Shorewood Cross Country

journalism demo

2011-02-18T14:36:00.002-06:00

The author of this little piece manages to take shallow to new depths. His use of corporate logos and subtle humor exposes the emptiness behind the strip mall facades of suburbia. As a bonus he gets you to smile while he is calling you a loser.

That takes talent.

New Website Under Construction

2009-08-12T22:08:00.007-05:00

Check out new website at this link: www.ShorewoodHighCC.org. Please note that it is under construction so much work needs to be done.

2009 Season Creeps Up!

2009-08-10T18:41:00.005-05:00

The kids have been running all summer and the season is now right around the corner. To kick things off, the coaches want to meet with the parents this Thursday, August 13th at 6:30 pm in the SIS Commons. Tentative agenda:
Parent meeting agenda:
1. Introduction of the Coaches: Sarah Kopplin and Dominic Newman
2. Mission of the Program.
3. Rules of Participation.
4. Parent Support.
5. Dealing with the Athlete.
6. The Team Web Site.
7. Awards Night: SIS Cafeteria. Date
8. Items from the Floor.

The CC Season is as much fun for the parents as it is for the kids. Hope to see you there!

Are you running yet?

2009-06-30T15:39:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm going to get some grief for this post but the article is too good to ignore.

Runner's world is out with a lengthy interview of Sarah Palin that focuses on her 35 years as a runner. In particular she talks about running in -30 degree weather and running at night and early in the morning in order to stay on track for her goals. It kind of puts our weather into perspective.

Even if you don't like her politics, you should still read the article. If for no other eason than to remember that running transcends politics.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-410--13221-5-1X2X3X4-5,00.html

What's on her running IPOD?

"I kick off my runs with the old Van Halen and AC/DC, then I get into my country music, then I always wrap it up with a couple mellow Amy Grant songs."

Cheers,

dash

New season ... new site

2009-01-05T13:56:00.001-06:00

Track isn't cross country so it has it's own site... the link is over on the right.

State Honors for Shorewood Runners...

2008-12-04T07:23:00.004-06:00

Note from Coach Dom:
WOW and we all thought the CC season was over with all the Honors? After I send this out I think I can take a break from the season! Congrats goes out to Ben Tyler and Peter Drews for earning Second Team All State in Cross Country. While Emily Bachhuber earned First Team All State. Listed below in red. Another exciting finish to the season is that the top 7 individuals that ran at the State Meet will earn the WCCCA Academic ALL State Awards. This was earned by averaging the top 5 GPA's on the team and if we had a GPA higher then a 3.4 then all 7 will receive a certificates for recognizing their academic achievements. We had a combined GPA of 3.94 for our top five and a 3.76 for our top 7. It just goes to show how Athletics and Academics goes hand in hand. Awards will also be presented to all runners with a GPA of 3.5 or above based on a 4.0 system (I'm Sure that Emily is in there). I'm equally proud of your accomplishments on and off the course. Keep up the GREAT studying habits!

Coach Dom Named Area Coach of the Year!

2008-11-17T13:41:00.003-06:00

Coach Dom earned well-deserved recognition from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel by being selected the Coach of the Year. Congratulations Dom and thanks for all of what you do for our kids!

Emily Bacchuber, Ben Tyler Named to First Team; Peter Drews to Second Team
Congratuations also goes out to Emily, Ben and Peter for being recognized as All-Area Cross Country runners by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Here are some links for more information:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/34561394.html
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/34561384.html
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/34561504.html

CC Banquet Nov 5th! Also Check Out Girls Sectionals Commentary Below

2008-11-02T14:47:00.000-06:00

A little note to let you all know when the cross country banquet is. It will be on Wednesday Nov. 5th at 6:00pm in the SIS commons. Mark your calendars!

Bittersweet Ending of Season for Shorewood Boys.

2008-11-01T20:47:00.024-05:00

David Drews great pictures - really tells the story:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=benxbof.4u9zmrwr&Uy=abndnb&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=791423203009_654523271211&localeid=en_US

My Instamatic camera shots:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dontyler22/2008CCStateMeet#

Results:
http://www.wiaawi.org/results/crosscountry/2008/bd2results.pdf

Shorewood Boys Place 5th; Tyler 5th; Drews 8th; Emily Takes Third!
The boys wrapped up their 2008 cross country season on The Ridges in Wisconsin Rapids at the Wisconsin State Meet in fine fashion. It was a beautiful day; almost like the kids were cheating or something. It's suppose to be raw and windy for state meet. A light breeze out of the northeast, temperature in the low 50s and the sun shining made for perfect conditions for running and cheering.

Some might say that we should be disappointed with a 5th place finish; perhaps that's so. But considering what this rag-tag team had to do to have the rare privilege of making it to state, it's quite a remarkable achievement. This young team had to step up and come together after learning that their state champion runner, Kevin McCollow, was not likely to return. Many teams might have rolled over at that point. Not this young team of champions. They came together like I have never seen before, and truly ran as one, finding more within themselves than they ever thought possible. I believe as they look back as adults on this year, many will point to this season as a formative period in their life. They learned much about coming together as a team; learned about the value of remaining disciplined; and they learned much about the power of believing in themselves. I suspect that most of the boys achieved more this year than than imagined they could. To me, that's the making of a championship team...and most of them are returning next year! Finally, Dom, Alec, the alumni and our co-captains should be commended for their great leadership in shaping, directing and managing this team.

The Rundown
So what do you get when you combine a beautiful fall day in northern Wisconsin, 1,000 of the best cross country runners in the state and 10,000 fans on a golf course that has for its name, The Ridges? A day of energized runners and fans! There is nothing like a state meet experience: for a champion runner, it's running with the best of the best as fans line up four deep to cheer you on; for the fans, it's sprinting across the golf course from one vantage point to another, with a big smile on your face because it is so cool to see these kids reach deep for all of what they've got. What a great day!

The starting line is a wide stretch of lawn at the base of the golf course driving range; just behind the line are six 30 foot stars and stripes banners taking in the surprisingly light breeze. The boys are going through their final warm up drills as the fans line up along the first 400 yard stretch, waiting with nervous energy for the 1 minute announcement. The countdown starts at ten and stops at five when the gun goes off. A mass of 150 runners converge toward the fans as the course narrows.

A Mad Dash for Position
As the runners volley for position and turn east behind team tents (that has the look of a scout jamboree according to one Shorewood dad), a wave of fans run madly across the field for the next best position either at the one mile mark or just above a valley that takes the boys right past you after a steep curving incline.

The elite runners are tightly packed together as they charge this hill, charging the turn and the hill, bumping and jockeying for position. As expected, the two Port boys, Allen and Ross are there along with Lauderbach, Holguin and a surprise contender in the name of Kinnard. Ben Tyler is in the middle of the pack at this point. The masses swarm by with Peter Drews right in the mix, followed by Aidan Mazur, John Taylor, Joe Pendleton, Brendan Vorpahl and as always, followed by Sam Dupuis hanging back for his move later in the race.

At the mile mark, the lead group is pacing at 5 minutes, about what is expected. The course widens as it takes a turn down the long 9th hole fairway. This wide stretch of the course starts off relatively flat but then suddenly drops down a long hill. Watching from the bottom of the hill you hear the crowds first and then you see the lead ATV crest the hill on the horizon. Then, suddenly, the leaders pop over the hill and you can see that the top five or six runners are all running side by side. It's a remarkable scene, watching these top state runners "run as one", blasting down the hill together. Tyler is in the thick of the lead while Drews is not far behind, starting to think about making his move. The Shorewood Core is doing there job in the middle of the pack.

The Sweep Around the Pond
Fans race to the next vantage point on a ridge overlooking a pond. From a distance you can hear the sound of the lead ATV as it approaches the big sweep around the pond. As the ATV pierces the line of trees, the fans see that a lead runner broke from the pack. It was Tyler, breaking away at the 1.5 mile mark as counseled by Coach Dom. Port Washington's Allen is about four strides away. Tyler holds the lead around the pond, through the beach, the woods, up the 18th hole fairway, up into the roller coaster twist and turns past the storage shed and back down the hill toward the pond. The boys drive hard down the hill on their way to the lonely outlying area of the course to the 2.5 mile mark. During this time, Drews begins to make his steady climb to the top of the pack, working on one of his nemesis, Alex Holguin and aiming his sights on Bobby Laabs. As the dedicated Shorewood fans were watching the scene develop, the news was somewhat bifurcated. On one hand, Tyler had the lead with Drews making a strong move to the head of the pack; John Taylor was looking good but Aidan Mazur started slipping and Vorpahl, Pendleton and Dupuis looked solid. The potential outcome was unclear for sure.

The Long Wait....
As the runners stretched out the last 3/4 mile in the distance, the fans rushed and fought for position along the long uphill finish chute. Others ran to the base of the chute, upward toward the long loop around to get a glimpse of the lead runners. As the ATV popped out of the woods, you could see that the lead had changed. Allen was now in the lead with Tyler having a tough time. Kinnard, Lauderbach and Ross were not far behind him. Tyler was still second at the turn toward the chute but you could tell he was in trouble. By the finish line, Ross had sprinted to virtually tie Allen for first and Lauderbach and Kinnard had a kick that blew them by Tyler, who finished fifth with a time of 16:10.

While this dramatic finish was playing out, Drews had plenty on his hands. Always with a strong kick, he was working on Laabs as Holguin was working on him. It was a sprint for all three of them right to the finish with Laabs coming in just before Drews and Drews out striding Holguin. Drews finished 8th with an impressive time of 16:17. Tyler had the third fastest Shorewood time at state.

The Shorewood Core Finishes Strong
As the number 3 runner for Shorewood, Taylor hit the hill hard trying hard to fight off a pack of boys sprinting for position; he finished with an impressive 17:21 (about what Drews and Tyler did last year at State), placing 62nd. Vorpahl did what he needed to do, breaking 18 minutes on this tough course, coming in at 17:59. Same Dupuis was directly behind him at 18:02, and Joe Pendleton at 18:07. Mazur appeared to have lost his stride somewhere at the halfway point and had a very tough, and I know disappointing, finish for him. Of course, there is always a lesson in both good and bad experiences. I remember watching Ben's devastating 3200 run at the State Track Meet last spring. You could tell he was hurting; but he apparently took something away from the experience because he quickly moved on and had a great cross country season. I suspect that's where Aidan will be as well.

And That's the Way it Was...
So we bid adieu to the wonderful season, all the great times and memories and our boys and girls who learned so much about sportsmanship, camaraderie and pushing themselves beyond their limits. Thanks coaches for taking on our projects and helping us shape them into wonderful adults. You've been great! See most everyone next year!

Shorewood Boys Headed to State; Emily Qualifies Individually!

2008-10-26T18:16:00.020-05:00

Link to Map of Course:
http://www.wiaawi.org/maps/cccourse.pdf

Link to Schools and Individuals Qualifying for State
http://wisconsinxc.com/D2/D2TeamsQualifiers.php

Link to WIAA Press Release Highlighting the Competition:
http://www.wiaawi.org/releases/2008-09/ccrelease.pdf

Link to Google Map Directions:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=1701+E+Capitol+Dr,+Shorewood,+WI+53211+(Shorewood+High+School)&daddr=2311+Griffith+Ave,+Wisconsin+Rapids,+WI+54494+(Ridges+Golf+Course+%26+Supper+Club:+Pro+Shop)&hl=en&geocode=FY18kQIdi-zC-iGiE9vaLfmq4g%3BCRgYU68GUHLUFVDApAId6Myl-iFWh6Fq5gG4ZQ&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=43.74002,-88.845808&sspn=1.430715,2.460938&ie=UTF8&ll=43.687736,-88.843689&spn=1.431947,2.460938&z=9

Note that these directions suggest about 3.5 hours.

Date:
Saturday, November 1st
Location:
Ridges Golf Course, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Parking:
Follow signs for parking; there are shuttle buses between parking lots and the course. Plan on at least 20 minutes from time of parking to arrival to course. There are 8-10,000 fans attending so be sure to get there early!
Schedule:
Boys’ Competition
Division 3: 11:00 am
Division 2: 11:40 pm
Division 1: 12:20 pm
Girls Competition
Division 3: 1:00
Division 2: 1:40
Division 1: 2:20
Awards
Individual and team awards will be presented at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School at 3:45 p.m. Trophy to championship and runner-up teams. Medals to members (7) of championship and runner-up teams and first six individuals.

Dom's Discourse....
Parking will not be allowed at the race site for spectators. There will be a number of shuttles that will transport you to the Golf course.

THE COMPETITION
Boys: Best teams are Port Washington (4), Waukesha Catholic Memorial (5),Tomahawk (1) and Shorewood (2). Any of these teams could Win the State Title!!

THE RATINGS: Garbage!!!!
Here is the Shorewood Secret...........
All too often, fans and competitors equate success with advancing to the State Meet and failure with not advancing to the State Meet......this is ridiculous. Success is performing to the best of ones ability. For some teams, that might be a top ten finish.......for some individuals that might be a top 60 finish. The best team should win.(?????)........... If they don't..... obviously they're not the best team.

The Media has had way too much influence on the public perceptions of success and failure.......if it isn't a world record........if they don't win......if they don't lead the league....if they don't go to State, .....etc, etc.

When the season is over, there will be exactly one team and exactly one individual that didn't lose their last competition. It would be a sorry state of affairs if only one team and one individual had a 'successful' season. Rather, the successful team(individual) is the team(individual) that performs at close to their potential, whatever that might be. The MOST successful team (individual) is the team(individual) that is CLOSEST to that potential. That is our goal....and what ever that gives us will be what we deserve.

OUR PROSPECTS:
I won't be disclosing any individual 'predictions'.
Team-wise, the Boys should/could be in the top 4, with a shot at top 2......But there are 3 other teams that can say the same thing. We will try to control what we can control....our own performance(s). The top four teams are close enough so that all it will take to switch things around is an outstanding performance from any one individual on any one of those 4 teams. Watch the #5 runners from each of those 4 teams. The outcome of the team competition WILL NOT be determined at the front, but rather somewhere around 25th place, by someone's #5 runner. Who's 5th runner will prevail?? Not to mention the possible displacer!

Keep RUNNING-AS-ONE!!!

Dominic Newman

Shorewood Places Second at Sectionals! Emily Girls Champ!

2008-10-26T11:31:00.026-05:00

Results:
http://wiaawi.org/results/crosscountry/2008/bmilwlutheransectional.htm

Shorewood Boys Pull Off Another Miracle at Sectionals

Though rated second in state by coaches coming out of last week's great performance, everyone in Shorewood knew what the reality was: that this Sectional Meet was going to be the toughest ever. Prior to last week, Wisconsin Lutheran was consistently ranked top 1 or 2 in state, with Port Washington and Shorewood between 3rd and 5th. Going into the Sectionals we all knew that we had to fire on all 7 cylinders[runners] to sneak a second out of this toughest of all D2 Sectionals. Wisc. Lutheran was a lock; it was PW we had to go after. Given last week's performance, the kids thought they were ready to do just that. However, we all got the wrong script.

