Cross Country Schedule Revision

Cross Country Parents:

Our schedule this week has changed, due to a few meetings I have to attend. Here's the updated schedule for 12.11-12.17:

Week of December 11^th (12.11 – 12.17)

Wednesday, Dec. 14^th    3 – 4 p.m.            Learwood            30 minutes

Thursday, Dec. 15^th        3 – 4 p.m.           Learwood            34 minutes

Saturday, Dec. 17^th        8:30 - 10 a.m.     ALHS Track          32 minutes

I'll send the schedule for Winter Break next weekend!

Coach Rocco

Running Club Update

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here is the Running Club Schedule for the next two weeks. Please be advised that, in the event of inclement weather, our sessions may be canceled. In that case, runners are responsible for running on their own. Again, runners need to run 3 days a week! No more, no less! As long as they get 3 days in, they’re good to go. Also, don’t worry about bulking up the miles just yet! Right now we’re around the 3 – 3.5 miles per day, 3 day-a-week plan. We’re going to build this up, though, so runners are expected to be in shape when Track & Field conditioning starts in late February!

Any questions, let us know!

Coach Rocco

Coach Walters

Week of December 4^th (12.4 – 12.10)

Tuesday, Dec. 6^th              3 – 4 p.m.            Learwood            28 minutes

Thursday, Dec. 8^th            3 – 4 p.m.            Learwood            32 minutes

Saturday, Dec. 10^th          9:30 – 11 p.m.    ALHS Track          30 minutes (Kopf Trail Run)

Week of December 11^th (12.11 – 12.17)

Tuesday, Dec. 13^th           3 – 4 p.m.            Learwood            30 minutes

Wednesday, Dec. 14^th    3 – 4 p.m.            Learwood            34 minutes

Thursday, Dec. 15^th          3 – 4 p.m.            Learwood            32 minutes

Running Club

Parents & Athletes:

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, we will not be meeting to run this week. Runners are expected to run 3 days this week for 25-30 minutes. A few things to note:

• All runners are expected to run 3 days a week! While we're not meeting this week due to the holiday, athletes need to stay in running shape this off-season!
• Next week we are going to start documenting each runner's mileage per week. Runners will meet in Coach Rocco's room once a week to document their workouts for the week if they cannot meet to run after school.
• We are going to post workouts on the blog until the start of conditioning for Track & Field.
• Happy Thanksgiving and we'll see you after the break!

Running Schedule:

Thanksgiving Week we will not meet -- run 25-30 minutes 3 days a week independently!

Week of 11.27 - 12.3

1)    Tuesday    11.29    Learwood        3 - 4 p.m.            26 minute run
2)    Thursday   12.1     Learwood        3 - 4 p.m.            30 minute run
3)    Saturday   12.3      ALHS Track     9:30 - 11 a.m.      28 minute run

Week of 12.4 - 12.10

1)    Tuesday    12.6    Learwood        3 - 4 p.m.            28 minute run
2)    Thursday   12.8    Learwood        3 - 4 p.m.            32 minute run
3)    Saturday    12.10  ALHS Track     9:30 - 11 a.m.      32 minute run (hard run)

Cross Country Running Club

Cross Country Runners & Parents:

We are planning on starting our off-season running this week! The schedule for the next two weeks is as follows:

    Wednesday, Nov. 9th 3 - 4:15 p.m. Learwood
    Thursday, Nov. 10th 3 - 4:15 p.m. Learwood
    Saturday, Nov. 12th 9:30 - 11 a.m. ALHS Track

    Monday, Nov. 14th 3 - 4:15 p.m. Learwood 
    Wednesday, Nov. 15th 3 - 4:15 p.m. Learwood
    Saturday, Nov. 18th 9:30 - 11 a.m. Cahoon Park, Bay Village (more info. to follow on this)

Sorry for getting this out to everyone so late! We will be more prompt in getting information on the blog. We will post workout sessions every other week until track conditioning starts in mid-February.

