Running Club Update

Attention Track & Cross Country Runners:

 

Here is the Running Club Schedule for Winter Break. Remember, it is mandatory for runners to either run outside, run inside on a treadmill, or use an elliptical, for 30 minutes a day, three to four days a week. Even if you cannot attend any or all of the Running Club sessions, it is important to condition yourself for the upcoming Track & Field season. Any questions about Running Club or Track & Field, please see Coach Rocco in Room 404!

 

The schedule will posted on the Learwood Cross Country Blog Site:

 

http://learwoodmiddleschoolcrosscountry.blogspot.com/

 

·         Monday, December 23^rd               10 – 11:15 a.m.                  ALHS Track

·         Friday, December 27^th                    10 – 11:15 a.m.                  ALHS Track

·         Saturday, December 28^th              10 – 11:15 a.m.                  ALHS Track

 

·         Monday, December 30^th               10 – 11:15 a.m.                  ALHS Track

·         Tuesday, December 31^st               10 – 11:15 a.m.                  ALHS Track

·         Friday, January 3^rd                           10 – 11:15 a.m.                  ALHS Track

Running Club Announcement

Monday, December 9^th                 3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood
Friday, December 13^th                   3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood
  Saturday, December 14^th             10:15-11:15 a.m. - Noon       ALHS Track

 

We will be taking a bus to the Rocky River Metro Parks on Saturday, December 14^th! We will be meeting at the ALHS Track at 10 a.m. and we will return around noon.

Running Club

Running Club Schedule! 

Wednesday, November 27^th       9:30 – 10:30 a.m.              ALHS Track

Friday, November 29^th                   10:15 – 11:15 a.m.            ALHS Track

Saturday, November 30^th             10:15 – 11:15 a.m.            ALHS Track

 

Tuesday, December 3^rd                 3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood

 Thursday, December 5^th                3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood

Saturday, December 7^th                3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood

Running Club is STARTING!!

Attention all Cross Country & Track and Field Athletes:

Our off-season running club will be starting the week of November 11^th. Running club is for all distance runners and sprinters who are getting ready for the upcoming Track & Field season. All distance runners are required to run 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes a session, from now until the start of Track & Field season. If you can’t make any of the sessions throughout the winter season, make sure to run on your own, run on a treadmill, or do some elliptical work! It is mandatory, even if you’re in a winter sport, that you run 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week.

Here is the schedule for our first couple of weeks. In addition to this schedule, please go to the Learwood Cross Country Blog Site for details:

Tuesday               11/12                     3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood

Thursday             11/14                     3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood

Saturday              11/16                     10:15 – 11:30 a.m.            ALHS Track

                Monday               11/18                     3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood

                Wednesday        11/20                     3 – 4 p.m.                            Learwood

                Saturday              11/23                     10:15 – 11:30 a.m.            ALHS Track

We will meet in Coach Rocco’s room (404) each day. Please dress in layers, bring a snack & water, and wear a hat and gloves! Also make sure to arrange for transportation home at 4 p.m. each day. If you have any further questions, please see Coach Rocco in Room 404.

Weekly Update 10/18 ·    

    Congratulations to the Shoregals on their SWC Championship! That may be the most exciting race I’ve ever seen. While we talked about our assignments, what to do and when to do it, and who to run with, it really comes down to execution. You girls believed in yourself, you believed in the work you did this season, and, maybe most of all, you believed in each other. We are proud of what you’ve done, and you should be proud of yourselves!·         Congratulations to the Shoremen on being SWC Runners-Up! I know you guys were disappointed in coming in 2nd place, but you shouldn’t be. There’s nothing you could have done—you did your absolute best. That’s all anyone can ever ask of a person, or a team. Putting this finish in perspective, the Shoremen runners have come in 1st or 2ndplace at SWCs in 8 of the past 9 years. That’s awesome! The varsity boys’ team just won their 5th consecutive SWC Championship, and you guys are continuing the tradition of fielding tough Avon Lake cross country teams. It all starts at Learwood!·         Please turn in uniforms to Room 404! I am going to be washing all uniforms and doing inventory starting next week. If you haven’t turned in your uniform yet, please place it in a bag and label it with your name.·         Starting next week, you need to take a break! One of the problems distance coaches have with good teams—and we have two really good teams—is getting those teams to rest. Rest is important! Take 3 weeks off of running, starting next week. No running! This is ‘Couch Potato’ time, where you have permission to be a lazy kid for three weeks. Eat what you want, play other sports, sit on the couch and watch television/play video games. Time to rest!·         Learwood Running Club starts the week of November 11th. If you are not involved in a winter sport, or if the winter sport you are involved in does not conflict with Running Club, then you need to start running the week of November 11th. We will meet 3 days a week, after school, from 3 – 4 p.m. We will definitely be done by 4 p.m. We will also meet on some Saturdays and we’ll start advertising road races as well. Running Club starts in November and goes until February, when Track & Field conditioning begins. It is important for runners to run in the off-season! Nothing crazy, but you want to get out there after your rest period. We’ll be running outside so dress for the weather!·         I’m updating the Cross Country bulletin board with our new individual and team records. Parents, if you have any pictures you can bring, I’ll laminate them and put them up. I don’t have any pictures myself so anything you can give me would be great. The pictures we currently have are from 2 years ago!·         Thanks for a great season! This season has worn me out more than any other, but it’s also been one of the most fun! Thanks for being such great kids, and thanks go out to all the parents for all your help, donations, and patience this season! We’ll be updating the blog every couple weeks with our Running Club dates/times, races, and workouts!