Tendick Proves to be a Beast
The forecast called for cool weather, light rain and winds up to 15 mph. It turns out that the rain came through the evening leaving the course soggy and very muddy in spots; but the weather was near perfect with low 50s temperature and a mild breeze from the west.

The starting gun went off at 10:45 am and 16 varsity teams bolted from the long white starting line with over 100 boys fighting for placement as they blasted toward the first turn into a gradual hill going north. The course takes another sharp left to the west and then another turn to the south as the course snakes through the woods. Spectators run through the trees to catch a glimpse of the boys. As the fans settled in, the Greyhounds began maneuvering to the front; Ben Tyler stuck with the 1-2 ranked Port Washington runners, Peter Drews was directly behind the first group, pacing Bobby Laabs of Greendale and Dayton Lueck of Wis. Lutheran.

As the runners came out of the woods, taking a sharp right going west and then another quick sharp left going south, our core group of runners, John Taylor, Aidan Mazur and Brendan Vorpahl, were mixing it up with a pack of Port Washington and Wis. Lutheran boys. At the base of the big beasty of a hill it was anybody's race. But it was soon to become clear that Port Washington knew how to run their home course.

Port Begins to Make Its Move
Shortly after the 1 mile mark (lead runners went out at about 5:10) the pack starting spreading out. Port's Mark Allen made his move down the sweeping downhill toward the open field with Tyler in pursuit and over taking him as they came into the open area of the course. Drews overtook Lueck and continued to set the pace for Laabs, not far behind Ross of Port and Holguin of Cudahy. By the halfway point it looked like this was not about Port Washington's survival but whether Shorewood had any chance of knocking off Wisc. Lutheran. Looking relaxed and confident, Allen established the lead while Tyler was maintaining close behind. Drews was in command of Laabs and working on trying to catch Holguin; but Port's Ross had clear conviction of his position and you could see that he was sitting back waiting for Tyler to come to him. The Shorewood Core were together in a pack battling for their life with the Port and Wisc. Lutheran boys. Joe Pendleton and Sam Dupuis followed suit.

Through the Woods and Into the Beast
As the last half of the race worked it's way back north, then west and into the woods the big question was whether we could hold our positions and take a few more Wisc. Lutheran's boys. Port had all but won the race by this point. As the runners came out of the woods, Allen had command of first place, Tyler second, Ross third, Holguin fourth and Drews fifth, with Laabs breathing down his neck. The Shorewood Core blasted out of the woods last time through, like the first, with a bunch of Wisc. Lutheran kids they needed to beat. Lead positions were held as they slopped through the muck, up and down the hill. Coming into the open field Tyler had gained on Allen but Ross was ready to make his move with 300 yards to go and by the first major turn he had command of 2nd place; Drews had enough of Laabs drafting him and surged ahead with a commanding lead by the time he made the mucked up turn into the open field. Meanwhile, Vorpahl knew he needed to take out the Wisc. Lutheran boy, working on the poor kid up and down the hill; it was all over with 100 yards to go. As it turns out, Vorpahl's final push and determination was one of the major factors that shaped the outcome of this race. Run as one is more than just a slogan!

Taylor Finishes Strong, Mazur Collapses at Finish Line, Vorpahl Closes the Gap
Tyler placed third, Drews fifth and Taylor came in a strong 14th place. As Vorpahl was committed to hanging onto his position ahead of Wisc. Lutheran, Mazur's back broke in the last half-mile and as Vorpahl and the Wisc. Lutheran runner rapidly approached, he did everything he could do before completely collapsing at the finish line (I thought he collapsed just before the finish line!). As the fifth man, Mazur beat out the Wisc. Lutheran runner by less than a second. Between Vorpahl's effort and determination and Mazur's gut wrenching finish it reinforces the importance of our Shorewood Core. They won the meet for us. Pendleton and Dupuis fought it out with Port's and WL's 6-7th runners in case of a tie breaker like a few years back at the Shorewood Invite.

Happy but Not Satisfied
Reality set in on team and fans alike as it became clear that our shot at going to state likely slipped away with Port's command performance. The boys circled up and agreed that while they could have done better, they did what they could and they had a great season...one for the memory books. But the memories were not over. As the girls race got underway there were whispers across the course that it was closer than expected and that while it was clear that Port pulled off a surprise win, it was less clear whether Wisc. Lutheran was going to state. Some said they thought Wisc. Lutheran won by two, while others said it was tied and the sixth runner would determine the 2nd place team.

Fans, coaches and teams had to wait it out until the awards ceremony and as the announcer ticked off the places from last up to third place things got tense. When he announced that third place went to Wisconsin Lutheran a huge yelp let out (think that was me)...Shorewood pulled off another miracle at Tendick, beating Wisconsin Lutheran by two points (57 to 59). Had Vorpahl not held off their fifth man, and Mazur not gutting it out, it would have gone into a tie breaker - which we would have lost. Another close one for the Shorewood boys. Wow, these guys like to make fans sweat it out! Now on to the State Meet!

Link to David Drews' Great Pictures:
Mr. Drews took some great pictures....and including some great captions.....
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=benxbof.81x7wgyz&Uy=3f0p55&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=697369968561_765589851211&localeid=en_US

Link to a couple of pictures I took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dontyler22/ShorewoodCCSectionals2008#

Girl’s Cross Country Sectionals Meet 10-24-08
brought to you by Tom Bachhuber

Link to Pictures from Tom B.:

http://picasaweb.google.com/DemmersDad/CrossCountrySectional#

Varsity girls took 3rd place at the Milwaukee Lutheran Sectionals Meet in Saukville last weekend. missing the coveted 2nd place finish by 12 points. They will not be going to the state meet as a team this year despite making it last year. “We lost 4 seniors last year and have a young team made up mainly of sophomores and juniors” explained coach Kopplin. New Berlin Eisenhower was their main competition for 2nd place. “They ran with heart and as a team, unfortunately their 2nd and 3rd runners beat our 2nd and 3rd runners.”

Emily Bachhuber continued her dominating performance, again taking the lead early and never looking back. She had a 5:30 first mile breaking with the pack at the bottom of the big hill at the ¾ mile mark and was clearly in the lead at the top of the hill. “It’s hard to run in the lead without anyone pushing you”. If vomiting during or just after the race is any indication, Emily is learning how to push herself just fine. She has been showing great focus and increasing confidence allowing her to go from a sit and kick runner to the runner who sets her own pace. “Unlike a lot of runners, Emily doesn’t over think or let the competition get to her. In fact, she relishes the competition knows in her heart that she can win.”

Chloe Staub had a notable performance, beating out NB Eisenhower’s no. 4 runner to the finish line. Asked what the greatest achievement of the team this year, coach Kopplin waxed philosophical, explaining that each and every girl on that team is excellent students. “They are overachievers and just not satisfied with anything short of excellent. Each one of these girls has had to deal with disappointments and missed expectations. During this process they have jelled as a team; each supporting the next to be as good as they can be.”

Sectionals This Saturday!

2008-10-21T00:38:00.014-05:00

Directions to Tendick Park:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=1701+E+Capitol+Dr,+Shorewood,+WI+53211+(Shorewood+High+School)&daddr=Tendick+Nature+Park&hl=en&geocode=FY18kQIdi-zC-iGiE9vaLfmq4g%3BCcEuflxB6PdoFaNulgIdMPXB-iHwwmA83Ur9dA&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=43.202034,-88.026208&sspn=0.8449,1.757813&ie=UTF8&z=10

Link to Course Map:
http://wisconsinxc.com/PortWashingtonInvite_files/image002.gif
Also, see posting and pictures regarding Tendick part to get a take on best viewing. Should be an exciting meet to watch! Go Greyhounds!

Update from Dom:
We will have a bus to take the team up to the Sectional Meet. Even if you are not racing please join us on the bus so that we may have a large cheering section!

Event:
WIAA Division 2 Section 8 Cross Country meet

Date: Saturday, October 25, 2008

Site: Tendick Park in Saukville

Time: Bus Leaves SHS at 7:30
8:00 - Course opens for Preview
9:30 - Coaches meeting
10:00 - Boys Race
10:45 -Girls Race

Parking at the Pavilion is only allowed for the buses. All other vehicles must park at the archery lot. Parking on County Trunk O is not allowed. There will be shuttle from the lot. It is walking distance to the course. No Dogs. The WIAA asks that spectators leave their pets at home.

http://wiaawi.org/crosscountry/assignments.pdf

Pictures of Tendik Park - Sectional Meet

2008-10-19T08:42:00.006-05:00

Sectionals are right around the corner. Click on the headline above to get a feel (as a fan) for the course. Consider watching the meet from the starting line and moving east to the top of the hill at the mile market or walking into the woods west to watch the kids run through the trees.

The girls go up the hill once but come around to the base of the hill in the final stretch. The boys hit the hill twice. From the hill, you can watch the kids run the hill twice, see them run through the open field and come out of the woods. After the boys run the hill the second time, take a quick hike down the hill toward the finish line to cheer them on to the finish.

Shorewood Dazzles Crowd with Sizzling Performance!

2008-10-17T20:02:00.092-05:00

Click on link below for results....more to follow.
http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults.php

Click here for a ton of slightly above average pictures from Don Tyler....maybe Mr. Drews will share some of his great shots!

://picasaweb.google.com/dontyler22/WoodlandConferenceKernPark#
Click here for another ton of great pictures from Tom B.
http://picasaweb.google.com/DemmersDad/WoodlandConferenceMeetKernPark101708#

It Was That Kind of Day for Shorewood....
Start with perfect running conditions with cool temperatures and a slight breeze; add a good dose of home field advantage where the kids no when to pull back and where to press; and sprinkle with lots of guts, heart, belief in themselves and enthusiasm. What do you get? A very special day for Shorewood Cross Country kids and the fans watching.

JV Boys Set the Table
JV boys kicked things off by making clear that this last meet of the season was going to be one for the memory books. The big dog of this race was Gavin Schroeder but it seems like everyone had a big day in their own right. Gavin let the rabbits go out fast at the gun and gradually worked his way to the front of the pack with a couple of competitors running close behind. At first blush it looked like Gavin was going to command the lead the entire race but the Whitnall competitor, Beal, hung tough and inched his way up to Gavin and running side by side at the top of Big Bertha. I suspect that at that point Beal thought he broke Gavin; not so; this was Gavin’s race and his course. He knew when to surge and by the second track of Big Bertha he had a commanding 30 yard lead as he went on to dominate the rest of the race, finishing with an impressive PR of 18:09, 12 seconds ahead of the second place runner.

However, this wasn’t just Gavin’s race. Up toward the front of the pack Shorewood had Oliver Heywood, David Stern, Nat Froiland running together with John Johnson trailing slightly behind. Oliver and David ran out together virtually the entire race while Nat hung out with John through the first mile. Oliver and David made their move at the half way point gaining significant ground and runners that were well ahead of them at the first mile. At the finish line Oliver had the stronger kick and beat out David by three seconds, placing 14th and 15th respectively. David said that “it was great to run with Oliver because he had such a great pace and a really strong kick at the end.” Meanwhile, Nat made his move up the pack during the last mile, placing 17th and John placed 26th.

A little further back was Devin Holling, Ian Phillips and Erik Alvin sprinkled throughout the middle of the pack. All had significant PRs. Finally, Colin Brushnahan, Ethan Holling and Ben Pagenkopf closed the door with their own PRs.

Quick Stats on JV Boys:
1 Gavin Schroeder 18:09.65 - 31 second PR
14 Oliver Heywood 18:59.65 - 37 second PR
15 David Stern 19:02.80 - 1 minute, 1 second PR
17 Nat Froiland 19:08.12 - 32 second PR
26 John Johnson 19:44.44
38 Devin Holling 20:12.14 - 48 second PR
43 Ian Phillips 20:22.92 - 1 minute 13 second PR
49 Erik Alfvin 20:45.94 - Not sure
78 Colin Brusnahan 22:35.75 - PR
81 Ethan Holling 22:46.23 - Not sure
92 Ben Pagenkopf 28:19.95 - PR by over 90 seconds!

Varsity Boys Chow Down
JV boys set the table but the varsity boys set the table stakes, going "all in" at this Woodland Conference meet. Coach Dom set the tone earlier in the week letting the boys know they have another good 10 seconds in them on their home course. Too bad for Dom, the boys didn't listen to him. They had much more in them and made sure everyone experienced the result first hand.

The race started fast with a rabbit quickly out in the lead as the two top contenders, Bobby Laabs from Greendale and Ben Tyler from Shorewood kept chomping on his tail. As they approached the 3/4 mile mark Laabs surged down the hill taking Tyler by surprise; he decided to follow. The three were out at a sub-5 minute mile. Tyler decided to take command and surged shortly after the mile mark; it was all over for Bobby.

Meanwhile, Co-Captain Peter Drews maintained his strategy of remaining in the first pack back and began to make his move shortly after the mile mark as well. By the two mile mark Peter was all alone with his sights on the Cuday's top runner, Alec Holguin and Laabs. Peter quickly broke Laabs and began to see Holguin just ahead and surged after him. The two of them fought it out the last 200 yards in true grit fashion; unfortunately, the timing device had Holguin beating Peter by .17 seconds, but by all appearances from objective Shorewood observers, Peter had him at the tape.

Back a bit was the powerhouse that has become the critical backbone of this Shorewood team. This foursome, made up of Aidan Mazur, John Taylor, Brendan Vorpahl and Joe Pendleton, score the critical points that make this such a solid team. Each leaped forward with huge PRs. As typical of their strategy, Mazur, Taylor and Vorpahl ran together as a pack during the first half of the race. As the race progressed it was clear that they had something special to prove. That they did. By the time it was all over, Mazur and Taylor were within shouting distance of breaking 17 minutes while Vorpahl back pedaled and Pendleton surged, meeting halfway with big PRs. Freshman Keith Dodd had a spectacular PR, breaking the 18 minute milestone in a big way, while Co-Captain Sam Dupuis was fighting a tough cold.

I suspect Sam wanted to have his last conference race finish a bit better. But our hat's off to our true senior leader, Sam Dupuis. It's been great to watch Sam lead this team through the years. I personally remember Ben's first race at West Bend, when he didn't have a clue and was a twitchy Freshman. Sam brought him in under his wing. Running together, Sam was there for him, waved him up to run together and then encouraged him to surge forward. What a classy guy.

