AVON LAKE EARLY BIRD

We had an awesome start to our competition season at SWC Preview! Boys came in 1st place, and Girls were only one point behind 2nd place Olmsted Falls. 

• 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!
• Please let us know if there are any issues with uniforms! We've got extra uniforms this season so we should be able to properly outfit everyone. Everyone looked good Saturday but we've got a large team, so see me in my classroom if you have any issues.
• Parents, the cafeteria was SPOTLESS on Friday! Usually we am there to help pass out wet rags to the kids, but if we're not around and you need help accessing rags/mops, just let one of us (or the custodians) know.
• All athletes need to make sure they are stretching right after practice, at night and on Saturdays/Sundays. If there is consistent, long-lasting pain, let us know. I can schedule a time to see the trainer at the high school if necessary. Mr. Yonkof is really good and it’s a free service to all Avon Lake athletes. Just email me to let me know! 

EARLY BIRD WEEK:

• We will be meeting at TROY (not Learwood), on Saturday, September 1st, at 6:10 a.m. This is an early one again. Buses leave at 6:15 a.m. We should return between 10 – 10:15 a.m. (maybe even earlier) at Troy. We will send a REMIND text for parents.
• We have been talking about HYDRATION for the past several weeks. Please keep hydrating prior to Saturday.
• 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!
• Another reminder: if you wear compression shirts, shorts, or just regular shirts/shorts underneath your uniform, it has to be BLACK!
• Parents, if you are taking your child home from the meet please make sure to sign out with Coach D'Andrea at the finish line. If she's not there she will be at the start line, the campsite, or in transit. 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 (8/31/19). 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. 

Apparel Orders

Apparel orders for this season are now open! This is optional apparel you can order--it is not mandatory to purchase any of these items.

The quote on the back of the t-shirts (and only the t-shirts), as voted on by the team, is: EAT PASTA, RUN FASTA

You can order your optional apparel here: APPAREL ORDERS

Deadline for apparel orders will be Sunday, September 15th, at 11:59 p.m.

SWC PREVIEW

Cross Country Athletes & Parents:

Here’s information regarding our team this week:

• Another reminder: Bring running shorts, shirt, shoes, long-sleeve t/hoody (for when it gets colder/rains), water (1-2 bottles), and a light, healthy snack to practice!
• Our first Friday Night Dinner is planned for this Friday, August 23rd! We will help get rags and mops for clean-up.
• Any issues with uniforms, let us know! Stop by my room (404) if you need anything.
• 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.

SWC PREVIEW Information:

• We will be meeting at TROY (not Learwood), on Saturday, August 24^th, at 6:00 a.m. Buses leave at 6:05 a.m. We should return between 10:00 – 10:15 a.m. at the same location. We will have athletes call and we'll send a REMIND text 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 GIRLS run at 8:00 a.m.
• All BOYS run at 8:30 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! Officials are much better with the logos, but make sure your shirts/shorts are a solid color (black). We’ll review this at our team meeting on Friday.
• Parents, if you are taking your child home from the meet please make sure to sign out with Coach D'Andrea. She will be either at the finish line at the end of the races, the start line at the beginning of the races, or the campsite (or in transit). Only parents can sign out athletes from the meet!
• After the race, results will be posted online at baumspage.com. On that webpage, click on Cross Country. Then scroll down to Southwestern Conference Preview (8/24/19). It's on the left-hand side of the page. Click there to find out results. Please note: results may not be updated until later in the day that Saturday or perhaps even Sunday.
• Parents, we will include a course map on the blog site. CLICK HERE! 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…they need some support 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!

Practice Times & Locations 8/12 - 8/20

Our schedule for the next couple of weeks will have lots of changes. Locations and times may change on a daily basis, as we incorporate speed work, hill work, and practices at Learwood. We will post any changes on the blog and through the REMIND app.

Here's the schedule for the remainder of the summer:

Monday, August 12th
ALHS Track (caboose)
8:15 - 9:15 a.m.

Tuesday, August 13th
ALHS Track (caboose)
8:15 - 9:45 a.m.

Wednesday, August 14th
Rocky River Metro-Parks (Emerald Necklace Marina)
We will meet at ALHS Track (caboose) where we will take buses to and from the metro-parks
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, August 15th
ALHS Track (caboose)
8:15 - 9:15 a.m.

Friday, August 16th
ALHS Track (caboose)
8:15 - 9:45 a.m.
We will meet at ALHS Track, where we will start/finish our Annual Mock Meet through Kopf Reservation

Monday, August 19th
Rocky River Metro-Parks (Emerald Necklace Marina)
We will meet at ALHS Track (caboose) where we will take buses to and from the metro-parks
3:15 - 5:45 p.m.

Tuesday, August 20th
Learwood Middle School (meet at track in back of school)
We will have a short run, then we'll pass out uniforms after practice...our end time for this practice may vary due to uniforms being passed out
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Make sure you notify us of any excused absences! Family commitments, vacations, and appointments qualify as 'excused' absences. Oversleeping or just 'skipping' practice is an 'unexcused' absence. Just make sure you are communicating with us via email and/or handwritten note so we can keep track!

Practice Schedule: 8/1-8/9

Cross country practice officially began Thursday, August 1st. We will still meet from 8:15-9:45 a.m. at the ALHS Track (meet at the caboose) through next week (August 1st through August 9th). Please wear clothes suitable for practice (you might get dirty), running shoes, and water. We will still remain on campus (or Kopf Reservation) for these sessions. 

Again, if you cannot attend practice, we need an email/note from home. Please note that practice can only be missed for the following reasons:

• Illness
• Family commitment (vacations included)
• Doctor/Dentist/Orthodontist appointment
• Religious holiday

As always, if you can't make it to a summer practice session, make sure you are running on your own. I'm attaching general running times below--pick a time listed below (or a time in between the times listed) to run on the days you will NOT be in attendance.

Keep up the good work! We're going to start increasing our workload (speed, strength, core work) going forward! See everyone Monday!

• Saturday        8/3      60 minutes cardio (bike, elliptical, swimming) OR road race
• Sunday          8/4       REST
• Monday         8/5       10-20 minutes
• Tuesday        8/6       14-24 minutes
• Wednesday    8/7      12-22 minutes
• Thursday       8/8       16-26 minutes
• Friday           8/9       14-24 minutes
• Saturday       8/10      60 minutes cardio (bike, elliptical, swimming) OR road race