OHSAA Middle School Invitational

 ·         Bus leaves TROY at 6:45 a.m.  Be there at 6:40 a.m., and be ready to sleep on the way down. We’re only taking one bus!·         We should return between 5 – 6 p.m. We plan on stopping for food on the way back home, but we should definitely be home before 6 p.m.

·         Dress for the weather! Right now it looks like it will be 50 degrees, with a 40% chance of rain. These will be the coldest temps of the season! Dress in layers. Bring at 2-3 pairs of socks, a pair of dry shoes you can keep on the bus to change into on the way home, and rain gear if you have it (I’ve got home-made ponchos from clear plastic bags should you need it). Hats and gloves are good too!

·         Bring extra food/water. I’ve got extra water but you’ll want to snack when we get there so bring some food and a sports drink!·         Bring money! You might want to buy apparel when you get there, and we’ll be eating on the way back.

·         Here’s the course map: http://www.baumspage.com/cc/ccframe.php?path=http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/cc/Pre-Season_Invitational/JH/JH_RaceAssignments.html    

 Here’s the race schedule for tomorrow:

BOYS OPEN        11a.m.

Erik
Nick
Owen
Nathan
Michael M
.Alec
John

GIRLS OPEN        11:30 a.m.
Shital
Jamie
Julia
Lucy

BOYS TEAM        12 p.m.
Chris
Michael W.
Jake M.
Max
Gabe
Hunter
Patrick
Zivon
Anthony
Colin

GIRLS TEAM       12:30 p.m.
Faith
Lauren
Emma
Maggie
Mackenzie
Elena
Catherine
Liz
Claire
Mary    

Cross County 2013 Video

Parents and Athletes,

I am putting a link to the wonderful video Mrs. Ross created of our fantastic season this year.  Thank you for taking the time to make this movie, Mrs. Ross.

Here is the link:

http://learwoodsocialstudies7thgrade.weebly.com/student-work-2012-2013.html

Coach Walters

SWC Week!

BOWLING MONEY IS DUE TOMORROW (THURSDAY)  $12.00 in a sealed envelope with athlete's name on it!!!  You may be able to run like a champion but can you bowl like a king? 

SWC WEEK

Here we go! This is the final week of the season. 

Please check Coach Walters’ room for any missing items! At the end of our season we’re going to place all missing items in Learwood’s Lost & Found.

Parents, while this final race is centrally located, make sure to remind kids to stick together!

Time to get some rest! Eat healthy this week, drink a lot of water, stock up on sleep (9 hours, 15 minutes a night), and STRETCH before bed! Avoid soda, junk food, and limit sweets to one dessert a day! Remember, it’s not what you do Friday night, it’s what you do this whole week.

Parents and athletes: typically athletes like to toilet paper my house the Thursday before SWCs. But, there’s a lot of construction on my street and my front yard is a mud pit with the sewer separation project. I think we should skip this tradition this year. Maybe Coach Arebaugh will allow his house to be toilet papered! He said he likes toilet paper in his yard, it was weird but that’s what he said to me.

Bowling Reminder: after SWCs we meet at Spevock’s Bowling in Avon Lake. We’ll be bowling from 4 – 6 p.m. Make sure Coach Walters has the $12 by Thursday of this week! Cash only please! Athletes, please bring your uniforms/jackets to bowling. The coaching staff will be collecting uniforms/jackets. Don’t worry about washing them, we’ll do that!

Parents: I’ve updated the bulletin board with our records. I am going to re-update it and laminate the Avon Lake SWC History, plus boys’ and girls’ records at Learwood, after our season. If you have any new pictures to print out and post, let me know and we’ll decorate it after SWCs.

I’m including Avon Lake’s SWC History here. Take a look at what athletes have done over the last 20 years!

Southwestern Conference Championship

Bus leaves at Troy at 12:10 p.m.

Boys run at 1:30 p.m.

Girls run at 2 p.m.

SWC Awards Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Top 7 runners (All-SWC) will be recognized, then Top 8-14 runners (2^nd Team All-SWC) will be recognized, then the SWC schools will be recognized.