When it was all said and done, Shorewood dominated the meet, taking 1st, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th and 27th. Headlines? Conference Champions; three Conference champions (Gavin, Emily and Ben) three runners named First Team All Conference; three runners named Second Team All Conference; Course record shattered by 18 seconds; school record broken by 14 seconds; six runners below 17:25, two of which are ranked in top ten fastest D2 times. And they haven't even tapered yet! As coach Dom told the team after the meet, "this is the most impressive race in the ten years I have been here". Enough said. On to the tough stuff now.

Quick Stats on Varsity Boys:
1 - Ben Tyler - 15:44 - PR by 18 seconds
3 - Peter Drews - 16:12 - PR by 38 seconds
8 - Aidan Mazur - 17:04 - PR by 22 seconds
9 - John Taylor - 17:08 - PR by about 19 seconds
12 - Brendan Vorphal - 17:21 - PR by 38 seconds
13 - Joseph Pendleton - 17:24 - PR by about 25 seconds
27 - Keith Dodd - 17:48 - PR by about 26 seconds
42 - Sam Dupuis - 18:22

Shorewood Girls Post PRs All Around!
brought to you by Tom B.

The Greyhound girls saved their best for last in the most recent installment of their winning season. Taking 5th overall in conference this year, they did it with the consistency of their top runners; Emily Bachhuber, Jenny Vrobel and Morgan Baker with the surprise surge of Nora Waters coming in a close 4th place. Every single runner, both in JV and Varsity turned in at least course PRs, while all but 3 turned lifetime PRs! Surprising to their coach Sara Kopplin, was the speed that they showed in this race. “They haven’t even started tapering yet and they’re putting in these times”

There were many subplots in each and every PR and each story deserves more than the few lines given in this article. Erin Hagen, battling a condition known as vocal cord dysfunction has been unable to finish most of her races this year. She’s gone through a litany of tests and has been retraining her vocal cords to prevent the shortness of breath hallmark of this condition. She had a course PR of 21.42. The Erickson sisters, Heidi and Emily, ran across the finish line together in a story of sacrifice and family support. Emily has had problems with a viral infection ever since the Griak Invitational. Missing school and practice, her times had suffered dramatically. Recognizing that she wasn’t going to get her own PR, she focused on getting her sister her PR. Heidi, who started out her freshman year posting a course time >30 minutes finished just ahead of her sister with a a PR of 19.40. and over 1:16 sec better than last week’s performance at the Shorewood Invite.

Freshman Ai Csuka, is a foreign exchange student from Japan who is staying with her aunt and uncle in Shorewood is new to running and loves it. In Japan she attends a high school that specializes in art and music and where there is no opportunity to run. Her father was a runner as a high school student and cheers her on from across the Pacific Ocean. Ai, a name which means love in Japanese, became quite emotional at the end of last race she will run for the Greyhounds. She will be returning to Japan in February.

Hannah Fergal had an inspired run for the JV girls, taking over 2:16 sec off last weeks run with a PR of 18:50. Her coach summed it up well when she said that Hannah runs with an “animal determination”. Having watched Hannah play soccer for many years I can agree with the grit and determination and instinct that she brings to both.

Nora Waters was fighting the PR curse. Over her freshman and up until now her sophomore year she had established her PR on the first race of the year and has been unable to break through during the season up until yesterday’s conference meet. Finally, senior Margo Davis who stepped out of the race due to crohn’s disease acts as an example to the other kids to choose their battles and gracefully accept the limitations that life puts in front of you. She is making lemonade with the lemons life has given her and is actively fundraising for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. If you haven’t please visit her link to the crohn’s web site. Oh, did I forget to mention that Margo is training for a half marathon in the near future! Go MARGO!

Girl’s JV/Varsity Times Shorewood Invite times ()

JV Girls
Hannah Fergal 16th place, 18:50 (2106)
Ai Csuka 19th place, 18:55 (19:34)
Rachael Berg 22nd place 19:03 (19:49)
Heidi Erickson 25th place 19:40 (20:56)
Emily Erickson 26th place 19:41
Holly Garrett 33rd place 20:21 (21:12)
Megan Cole 36th place 20:46 (21:43)
Olivia Doucas 20:50 (21:46)
Erin Hagen 21:26
Maddie Reed 21:33 (23:17)

Varsity Girls
Emily Bachhuber 1st place 14:41
Jenny Vrobel 20th place, 16:16 (16:34)
Morgan Baker 21st place 16:16 (16:51)
Nora Waters 22nd place 16:21 (17:37)
Laura Schroeder 28th place 16:46 (17:21)
Chloe Staub 34th place 16:56 (17:27)
Elana Lubka 53rd place 17:58 (18:40)
Jenny Hillard 57th place 18:07 (18:17)

PR The Personal Record.
by Tom Bachhuber

I was first introduced to the PR when my daughter joined CC in 2005 as a 7th grader at Shorewood Middle School. Being brought up in team sports such as basketball, baseball, football and individual sports like wrestling, I understood that there were winners and losers. Winning felt great and losing didn’t feel so great. That all changed as I got into the first season with Emily. I couldn’t help but ask one of the runners “What is this PR that you all are talking about?” It was a new concept to me that someone could be a loser and still be a winner. The cynic part of me felt it was something created for those who couldn’t compete. I guess I’ve had a change of heart.
Life is rife with analogies to sports. The simplicity, clarity, unpretensiveness and honesty of a hard fought competition inspires us to see the same in the more complicated, confusing, grey world in which we live.

The idea that we live in this black and white world of winners and losers is just plain false. Life is many shades of gray without even considering the introduction of color. As adults where would we be if not for our ability to know ourselves, set our own goals and take responsibility for carrying them out?

This is why the PR intrigues me so. What could be better than a measuring stick that you create for yourself? Don’t tell any of the kids that as adults, for the most part, we set our own rules and standards based upon our own experiences of ourselves.

The PR is literally running a race against yourself. The challenge is to beat your time from the previous meet. Some don’t, some do. For those that don’t there are many reasons; maybe you reached your pinnacle, which is a good thing to know. Maybe your PR was at the easiest course with the best conditions. Maybe you gave up because it hurt your lungs too much or because you are afraid to fail. Perhaps you have a nagging injury that won’t heal. Maybe you dog it in practice and despite running your “best” in the meet; it won’t be your PR.

If you strive to do your best in every practice and meet -win lose or draw- you leave a winner. You learn about yourself in every meet you run. There are no excuses when you run against yourself. There are reasons; decisions maybe, but not excuses.

But if you do get your personal best, it’s magic, it’s the top of the world. You’ve won and it’s real. As real as it gets in this world!

Cross Country Banquet November 5th!

2008-10-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

A little note to let you all know when the cross country banquet is. It will be on Wednesday Nov. 5th at 6:00pm in the SIS commons. Mark your calendars!

Shorewood Boys Pound PRs...7 Kids Under 18 Minutes!

2008-10-11T15:39:00.052-05:00

Click on headline for pictures....more to follow.http://picasaweb.google.com/dontyler22/ShorewoodInvite1008#

Click on link below for race results:http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults.php

Placing second behind a very competitive D1 team, Rufus King, Shorewood boys acted like this was the final meet of the season by pounding out one PR after another, after another, after another. Based on their times, one would conclude that coach tapered the boys. Not the case as evidenced by another week of punishing practices. However, the kids did not let that get in the way. Bottomline: these kids have focus, big hearts and are determined to make a statement.

How good is this team at this meet? Better than last year, beating 6 of our 8 times from last year, eight PRs and 7 runners under 18 minutes. Not bad.

2008
1. Ben Tyler - 16:02 - Course & Indi PR by 6 seconds; course record
2. Peter Drews - 16:40 - Course & Indi PR by 3 seconds
10. Aidan Mazur - 17:26 - Course & Indi PR by 8 seconds
11. John Taylor - 17:27 - Course & Indi PR by 24 seconds
16. Sam Dupuis - 17:46 - Course & Indi PR by 14 seconds (from what I recall)
24. Brendan Vorpahl - 17:59 - Course & Indi PR by 5 seconds
25. Joe Pendleton - 17:59 - Course & Indi PR by 3 seconds
33. Keith Dodd - 18:14 - Course & Indi PR by about 15 seconds I believe

2007
2. Kevin McCollow - 16:07
5. Andrew Erickson - 16:30
9. Peter Drews - 17:07
16. Brian Valusek - 17:38
19. Ben Tyler - 18:09
26. Aidan Mazur - 18:27

The point is, we had a really solid team last year; comparing this past meet's performance with last year's, you can see two things: the team is running faster as a whole; and it shows how much improvement has been possible with lots of effort and "can do" attitude. Great approach going into Sectionals in a couple of weeks.

Varsity Recap
The meet began with D1 state contender, David Stilin leading the pack out of the shoot with Ben Tyler riding on his shoulder. The two started relatively fast as they hung together at the mile mark at about 5:05. Peter Drews was part of the pack directly behind Stilin/Tyler at a pace of about 5:10-15. Aidan Mazur, Brendan Vorpahl and John Taylor were together in the middle of the maze as Joe Pendleton, Sam Dupuis and Keith Dodd were testing their legs.

Tyler decided to test Stilin at the base of Big Bertha and found that, for some reason, Stilin didn't have much in his tank. By the two mile mark Tyler held a commanding lead with Stilin a distant second and dying fast. Meanwhile, Drews worked his way up through the crowd and surpassed Stilin at about the 2.25 mile mark while fighting off Rufus King's #2 man. By now Taylor and Mazur broke away from Vorpahl as Dupuis decided to make this his race, surging through the pack to catch up with Vorpahl.

As the race worked it's way into the final mile Tyler continued to stretch his lead out while Drews was battling for second place. Mazur and Taylor continued to work their way to the top while Dupuis, Vorpahl, Joe Pendleton and Keith Dodd continued to make their move. By the time it was all done, Tyler set a new meet record, placing 1st, Drews powered to the finish to place second, Mazur medaled, placing 10th with Taylor right behind him. Dupuis is back in the game with a major PR, Pendleton ran with confidence and Freshman Dodd had a great race and PR.

JV Boys Recap
Wanting to make a point, Gavin Schroeder was the man of the hour breaking out of the crowd early on and keeping pace behind the leader by about 20 yards. He maintained his pace and tried to make a surge to take the leader but could not take him. Schroeder medaled, placing 2nd with a huge PR (he was quite the sportsman at the award ceremony). Speaking of PRs, by my account, virtually every JV boy had an individual PR. This is what I know:

Gavin Schroeder - 18:40 - PR by about 35 seconds
John (aka Ben P.) Johnson - 19:25 - PR by 52 seconds
Nat Froiland - 19:30 - PR?
Oliver Heywood - 19:36 - PR by 12 seconds
David Stern - 20:03 - PR by 1 minute 1 second
Devin Holling - 21:00 - PR by 49 seconds
Ian Phillips - 21:51 - PR by 27 seconds

Not sure about the others, but overall, a very nice job by our JV team!

Girls Rock With a Ton of PRs

Girls JV
Sunny, 60’s and sixteen teams made the invite a memorable one this year. The girl’s JV team was all about closing gaps and pack running. Jenny Hillard broke the top ten with a time of 18:17 and a rank of 7th, the amazing freshman, Racheal Berg, continues to impress with a time of 19:49 and a rank of 29th. Heidi Erickson, Hannah Fergal and Holly Garrett ran as a block finishing 37th, 38th and 39th overall with times of 20.56, 21.06 and 21.12. Megan Cole and Olivia D. rounded out the JV race for Shorewood with times of 21.43 and 21.47

Girls Varsity
For the varsity girls, Emily Bachhuber had to make a tough decision and stayed out of the Invite due to a nagging Achilles tendonitis. Hoping to be at her best for next week’s Conference Meet at Kern she rested her legs. Jenny Vrobel ran with determination and grit and finished 13th overall with a time of 16.34 besting her previous mark set last year at the Shorewood invite by 33 seconds. Her coach, Sarah Kopplin noted,” She ran with the confidence of a winner!” Morgan Baker ran a 16.51 race, only 3 seconds off last years in 18th place overall. Laura Schroeder ran a 17.21 improving from last year’s mark by almost a whole minute (55 seconds). Chloe Staub ran a 17.27 race. Nora Waters, having set a personal goal of 17.30 for the race, came close, finishing in 17.37. She improved by 33 seconds from last years time! Elana Lubka and Ai Chun finished off the varsity girls with times of 18.40 and 19.11. As a team, the varsity girls came in a respectable 3rd place with an average time of 17.10. The second place average time was 16.04 and the first place time was 15.56. Even if Emily Bachhuber had ran, there would have been little chance that they could have taken 2nd place.

Shorewood Parents Excel Too!
On the parent side of the meet, 1st place went to Carolyn Tyler for her incredible organization and hard work putting together the concessions. Thanks to all 20 parent volunteers for your hard work. With the money collected, they were able to break even on the concessions bought. Next weeks conference meet will be 100% profit!

Click on headline for pictures....more to follow.
http://picasaweb.google.com/dontyler22/ShorewoodInvite1008#

Click on link below for race results:
http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults.php

Click on Headline for More Kimberly Photos from Tom B.

2008-10-11T07:20:00.011-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/DemmersDad/PapermakerInvite2#slideshow

Try This Link for More Pictures from Griak

2008-10-05T21:42:00.002-05:00

Click on headline to link to more Griak pictures...mostly of the girls. I believe this is brought to you by Tom Bachhuber but I am not positive.

Boys Cheat Chilton of 3rd Place at Papermaker

2008-10-04T16:27:00.013-05:00

Click on Headline for results or on PT Results link on the right side of the page.

Click on this link for great pictures of the meet brought to us by David Drews:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=benxbof.51ijylrv&Uy=-mc4io1&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=305826848696_269523621211&localeid=en_US

The boys varsity powered past Chilton, beating them by two points, to place 3rd behind Division I teams Brookfield East and Green Bay Preble. This meet confirmed why Shorewood and Chilton have been trading 6th and 7th state rankings from week to week and could be an early indicator of the tough competition if both teams make it to state.

This is the first time the boys and girls have made the journey to the Fox Valley, getting up bright and early for a two hour drive to meet up with some new competitors. The weather was cold but perfect for running...as one can see by David Drews great shots.

While details are unclear, unconfirmed reports suggest that the pace was relatively slow going out. Michael Brice, a Division 1 state contender from Kaukauna and Ben Tyler led the way throughout the 5K, trading places along the way. Tyler hung on to the shoulder of this highly ranked D1 state contender but the 12th grader had a strong kick at the end to take first place.