Just a few notes about off-season running:

1) Off-season running is similar to conditioning, where anyone can join and no forms are needed. We will bring the forms we have from the cross country season, but any new runners should let us know of any medical conditions.
2) Since this is the off-season, we cannot 'coach' athletes. We are allowed to run with athletes and set up a general program for each session, but we are prohibited from 'coaching' athletes. We are going to keep it simple at first, but we will also start hill work and we hope to meet with the varsity distance runners on some workouts.
3) Our main focus is to keep athletes in shape, get heart rates up, increase aerobic respiration, and maintain what we've done in cross country for the upcoming track season.
4) If you are involved in other sports and cannot participate in off-season running, it is still important that you run 3 times a week. Please stop by my room starting this week to get workouts! We are also planning on running on Saturdays so you are more than welcome to join us!
5) I want to keep track of each runners' mileage so everyone is accountable! Please help with this by checking in with me weekly! I will keep a log in my room so you can stop in and log in your miles.
6) Our mileage will not be excessive! Again, we're going to keep it simple. We just want athletes to be in shape when track starts. Still, we're going to be doing workouts that are more than manageable! 

Hope to see everyone out this week and next!

Coach Rocco
Coach Walters

PowerPoint Information

If you are interested in downloading the presentation here is the information:

Avon Lake MS Cross Country PowerPoint  http://db.tt/adJGpVfh

I Am the Champion  http://db.tt/G4UDUvX6

Where the Streets Have No Name http://db.tt/9qTCOSd2

Cross Country Halloween Party

The Learwood XC Team is is invited to a night of

Tricks and Treats!

Friday, October 28th

7 - 9 pm

Connor Verfaillie’s house

32530 Lake Road

Avon Lake, OH 44012

 Join us for a night of fun,

Haunted House scares, and lots of treats!

Costumes encouraged, but not required.

Please RSVP by October 26th

RSVP:    440-653-9247   or   CoastieMom3@gmail.com

SWC Finals

The Learwood Cross Country teams recently competed at the Southwestern Conference Championship at LCCC. Both the boys and girls' teams finished in 3rd place. Both teams produced #1 overall runners. Patrick Schulte was the overall boy runner in a field of 160 runners, and Julia Jantz was the overall girl runner in a field of 136 runners.

Scoring for the boys team were...

Patrick S came in 1st place and earned 1st team All-Conference honors
Brandon B came in 15th place
Robert H came in 20th place
Alex H came in 23rd place
George V came in 25th place
Ricky K came in 27th place
Josh B came in 29th place

Scoring for the girls team were...

Julia Jcame in 1st place and earned 1st team All-Conference honors
Allie S came in 7th place and also earned 1st All-Conference honors
Rachel C came in 23rd place
Juliana D came in 25th place
Audrey S came in 36th place
Sarah L came in 38th place
Shaye M came in 46th place

Congratulations to both teams on a great season! Coach Rocco & Coach Walters are proud of all of your accomplishments! 

Wrapping up a GREAT Season

Cross Country Parents:

I want to thank you all for a really great season! I meant to send an email out last week, but, to be honest, I was exhausted and needed a break from the season. I would like to go over a few things:

