If I was a betting man, and there was an "over-under" on the number of runners who would show up this week, I would have chosen the under. As I previously mentioned, the number of runners showing up has been dwindling. Three last Friday and two on Saturday. The weather has been getting cooler and today was rainy. Yesterday and today no runners showed up. But the real reason I haven't mentioned is that the official gang initiation period kicked off last Friday and is supposed to run thru Halloween. The annual event, held every October, got off to a roaring start last Friday with 6 drive by shootings in N City. Basically the runners on the team are just plain afraid to come to practice. So I will be canceling practice tomorrow. Thursday is a normal day off and Friday is Halloween and the team voted weeks ago not to have practice on that day. So the next practice will be Saturday. That leaves just one week to work hard to get in shape (the runners who will be going) for the championships on 11/8.
If this program continues in the future, having gang initiation week in October is going to put a crimp in this team's preparation for any late season races. I may have to google Bloods, Crips, and Latin Kings and find out how to contact their representatives. Maybe I could convince them to move their initiation period to another time of the year.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Highs and Lows
This season has been a roller coaster of highs and lows and this past week was no different. There was a high on Tuesday when we ran our second meet of the year. We had only five runners compared to the eight that ran in the first meet. But the four that were running for the second time knocked anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes off their previous times for the course.
A low came the next day when two of the female runners informed me that they wanted to go to basketball practice as well as show up for X-C once in awhile. The school had just started basketball tryouts last week and were allowed to start early in the year (as well as overlap our season) because we are not a member of the NJSIAA and are not governed by their rules. I didn't care for this news and told the AD in so many words. He put the kibosh on their intentions and they can only practice X-C until 11-8.
A high came on Friday when the Girls Basketball coach came over to me in the gym. I thought he was going to talk to me about the season overlap, but instead he informed me that he wanted his entire team to run X-C next year so they could be in better shape for their season. I've never subscribed to the idea of having basketball players running X-C to "get in shape". I've always preferred to have a team made up of "runners" who are dedicated to the sport and not some ulterior motive. But an increase in team members is a good thing.
And then more lows on Friday and Saturday when only three and two runners, respectively, showed up for practice.
Tomorrow we begin the final two week preparation for the championships on 11/8. There are 4 or 5 runners who will be running in that--the others have one scheduling conflict or another. It will be interesting to see how many show up for practice this week. The weather will be getting cooler (forecast is for 40s and 50s) and the other runners don't really have anything to run for other than to just run for the sake of running. The two basketball players won't be racing in November so they may not show up at all.
Every day I go to practice and instead of concentrating on my plan for practice, I wonder instead if anyone will be showing up. But it's still better than E City where the entire team quit. Next year has to be better. How can it be worse?
A low came the next day when two of the female runners informed me that they wanted to go to basketball practice as well as show up for X-C once in awhile. The school had just started basketball tryouts last week and were allowed to start early in the year (as well as overlap our season) because we are not a member of the NJSIAA and are not governed by their rules. I didn't care for this news and told the AD in so many words. He put the kibosh on their intentions and they can only practice X-C until 11-8.
A high came on Friday when the Girls Basketball coach came over to me in the gym. I thought he was going to talk to me about the season overlap, but instead he informed me that he wanted his entire team to run X-C next year so they could be in better shape for their season. I've never subscribed to the idea of having basketball players running X-C to "get in shape". I've always preferred to have a team made up of "runners" who are dedicated to the sport and not some ulterior motive. But an increase in team members is a good thing.
And then more lows on Friday and Saturday when only three and two runners, respectively, showed up for practice.
Tomorrow we begin the final two week preparation for the championships on 11/8. There are 4 or 5 runners who will be running in that--the others have one scheduling conflict or another. It will be interesting to see how many show up for practice this week. The weather will be getting cooler (forecast is for 40s and 50s) and the other runners don't really have anything to run for other than to just run for the sake of running. The two basketball players won't be racing in November so they may not show up at all.
Every day I go to practice and instead of concentrating on my plan for practice, I wonder instead if anyone will be showing up. But it's still better than E City where the entire team quit. Next year has to be better. How can it be worse?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Here are pictures!
Here is the link for the pictures from Tuesday's race. Hope you enjoy them.
I don't have a photographer for the 11/8 race but am still searching :-)
http://albums.phanfare.com/5131397
I don't have a photographer for the 11/8 race but am still searching :-)
http://albums.phanfare.com/5131397
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Hawk Rules
The second race of the season took place today. Four of the team's best runners were not able to make it for one reason or another, but the five that did race were the ones who have been coming to practice and working hard. The countdown to the start of the race had a few hiccups. With about 10 minutes to the gun, two of the runners tell me that they have to use the facilities. It's a bad thing that the johnnies-on-the-spot were about a tenth of a mile away, but it was a good thing that the last team to arrive was just getting there. We had a traditional huddle this time. As we walked towards the starting line, we noticed a hawk standing guard over its prey of a dead squirrel (no this is not an actual picture of the event). It was only about 20 feet from the starting line and most of the runners were staying clear of it. It eventually took off but not before one of our runners viewed it as a good omen for the team.
