluable experience for upcoming future trips to State.
At State the boys run at 9:20 and girls run at 10:40.
State!
There is no greater feeling in sport than to work hard with a goal in mind and then to accomplish that goal. Part of the reason accomplishing a big goal feels so good is because it is so hard. So many things threaten to derail ones efforts. Injuries. Mental collapses. Bad days. The path to "victory" is often narrow and rutted while the boulevard to defeat is wide and smooth.
It is for these reasons that the performances of our team at the State meet this past weekend are all the more impressive. We had 14 runners compete at State. Fourteen runners ran their hearts out and got great results.
The boys had been talking about bringing home a big trophy from the State Meet for over a year. Running against one of the best teams in the nation, we knew it would take magic to bring home the gold trophy. If one were to read the coverage leading up to the meet, one would assume it would take a miracle for us to bring home a trophy of any color. But we knew better. We believed. And, when it mattered most, we performed. A big trophy was ours. It may have been silver, but it is concrete proof that this team is the best Widefield High School has ever seen and that we are among the elite in high school cross country.
For the girls, making it to state was a huge accomplishment. We had already made history by winning the first league title in girls team history. Finishing third at regionals was a great feat. State was icing on the cake. As such, state could have been a let down. It ended up being anything but. Every girl ran a personal course record. No one ran as if they were overwhelmed by the field or the moment. Every girl competed from gun to finish line. And they capped off what was arguably the best season in school history with performances they could be proud of.
More Cross Country!
The official season may be over, but that doesn't mean the cross country action has to stop!
Seventeen members of our team will be heading to Casa Grande, Arizona to race in the Nike Cross Southwest Regional meet. This is a super-fast, ultra competitive race and a great experience.
As a tune-up for the Nike meet Cheyenne Mountain High School is hosting the Tomahawk 2-Mile on November 12. Registration closes on November 9 and the cost is $10 per runner. This race is an important part of staying sharp to race well in Arizona! Register and get info at the link above.