There is an Elementary Race at 12:45 p.m. It’s 800 meters and it’s open to any young athlete in the SWC! If interested, Cathy Juergens at Troy is registering athletes (cathy.juergens@avonlakecityschools.org).

SWC apparel will be available!

We’ll leave around 3:15ish.

Once we return to Avon Lake, go home, shower, then come bowl with your team (don’t forget your uniforms if you’re not running at the OHSAA Championships).

I’m posting the final Cheat Sheet of the season! Thanks for a great year!

OHSAA Middle School Championship Meet

This meet will be held at Waggoner Road Junior High School in Reynoldsburg, OH

Approximate departure will be 6:45 a.m. We should return by 4 p.m. (probably later if we stop to get something to eat)

Boys Open 11:00 a.m.

Girls Open 11:30 a.m.

Boys Team 12:00 p.m.

Girls Team 12:30 p.m.

We have to finalize who’s going to this race…we’ll talk to the team Thursday and/or Friday about this (after we discuss SWCs)

Avon lake records 2012 season from Mrs. Walters' Classroom

Jack Wilhelm Meet

BOWLING MONEY DUE BY THURSDAY....

1. $12.00 CASH

2. In a sealed envelope with athlete's name on it

3. Give to Coach Walters 

4. 10/12 4pm-6pm at Spevocks

5.  Bring uniform to the bowling alley.  Does NOT need to be washed.  (Unless you are going to the 10/19 meet.) 

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here’s our weekly update:

Parents, please remind your kids about the importance of ALWAYS sticking together at meets. We stress this as a coaching staff prior to every meet, but if you could talk about the importance of athletes always sticking together, that would help. We want athletes together at all times. Whenever athletes go cheer on other runners, use the restroom, go to concessions to buy something, or warm-up/cool-down, we tell them they must be with someone else from Avon Lake. If you could reinforce this concept we would greatly appreciate it!

We need to know who’s going to the OHSAA Middle School Cross Country Championships! Please sign up on the blog site so the coaching staff can appropriately register runners for this race.

Time to eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and stock up on rest! Our hard workouts are over for the year. It’s time to rest, we are beginning to taper. Taper…this is one of the greatest words in an endurance athlete’s vocabulary. For this last week, avoid all soda, eat very healthy foods, drink plenty of water, get a LOT of sleep (middle schoolers need to average 9 hours 15 minutes of sleep a night), and STRETCH after practice, on Sunday, and before you go to bed each night. It’s not what you do the day before a race, it matters what you do the WEEK before a race!

Movie Night is tonight (Friday, October 4^th). We will be watching the Karate Kid (1984 version)! For my money, this is the best movie about a kid who learns karate, probably ever. In fact, it’s my favorite movie of all-time. Parents, this is a PG-rated film, but there are no inappropriate scenes (it’s played on the ABC Family Channel all the time). We will be watching it after our Friday Night Dinner in the auditorium. We should be done by 7:15ish, if not earlier. This is an optional activity we plan for the kids, you do not have to be in attendance!

I’m attaching a copy of last week’s Meet Cheat Sheet here. Next week’s final ‘Cheat Sheet’ of the year will be passed out at our final team meeting (either Monday or Tuesday).

Jack Wilhelm Information:

We will meet at DAIRY QUEEN parking lot at 7:45 a.m.

We will return to DAIRY QUEEN around 11:15ish, where we will get ice cream.

Athletes, the coaching staff cannot afford to buy you all ice cream (sorry), so make sure to bring money for your ice cream/lunch (this should be your last ‘garbage’ food you eat until SWCs).

Normal breakfast still applies, with a light snack both before & after the race. Bring water for both before and after the race, and don’t forget your sports drink!

Results will NOT be posted for this race. Times will NOT be posted either. Coach Walters will be highlighting times on a spreadsheet, which can be tough to do with the large volume of runners we’ve got, so if you can help out on Saturday please let us know!

This race is at LCCC. The same course map is used. We’ve got a link of it on the blog.

 Here’s the schedule:

10:00 a.m.       ALL Girls                    

10:30 a.m.       ALL Boys

Vermilion Meet Information

Cross Country Athletes and Parents:

Here’s our weekly update:

Cloverleaf was really wet, really muddy, and, actually, really fun! The bus ride home, not so much. I’ve just finished doing laundry from the meet, and I washed a lot of the jackets, some shirts/shorts, and also have some missing water bottles from this meet. Please check the Lost & Found in Coach Walters’ room for any lost items!