• All uniforms need to be turned in to my classroom (room 404) by Friday, October 28th. Uniforms need to be placed in a plastic bag and labeled with the athlete's name. Make sure to include shirts, shorts, and jackets. We have a few jackets in my Lost & Found in my room.
• Our Lost & Found is huge! Please have your athlete stop by my room to see if any of your missing items are there! We will bring these items to our Awards Night.
• Cross Country Awards Night will be held on Thursday, October 27th, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Hope to see everyone there!
• Coach Walters and I would like to thank everyone for the photo books we received last Saturday night! They are awesome...the best end-of-season gift we could ask for! I've got a donation envelope in my classroom from the parents who put this together. If you could, send your child down to my classroom with any donation you see fit to give, and Coach Walters and I will make sure to give it to Mrs. Krock later in the week. Thanks again!
• We will be starting off-season running for all who are interested. We are planning on starting the week of November 7th. We will run 3 days a week, and these sessions will start at 3 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. We will email families and post this on the blog. I have to set up a schedule for myself but I'm thinking we will post schedules in 2-week intervals! For those who cannot make it in the fall (girls' basketball players) or the winter (boys' basketball players) I will come up with a running log for athletes to check in with me once a week. The mileage will not be much and the workouts will not be intensive...something everyone can do. I hope to be able to keep this up until February, when I have to transition to the varsity track team.
• I've sent information to The Press for every meet this season, except Cloverleaf, Westlake Fun Run, and Jack Wilhelm. I just sent in information from the SWC Meet. Hopefully they will print that as this is the first year I have not seen anything written about our team!

Again, Coach Walters and I want to thank everyone for a truly great season. We had a great team this year, and a great group of athletes to work with. We appreciate everyone's efforts and look forward to thanking you all in person on Thursday night!

Coach Rocco
Coach Walters

SWC Week

Tuesday 10/11    

• Athletes need to bring spikes!

Thursday 10/13    

• After practice we will have our end-of-season team meeting in the auditorium from 4:15-4:45 p.m.
• Our last team dinner will be from 4:45-5:15 p.m.
• After dinner, we will have an OPTIONAL team movie night in the auditorium. The movie will start at 5:15 p.m. and should end close to 7:15 p.m. Parents should plan on picking up athletes at 7:15 p.m.
• We will be watching Either Miracle or Hoosiers.

Friday 10/14

• Our last practice of the season will be held at Learwood Middle School between 10-11 a.m. It is a short practice!

Saturday 10/15

• Be at Learwood at 11:45 a.m.
• Bus leaves at 12 p.m.
• SWC Championship Race is held at LCCC
• Boys run at 1:30 p.m.
• Girls run at 2 p.m.
• Awards Ceremony will be held by the tennis courts at 2:30 p.m. The top 7 runners will be honored with All-Conference, and runners 8-14 will be honored with 2nd team All-Conference. Team Awards for both boys and girls will be announced.
• We will be back at Learwood around 3:45 p.m.
• We will have our post-season pizza/ice cream/bowling afterwards...Mrs. Verfaillie has sent an email/blog post regarding this!

Things to Keep In Mind This Week:

• Athletes need to rest this week! Other than the mile run on Tuesday, we are TAPERING! Athletes need to eat healthy all week! Stay hydrated throughout the entire week. Stretch before and after workouts, and then again at home. Get a good night's sleep each night this week, and sleep in on Saturday! Athletes need to wake up well-rested and ready to go! No late nights out! All energy is to be focused on race day this Saturday.
• Practices are going to be much easier this week. Parents, you can pick up your athlete at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday this week!
• I have an extra uniform top left over from the Jack Wilhelm Classic. Please see me if you are missing a uniform!
• I have copies of the course map in my classroom and it is also located on our blog site.
• On race day, athletes should eat a healthy breakfast, and then they should eat a small, healthy snack before they get to Learwood. We will NOT be eating a snack when we get to LCCC as we are getting there about an hour before our race.
• Normally athletes are permitted to sign out and leave a meet early, and we understand the busy schedules of families. However, if it is at all possible, we would like the entire team in attendance for the awards ceremony after both races! This is the only race where we ask that all athletes be in attendance as we conclude our season!
• There will be SWC apparel to purchase at the race. We also passed out flyers for pre-race ordering of apparel to all interested athletes on Friday.

Lastly:

This has been a great season! All athletes have worked extremely hard this year and I believe they are the best prepared and best conditioned team in the conference. That goes for both the boys and the girls! All our work is done! We have come a long way since July, and now we will see all our hard work pay off. Everyone has been trained to peak at this race! You will be amazed at how well you have progressed, both individually and as a team, when you run on Saturday. I'm looking forward to a great week and, although we all know our competition will be tough, we are READY! Get some rest, believe in yourself, and believe in your TEAM!