Peter Drews and Alex Steiner, a state contender and 800 champion from Chilton, had a big shootout as well, with Peter working his way through the pack on his way to battle with Steiner. At the 3 mile mark Steiner had Drews by about 15-20 yards and Drews poured it on with a great kick at the end but Steiner beat him out by a size 10 shoe. Drews had a very competitive meet, posting one of his fastest times of the year. Other varsity runners filled in the gaps with Aidan Mazur finishing 19th at a solid sub-18 minute run, John Taylor and Brendan Vorpahl below 18:15; Joe Pendleton continues to come back, Sam Dupuis and Gavin Schroeder brought up the pack.

Boys JV Place 8th
Keith Dodd led the way for the JV team, taking a 10th place finish for a medal, coming close to breaking 19 minutes (19:05). Dodd was followed by Oliver Heywood, placing 29th with a time of 19:47. It looks like John Johnson continues to be a rising star and is taking a shot at the 7th man position for varsity with a meet time of 20:16.

Emily Dominates Girls Meet
Continuing to strengthen throughout the season, Emily Bacchuber absolutely dominated the girls varsity meet by finishing in first place, more than 19 seconds ahead of second place finisher from Katelyn Stine of Wausau East.

Musekgo JV Results at PT Timing

2008-10-03T11:35:00.002-05:00

Click on the PT Timing link on the right side of this page for results of the Musekgo JV Meet...our JV boys and girls had a great meet.

Link to Muskego times:
http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults/100697-boysjvcomplete.pdf

http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults/100697-girlsjvcomplete.pdf

Boys & Girls Have Strong Performances at Griak Invite

2008-09-28T20:13:00.021-05:00

Link for Griak Pictures....starts with College Meets....
http://picasaweb.google.com/dontyler22/GriakInvitePictures#

The weather was perfect for running....temps in the 60s and overcast skies....and the kids came through quite nicely. I don't know whether it was last week's performance at the Marquette Invite, the determination of these kids, the perfect weather, the coaches getting the message across or a combination of all of the above, but the kids seemed to be in the zone at this meet. The proof was in the number of Course PRs. This is one of the toughest courses they will run and is a great precursor to both the sectionals and state. The competition is unbelievable...with more than 48 top teams and 450 runners from around the midwest competing.

Here is a comparison of the results over the past two years. Note that last year's conditions were brutal but regardless it was clear that the kids came to run at this year's meet.

2008 Results:
22nd Place - 669 points ( 17:34) (1:27:48)
========================================
1 - 15th Place: Ben Tyler 16:25 Course PR by 125 seconds
2 - 63rd Place: Peter Drews 17:07 Course PR by 54 seconds
3 - 189th Place: John Taylor 17:58 Course PR by 135 seconds
4 - 190th Place: Aidan Mazur 17:59 Course PR by 57 seconds
5 - 257th Place: Brendan Vorpahl 18:19 Did Not Qualify to Run Last Year
6 - 323th Place: Sam Dupuis 18:44 Recovering from injury
7 - 341st Place: Gavin Schroeder - 18:53 Course PR by 46 seconds
8 - 367th Place: Joe Pendleton - 19:03 Recovering from injury
9 - 395th Place: Keith Dodd - 19:36 New Course PR
10 - 432th Place: Oliver Heywood - 20:13 New Course PR
========================================

2007 Results:
25th Place - 706 points ( 18:06) (1:30:30)
========================================
1 - 11th Place: Andrew Erickson - 16:48
2 - 122th Place: Peter Drews - 18:01
3 - 195th Place: Ben Tyler - 18:30
4 - 197th Place: Brian Valusek - 18:31
5 - 220th Place: Brian Lee - 18:40
6 - 241st Place: Joe Pendleton - 18:51
7 - 250th Place: Aidan Mazur - 18:56

Fierce Competition, Tough Course, Perfect Running Weather!
As you can see, the competition was fierce and the conditions perfect. The lead pack went out fast, several of them under 5:00 minutes at the one mile mark. The two top guns from Port Washington were part of that pack, with Ben and Peter not far behind. Ben decided to breakout at the 1.5 mile mark again and passed the PW runners and held them at bay with about 600 yards to go. The PW kids took command with a strong kick and finished a strong 8th and 11th with Ben behind them in 15th. Tees up the potential for a very interesting race at state among 6 or seven runners.

Peter improved his time by over 50 seconds and placed a very strong 63rd place with a time of 17:07. Our 3to5 pack ran together and finished together...John Taylor inching out Aidan Mazur by one second, both having huge course PRs. Brendan Vorpahl had a very strong finish as he was determined to take out a PW runner out in the last 200 yards. That attitude will be essential for us at Sectionals.

Bottomline:
We had four runners under 18 minutes on a very tough course. This team is coming together.

Emily Finishes in a Virtual Tie for 4th Place

Emily, along with the rest of the girls had a great meet at Griak this year. Will try to fill in some of the blanks or please someone from the girl's team send me comments I can plug in!

Check Out a Cool Video of the Race:
Interested in seeing the action on video? Go to http://www.flotrack.org/! More to follow, including pictures.

Griak Invite Results:
https://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1589844

Great Shot of Peter in the Sunday Sports Section Today

2008-09-21T17:53:00.002-05:00

Take a look at the great shot of Peter Drews finishing strong at the Marquette Invite. It's in the Sunday Sports Section!

It's also posted online....here is the link:
http://www.jsonline.com/index/index.aspx?id=34

Punishing Practices Causes Marquette Melt Down?

2008-09-20T13:38:00.008-05:00

Click on Headline Above for Link to Pictures

Perhaps Coach Dom decided to look past the Marquette Invitational as expressed by a very tough week of workouts and then the meet results. Only Coach knows for sure, but it seems like our boys, while disappointed, are focused on the road ahead and quickly put this meet behind them. In some respects, this seems to be classic for the team...takes the limelight off and now the team can focus on their long-term goal.

Whatever the cause, the team seemed to be fraught with challenges: Peter testing a pre-meet strategy of up-chucking five times, to Brendan's shin splits, to Ben not bothering to let coach know that he is working through a tough chest cold. Anyway, the boys had a long discussion with Dom after the meet and were upbeat enough to raid Culvers by mid-afternoon...knowing that they have a solid foundation to build off of for the second half of the season.

At least one huge PR I heard about - John Johnson improved his time by seveal minutes. Don't know exactly, but the boys were talking about it. Congrats to John!

Girls Have Tough Meet as Well....

Don't have the details, but believe the Marquette Invite was just about as punishing on the girls. Emily had another solid race placing third, followed by Morgan, Jenny, Chloe and Laura. That's the best I can do; if someone wants to send a summary, am happy to include in the blog.

Marquette Invite Results:
http://wisconsinrunner.com/meetresults.htm

Boys & Girls Hit Bulls Eye at Arrowhead Invite

2008-09-11T22:05:00.019-05:00

Click on Headline Above for Arrowhead Pictures (Not Great!)

PRs were the name of the game at Arrowhead this year! The girls and boys had a ton of PRs on a windy, humid and overcast afternoon. The competition was tough - made up of mostly D1 schools - but the girls and boys delivered.

Boys Varsity Place 5th Out of 13 Teams
Despite a faster aggregate time (1:26:28 vs. 1:27:38 last year) Shorewood placed 5th this year vs 3rd last year - just to give you an idea of the competition. Our top three runners ran faster than our top three runners last year and runners 4 and 5 were a touch slower. In some respects this year's team is shaping up to be at least as strong as last year's team (keep your fingers crossed that Kevin comes off "injured reserve" at some point!). Arrowhead dominated with 73 points, with four of their top runners breaking 17 minutes. Waukesha West was close behind at 87 points with their top three boys placing 4, 5 & 6th respectively.

A pack of five runners led the way with a very fast first mile at about 5:05-08. At the 1.5 mile mark the pack broke out with a Stilin slipping behind and Simons of Arrowhead, Agnew of Ft. Atkinson and Shorewood's Tyler fighting it out. Tyler broke out of the trio by the 2 mile mark and sustained the lead until about the 2.5 mile mark when Simons commanded control of the race. With about 1/4 mile to go, Agnew, a very fast miler, turned up the heat and blew by Tyler and closed in at the very end to finish of Simons.

Our Peter Drews was in the second pack battling it out with about 5-7 boys jockeying for position stride for stride. Peter finished strong with a 13th place finish and a course PR. Brendan Vorpahl made a vow that runners 3-5 would break 18:00 soon and they virtually did. At one point, Mazur, Taylor and Vorpahl were running side by side swallowing the competition as they passed them. All three finished strong with big PRs. Mazur came in 33rd with a time of 17:35. That PR would have placed 18th last year, squarely in the medals. Competition was tough this year. Gavin Schroeder, Keith Dodd and Oliver Heywound rounded out the varisty crew.

Some Course PRs for Boys Varsity:

Oliver Heywood - 20:26 vs 23:44 last year
Keith Dodd - 19:26 first time
Gavin Schroeder - 19:15 vs 20:57 last year
Brendan Vorpahl - 18:05 vs 20:16 last year
John Taylor - 17:52 vs 19:41 last year
Aidan Mazur - 17;35 vs 19:27 last year
Peter Drews - 16:48 vs 17:21 last year
Ben Tyler - 16:08 vs 17:41 last year

Boys JV....Joe's Back in the Saddle
JV boys had some solid runs as well, particularly Joe Pendleton, coming off an injury that he can now put behind him. Joe was in front of the pack the entire time, looking very strong and finished a rock solid second place with a course PR. After Joe, there was a whole pack of boys including Henry Sanders, Nat Froiland and Sam Dupuis (as he is recovering from an injury). Here are some PR stats as I understand them:

Colin Brusnahan - 25:23 vs 26:13 last year
John Johnson - 23:16 - first time on course
Ethan Hollings - 25:04 - first time on course
Devin Hollings - 21:59 vs 24:55 last year
Ian Phillips - 21:51 vs 23:55 last year
Erik Alfvin - 21:06 vs 22:39 last year
Nat Froiland - 20:22 vs 24:35 last year
Henry Sanders - 20:20 - first time on course

Big thought? Both our varsity and JV boys are making great strides over last year and through the course of the season. Things are shaping up nicely for the Greyhounds!

Emily Bacchuber Breaks 15 minutes and Places a Huge 2nd Place!

In her 2nd place finish, Emily bested her course time by over 2 minutes, finishing the race at 14:56 compared to 17:08 last year. Here are some other great stats:

Laura Schroeder - 17:33 vs 18:09 last year
Nora Waters - 17:26 vs 18:01 last year
Chloe Staub - 17:23 vs 17:26 last year
Morgan Baker - 16:44 vs 17:23 last year
Jenny Vrobel - 16:39

Girls JV had 4 PRs!

I was not at the race so can't help much. This is what I know:

Heidi Erickson - 19:44 vs 20:59 last year
Jenny Hillard - 19:10 vs 21:34 last year
Maro Davis - 19:06 vs 19:44 last year
Elana Lubka - 19:20

Here is link for results: http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults.php

Congrats kids....I know your parents and coaches are proud!

More Great Pictures from Rebel Invite Meet...

2008-09-09T21:22:00.002-05:00

Click on the headline or link below to access some great shots brought to you by David Drews. Thanks David. Also, click on the link at the bottom of the Rebel Invite summary for a look at additional pictures.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=benxbof.6fme42oj&Uy=zi46c5&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=536985011709_615303780211&localeid=en_US

Shorewood Boys & Girls Place 6th in Competitive Rebel Invite

2008-09-06T16:43:00.026-05:00

Both the boys and girls team placed 6th overall at this weekends 21st annual Rebel Invite held at UW-Parkside. One of the most competitive venues, the Rebel Invite draws 20 of the top Division 1 and 2 teams from both WI and IL. The course is tough (starting with a long one-mile uphill climb) and the competition deep and broad.

The Boys.....
All things considered the boys fared well. While they have placed higher in recent history (third and second the past two years), given the competition and injuries the team is showing some determination. Comparing times of the top five runners from this year to last year, I believe we can become quite competitive:
Last Year to This Year Times:
16:45 to 16:37
17:26 to 16:53
17:27 to 18:12
18:07 to 18:14
18:28 to 18:25
Last Year to This Year Places:
3 to 2
15 to 5
16 to 44
45 to 45
60 to 49
Three of our top five boys had faster times than our boys posted last year; additionally. four of our top five boys placed better or equal to last year's placing; finally, 139 points got us third last year - our 145 points this year would have done the same. Simply put, the competition was stiff in the middle of the pack this year.
Race Starts Slow....but Finishes Strong for Shorewood Pack
Jockeying for position was a struggle for our top Shorewood runners early on as the traditional finesse to the left of the oak tree was cutoff by enthusiastic fans (rumor has it that our runners counseled the fans with some choice words) .... and their perhaps-misguided-notion that they should take out their first mile at a slow 5:40+ pace. Ben and Peter more than made up the difference in the second mile with a split of at or below 5:00. The two kept their momentum during the last leg but by then the Warren runner (an IL state qualifier in the 800M) cranked it up and there was no catching him. Our "twin towers" came in a very respectable 2nd and 5th overall. Just think what they could have done had they listened to coach on that first mile!
A Commitment to Improve.
Importantly, our boys are committed. As Brendan said, "we will all be under 18 minutes", refering to the 3rd-5th runners - plus Joe, Sam and some of the other boys as they improve. That's the kind of dedication this team has this year. We're going to see some heroic runs by our boys this year, you can count on that.

Speaking of heroic, the boys had a ton of PRs - both course and overall. Here is my best efforts to capture some of them:

Boys Varsity:
Nat Froiland - Course PR at 20:18 compared to 23:35 last year (wow!);
Oliver Heywood - Course PR at 20:17;
Keith Dodd - Overall PR at 19:50;
Brendan Vorphal - Course PR at 18:25 compared to 19:40 last year; believe it is a overall PR;
John Taylor - Course PR at 18:14;
Aidan Mazur - Course PR at 18:12 compared to 19:47 last year;
Peter Drews - Course PR at 16:53 compared to 17:26 last year;
Ben Tyler - Course PR at 16:37 compared to 17:27 last year;
Boys JV:
Colin Brusnahan - Course PR at 24:56 compared to 26:13 last year;
Ian Phillips - Course PR at 22:28 compared to 24:02 last year;
Devin Hollings - Course PR at 22:08 compared to 24:42 last year;
Gavin Schraeder - Course PR at 19:35 compared to 19:38 last year;

The Girls...
The New Team Motto (apparently found on the inside of a dove wrapper) adorning their green warm up t-shirts says “When two hearts race, both win!” Sophomore Emily Bachhuber took 5th place with a time of 15min 30 seconds. “It was the toughest course I’ve ever ran- lots of hills”. Claire Medusa has the course record of 14 min and 21 seconds. Jenny Vrobel ran a great race and had a PR of 16:47 compared to last year's time of 17:55.