Clague Park Fun Run is set for Wednesday, October 2^nd. This is a tri-meet with Amherst and Westlake, an informal 1.5 – mile run and a tradition for these three SWC schools! We’re still trying to get buses for this race, but shouldn’t have a problem. Here’s the schedule:

7th Girls     4:30

7th Boys    4:45

8th Girls     5:00

8th Boys    5:15

Boy runners: we need to know who wants to go to the OHSAA Middle School Cross Country Championships! We are allowed to take 20 total boys, and we’ll take the top 20, but before we decide who are the top 20 boy runners, we first need to know who’s eligible to go to this optional race. So, let us know by Wednesday, October 2^nd, so we can start planning for this race! Girl runners, we can take all of you if you want to go. We’ll register all girl runners and then scratch whoever can’t make it. We’ll give more information for this race as we receive it.

The end of the season is quickly approaching! With the end of our season soon upon us, the coaching staff is planning some fun activities that hopefully will promote team-building and an appreciation for the hard work put in this season! Next week’s activities include:

Wednesday, October 2^nd              Clague Park Fun Run

Friday, October 4^th                          Friday Night Dinner & AL CC Movie Night (in the Learwood Auditorium)

Saturday, October 5^th                     Dairy Queen AFTER Jack Wilhelm Invitational (parents can pick up athletes from Avon Lake Dairy Queen)

I’m attaching a copy of the Cloverleaf Meet Cheat Sheet here. I’ll post this week’s version later in the week.

Vermilion Information:

We will meet at Troy at 6:20 a.m. (last early-morning meet!)

We should return to Troy at 11:30 a.m.

This is the last TEAM/OPEN race of the season (except for the new OHSAA M.S. C.C. Championship)

Here’s the course map: http://www.baumspage.com/cc/vermilion/2013/JH_d_MS%20Course%20Map.pdf

Normal breakfast still applies, with a light snack both before & after the race. Bring water for both before and after the race, and don’t forget your sports drink!

Results are on baumspage.com

Weather looks much better this week! Remember to dress in layers.

This race is held at Sailorway Middle School (5355 Sailorway Drive, Vermilion, OH 44089).

Here’s the schedule:

8:30 a.m.         Girls Team

                                    Lauren, Faith, Claire, Emma, Mackenzie, Maggie, and Elena

9:00 a.m.         Boys Team

                                    Michael P., Chris, Charlie, Matt, Dan, Jake, and Ian

9:30 a.m.         Girls Open

                                    All other girls

10:00 a.m.       Boys Open

All other boys

Cloverleaf Information

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here’s our weekly update:

Wadsworth was AWESOME! We went into the meet hoping to close the gap between us and Brecksville. We didn’t just close the gap, we slammed it shut. We’re now neck-and-neck with the #1 team in the Southwestern Conference. Now it’s time to get to work.

Boys finished in 4^th place, with Brecksville’s team in 2^nd. Once we get our full team together, we’ll be ready to go!

Girls finished in 2^nd place, with Brecksville edging us out by a mere 5 points! That’s a virtual dead-heat as we gear up for the championship meet!

Parents, we still have a surplus of paper plates, plastic cups, plastic silverware, napkins, and drinks for the dinners. Just stop by my room (404) to pick up what you need!

Apparel: we are still waiting! I’ve checked with the office twice and contacted the distributor. The office has NOT received anything, and I’ve yet to hear back from anyone. This has never taken more than 2 weeks, but now we’re past 3 weeks. I apologize…as a coaching staff we got this ball rolling back in August so we could have our stuff ordered earlier this year, and it seems like we’re still going to get it later. It’s frustrating.

Lost & Found: we have missing items in our classrooms. Please stop by again to claim your items! Any lost items, by the end of the season, will be donated to charity.

We have added a meet to our schedule! The Clague Park ‘Fun Run’ is scheduled for Wednesday, October 2^nd, at Clague Park in Westlake. We will be running with Amherst and Westlake. This is an additional meet that the three teams schedule each year—our little tradition. The race is 1.5 miles long and the kids LOVE it! We’ll post times for this next week.

Just a heads-up…very soon we will need to know who is willing to go to the OHSAA Middle School Cross Country Championships. We can take a maximum of 40 athletes: 10 Boys’ Team/10 Girls’ Team/10 Boys’ Open/10 Girls’ Open. The race is a week after the SWC Championship (Saturday, October 19^th). We’ll talk to the team about this but we need to know who can make this meet so we can take as many kids as we can, without leaving anybody out who would want to go!

I’m going to send out our Cheat Sheet to athletes tomorrow, but I’m attaching the one I sent out last week for review. Also, I’m attaching what Coach Arebaugh shared with the team last week as well.

Cloverleaf Information:

We will meet at Troy at 6:15 a.m.

We should return around noon.

This meet is where we take a lot of the OPEN runners and bump them up to TEAM status. Team runners will run a workout with me, then cheer on their teammates. All runners are expected to be in attendance!

Here’s the course map: http://www.baumspage.com/cc/cloverleaf/2013/Middle%20School%20Course%20map.pdf

Normal breakfast still applies, with a light snack both before & after the race. Bring water for both before and after the race, and don’t forget your sports drink!