It's been a great season...now let's finish it! See you all Saturday!

GO SHOREMEN & SHOREGALS!

Coach Rocco
Coach Walters

Jack Wilhelm

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COURSE MAP!!!!

Cross Country Parents:

Here’s the information for the Jack Wilhelm Classic. The race is at Lorain County Community College (LCCC). Here are the race details:

·                 Athletes need to be at Learwood at 7:15 a.m.

·                 Bus leaves at 7:30 a.m.

·                 There are no more team/open races—all boys will run together and all girls will run together!

·                 Boys run at 10 a.m.

·                 Girls run at 10:30 a.m.

·                 Our estimated return to Avon Lake is 11:45 a.m. We will have athletes call home when we are almost at Learwood!

  

About the team:

1)      I am keeping a Cross Country Lost & Found in my classroom. I have had the team check the missing items on 4 different occasions, but hardly any of the items have been claimed. If the missing apparel is not claimed, I will be transferring it from my room to the school’s Lost & Found!

2)      This is the time of year for athletes to start eating healthy! Athletes need to stay hydrated (lots of water) this next week, and they need to continue eating healthy. One (small) dessert per day is all right, but other than that athletes should avoid all other unhealthy food/drink.

FOODS TO AVOID

Soda (NO SODA)

Candy

Sweets

Chips/Junk Food

RECOMMENDED FOODS

Fruits/Veggies (salads are great)

Whole Grains

Chicken

Fish

Pasta (carb loading)

For snacks…granola bars, crackers, pretzels (skip the chips, cookies, and candy bars!)

3)      Athletes also need to get rest this next week. Athletes of this age group need a little over 9 hours of sleep per night. While this may not always be feasible, they should try to catch up on sleep on the weekends. I would STRONGLY ENCOURAGE all athletes to start catching up on their rest. This next week is crucial in their season-long recovery!

4)      Please check your running shoes to make sure they are holding up! We’ve been running for almost 3 months, some of you have been running for even longer. Check to make sure your shoes are not worn out! I can check your shoes at practice if you want. I know this is an expense, but running shoes are something you can always use. We will be running in the off-season and during track season so they will not go to waste!

5)      We are skipping our post-Jack Wilhelm pizza party; instead, we will have our pizza at the end of SWCs.

6)      Please have athletes check their uniforms as one athlete is missing part of his uniform!

7)      I am attaching a copy of the course of map so parents can start planning where they can cheer on athletes tomorrow and next week!

Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

Coach Rocco

Coach Walters

Cross Country Championship

Cross Country Parents:

Here is information we passed out a couple of weeks ago regarding the 5th Annual Middle School Cross Country Championships. If you are interested in participating, please take a look at it and check out their website.

Some things to note:

·         This is not an OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) event, and it is not a ‘team’ event

·         ALL athletes are permitted to participate, not just ‘team’ or ‘top’ runners

·         There is a fee for participating

·         Top athletes throughout the state will most likely be there

·         You are responsible for transportation for this race

·         I am not allowed to coach athletes at this event—if a lot of athletes are planning on attending I probably will drive down to watch the race!

·         If athletes are considering participating, just check to see if you are permitted to wear your school-issued uniform and you are more than welcome to wear it at the meet!

·         Lastly, the Washington, D.C. field trip will be held the week before (Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday) so any 8^th grade athlete will have to coordinate a training program to stay in running shape that week! The race is on Sunday, October 23^rd

I am not really the point person on this but if you have any questions for me in regards to this race just let me know!

Coach Rocco

Cosmic Bowling

COSMIC BOWLING!

                Cosmic Bowling party to celebrate after the SWC Championships!