The gun went off and so did the four competeing teams. Four of the five runners had run in the first race. So besides finishing the course, they also needed to prove that they could lower their times. And they all did. And not by a little but by a lot. The top four runners on the team lowered their previous times by 7:21, 2:12, 6:17, and 7:06 respectively. An outstanding performance.
All five of these runners are freshmen and they were running a varsity distance (3.1 miles) against upperclassmen. Most freshmen in the sport are running freshman races of 2.1 miles. Again this was truly an outstanding result.
The next and last race will be at W. Park in E. City on 11/8. The freshmen will be running against other freshmen in a 2.1 race. They should do quite well that day.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Approaching Race Number Two
We will be entering our sixth week of existence tomorrow. And things have finally settled down. It's been three weeks since that day when I was alone at practice except for one other runner which was followed by a coach's tirade. Since then there have always been enough runners to have a practice. It's still hard to get these kids to appreciate how much work needs to be done to be a good runner, but I'm happy with what they have done so far. We are finally up to doing a little more than three miles during a practice. And it seems I'm giving out "PBs" everyday. A PB is a personal best, where a runner beats his/her previous time for a given distance. I give out a little card (in the school's color) which lists the event and the new and old time. Some of the kids are really into getting them. And like I said, there are always one or two given out every day.
The roster has also finally settled down. We're down now to 13 on the roster: four boys and nine girls. Of the four boys, one has mostly dropped out due to a serious family situation. Another boy, who is the best on the team, has gotten involved in two jobs which cuts down on his practice time as well as preventing him from running in the two races left on our schedule. Coaching this team is much different than a coach at any other school would experience. These kids have their normal school work day, outside school jobs, family problems, sicknesses, injuries, detention, staying for extra help, church and choir, sweet 15 rehearsals, etc. etc. I have yet to see the entire team in one spot at any one time. The thought of a team picture is a mere fantasy. I try to stay away from imposing any kind of consequences for missed practices in fear that it may drive the kids away for good. But next year I may have to re-think practices, absences, rules, and punishments.
As for the girls, my two best are now partial "shows". The best has been missing a lot of practices due to her Sweet 15 Party rehearsals. She will try and race on Tuesday in our second meet. But her lack of practices will hurt her and I don't expect a good performance from her. Her birthday is on November 8 (the CTC Championships in W. Park in E City) so she won't be racing there. The other top girl on the team has moved up to being the best. She has been improving each week and has been my unofficial winner for the "most dedicated" award for the season. But unfortunately she too is now injured and is out for the season. She joins two other girls on the "DL".
So with three runners on the DL and one with family problems, that has left me with a steady roster of nine runners who show up most of the time. This Tuesday is our second race of the year. There only will be 5 runners racing due to "work days" and other situations. I only know the host team (same as the first race)--the other participants are unknown. But we will again be running unofficially. Hopefully this time the start will be much smoother.
I hope to have a photographer there to get some shots of the race, and before and after. Check back to see if I am able to get them on the web.
That will leave only one other race, the 11/8 one. I did meet the coach of a Charter school from JC in the park this week. He would like to have a pick-up race with us. He has openings on his schedule and would like to fill them. He is going to contact our AD. I hope it can happen.
I'll be back Tuesday night with the story of Race 2.
The roster has also finally settled down. We're down now to 13 on the roster: four boys and nine girls. Of the four boys, one has mostly dropped out due to a serious family situation. Another boy, who is the best on the team, has gotten involved in two jobs which cuts down on his practice time as well as preventing him from running in the two races left on our schedule. Coaching this team is much different than a coach at any other school would experience. These kids have their normal school work day, outside school jobs, family problems, sicknesses, injuries, detention, staying for extra help, church and choir, sweet 15 rehearsals, etc. etc. I have yet to see the entire team in one spot at any one time. The thought of a team picture is a mere fantasy. I try to stay away from imposing any kind of consequences for missed practices in fear that it may drive the kids away for good. But next year I may have to re-think practices, absences, rules, and punishments.
As for the girls, my two best are now partial "shows". The best has been missing a lot of practices due to her Sweet 15 Party rehearsals. She will try and race on Tuesday in our second meet. But her lack of practices will hurt her and I don't expect a good performance from her. Her birthday is on November 8 (the CTC Championships in W. Park in E City) so she won't be racing there. The other top girl on the team has moved up to being the best. She has been improving each week and has been my unofficial winner for the "most dedicated" award for the season. But unfortunately she too is now injured and is out for the season. She joins two other girls on the "DL".
So with three runners on the DL and one with family problems, that has left me with a steady roster of nine runners who show up most of the time. This Tuesday is our second race of the year. There only will be 5 runners racing due to "work days" and other situations. I only know the host team (same as the first race)--the other participants are unknown. But we will again be running unofficially. Hopefully this time the start will be much smoother.
I hope to have a photographer there to get some shots of the race, and before and after. Check back to see if I am able to get them on the web.