Results will be back on baumspage.com!

Weather looks iffy (as of the time of my writing this). Bring rain gear, layers, and a tough mental state! Running is a messy business! Leave the complaining for our competitors—if it rains, we’ll tough it out!

Parents, this race usually charges an admission fee.

Concessions and t-shirts will be available.

This race is held at Cloverleaf High School (8525 Friendsville Road, Lodi, OH 44254).

Here’s the schedule:

9:00 a.m.         Girls Team

                        Maggie, Liz, Elena, Taylor, Bailey, Catherine, Shital

9:20 a.m.         Girls Open

                        All other girls

9:45 a.m.         Girls Team

                        Chris, Jake, Max, Patrick, Michael M., Michael W., Zivon

10:05 a.m.       Boys Open

                        All other boys

Wadsworth Meet Information

Course Map for Avon Cross Country Meet that is TONIGHT!!!

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here’s our weekly update:

·         Tiffin was amazing! We had the following results:

Boys’ Team came in 10^th out of 41 teams

Boys’ Open came in 3^rd out of 27 teams

Girls’ Team came in 9^th out of 41 teams

Girls’ Open came in 6^th out of 27 teams

·         Thanks again to everyone for all your help setting up & breaking down camp, and for cleaning everything up!

·         Parents, once again, we’ve got a surplus of paper plates, plastic cups, plastic silverware, and napkins for this Friday night’s dinner.

·         Parents & athletes, if you MUST miss a practice and/or meet, you need to, at the very least, let us know. This week we are hearing from 3^rd parties that athletes will not be at practice. With 2 coaches in the building, this shouldn’t be difficult. We are going to address attendance prior to Thursday’s meet. If you do not have an excused absence from practice or a meet (from a parent), then you will charged an UNEXCUSED absence. Three unexcused absences and you are off the team. Really, there should be ZERO unexcused absences. We will give you a heads-up if you are approaching the limit on unexcused absences. We don’t want to remove anyone from the team at this point, but if you’re a part of this team you need to be with your team.

Avon Information:

·         The meet is located at Veterans Park (3701 Veterans Memorial Parkway)

·         Due to busing issues, we will be leaving Avon Lake at 4 p.m.

·         We should return around 7 p.m.

·         Refreshments and shirts will be on sale

·         This race will determine who’s running Team and Open at Wadsworth

·         Here’s the schedule:

5:00 p.m.             Boys Team

5:25 p.m.             Girls Team

5:50 p.m.             Girls Open

6:15 p.m.             Boys Open

Wadsworth Information:

·         We will meet at Troy at 6:10 a.m. Buses leave at 6:15 a.m.

·         We should return before 1 p.m.

·         Wadsworth’s course is probably the most beautiful course of the season. Parents, you will love watching the kids run this race! Athletes, it’s a faster course, and, proportionally-speaking, the best competition we’ll face in our regular season!

·         Eat a normal breakfast when you wake up Saturday morning, with a light snack both before and after your race.

·         Remember to stay hydrated! Coach Arebaugh and I have preached this consistently the last 2 weeks. Keep it up! Bring water and a sports drink to drink after your race. It will be much cooler than the previous meets this season!

·         This race has NO results online. It’s very old-school.

·         Avon’s Invitational will help decide who’s running Team and Open for Wadsworth.

·         Here’s the schedule:

9:00 a.m.              Boys Team

9:30 a.m.              Girls Team

10:00 a.m.           Boys Open

10:30 a.m.           Girls Open

Parents:

·         Concessions and t-shirts will be available

·         The race is held at Memorial Park in Wadsworth, Ohio 44281. It is in the center of town, right by the football stadium off of Grandview Avenue. The sign for the park is pretty discreet…you might miss it. Allow for a little extra time to make sure you find the place, but parking/traffic won’t be a problem. It’s just a middle school meet so it’s not too bad.

·         Please avoid parking on or near the white line on the course.

·         The map for this race is not the best. I’ll scan it and send it out. But, the best place to watch is at the start, the pond (they’ll circle the pond twice), then you can see them when they enter the woods, then when they exit the woods to the finish. It’s a fan-friendly course!