On the JV team, Elana Lubka, a junior at SHS who returned to the team after sitting out her sophomore year ran a personal best and was top JV runner for SHS. Rachael Berg, a new freshman runner was the next fastest. The Iron Woman award goes to freshman runner, Maddie Reed, who battled through painful blisters on both her feet. “I’m buying new running shoes this weekend!”
Other Course PRs:

Girls Varsity:
Morgan Baker - Course PR of 16:51 compared to 17:20 last year;
Nora Waters - Course PR of 17:49 compared to 17:51 last year;
Laura Schroeder - Course PR of 18:01 compared to 18:04 last year;
Jenny Hilliard - Course PR of 19:56 compared to 21:39 last year;

We've Got Pictures!
Click on the following link for a quick look at some pictures from the Rebel Invite. More to follow. http://picasaweb.google.com/dontyler22/RebelInvitePictures#
And Results.....
Also, here are the results from meet....
http://wisconsinrunner.com/results/2008rebel_invite/index.htm

Shorewood CC in the News

2008-09-03T07:27:00.008-05:00

Ben Tyler's run last Friday got noticed by a few in the news. Here are a couple of links if your are interested. Shorewood is off to a great start....watch out Port Washington!

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Athlete of the Week (click headline above if link below doesn't work)
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=789647

Wisconsinxc.com - a website that follows high school cross country
http://wisconsinxc.com/PRoftheWEEK.php

http://wisconsinxc.com/D2/D2FrontPageWeek2_files/ShorewoodsBenTylerKeepsPushingthePace.php

Shorewood Invite Pictures

2008-08-30T10:54:00.007-05:00

Click on the headline above to go to the photo album. David Drews took some great shots. The other album is mine....a "work in progress". Note that you can speed up the show by clicking the "-" at the bottom. Enjoy....

Boys Take 2nd; Girls Take 5th at Season's Opener

2008-08-29T20:50:00.012-05:00

The first annual Shorewood Invite was a great way to get the legs warmed up and for coaches to get a good sense of how the teams are going to develop throughout the course of the season. As an "early bird" meet, varsity and junior varisty ran together. Seven teams participated in the boys meet, with Division 1 team Marquette dominating the competition, taking 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7th place. Shorewood boys held their own though, coming in second overall. Conference rival Whitnall placed third.

Several returning Shorewood runners had PRs including John Taylor, Brendan Vorpahl, Peter Drews(at Kern) and Ben Tyler. Peter and Ben paced the field for the first mile when Ben broke away from the pack, finishing with a time of 16:17, 40 seconds ahead of the second place Marquette runner. Peter made it an exciting battle for third place by coming on very strong in the last half mile, nearly holding off highly ranked Will Casey of Marquette. Peter posted a Kern Park PR with a time of 16:58. John Taylor was 19th with a time of 18:12 and Brendan Vorphal was 20th with a time of 18:33. Aiden Mazur rounded out the top 5 Shorewood runners, placing 27th with a time of 19:04.

Several of the freshman and sophmores looked strong given the season just got underway. Eric Alfvin was recorded in the results but is injured so Keith Dodd took the 6th and Oliver Heywood the 7th varsity spots contributing to the effort. Joe Pendleton, a sophmore varsity contributor of last year did not finish due to an injury. There is great potential talent in the Shorewood ranks which will be critical to develop if Shorewood is going to be a contender this year. There is no doubt that the potential is there.

The girls had a great race as well, finishing 5th overall. Divine Savior took it all but four teams were in contention for the trophy. There was a five point spread between first and fourth! Divine Savior squeaked past Muskego by one point, Whitnall third and Wauwatosa West fourth.

Morgan Baker was the first Shorewood runner, placing tenth and medaling, followed closely behind 11th place Jenny Vrobel. I believe Jenny had a significant PR. Nora Waters had a great race, coming in 14th. Chloe Staub came in 30th and Laura Schroeaer rounded out the top 5 Shorewood girls by placing 38th.

I am hoping Paul Erickson can add more color to the girls results since I am not as up-to-speed on the girls so I apologize if I did not get this right.

Click on the headline at the top to get specific results from PT Timing.

Cross Country Meet Schedule

2008-08-27T22:25:00.002-05:00

Here is the schedule for the Boys Cross Country season. I believe it is the same for the girls.

Friday, August 29 Shorewood Invite @ Kern Park. Meet starts at 4:00pm

Saturday, September 6 Rebel Invite @ Parkside. Meet Starts at 9:30am

Thursday, September 11 Arrowhead Invite @ Arrowhead HS. Meet Starts at 4:15pm

Saturday, September 20 Marquette Invite @ Washington Park. Meet Starts at 10:00am

Friday, September 26 Leave for Griak meet in the Morning. Top 10 runners from season average will go or coaches discretion.

Saturday, September 27 Griak Meet @ U Of M Golf Course.

Saturday, September 27 Muskego Invite @ Muskego Middle School. (More info coming)

Saturday, October 4 Kimberly Invite

Saturday, October 11 Shorewood Invite @ Kern

Friday, October 19 Woodlands Conference Meet @ Kern Park

Saturday, October 25 Sectional Meet @ Tendick Park. Only the top 7 runners will get the chance to compete here. Plus one alternate.

Saturday, November 1 STATE MEET

Early Predictions for the Boys Cross Country Team

2008-08-27T20:44:00.002-05:00

Message from Dom last week regarding one's view of the season:

Here is an interesting write up on the Division II teams. Remember that Port Washington and Wisconsin Lutheran will be in our Sectionals. They give us a better rating then what I would give our team. Sorry but that is how I feel. The person who wrote this piece really knows his stuff. It makes me look at things from a different perspective. Remember this is just for fun reading. Do not take to much stalk into it.

http://wisconsinxc.com/D2/D2FrontPage.php

Dominic

The 2008 Shorewood Invite

2008-08-27T16:28:00.003-05:00

The first race of the season will be this Friday at 4:00 at Kern Park.

The coaches are asking the runners to arrive by 2:30 in order to warm up.

Boys 5K will start at 4:00
Girls 4K will start at 4:45
and an unscored open race will start at 5:30

There will be no JV or Varsity distinctions. Everyone will run together for this one.

New season starts on Friday

2008-08-27T16:20:00.003-05:00

The season will officially kick off on Friday August 29th at 4:00 p.m. In the past we have trekked out to west bend for the grade level challenge. The course was basically a cow pasture and the weather tended to be on the beastly side, so it is nice to see it drop off of the schedule. The meet will be on our home course ( Kern Park) instead so at least the commute will be better although the kids may not appreciate getting up close and personal with "Big Bertha" this early in the campaign.

I understand that volunteers are needed and motivated parents should report to the field by 2:30.

Finally, Don Tyler has graciously offered to help out with the writing and updating of this site. Hopefully between the two of us we will be able to keep it more current then I was able to manage last year. We might even attempt twitter or rss feeds or something depending on how motivated we get. Without Andrew this year I will probably focus more on the girl's team and leave the guys to Don but we haven't actually worked out the details yet. It's not too late if anyone else is interested in getting involved there is plenty of work to go around. As always it is nice to have good pictures right after a race to post. Feel free to e-mail us jpeg files of your best shots and we will do our best to get them up. I am thinking that we might just create a group site on Winkflash to make it easy to order prints. We'll see. any other suggestions are also welcome.

See you all on Friday!

Dash

Great Quote

2008-04-04T16:32:00.000-05:00

“There was nothing wrong with the Kenyan tactics in Edinburgh. In cross country running, in the end the strongest will win. There is no hiding from the mud, the wind and the hills.”

State Meet

2007-10-26T15:30:00.000-05:00

State Meet Schedule

Saturday, Oct. 27, Ridges Golf Course, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

Girls Championship - 4,000-meters
11 a.m. - Division 3
11:40 a.m. - Division 2
12:20 a.m. - Division 1

Boys Championship - 5,000-meters
1 p.m. - Division 3
1:40 p.m. - Division 2
2:20 p.m. - Division 1

Parking Info: Important!!!! http://www.wiaawi.org/crosscountry/shuttleparking.pdf

We are in Box 13
Chilton is in Box 12
Port Washingtonis in Box 4
Tomahawk in box 18

If you are planning to drive up:

Mapquest suggests taking I-94 to Madison and then going north on 39 to Wisconsin Rapids. It takes just over 3 hours. As you come into town there are plenty of signs for the meet, and most of the traffic at that time in the morning will be going to the race as well. A lot of the cars and vans are painted and decorated so it’s kind of like joining a parade. There are a number of remote parking lots with free shuttle buses that run all day. The best one in my opinion is at the local high school (Lincoln 1801 16th St S Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494) because that is also where the awards ceremony will be after the races. There is officially no parking next to the course but it sure looked like a lot of people parked on the streets anyway. It does cost to get in; $6 I think. They do sell food at the meet but the lines can be huge later in the day, so you are better off packing sandwiches. It is much more of a party atmosphere than most races. A lot of spectators are in costume and people watching can be entertaining. The awards follow the last race and the ceremony is over at the high school. It takes awhile for everyone to get over there and for the officials to organize everything. It also takes a fair amount of time to go through all of the individual and team awards for all three divisions… so if you plan to hang around for the trophy pictures plan on getting done around 5 or 6.The weather is predicted to be windy and rainy, which is not unusual for this meet. The team will set up the usual tent but that is really the only shelter there so dress for the weather.

Directions to the High School are here.

The official list of parking lots is here: http://www.wiaawi.org/x-countryboys/shuttleparking.pdf

See you there!

State Preview

2007-10-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

On the boy's side things look like this:

Port Washington is favored to win
Shorewood is expected to be second
With the exception of Chilton, no one else should be close.

This is our usual position coming into this race.

At Sectionals Ports top runners looked like this:

Mark 16:51
Jack 16:54
Colin 16:59
Evan 17:05
Ethan 17:29
Jeff 17:48

(last year at State: Jack 16:30;Mark 17:02; Colin 17:00; Evan 17:22; and Ethan 18:00)

Our Guys looked like this at sectionals:

Kevin 16:25
Andrew 16:32
Peter 17:14
Ben 17:53
Brian 17:54
Brian 17:55

There is some talk that Port wasn't racing all out, but I don't buy that. The times look right for what they have done this season. Jack and Mark will certainly run faster, but the other guys are about where we expected them to be. Running easy at sectionals is about as effective as a prevent defense in football. Champions run to win.

As you can see we match up pretty well through the first three. We get trounced in 4 and 5. Most big races come down to the 5th runner because of the number of runners in the race.

We have a chance to win, it's not a great chance but we do have a chance. I see at least three key elements:

1. Kevin and Andrew must have good races and be n the top 5 overall.
2. Ben needs to stay with Peter and they both need to break 17.
3. One of the Brian's needs to get under 17:30.

If those three things happen we should win.

Alternately if two port runners have a poor race because of illness or weather or injury then we could win without Brian moving up, but Ben would still have to be at or under 17.

There really is no margin of error for us in the team race. We need some breaks.

On the individual side: Kevin and Andrew both have a legitimate shot at winning the whole thing. They should at least be in the top 10. Two runners in the top 10 would be huge for us.

The weather is in our favor. For whatever reason we always run better in bad conditions. If it is really windy and sloppy Saturday, that will be one of the breaks that we have been looking for.

Experience is also in our favor. The ridges course is tough if you have never seen it before and past experience is a huge advantage. As four time winners, we know this course.

What to watch for in the race:

The first mile is very flat and runners come in very keyed up and nervous. The result is that many runners go out way to fast. If there is a pack at the mile mark running some insane time ( like 4:50), be sure that most of those in it will not be in the top ten at the end. If Andrew and Kevin are not in the lead at the mile that is also not a big deal. They know their pace and will stick to it. The second mile starts the hills and reality will set in for a lot of runners who felt good in the first mile. This is when we start to move forward as a team. If we start to lose ground here then it is probably not going to be our day. Our guys should be passing other runners the whole third mile. In particular the last 600 meters is where we generally win or lose if it is close. The guys will be going on the last long uphill coming out of the woods before the finish. It will probably come down to our number 5 runner whoever that is. If they can kick and pass 10 or more people in that last stretch then we will be close. If they are blown and dying then we are probably going to be second.

This is all pure speculation, but it is the typical pattern.

If you are counting places the individual runners who are there without teams do not count in the team scores. They will have different colored numbers ( usually yellow). If you are trying to track between Port and us you need to skip those runners.

Most of the D2 coaches seem to be rooting for us to win. They don't like that Port got dropped down when they are so good. The WIAA has discretion about these moves and could have held them in D1 for another year. This means that we will have a lot of crowd support from teams who might otherwise like to see our winning streak come to an end.

It will be a great race!

On the girl's side:

We have a really young but very talented team. Unfortunately lack of experience will work against us this year, but the experience will make us that much better next year.

They will easily be in the top 10 ( if Chloe runs) and could be as high as 5. I looked at a lot of numbers and I just can't see a scenario that puts them any higher, but I have been wrong before.

On the individual side:

Emily B. had a huge break-out race at sectionals. Her time puts her in the mix with the top ten runners overall. She has the potential to win the whole thing, although that is not likely. Her sectional time of 15:13 on a very tough course was a huge step forward for her. It is impossible to tell if it is a one time event or a permanent shift. I am leaning towards the permanent shift. She looked really good. the ridges is a much easier course for the girls than tendik park because the first mile is so flat. Thus if she just runs what she did at sectionals she should be under 15. I believe that Claire ran 14:50 her freshman year and the comparison is fair. If she can step up another notch I think she can run 14:40 or better. In most years that would put her in position to kick for the win. This year Ashley B has a chance to break 14. She won last year and is the current record holder.

It should be fun to watch.

Prediction from Skelldoggler

2007-10-26T13:30:00.000-05:00

Damn straight...takes those boys from Port to the woodshed! Treat'em like you did Monroe last year! I believe Monroe sat in the top spot all season long last year after a strong D1 showing the previous year. They trashed you guys at Griak during the middle part of the season (Just like Port did) and then you guys returned the favor when it mattered...at State! That's what it's about and that's the way it will be in Shorewood!

1 Shorewood 75 (the 3-6 guys take it to the next level when it matters most)
2 Port 79
3 Nekoosa 120
4 Chilton 135
5 Tomahawk 145
6 McFarland 152
7-14 Everybody else

-------------------

It could happen

Conference is tomorrow afternoon ( Friday 12th)

2007-10-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

Sorry for going AWOL, but work has kept me rather busy of late.