                Saturday, October 15^th

                4-6pm

                Spevock’s Nautical Lanes, 184 Miller Road, Avon Lake

                $11 per student (can be paid ahead of time to Coach Rocco)

                2 hours unlimited bowling & shoe rentals included

                Pizza & soda included

                There will be a parent sponsored Make-Your-Own-Ice-Cream-Sundae Bar

                                Donations of ice cream or toppings will be appreciated!

Call or e-mail me (CoastieMom3@gmail.com) to RSVP for bowling or to volunteer to provide something for the Sundae Bar.

PICTURES           

                Keep uploading those pictures to Shutterfly or giving them to Kim Krock on a thumb drive.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the team!

Pam V

(Connor’s mom)

Vermilion Results

The Learwood Middle School Cross Country teams recently competed at the Vermilion Invitational. Both the Shoremen and Shoregals came in 3^rd place, defeating all conference schools.  

The Shoremen came in 3^rd place out of 21 teams. The following Shoremen scored at the meet:

Patrick  came in 3^rd place

Josh came in 23^rd place

Robert  came in 30^th place

Alex  came in 33^rd place

Ryan  came in 34^th place

George  came in 37^th place

Brandon  came in 38^th place

There were 151 total runners in the boys’ team race.

The Shoregals came in 3^rd place out of 23 teams. The following Shoregals scored at the meet:

Julia  came in 5ht place

Allie  came in 13^th place

Audrey  came in 19^th place

Juliana  came in 27^th place

Emily  came in 32^nd place

Sarah  came in 44^th place

Rachel  came in 47^th place

There were 161 total runners in the girls’ team race.

Both the Shoremen and Shoregals are preparing for the Jack Wilhelm Classic this Saturday at Lorain County Community College. Good luck Avon Lake Cross Country! 

Cloverleaf Results

The Learwood Middle School Cross Country teams recently competed at the Cloverleaf Invitational. The Shoremen came in 15^th out of 20 teams and the Shoregals came in 19^th out of 23 teams.

The following Shoremen scored at the meet:

Josh  came in 44^th place

Robert  came in 55^th place

George  came in 70^th place

Stefan  came in 86^th place

Aaron  came in 90^th place

Ricky  came in 105^th place

 Oliver came in 107th place 

There were 138 total runners in the boys’ team race.

The following Shoregals scored at the meet:

Allie  came in 26^th place

Rachel came in 72^nd place

Allison  came in 113^th place

Shaye  came in 133^rd place

Maddie  came in 135^th place

There were 154 total runners in the girls’ team race.

Both the Shoremen and Shoregals are preparing for the Jack Wilhelm Classic this Saturday at Lorain County Community College. Good luck Avon Lake Cross Country! 

Westlake Fun Run TOMORROW!!!!

Cross Country Parents:

 

Here’s the information regarding the Westlake Fun Run. The race will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, October 4^th. Sorry for the late notice but we just got confirmation on Friday afternoon and we just got the updated times today!

 

·         Race is moved from Clague Park to the Westlake Rec. Center. I guess Clague Park is underwater. The address for the Rec. Center is 28955 Hilliard Boulevard.

·         Our bus will leave between 3:45 – 4 p.m., so athletes are encouraged to bring a snack and they can work on their homework while we wait.

·         Here’s the schedule:

 

7^th grade GIRLS – 4:30 p.m.

7^th grade BOYS – 4:45 p.m.

8^th grade GIRLS – 5 p.m.

8^th grade BOYS – 5:15 p.m.

 

·         The course is a little over 1 mile in length

·         We should be back at Learwood no later than 6:15 p.m.

·         As always, if you need to sign out your child just find Coach Walters (it will be MUCH easier to find her at this race!)

 

Finally, there are a lot of things we need to communicate to athletes/parents this week, so please check the blog as we update everything we are planning for the end of our season.

 

Thanks for everything this season! Let’s have a great finish!