Tiffin Carnival

This week's cheat sheet!! Click here

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here’s our weekly update:

•  We had an awesome meet last week! Both boys’ and girls’ teams beat all the SWC schools! Congrats on two great meets to kick off our season!
• Execution was phenomenal again! We set up camp, broke it down, and supported each other throughout the entire meet! Our goal this week is to keep up this consistency.
• Picture Day for athletes is Thursday, September 5^th! We notified all athletes of this at practice. Please bring your shirt, shorts, and jacket for our team and individual pictures.
• Just another reminder: if you need to switch any piece of uniform, let us know. We are still waiting on the additional shirts for the guys, but we can make what we’ve been given work. Just let us know on Friday at the dinner!
• Attention parents: we have a TON of paper plates, plastic cups, plastic silverware, and napkins from last Friday’s dinner. So to all those parents out there organizing this week’s dinner…don’t worry about getting any of that stuff! I’ve got everything in my room and I’ll get out of practice early Friday to get you what you need.
• Apparel orders should be in next week. This is based on our history ordering through this company, so this is just my best guess. But we should be good to go before the Wadsworth Invite.
•  I still have to confirm this, but we’ll more than likely be at Cahoon Park again on Monday, September 9^th. Parents, just a heads-up.
•   Injuries…please let us know! The trainer at the high school is very good, very nice, and…she’s very free. It doesn’t cost you anything to go see her. Although, Coach Arebaugh’s really good at diagnosing problems and he’s good at treating them (better than me). So let us know at the end of practice, or head up to the Athletic Office at the high school after school to see if Miss Reading can assist you! If she’s not in the trainer’s office she’ll be on the football field but she said you can meet her there too.

Tiffin Carnival Information (ATHLETES):

• Okay, SWC Preview was about seeing what we’ve got and what everyone else in the SWC has. Avon Lake Earlybird was our first big meet, and our home meet. Tiffin Carnival is all about SIZE! It’s the biggest meet we’ll attend this year! We get to compete against schools we won’t see again for the rest of the year! The best advice for this week: enjoy it! You’ve just got to experience it.  
• We will meet at Troy at 9:10 a.m. Saturday, and we should return between 5:30 – 6 p.m.
•   Eat a good breakfast for this one! You don’t have to wake up super early. Parents, kids should pack a good, healthy lunch as they will be eating their pre-race meal once we get to Tiffin. Food high in carbohydrates are preferred. Remember that food helps build up the necessary glycogen, which produces the energy needed in races. Pasta, whole wheat bread, bagels, cereal (Cheerios…but watch the bus floor because you’ll be the one cleaning it up), apples, bananas, grapes, orange juice (limited quantity), yogurt, 1 chocolate cookie…these are examples of good food to bring as part of your lunch, which is vitally important as that is your pre-race meal.
• We want to eat our pre-race meal (lunch) 2-4 hours before our race. So we’ll let the team know when they should eat.
•  Bring a healthy snack home, along with enough to drink. You’ll need something before your race, something after (water AND sports drink). You can also bring money and buy some unhealthy food after your race.
•  Again, we’ll be stressing healthy eating/drinking this season. But it’s good to have one ‘cheat’ meal a week…maybe make the pizza you eat after the race that reward for a week of healthy eating.
• You might want to bring sandals, but this is one meet where your feet will probably remain dry.
• We won’t be able to walk the entire course, as races will be held throughout the day, but the entire course is marked with a spray-painted white line.
• Results will be posted on Tiffin’s school website: www.tiffin.k12.oh.us.
• I’ll be sending out our Weekly ‘Cheat Sheet’ tomorrow!

Tiffin Carnival Information (PARENTS):

• Information from Tiffin’s website can be found here: http://www.tiffin.k12.oh.us/userfiles/939/file/carn%20instructions%2C%20times%2C%20maps%2C%20etc%202013(1).pdf
• We will meet at Troy at 9:10 a.m. Saturday, and we should return between 5:30 – 6 p.m.
• Make sure kids get a healthy breakfast and that they pack a healthy lunch (plus more food than normal…it’s going to be a long day).
• There will be food and t-shirts available.
• Watch the time…it is very hectic parking at this meet, since it’s so large. We try to get there a little early so kids can eat, and so we have enough time to find a place to set up camp. Plus, the buses have to wait to get into the park, so it takes time. I would leave earlier than what your GPS says so you’re not rushed!
• The race is held at Hedges-Boyer Park (491 Coe Street, Tiffin, OH).
• The meet managers encourage spectators to enter the park using the rear entrance off Summit Street and to park at the bottom of the park. You have to walk to the start/finish (pretty much the same place), but it’s worth it as you’ll end up sitting in your car if you try entering the top of the park (they stop traffic during races).
• The map for this race is really hard to read, but I found a better one online: http://www2.pickerington.k12.oh.us/bldgs/north/panther_athletics/cross_country_info/Lakeview%20JH%20CC:TF/Cross_Country/course%20maps/Tiffin.pdf

The start is naturally a good place to be, then turn left, as the kids will run out, turn left, and come back. Then, if you can jog (or walk fast) to the softball field and/or woods, that’s another good place to be. Then find a good spot at the finish! There are a lot of people there so maybe get a little away from the finish…lining up along the last turn to the finish isn’t bad…the kids will be able to see and hear you there.

SCHEDULE:

Boys Team – 1:05 p.m.