Conference is tomorrow and the info looks like this:

PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS ON FRIDAY NOT SATURDAY

Woodland Cross Country Conference Meet

Friday October 12th, 2007 at Whitnall High School

School Dismissal: 12:30

Race Times:
2:45 Coaches Meeting
3:15 Girls JV Race
3:45 Boys JV Race
4:15 Girls Varsity Race
4:45 Boys Varsity Race

Awards: Will be given out @ 5:30 on the football field.

I realize that many of you will have to leave right after your race for Marching Band, please make a wise decision between Cross Country and Band. Your parents may drive you home once your race is over. Have the green slip signed by a parent.

from I-43 (towards Beloit), go South on Hwy. 100/45 to W. Edgerton Avenue. West on Edgerton Avenue (the first right) to 116th St. North on 116th St to the high school on the right.

The meet is at the High School not at a park.
----

we have never run on this course before so I have no idea how it will run. I have been told that it is flat and fast but that it has stretches of asphalt that will be a pain for spikes. It sounds promising and the weather should be good.

The boys are favored to win the race both as a team and individually if everything goes right. Whitnall could upset, but I doubt it.

See you all there!

Next week is sectionals. It is up by Port washington at Tendick Park. It is on Saturday the 20th. Probably in the morning, but I will check and confirm.

The next week is State at the Ridges Golf Course. That's Saturday the 27th.

I don't know why it has been so hard to get accurate info this year. I apologize.

I do have material from the last several meets. I will post pictures etc. this weekend if I can.

Cheers.

Griak Info

2007-09-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

This week's race is in Minnesota, and will feature just the varsity teams.

This is a huge invite that attracts top schools from all over the country. It is also a true invite in that you have to be invited to come.

The morning belongs to the College teams. This is a great chance for runners who are thinking about running in college to see some of the best teams. It's also nice because there are a lot of D2 and D3 college teams here so not everyone is running Olympic caliber times.

The afternoon features the High School teams, and most of the college coaches hang around to watch and make notes.

The high school races are split between the gold and maroon divisions. These are decided by talent and team speed rather than school size.

The guys will be in the Gold race at 1:40. This will be our first chance to run against Port Washington.

The ladies will be in the maroon race at 3:55. This will be a tough race for them because they will run a full 5K instead of the normal 3K. That last mile can be a real shock to the system.

In the past there has been street parking near the course, however this week is parent's week for U of M so things might be more crowded than usual. I also don't know how the missing bridge will affect traffic.

This is a huge event. It is well worth your time to come if you can.

I will post pictures and numbers Saturday night.

Cheers!

Muskego results

2007-09-28T13:09:00.000-05:00

Muskego was a great day all around.

Coming off of a slew of team PR's at marquette, it was easy to think that the guys might take a break this week. They however had other ideas...

Andrew took the lead from the start and battled the whole way. He kicked past a flagging Muskego runner in the last 200 to win by 7 seconds. He was officially clocked at 15:58. That's a new school record and Andrew's first win. Kevin returned with strict instructions from the PT to go easy. He ran 16:36 and looked very comfortable. Welcome back Kevin. Peter stepped up again. He dropped his PR down to 16:44. I have no idea where his limit will be this season but I don't think we are even close yet. Ben had another huge race, running 7:06. It's a safe bet that he will break 17 before the end of the season as well. We are still looking for a fifth runner. Brian V ran 17:51 to finish just ahead of Brian L and Joe. Someone needs to drop under 17:30 and anyone of those three have the talent. The team took first place, which was a nice bonus on top of all of the fast times.

The battle on the girl's side was in the JV race, where several runners battled for a chance to go to Griak. Emily stepped up big and took second on the team, but took a back seat to Ellie because of her season average and Virginia because of seniority. Spence took her anyway.

The girl's have battled injuries and illness all season, but should be good to go at Griak.

Cheers.

Late info on Muskego race

2007-09-21T08:39:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's race is at Muskego. I do not believe that we have ever been here before because this is usually the week of griak.

Muskego Warrior Cross Country Invitational 2007

When: Saturday, September 22nd 2007

Where: Lake Denoon Middle School
Muskego, Wisconsin
From I-43, exit on Racine Ave and go south
At Kelsey Road turn right (this is after the High School)
At Crowbar Road Turn left (stop sign intersection)
Turn left into the school’s parking lot

Distance: Girl’s races will be 4000m, Boy’s races will be 5000m

Schedule: 8:30am Coaches meeting (by the concessions)

9:00am JV Boy’s Race
9:40am JV Girl’s Race
10:20am Varsity Boy’s Race (8 varsity runners)
11:00am Varsity Girl’s Race (8 varsity runners)

Cheers!

Insane workouts part 1

2007-09-14T16:18:00.000-05:00

The Ohio State men show a bit of courage in this video. The workout is a 5.5 miles uphill decrease run. My legs hurt just typing that.

http://www.flocasts.org/flotrack/speakers.php?sid=428&vid=4771

Remember... Hills are your friend, because they make you strong.

Need a reason to watch Flo Track?

2007-09-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned Flo Track before ( there is a link on the right), however now there is a local angle. They are letting volunteers post video series this year and a red shirt freshman at UW Lacrosse is aparently going to put there whole season on line as it happens. The first video so far is of the Paavo Nurmi marathon, which is run as a five man relay. That makes sense because the men's race in college is 5 miles. Anyway the video is awesome... the link is here:

http://www.flocasts.org/flotrack/coverage.php?c=84&id=4763

Enjoy!

2007-09-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

The 16th Annual Marquette Invite will be run on Saturaday, September 15th, 2007, at Washington park. located at HWY 41 and Lloyd.

To get to Washington park take I94 West and exit Hwy 41 North to Lloyd St. Turn right onto Lisbon Ave, then right on 40th St. Use the Parking lot closest to the Park pavilion.

8:15: report to school

8:30: Bus leaves from the SIS parking lot

9:00: arrive a Washinigton park

10:00: Fresman boys race 5K (You may race in this if you wish)

10:30: JV Girls race

11:00: JV Boys

11:30: Varsity Girls

12:00: Varsity Boys

Teams: Catholic Memorial , West Bend West, Madison West, Marquette, Shorewood, Neehah (spit boys team in the varsity race) Kenosha Tremper, Madison La Follette, Riverside and Menomonee Falls.

This very well may be the Second hardest meet all season! The boys will really need to step it up at this meet. The meet will test how strong we are without Kevin. Madison La Follette is the #1 ranked team in the whole state, can we mix it up with them? Catholic Memorial is not happy about the beating you gave them last week. 7 of the top 16 teams in D1 will be at this meet and WCM is ranked for D2.

This is a great spectator course if you are willing to move around. Last year I found that The top of the hill by the band shell allowed you to catch the boys at least three times, four if you are mobile. The weather should be perfect unless Humberto tosses some precip our way.

See you there!

Please note that the time is different from the sheet that was sent home earlier.

Who is our competition ?

2007-09-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

For the boys:
While it is really hard to say this early in the season how things will play out at the ridges there are a few things that we know for sure. Top of the list is that Port washington will be very hard to beat. Port was D1 last year where they finished 7th as a team. Their top runner was Joe Hackett who ran 16:30 and was 17th over-all. They got bumped down from D1 and put in our sectional. They replace CM in the sectional so that's a wash in terms of advancing. Tendick park is Port's home course so that's in their favor, but not a huge deal.

I did some digging for historical times and came up with the following:
Port
Runner.........Time at State last year .....Best time this year

Hackett ...............16:30 ...............................17:06
Zauner.................17:00 .............................. 16:56
Allen.....................17:02...............................16:45
Ross......................17:22 ..............................16:52
Jones....................18:00...............................17:20

As you can see they will be tough to beat, and are ranked first in all of the polls.
However they are not unbeatable.

Catholic memorial, Dodgeville, and Hayward could also push us but aren't looking great in the early races.

For the parents, most of the races we run are against D1 schools because of geography. We generally don't see our real competition until State. This year we will see Port at Griak and sectionals before the final run at the ridges.

As far as the girl's go.... I have no clue. Once again injuries and illness have plagued our varsity to the point that I have no idea what our team really looks like. They could be great, if everyone recovers and is still in shape. I believe that the sectional got a little easier as well, so I expect them to make the trip to State, I just don't know what the raod looks like at this point.

Cheers!

Feeling sleepy ?

2007-09-14T14:24:00.000-05:00

The new York times has a new article that talks about the sleep requirements of distance runners. The link is here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/health/nutrition/13Best.html?ex=1347336000&en=f0d4067b4beec5ba&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

The short version is that the top athletes describe needing 12 hours of sleep a day ( 10 at night and a two hour nap in the afternoon). This is similar to what the top Kenyan runners have been saying for years. The doctor in the article chalks it up to cytokines. The same chemicals that make you sleepy when you have a cold.

Bottom line: if you are trying to be competitive on 6 hours of sleep a night, you won't last the season.

Pictures from Arrowhead

2007-09-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

These pictures are courtesy of Melody Weir.

Enjoy

Arrowhead is not on a week-end

2007-09-05T16:12:00.000-05:00

The next meet is back at Arrowhead. It is tomorrow ( Thursday). The fun starts at 4:00 and ends around 7:00.

This is the big race, as opposed to the little race two weeks ago. The boy's varsity race will feature Andrew Perkins and Joe Stillin among others. These guys run to win and they are a lot of fun to watch. This is a very flat and very fast course with a downhill finish that gives up low times to everyone, except apparently when it is under water like last time.

The boys will go out under 5:00 and will probably be under 10 at the 2 mile mark. The winning time should be in the 15's unless the weather is really bad. The girl's race should go in the 14's.

There is a Freshman race at 4:00 but we don't typically run anyone in the warm-up races.
The girl's JV will start at 4:40 but can go early if the weather is bad so come a few minutes early. The last race is the Boy's varsity at 6:00, because it is the marquis feature and they want the crowds to hang around for the end.

This is a great course for spectators. You can easily see the major mile markers and the finish without moving more than a hundred yards or so. However because of the time of day the sun is an issue if it is out. The mosquito's will also be thick and hungry. If you don't have bug spray you will probably want to watch from the car. It is also supposed to rain. They won't cancel unless there is lightening or a flood.

the directions are here:

http://www.arrowheadschools.org/display/router.asp?docid=431

(basically take 94 to 16 to exit 182 and then ask).

There can be traffic at that time so add an extra 20 minutes to your usual drive time.

See you all there!

Rebel Results

2007-09-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

I know that this is late, but for those of you who weren't there a brief recap follows.

Saturday marked the last time that our seniors will run on the parkside course unless they compete in the NTN festivities this fall or attend a college in the area. For most of them, I think that they are probably happy to relegate the opening hill to the history department where it will grow to epic proportions in the years to come.

The girl's had a very good day with a very young but talented team. The JV women placed 13th and showed good pack running. Bettany and Margo led the charge finishing around 19:40.

The varsity placed 12th overall and had a very tight spread between 1st and 7th. Colleen led the way in 17:03 followed closely by Morgan, Devin, and Chloe. A pair of very talented freshman (Jenny and Nora) followed in 17:55. And Laura finished close behind at 18:04. Good Job Ladies.

The boys have a number of good looking Freshmen as well. Gavin and Aidan ran well together at the front finishing around 19:40 and in the top 25. The JV team was 8th overall.

The varsity boys ran without Kevin again. Kevin is nursing an IT band injury and will most likely be cross training and not racing for at least another week. Without kevin they placed 3rd, with kevin they would easily have been 2nd but would have had no chance at 1st. In the past we have been either 1st or 2nd here so historically this team stacks up to some of the best that we have had at this early point in the season. Andrew took 3rd overall in his first race of the season. He ran 15 seconds faster than his previous best on this course posting in at 16:45. He was followed closely by sophmore sensations Peter and Ben ( Ben has the black spikes). Peter took 50 seconds off of last weeks time finishing at 17:26; and Ben dropped 30 seconds to 17:27. Those are huge times on a very tough course and bode well for the rest of the season. Brian V was next at 18:07. He looks to be getting his wind back. Brian has run in the low 17's and seems to be on track to get there again. Freshman flash Joe P. was next in 18:28. Like Sam D. in past years Joe was running with giants but held his own. Brian L. and John V. rounded out the scoring. If everyone stays healthy and Kevin makes it back this team has way more potential than anyone suspects. This is going to be a fun year.

I borrowed a camera for the event but it didn't handle the shadows very well so I don't have a lot of usable shots. There was a video made by the host school that is available for sale on the net. However I don't reccomend it. I have a very fast connection and it still took 50 minutes to download just one race. The image itself is very jumpy and could make you motion sick if you are prone to that ( ala Blair Witch). Finally it is basically 20 minutes of watching people run past the one mile mark, the two mile mark, and the finish.

Next up is Arrowhead !

Set your alarm

2007-08-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

The bus will leave at 7:30 tomorrow for the race. Apparently they will leave you if you are late. This may sound early, but it gives the first runners a chance to warm up and wake up before the gun. Parents can sleep a bit longer but not a lot longer. The first race is at 9:45 and Parkside is farther south than you might think and it is a good four miles east of the freeway.

For those of you driving it is easiest to get off of I-94 at county E. The course is on the corner of E and 31 ( green bay). To park you want to go past Green bay on E to the next road ( JR) and take a left. You will see all of the buses parked on your right about a 1/4 mile before the course. There is a parking lot directly across from the course but it belongs to the petrified springs and you will get a ticket if you park there. The police usually have it blocked off anyway so there is little chance of making a mistake. This is a course that requires some walking if you want to see more than just the start and the finish. Plan on covering a good mile in long grass by the time everything is over. The weather should be great. Sunglasses and a fold up chair wouldn't be out of line. The link to the UW-P site is here:

http://www.uwp.edu/map/.

If anyone could bring a camera that would be great. Mine didn't survive the whole vacation and I haven't replaced it yet.

The boys' spaghetti dinner is at the Tyler's tonight.

Construction on the new track also starts tonight.

Cheers!

Something to think about

2007-08-31T13:05:00.000-05:00

I am bumping this quote from the bottom of the page because it is so good.

" A lot of people work hard, put in the work, but feel like they are not ready to reach the next level or are not sure they can reach it. Well racing is a hugely mental thing. And if there is any doubt in your mind as to how you're going to do, when it starts to hurt, you'll start questioning yourself and that will be it. ... It's amazing how we all set mental barriers as to what we can do. Once they run a PR, a lot of people start running that time repeatedly."

Ask yourself every day at practice:

How bad do you want it?

How much pain can you handle?

Where you place on saturday is entirely a function of how you answer these two questions M-F.