That will leave only one other race, the 11/8 one. I did meet the coach of a Charter school from JC in the park this week. He would like to have a pick-up race with us. He has openings on his schedule and would like to fill them. He is going to contact our AD. I hope it can happen.
I'll be back Tuesday night with the story of Race 2.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Baptism By Fire
Well, the day finally arrived for the big race and in the end the minor problems were overshadowed by the amazing performance of the N City Runners. Today was only the 19th day that the team has been in existence. No runner had been able to run the 2.1 loop non-stop yet. And the total mileage for any practice had not surpassed 3 miles yet. And yet today the runners were asked to run a race of 3.1 miles, 1 mile longer than they had ever run before.
We arrived at the park about ten minutes before 4. The AD and the principal were already there. We found the coach and AD of the hosting school and told them of our arrival and gave them the info they needed. One thing I immediately found out was that since we are not a member of the NJSIAA, and since most races are monitored by the NJSIAA, we would be running as unofficial entries. That means that the times would not be included with the official results nor would our team of five girls be included in the team scoring. But regardless, it would prove to be a huge exposure to the sport of Cross Country for our young team.
The final roster for our team was five girls and three boys. About a dozen students and faculty were also present as well as other team runners who were injured or just starting to work out with the team. The amount of support of the spectators for the team was amazing. And the support of the runners towards each other during the race and afterwards was also truly noteworthy.
We were informed that our race, with about 4 other schools would be following a dual race by about 10 or 15 minutes. Also they would be running the boys and girls race at the same time and sort out the genders at the end of the race to determine the winners. So we waited off to the side, about 400 feet from the starting line. I figured we had enough time to have our pre-race huddle (a X-C tradition) before the race was to begin. Suddenly, the coaches of the other teams were yelling and calling for us to get up to the starting line. Apparently, they decided to switch the order of the races and we were going first. So he walked quickly to the start without being able to have the huddle. They lined up, all 8 of them. I knew they were nervous as you wouldn't believe, and about a minute later, the gun fired and they were off.
The course is basically a three loop so they passed the spectators two times before coming in the last time for the finish. We cheered them on each time they passed. I couldn't believe the perseverance and drive that these young runners had. True, they did some walking, but I knew they were keeping that to a minimum. As they passed each time you could see in their faces that they were hurting but they wouldn't quit. And keep in mind that these are sophomores and freshmen, and this was a varsity race, against teams of juniors and seniors.
Needless to say, they finished far back in the race but for the amount of time that they have been running, it was truly an outstanding performance. They all finished strong--there were performances by some runners that surprised me. But in the end they were all winners in my book (sound like N Dale again).
Some Gatorade, a cool down walk, and the day was over. They all walked off to their homes, and as I saw them get smaller in the distance, I knew that on this day, in this race, they had graduated from weekday practice runner to Cross Country Warrior.
We arrived at the park about ten minutes before 4. The AD and the principal were already there. We found the coach and AD of the hosting school and told them of our arrival and gave them the info they needed. One thing I immediately found out was that since we are not a member of the NJSIAA, and since most races are monitored by the NJSIAA, we would be running as unofficial entries. That means that the times would not be included with the official results nor would our team of five girls be included in the team scoring. But regardless, it would prove to be a huge exposure to the sport of Cross Country for our young team.
The final roster for our team was five girls and three boys. About a dozen students and faculty were also present as well as other team runners who were injured or just starting to work out with the team. The amount of support of the spectators for the team was amazing. And the support of the runners towards each other during the race and afterwards was also truly noteworthy.
We were informed that our race, with about 4 other schools would be following a dual race by about 10 or 15 minutes. Also they would be running the boys and girls race at the same time and sort out the genders at the end of the race to determine the winners. So we waited off to the side, about 400 feet from the starting line. I figured we had enough time to have our pre-race huddle (a X-C tradition) before the race was to begin. Suddenly, the coaches of the other teams were yelling and calling for us to get up to the starting line. Apparently, they decided to switch the order of the races and we were going first. So he walked quickly to the start without being able to have the huddle. They lined up, all 8 of them. I knew they were nervous as you wouldn't believe, and about a minute later, the gun fired and they were off.
The course is basically a three loop so they passed the spectators two times before coming in the last time for the finish. We cheered them on each time they passed. I couldn't believe the perseverance and drive that these young runners had. True, they did some walking, but I knew they were keeping that to a minimum. As they passed each time you could see in their faces that they were hurting but they wouldn't quit. And keep in mind that these are sophomores and freshmen, and this was a varsity race, against teams of juniors and seniors.
Needless to say, they finished far back in the race but for the amount of time that they have been running, it was truly an outstanding performance. They all finished strong--there were performances by some runners that surprised me. But in the end they were all winners in my book (sound like N Dale again).
Some Gatorade, a cool down walk, and the day was over. They all walked off to their homes, and as I saw them get smaller in the distance, I knew that on this day, in this race, they had graduated from weekday practice runner to Cross Country Warrior.
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