 

Coach Rocco

Coach Walters

Vermillion Meet

Cross Country Parents:

Here’s the information regarding the Vermilion Invitational. The race is at Vermilion High School. IT WILL BE VERY COLD TOMORROW MORNING SO MAKE SURE ATHLETES DRESS WARM! Bring extra pairs of socks, dress in layers, and bring sandals for the ride home. Here are the race details:

·         Athletes need to be at Learwood at 6:00 a.m.

·         Bus leaves at 6:15 a.m.

·         Girls’ Team runs at 8:30 a.m.

                Julia, Allie, Audrey, Juliana, Rachel, Emily, and Sarah

·         Boys’ Team runs at 9:00 a.m.

            Patrick, Brandon, Ryan, Alex, Josh, George, and Robert

·         Girls’ Open runs at 9:30 a.m.

·         Boys’ Open runs at 10:00 a.m.              

·         Our estimated time of arrival back at Learwood is 11:45 a.m. We will have athletes call home when we are almost back in Avon Lake!

  

About the team:

1)      I am keeping a Cross Country Lost & Found in my classroom. It is filling up fast! If anyone is missing anything, please stop by room 404!

2)      We have two weeks left in the season! We will be communicating a lot of things over the next couple of weeks regarding our end-of-season

            plans. This is the fun part of the season and we are looking forward to the SWC Championship Meet!

3)      This is the time of year for athletes to start eating healthy! Athletes need to stay hydrated (lots of water) these next two weeks, and they need to start eating healthy. One (small) dessert per day is all right, but other than that athletes should avoid all other unhealthy food/drink.

FOODS TO AVOID

Soda (NO SODA)

Candy

Sweets

Chips/Junk Food

RECOMMENDED FOODS

Fruits/Veggies (salads are great)

Whole Grains

Chicken

Fish

Pasta (carb loading)

For snacks…granola bars, crackers, pretzels (skip the chips, cookies, and candy bars!)

            We’re going to Dairy Queen after SWCs, and we can all pig out then. Until then, ALL athletes should be picky eaters!

4)      Athletes also need to get rest these next two weeks. Athletes of this age group need a little over 9 hours of sleep per night. While this may not always be feasible, they should try to catch up on sleep on the weekends. Parents, I normally do not tell athletes to stay home on Friday nights, and since this is Homecoming Weekend, I know people will want to go to the game Friday night. However, after this weekend I would STRONGLY ENCOURAGE all athletes to start catching up on their rest. These next two weeks are crucial in their season-long recovery!

5)      Please check your running shoes to make sure they are holding up! We’ve been running for almost 3 months, some of you have been running for even longer. Check to make sure your shoes are not worn out! I can check your shoes at practice if you want. I know this is an expense, but running shoes are something you can always use. We will be running in the off-season and during track season so they will not go to waste!

Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

Coach Rocco

Coach Walters

Brecksville Results

The Learwood Middle School Cross Country teams recently competed at the Bruce Lerch Invitational in Brecksville. The Shoremen came in 15th place out of 25 total teams and the Shoregals came in 9th place out of 25 teams.

The Avon Lake Shoremen placed 15^th out of 25 teams. Scoring for the Shoremen were the following runners:

Patrick S came in 52nd place

Brandon B came in 55th place

Ryan B came in 75th place

Alex H came in 79th place

Christian S came in 109th place

Stefan N came in 112th place

Robert H came in 113th place

There were 168 total runners at the meet. The Avon Lake Shoremen are gearing up for the Cloverleaf Invitational this Saturday. Good Luck Shoremen Cross Country!

The Avon Lake Shoregals Cross Country came in 9^th place out of 25 teams. The following Shoregals scored at the meet:

Julia J came in 27^th place

Allie Sy came in 30^th place

Juliana D came in 42nd place

Emily L came in 89^th place

Josephine K came in 142nd place

Sarah L came in 144^th place

There were 170 total runners at the meet. The Avon Lake Shoregals are gearing up for the Cloverleaf Invitational this Saturday. Good Luck Shoregals Cross Country!