Summer running

2007-08-31T13:01:00.000-05:00

Do you have a favorite picture of yourself running on the beach, or carrying your grandmother up a sand dune? Send them in and I will post them during the season. You can e-mail me a jpeg file or give Andrew a disc.

Next race

2007-08-29T15:01:00.000-05:00

Date: Saturday, September 1, 2007

Site:
University of Wisconsin Parkside

Format:
JV girls 4000m 9:45. Medals top 10
Feshman Boys 4000m 10:15. Medals top 10
Varsity Girls (8) 4000m 10:45. Medals top 25
Varsity Boys (8) 5000m 11:15. Medals top 25
JV Boys 5000m 11:45. Medals top 10

Open Race 12:15

Shirts will be sold for $9.00

Please park in the Parkside PE parking lot. The POLICE WILL TICKET!!

**The open race is just that, an open race for anyone who wants to run. In the past, several of the coaches, a few parents, and the odd younger siblings have run and placed well. So if you are in shape and would like to run the actual course that the girl's run... throw your gear in the car and plan to join us. It's free as far as I know and you can sign up at the start.

Parent Meeting

2007-08-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

The parent's meeting will be tomorrow night Wednesday, 29Th at 6:00 pm in the SIS commons. If you are a new parent to the sport or if you have questions you will want to be at this meeting.

There will also be a sign-up sheet for the spaghetti dinners. If you would like to host and have a tight schedule you will want to come early so you can get your choice of dates.

See you there !

New season starts early

2007-08-28T16:07:00.000-05:00

The season started last week while I was in North Carolina and Michigan. The opening race at Arrowhead sounds like it was a lot of fun, if you like running in the mud. I have no idea what the course actually looked like but it must have really been interesting for the second fastest course in the state to hold the field to 17:00 flat. If anyone wants to send me pictures in a digital format I will happily post them here. The results are up at PT Timing ( the link is over on the right)

Next up is the rebel invite at Parkside. For those of you who are new, this is the premiere course in the state and a course that we love to run. Because this is a permanent course that stays up year round it is the most consistent venue that we run. The weather is supposed to be perfect so it will be a good test of where everyone really is when they aren't swimming in mud. Last years' times can be found at http://www.wisconsinrunner.com/results/2006_rebel/index.htm. In case anyone wants to know.

Andrew modeled the new uniform last night. I was expecting worse. It will certainly be easy to see our runners in the crowd, and the contrast should make the pictures a bit more in focus.

See you all on Saturday!

Jenny Crain the "jogger"

2007-08-28T16:06:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many of you know who Jenny Crain is or if you saw the news article about her accident last week But I thought I would bring it up for a few reasons.

The first is to reinforce the concept of traffic safety. We have all been told since birth to look both ways before crossing the road and to obey all traffic signals. However we all tend to J-walk when we are in a hurry. In particular, runners hate to stop in the middle of a work-out so we tend to try and keep going whenever possible. We all do. Which brings us to Jenny. Jenny is a world class runner who was a favorite to make the US olympic team for the Beijing olympics. She has been living and running locally for years and can be seen at the front of most of the big road races in the area. Despite what the paper said, she was not "jogging" she was out for a run. She has been running on these streets for 30 years and clearly knows what she is doing. When she got to the corner of Brady and farwell the sign said "don't walk" but like most seasoned runners, she glanced both ways, didn't see anyone and ran right in front of a car. She broke her jaw, her neck, her carotid artery, and any chance at the olympics. She is still in the hospital. That could have been me or any other runner trying to keep moving. It's not worth it. I know you guys are good about stopping for lights but as a parent I can't help but mention it when I see stories like this.

Secondly, she is still in the hospital and things don't look great. I am sure she could use our prayers and support if you are so inclined. Runners are a tight fraternity. We need to look out for each other.

Finally, and I know this sounds petty but it shows just how ignorant the staff writers at the journal are when they write that she was out "jogging". Olympic class runners don't jog. I am sure that the writer has no idea how insulting that is to a runner because they obviously know nothing about running. Just something to keep in mind when the journal finally writes an article about cross country this season and it reads like gibberish. It's not you it's them and they don't care.

Required reading for runners

2007-08-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

Like any sport, runners have their own sub-culture and information portals. You will not see any serious discussion of running on ESPN or any other mainstream media outlet. Non-runners don't care. They can't fathom why runners run and they don't want to. The T-shirts that say " our sport is your sport's punishment" sums it up pretty succinctly. There is also a lack of interest because the sport is dominated at the moment by athletes from east Africa.

However runners do care and the amount of information on current events has never been greater or easier to access. I have tried to help by listing a number of the better running books that are still in print over on the right. If you click on the links it should take you right to the order screen. Also I have posted a number of links to web sites that collect news about running. The two best sites are Flocast and Lets Run.

Flocast posts daily video interviews with current runners and coaches that are incredible, you should book mark them. They also have an archive of famous races that is nothing short of stunning.

"Lets Run" is a pure news aggregator. They collect running news from all over the world and update the links and headlines daily. This is a fantastic resource. For example, they have a series of reports from the world championships being run in Japan this week. In particular there is an article about an Ethiopian girl (21) who won the 10,000m. She stopped half way and got a drink of water because of stomach cramps and then came back to win the race. She ran the last lap in 60 seconds. The link is here http://www.letsrun.com/2007/worlds/dibaba0825.php . You have to be a runner to truly appreciate how impossible that is which is why it's not on ESPN.

Finally, the local and national high school news is collected on Dyestat. There is a message board for Wisconsin runners that used to be pretty good. It has gotten pretty lame recently so I no longer recommend it except for results after major events like State.

Running is a great sport with a rich history... get reading.

Caption contest

2007-08-28T15:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I was told I can't actually do a caption contest for this picture, but I will give a gatorade to anyone who can correctly guess what this is a picture of.

Great season everyone

2006-11-22T17:46:00.000-06:00

Now that cross country is officially over. I will be moving back to the track site.
There probably won't be anything new until January.

I will see if I can recover a version of the slide show that crashed just before the banquet. If I can I will put it on a disc and Andrew will have copies for anyone who is interested.

Cheers.

Claire finishes in top 50

2006-11-22T10:39:00.000-06:00

Claire more than held her own at the national championships in Indiana last week.
----------------------
Only one of Colorado's runners who scored in the women's race is a senior, and she was the fifth runner. Erin Marston finished in 165th and the other four runners were in the top 50. All of those runners have eligibility left.
Barringer is only a sophomore and Pasciuto a junior. Aislinn Ryan and Claire Maduza were highly touted freshmen coming into the program this year and showed they may live up to expectations. Ryan was 46th and Maduza 48th. Ryan was the seventh-best freshman and Maduza was the eighth-best.
The other two runners in Colorado's top seven, Emily Hanenburg and Hilary McClendon, are also freshmen.
--------------------------------

progressive dinner

2006-11-15T16:32:00.000-06:00

The party has moved to the high school. I believe by the "s" room.

Party Time

2006-11-10T14:12:00.000-06:00

Information for the team banquet

Date: Wednesday November 15th.

Time 6:00pm.

Place: SIS Commons.

Cost: $5 includes pizza and drinks,
athletes are free.

Send $ to Dennis at school, if possible
Pay at the door is OK, but
it's better in advance for planning purposes.

Families with last name A-K please bring a salad
L-Z please bring a dessert

Please plan to come if you can.

There will be a slide show at the end for those who can stay. If you have a particular picture that needs to be included please get it to Paul this week end.

A little video

2006-11-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

Preps plus did another 30 second video spot on the boy's cross country team. They show Dennis and Kevin finishing as well as the celebration after the results were posted. However the spot comes at the 19:15 mark in the segment and there isn't a really good way to fast forward. However if you would like to see it the link is here:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=527454
Same link as last time, you want the clip from 11/04.

Enjoy.

pictures

2006-11-03T16:51:00.000-06:00

state cc 2006

state cc 06

Four Time State Champions

2006-10-30T11:00:00.000-06:00

It never gets old.

Wiggy !!!

2006-10-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

The boys pulled off one of the greatest heists in the history of Cross country. It was absolutely unbelievable. The more I dig into the details the wilder it gets. Monroe still has no idea what happened. At the mile mark Dennis and Kevin looked solid but Dennis wasn't where he needed to be if he was going to have a shot to win the whole thing. That spot was already owned by Phil Thomas. Andrew was running with David, they looked relaxed but they were also slow. No big concern because we plan to start slow. Brian however was clearly in trouble and fading fast. I overherd the Monroe coaches say that they could forget about Shorewood and focus on CMH. It ticked me off a little. At the two mile mark we were in fourth and things didn't look good. Dennis was going to have to hustle just to make the podium and Andrew wasn't moving up. Brian was finished. You could tell it was killing him and he was giving everything, but the tank was empty. At the "600 yd to go turn" Dom and I counted and we were still looking like 4th. With all seven CMH runners ahead of Christian the chance to win a fourth straight title seemed to be over. I called my dad and told him the bad news.

I couldn't get to the finish from where I was ( because I am too fat and out of shape) so I missed the whole race which apparently took place in the last hundred yards. Dennis found his kick and moved from 8th to fourth overall, 2nd in the team standings finishing one place behind Monroe's first runner. Kevin held on for 7th overall 3rd in the team scoring. Andrew rallied for 26th /12. Then a miracle happened. David moved up into a five way sprint to the finish. All five runners recieved the same time; places were sorted out by the computer via chip. David beat Monroe's third runner Denure by a literal shoelace. Normally in running places are determined by where your torso is when you cross the line, however with chip timing the winner is determined by whose shoe crosses the line first. David knew that and kicked his foot forward ahead of denure just as they got to the line ( a two point swing ). That's four in for us, three in for Monroe, and 1 in for CMH. Where is Christian? Bill H. starts counting. The next six CMH runners come in, still no Christian. Monroe's 4th, 5th, and 6th runners cross the line and still no Christian. Finally Christian appears, he is dead even with Monroe's 7th and final runner. They both recieve the same time but Christian officially edges him for 99th overall 62nd in the team count. Monroe is openly celebrating. CMH, having put all seven runners ahead of our fifth are pretty confident that they have second. Our boys aren't saying anything but they look "wiggy". Only Mr. Haury is predicting a victory but even he is hedging. The board flashes the scores and the group goes wild.

Shorewood 94
Monroe 96
CMH 99
Dodgeville 103

Monroe is stunned. CMH is gracious. The guys put Dom on their shoulders and threaten to celebrate by tossing him in the pond... Cooler heads prevail. The TV camera moves in for interviews.

The nine point spread between 1st and fourth has got to be a record. Meets are never ever this close. Once again it took every member of the team to contribute an extraordinary performance to pull it off.

They did it, and they did it with style.

Congratulations Guys.State Champions... Four years in a row. Amazing.

The awards ceremony was priceless. Monroe shuffled up for their second place trophy without cracking a single smile.
The SHS guys looked awesome in black this year.

Pictures when I can get to a real computer.

A note from Dom ...

2006-10-26T11:45:00.000-05:00

Parents when you show up to the meet. Do not be surprised if the kids seem a bit distant!! This is normal. I may even seem a bit wigged out myself. I get really into the meet and a bit too anxious. Those who have been around me know this and they do a pretty good job of keeping me calm.

Looking forward to seeing as many of you as we can!!

Dominic

The State Meet

2006-10-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

2006 WIAA State Championship Meet

Saturday, Oct. 28, Ridges Golf Course, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

Boys Championship
- 5,000-meters
11 a.m. - Division 3
11:40 a.m. - Division 2
12:20 a.m. - Division 1

If you are planning to drive up:

Mapquest suggests taking I-94 to Madison and then going north on 39 to Wisconsin Rapids. It takes just over 3 hours. As you come into town there are plenty of signs for the meet, and most of the traffic at that time in the morning will be going to the race as well. A lot of the cars and vans are painted and decorated so it’s kind of like joining a parade. There are a number of remote parking lots with free shuttle buses that run all day. The best one in my opinion is at the local high school (Lincoln 1801 16th St S Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494) because that is also where the awards ceremony will be after the races. There is officially no parking next to the course but it sure looked like a lot of people parked on the streets anyway. It does cost to get in; $6 I think. They do sell food at the meet but the lines can be huge later in the day, so you are better off packing sandwiches.

It is much more of a party atmosphere than most races. A lot of spectators are in costume and people watching can be entertaining.

The awards follow the last race and the ceremony is over at the high school. It takes awhile for everyone to get over there and for the officials to organize everything. It also takes a fair amount of time to go through all of the individual and team awards for all three divisions… so if you plan to hang around for the trophy pictures plan on getting done around 5 or 6.

The weather is predicted to be cold and rainy, which is not unusual for this meet. The team will set up the usual tent but that is really the only shelter there so dress for the weather.

Directions to the High School are here.
The official list of parking lots is here: http://www.wiaawi.org/x-countryboys/shuttleparking.pdf
THe official WIAA preview is here. They have a lot of facts wrong, but that's par for this group.

2006 Sectional Champs

2006-10-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

All of the numbers

2006-10-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

Here is the official link for the sectional results

http://www.wiaawi.org/x-countryboys/2006/tourneyresults.html

Just enough from everybody

2006-10-21T17:21:00.000-05:00

The boys team overcame a pair of unexpected obstacles this morning coming up with the equivalent of a pair of aces on the flop. Ben got an early jolt of adrenalin when Dom called him to suit up this morning in place of an ailing John B. John is apparently in the hospital with a temp of 105. The next bump came a half mile into the race when Brian had to quit because he couldn't breathe. Brian is a tough runner but 17 minutes is a long time to hold your breath. That put Christian in the number five slot and the race literally came down to his place. Dennis (16:15) finished second behind a healthy Phil Thomas(16:09); Kevin (16:25)was 4th, just a hair behind Lepkowski; Andrew(16:53) was 8th; David (17:12) was 11th; And Christian (18:03) was 30th. CMH finished 3,12,13,15,17 and were sure that they had finally beaten us. However if you do the math ... even the "new" math you can see that the boys took first place by 5 points. Just enough from everybody to make it. David in particular passed two CMH runners in the last 10 feet, that's a five point swing and the definition of a veteran move. Thanks David.

The guys will be going to state for the eighth straight year. They have won 4 of the last seven including the last three. We will need either Brian, John, or Christian to run in the mid 17's if we are going to catch Monroe, but after the last two weeks I wouldn't bet against these guys.

The ladies ran a very very tough race. They finished third behind two of the best teams in the state. In fact CMH and WISCO will probably be 1 and 2 at the ridges. In any other sectional the ladies would probably have moved on. However the good thing is that they are a very young team with huge upside potential. If they stick together and run track this spring they will contend at state next year.

Pictures are up now in the slide show. Not a lot of the guys because I was too busy yelling and trying to count places.