Chris Stepak

Michael Petrus

Daniel Francy

Charlie Krause

Ian Stewart

Patrick Neipp

Michael Whalen

 Girls Team – 1:50 p.m.

Lauren Davis

Taylor Baiers

Faith Lengen

Mackenzie Tyson

Maggie Brion

Emma Murdock

Bailey Shee

Boys Open – 2:15 p.m.

All other boys!

Girls Open – 2:50 p.m.

All other girls!

Avon Lake Early Bird Announcements

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here’s our weekly update:

• We had an awesome start to our competition season last Saturday! The boys are right behind Brecksville, finishing 2^nd in the SWC. The girls finished 4^th, and have a TON of potential—that place will improve from the beginning to the end of the season (plus we have a lot of 7^th graders!). We have high expectations for both teams this season.
• Awesome execution last week! Walking the course, sticking together when going to the restrooms, setting up camp, breaking down camp, and picking up everything—it was great. We were impressed as coaches. Now we need to continue to do those good things.
•  Coach Arebaugh has been confirmed as our 3^rd coach for this season! He has a lot of experience and expertise in coaching distance runners, and is our distance coach for the Learwood Track & Field team. Welcome Coach Arebaugh to the team!
•   Apparel orders are now closed. We should be getting our gear in 2 weeks (Wadsworth week, if all goes well).
• Just another reminder: bring water and a watch to practice every day! We are working on intervals on the track and don’t always have access to water! We also are working on pacing so athletes need to continue timing themselves on intervals, along with keeping track of normal workout times and making sure we are aware of the ‘normal’ time!
• If you just bought spikes this week, bring them to practice Friday and we will wear them during the short run before game day! Bring your normal shoes as well, as you will play the game in your normal running shoes.
• If you need uniforms switched out, we just received our extra uniforms this week. We can switch out any uniforms that don’t fit. We’ll do this during the Friday Night Dinner!
•  Parents, the cafeteria was SPOTLESS on Friday! Normally I am there to help clean up, but was busy with uniforms last week. If you need help accessing rags/mops, let one of the coaches know tomorrow!
• All forms that still need to be turned in can be done so at the Learwood office. If we hear from them we’ll let you know!
• Athletes seem to be doing quite well injury-wise, besides a few aches and pains. If there is consistent, long-lasting pain, let us know (Coach Arebaugh is awesome at this), as we can help schedule a time to see the trainer at the high school. She’s really nice and the service is free to all Avon Lake athletes. Just email us to let us know.

Here is the information for Earlybird:

• We will be meeting at TROY (not Learwood), on Saturday, August 31^st, at 6:00 a.m. This is an early one again. Buses leave at 6:05 a.m. We should return even earlier than last week, no later than 10:30 a.m. (probably earlier) at Troy. We will have athletes call to be picked up so parents do not have to wait!
• Please remember to pick up your child in a timely manner as coaches have to wait for every athlete to be picked up! Last week, and this season, have been great.
• All BOYS run at 8:00 a.m.
• All GIRLS run at 8:30 a.m.
• This race will determine who runs TEAM and OPEN at the Tiffin Carnival next Saturday! We will talk about that on Friday!
• Bring uniform, apparel, running shoes AND spikes (if you have them). You will only wear your spikes for the race. Bring a cell phone, water, your weekly sports drink (just one), and a healthy snack!
• Last week everyone experienced the ‘wet feet’ associated with running a race so early in the morning. Just a piece of advice, bring sandals to ride home in as you’ll want to dry out your soaking wet feet on the trip home.
• Uniform violations were kept to a minimum! We looked good! Braceletes/necklaces need to be removed PRIOR to getting to the line. The officials weren’t too bad last week, they really only get nicer as the season progresses.
• But, just remember, if you wear compression shirts, shorts, or just regular shirts/shorts underneath your uniform, it has to be BLACK! Also, only one logo on the shirt and NO LOGOS on the shorts! I’ll bring black sharpies to color in any logos, and Coach Walters and I will be at the starting line to make sure everyone is okay.
•  Parents, if you are taking your child home from the meet please make sure to sign out with Coach Walters at the finish line. Only parents can sign out athletes from the meet!
•  After the race, results will be posted online at www.baumspage.com. On that webpage, click on Cross Country. Then scroll down to Avon Lake Earlybird (8/31/13). Click there to find out results. Please note: results may not be updated until later in the day that Saturday or perhaps even into the day on Sunday.
•  Parents, course map this week is the same as last week. It’s best to view athletes running at the start line, at the mile mark (by the tennis courts), and then at the finish. If you really want to cheer kids on where they will totally hear you, the base of the hill is also a good spot (I usually go there…they need some cheerleaders there!). The downside is you might not get to see the finish. These locations are fairly close to each other so you should be able to walk to each location without difficulty! I have extra copies of the course map in my BIG maroon bag. Feel free to grab one on race day.
• Athletes, here’s our Meet Cheat Sheet for this week! Awesome start to the season! We are going to have so much fun these next 8 weeks

This Week's Meet Cheat Sheet:  EARLY BIRD 

Coach Arebaugh

Coach Rocco

Coach Walters

Week of August 19-24 News

FOR APPAREL ORDER INFORMATION CLICK HERE!!! 

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

This is it! School starts this week! Here’s what’s going on regarding our team:

• I am attaching the informational packet passed out at our Parent Meeting last week! There are 2 changes to the schedule (one correction and one addition). The OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) Middle School Invitational is an OPTIONAL meet that athletes can attend, but we can only take the top 20 boys and 20 girls to it. We’ll discuss this meet later in the season, as we find out who is eligible/able to attend.
•  We are attaching optional cross country gear for this season. Sales begin today and the deadline is next Wednesday, August 28^th. All sales are done online! We should get our gear 2 weeks after the deadline, so make sure to order everything within this time frame or delivery for everyone else may be delayed!
•    The winning quote for the back of our t-shirt (only the t-shirt, not the other shirts) is:

CROSS COUNTRY

THE SPORT MOST PREPARED FOR THE

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

• Tomorrow is the 1^st day of school! Bring running shorts, shirt, shoes, long-sleeve t/hoody (for when it gets colder/rains), water, and a light, healthy snack! We will meet by the gym for the 1^st day and go over our routine for after-school practices.
•   If you just bought new spikes: bring BOTH your regular running shoes and your spikes this FRIDAY! You can break them in at practice Friday, then change into regular shoes for our team meeting/Friday Night Dinner.
•  Our 1^st Friday Night Dinner is planned for this Friday, August 23^rd! Parents, we will be meeting in the auditorium after our practice for our team meeting, then we’ll head to the cafeteria around 4:45 p.m. Coach Walters and I will help get rags and mops for clean-up.
•  Just a reminder that Pay-to-Participate information is due this Friday, August 23^rd.
• Concussion forms need to be completed online (GBW homepage, link is also on our site). We have been asked to remind everyone that this must be completed by Friday, August 23^rd.
•  Last reminder: Learwood office also needs the Acknowledgment of Warning Form turned in by Friday as well!
•  We will be outfitting our team uniform-wise today, tomorrow, and Friday! Any issues with uniforms/jackets, let us know after practice.
• If your athlete is complaining of injury, let me know so we can set up a meeting with the ALHS athletic trainer at the high school. If athletes are not diagnosed with an injury, they are expected to run at practice! So far we’re pretty good but please let us know so we can monitor any issues. We want to peak at the SWC Championship and making sure we are all healthy is the best way to accomplish that goal.

Here is the information for our 1^st meet:

• We will be meeting at TROY (not Learwood), on Saturday, August 24^th, at 6:25 a.m. Buses leave at 6:35 a.m. We should return between 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. at the same location. We will have athletes call to be picked up so parents do not have to wait.
•   Please remember to pick up your child in a timely manner as coaches have to wait for every athlete to be picked up!
•  All BOYS run at 8:30 a.m
•  All GIRLS run at 9 a.m.
• Bring uniform, apparel, running shoes AND spikes (if you have them). You will only wear your spikes for the race. Also, bring sandals to wear afterward, as your feet, socks, and shoes will be wet! Trust us, it’s a much better ride home if your feet are dry! Bring a cell phone, water, sports drink (just one), and a healthy snack!
•  Remember, if you wear compression shirts, shorts, or just regular shirts/shorts underneath your uniform, it has to be BLACK! Also, only one logo on the shirt and NO LOGOS on the shorts! I’ll bring black sharpies to color in any logos, and Coach Walters and I will be at the starting line to make sure everyone is okay.
• Parents, if you are taking your child home from the meet please make sure to sign out with Coach Walters at the finish line. Only parents can sign out athletes from the meet!
• After the race, results will be posted online at www.baumspage.com. On that webpage, click on Cross Country. Then scroll down to Southwestern Conference Preview (8/24/13). Click there to find out results. Please note: results may not be updated until later in the day that Saturday or perhaps even into the day on Sunday.
• Parents, we will include a course map on the blog site. It’s best to view athletes running at the start line, at the mile mark (by the tennis courts), and then at the finish. If you really want to cheer kids on where they will totally hear you, the base of the hill is also a good spot (I usually go there…they need some cheerleaders there!). The downside is you might not get to see the finish. These locations are fairly close to each other so you should be able to walk to each location without difficulty!
•  Athletes, please bear with me, but I’ve attached a ‘Meet Cheat Sheet,’ your cross country homework for the week. Study up! Be ready for Saturday!
• Handouts...

    Parent Meeting Handout

    Meet Cheat Sheet 

Coach Rocco & Coach Walters