Next week is state. The meet is in Wisconsin Rapids, an easy two hour drive from here. It is a great event that you shouldn't miss.

Cheers

Official details for Saturday

2006-10-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

Saturday’s race will be at Tendick Park in Saukville just off of County O and hwy 33.
Bus leaves from school at 11:30
Boys Race: 2pm
Girls Race: 3pm
Parking is limited. Spectators are encouraged to arrive after 1pm to allow the parking areas to clear from the D1 race.
Long sleeved t-shirts will be on sale for $12.

A little advice ...

2006-10-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of great articles on the Lets Run site bookmarked over in the links. The most interesting that I have seen in a while is one by the site administrator in which he looks back at his college career and talks about why he never ran up to his potential. The whole article is worth reading and I put the link at the bottom, however the key paragraph is this one:

--------------

But most importantly, turning back to Gary Stolz and Vin Lananna, you need to believe in yourself that you're going to run fast. The All-Americans, the national champs, they are no different than you or me. They just run faster and there is no doubt in their minds they can do it (sure they are nervous on the line. I always said that if I didn't get nervous before races I would quit running because what would be the point of competing). A lot of people work hard, put in the work, but feel like they are not ready to reach the next level or are not sure they can reach it. Well racing is a hugely mental thing. And if there is any doubt in your mind as to how you're going to do, when it starts to hurt, you'll start questioning yourself and that will be it. Say you're in shape to run 29 minutes for 10k (4:40 pace). 4:50 or even 5 minutes pace is not going to be a walk in the park. So if you are not mentally prepared to race, when you are hanging on for your dear life at 4:45 pace you're going to question yourself and fall off. However, if you know that you can run that fast, you'll accept the discomfort as a natural part of the race and hang on and keep going. It's amazing how we all set mental barriers as to what we can do. Once they run a PR, a lot of people start running that time repeatedly.

----------------

Read the whole thing : http://www.letsrun.com/2006/collegesuck.php

Q: Tendick Park?

2006-10-16T15:46:00.000-05:00

A: It is the site of this year's sectional race hosted by Milwaukee Lutheran.

Tendick Park is located just off of Highway O in Saukville. That's a few miles due west of Port Washington. I believe that the races are in the afternoon around 2:00 but I haven't seen anything official yet. I will post more details when I get them.

The battle to move on may not be as dramatic as advertised for the guys. Wisconsin Lutheran has a pair of decent runners up front in the mid 16 range but then their times fall way off. Wisco was recently beaten by Whitnall, CMH, and King all of whom we beat.

Catholic memorial took third in their conference and posted the following times: 16:14; 17:14; 17:15; 17:19; and 17:50. As you can see our top five times fit in nicely ahead of each of theirs.

If eveyone runs to potential... the guys should win on Saturday.

The real test will be Monroe when we get to state. Hopefully they are peaking early because they are running some crazy times ( 16:01; 16:23; 16:46; 16:55; 17:00).

The ladies could really surprise if everyone can put their best race together, They seem to be peaking just right. They will need to get past Wisco if you are counting jerseys and they are closer than a lot of people think.

New sectional assignments

2006-10-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: This entry was originally posted last spring, I am bringing it forward because I'm not sure any one saw it back then and I think that it is relevant. Make sure you click the read more tab at the end to see the full analysis.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The new sectional assignments are out and they are very interesting. Whitefish bay is still in D1 so we wont get to run against them this year. Our new sectional is a lot closer to home, so we should be able to draw more spectators. The teams involved are also a big step up so we will have to give an honest effort to move on next year. The new race will be at Milwaukee Lutheran and it looks like this :

SECTIONAL #8 - MILWAUKEE LUTHERAN
Brown Deer, Catholic Memorial, Grafton, Greendale, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Martin Luther, Messmer, Milwaukee Lutheran, New Berlin Eisenhower, New Berlin West, Racine St. Catherine’s, Saint Francis, Saint Joan Antida (Girls), Shorewood, Thomas More, Union Grove, Wisconsin Lutheran.

Wisconsin Lutheran was third in the D1 race last year, and Catholic Memorial has been right behind us for two years now. This will be fun!

Update:

I did a little checking ...

Wisconsin Lutheran took third in D1 last year. That included Pede who was first in the team scoring. He was a senior and so wont be back. Their third runner was also a senior. The other five were juniors. Their times range from 16:49 to 18:13. They will have at least three solid seniors next year ( sub 17:40).

Catholic Memorial took second in D2 last year. They only had one senior in their top seven. That was Weissenr, he was their #2 and ran 17:09. Their top three runners next year will be seniors and they should all be under 17:30. After that they have two freshman returning who ran right at 18:00.

We are losing our number two and number six runner from the last race. On paper if we can find a fifth runner under 17:40 we will be more than competitive, but we have no room for injuries this year.

Finally, just for fun I put the five returning runners from each team in a hypothetical race. I gave them their times from the state meet and then scored the imaginary race.

results:

Shorewood 32
Wisco 43
CM 45

As you can see, the three teams are about dead even in terms of returning talent.

And for those of you who really like irrelevant what if scenarios ... If you plug the Wisco times from the D1 race into the D2 results we would have beat them.

Clearly though, our new sectional has arguably the three best D2 teams in the state, so some very good team is going to be left home.

Of course anything can happen between now and then.

Conference Champs

2006-10-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

The weather couldn't stay perfect all season, but yesterday was still a shock. The wind off of the lake probably took ten seconds off of the final times. However the runners didn't seem to mind.

It was close but the Varsity boys managed to pull off first place by four points. They defeated a very motivated Whitnal team that has been talking smack and predicting that they would crush us all year. Which of course just made it all that more satisfying. Dennis led most of the race despite the wind and had the kick he needed at the end to be the overall champion. He ran 16:05 so he is still a few seconds shy of the school record. Kevin ran a gutsy race and finished 6th. Andrew was back in form and ran 10th (17:00). David battled a bad back for 23rd and Brian stepped up and finished 30th. Jon and Christian will round out the State varsity squad with Sam, Ben, and Jason in reserve.

The JV Boys just missed beating Whitnall by two points. But they all ran really well. Sam was second overall and ran most of the course by himself.

The varsity girls continue to get better every week despite injuries and yesterday was no exception. Becca moved back up to the front after struggling most of the year and was our top finisher. She was followed closely by Morgan and sarah. They finished 4th in the standings and took a little unfair ribbing from Pewaukee but they are in a great position to surprise some teams at sectionals next week.

The JV girls also ran very well with a number of notable pr's. There are several girl's towards the back of the pack who have made some huge gains this year. Heidi in particular knocked a minute off of her pr and just missed breaking 20 minutes.

Pictures are up in the slide shows as well as a late set from the Shorewood Invite last week.
All of the images can be downloaded and sent to wallgreens right from your chair so feel free to print anything you want.

Next week is sectionals. The grouping and course are new this year and it will be very tough to move on so please come and cheer. It really makes a difference to the runners.

Great race everyone !

Competition at conference

2006-10-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

First year in the woodland, people are asking who the competition will be.

Individuals ( based on best times this season):

Phil Thomas 15:59
Dennis 16:04
Nick Szczech 16:05
Limoni 16:09
Kevin 16:22
Labbs 16:38
Bigsby 16:40
Andrew 16:44
David 16:54
Bron 16:58

Teams :

Thomas Moore
Shorewood
Greendale
Whitnall
Pewaukee

If Andrew and Brian can recover from their injuries we have a very good chance to win this.

Conference tomorrow !

2006-10-12T15:51:00.000-05:00

Woodland Conference CC Meet

Friday, October 13, 2006 at Sheridan Park in Cudahy
Bus leaves SHS 12:30pm!!!
Time Schedule:

2:30pm Boys’ J.V.
3:05pm Girls’ J.V.
3:40pm Boys’ Varsity
4:15pm Girls’ Varsity
5:00 Awards

ALL ATHLETES WILL DRESS IN TEAM APPAREL…no exceptions.
(warm-up pants & jackets)

Woodland Conference orange, long-sleeve t-shirts $15

Directions
Take Lake Drive/Lincoln Memorial Drive downtown.
Enter I-794 E/Lake Parkway
Exit E. Oklahoma ramp
East on Oklahoma .7 miles
Bear right onto S. Lake Drive
2.5 miles south on S. Lake Drive

We are of course in a brand new conference this year so this will be our first race ever on this course. The scuttlebutt is that this is a very flat and very fast course ala Arrowhead. That should work in our favor. On the downside it could be very cold and very windy tomorrow so having enough time to warm up could be key.

I have no idea why this is scheduled in the middle of the afternoon on a school day, but at least it is close to home and traffic shouldn’t be an issue.

The future

2006-10-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

Despite our small size, the Shorewood CC teams have been very successful over the last decade. This is not an accident but the result of a lot of hard work. I think that it is important to note in particular just how much Mr. Haury has done to recruit and encourage runners in the middle school, who then go on to run at a very high level in high school. Our ability to consistently field some of the fastest freshman in the state year after year is only possible because of the way he nurtures the middle school program.

Thanks Bill !!

With that intro, there are a number of really exciting eighth graders this year who could be a real help next year. On the boys side, Joe and Adan have been running at the front of most races and they have been well under 12 minutes for two miles. That's outstanding.

Even more impressive on the girl's side is Emily who is running almost as fast as Joe. In the last race at Greenfield park she was 30 seconds behind him, giving up 20 seconds in the first mile, and 10 seconds in the second mile finishing around 11:45.

The future looks great.

Eagle Invite results

2006-10-04T08:44:00.000-05:00

eagle invite 06

Sep 4, 2006 - 57 Photos

Last saturday was picture perfect. The weather was cool, the grass was short, and the times were fast. Almost everyone ran a PR and several people PR'd by more than a minute. The full results are up at Wisconsin Runner, the direct link is here:

http://wisconsinrunner.com/results/2006eagle/

I'm sorry I don't have time to put up a real post but I will get to it before the end of the week. In the meantime I am trying out a new way to post pictures. If you click on the picture at the top of this post it should take you to an album of images from the meet. Let me know what you think.

This weekend is the Shorewood Invite. Volunteers are appreciated. The weather is supposed to be sunny and 70's.

Update: I fixed the link so it includes all of the races. Sorry 'bout that.

Where's Jake?

2006-09-28T11:50:00.000-05:00

Jake now has a pair of college races behind him. He appears to be running fourth on his team and has been covering the five mile distance in about 28:00. Nice work Jake.

Strategy ?

2006-09-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

In reading through a recap of the Griak meet on Dyestat I thought the following detail was interesting:
-----------
This race went out a bit quicker than Mead was used to, given the deceptively slow course. “I thought the guys would eventually slow down and that I could make it to the front,” he said.
He did that at the mile, passed in 4:59, with a group of about 10 with him. Then between 1.5 and 1.75 Mead started pulling away. “I didn’t really pick it up,” he said. “I just opened up my stride on the down hills.”

----------------

Learning how to run downhill can help you run faster. Too many people shorten up their stride on the downhills because they are afraid to go too fast. If you are going to surge in a race, why not do it on the downhill ?

Honor roll

2006-09-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

For what it is worth if you check out the state honor roll over in the links ...

Kevin is the fastest freshman in the state by about a minute and
Ben is in ninth place.

Two in the top ten is really impressive considering the size of our team.

Kevin was also the top freshman at Griak by about 60 places.

Congratulations guys!

Back from Griak

2006-09-26T15:42:00.000-05:00

I am having computer problems ( my hard drive is shot) so posting will be light for a while.

The races were a lot of fun. It didn't rain during the day saturday but the course was pretty saturated already, The college races in the morning churned up the mud and several places looked like cattle crossings. Running through six inches of mud will take a bit off of anyone's time and the consensus is that the course ran about 30 seconds slow by the end of the afternoon. The results are up here :

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=45840&SPID=3297&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=612384

I won't go through all of the numbers here, just a few highlights. Dennis and kevin raced each other the last quarter mile w/ Dennis out leaning the frosh at the line. They were both in front of marquette's first runner and a few steps behind Sean Olson. David had another stellar performance as this is turning out to be his best season ever. Andrew and Brian struggled again. If they had run the same times that they did here last year we would have been third instead of 20th. Both should be able to recover by Conference. Sammy D. ran a PR and finally looked like he did last year. Christian gets a mention for throwing up in his sleeping bag.

Distinguished Alumni Alec Maduzza ran for Nebraska and finished five miles in 27:00.

The girls had another inspiring race. They ran very much together and it was fun to see them yelling encouragement to each other and exchanging high fives during the race. Becky suffered from bad shin splints and did well to finish; hopefully she will be back in form soon. Morgan led the team to ninth place; but the real story was Sarah who had a huge race. She looked like her old self for the first time this year. At this rate she could well be our number one runner by Conference. If the girl's times look slow it's because they rana 5K instead of the usual 4K.

There are some pictures up under the slide show link. Somehow the order of the slides got mixed up. I don't have time to sort them so they are in a somewhat random order. It's not a lame attempt at being artistic.

The next race is the Eagle invite at Parkside. This is the only course that we run twice, so this is where we measure how everyone is doing.

Once again the competition will be huge for this meet. I know I sound like a broken record with that line but keep in mind that just about every meet we run is an open or an invite which means that teams can choose whether or not to come right up until about the week before. For some reason this year a group of better teams have been running at the same events that we are at. This is not normal, but it will help us in the long run. Also keep in mind that we have been running against mostly top tier D1 schools. These guys are not in our section at State. The opposite of this will be the field at our own invite in two weeks which attracts mostly smaller programs and basketball teams.

Griak

2006-09-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

This weekend the varsity teams will be at the Roy Griak memorial cross country meet. The meet is hosted by the University of Minnesota and is run on the Les Bolstad golf course.

The morning features the top ranked college teams in the country. This is a chance to see some of the best racing outside of the national meet. It is really amazing to see just how fast these guys are.

The afternoon features the high schoolers. Teams fly in from as far away as California and Florida but the best runners tend to be from the mid west. At the moment the minnesota teams are particularily dominate.

The course itself is very hilly. Times here can be a little slow.

If you are planning to come, come early and pack a lunch. They do sell food on the grounds but the lines can be huge.

Dennis and the boys on TV

2006-09-18T14:28:00.000-05:00

Dennis was featured on preps plus TV yesterday the link is here:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=498805

I'm not sure how long the link will be good for. The useless intro and commercials take up the first minute and a half of the video so you have to be patient, but the footage when it comes is worth it. There are some nice shots of the whole team running together as well as a lot of nice things said about Dennis.

congratulations Dennis!

Marquette results

2006-09-18T14:21:00.000-05:00

As most of you know by now the race on saturday didn't turn out quite as well as we were hoping. The course itself was in great shape and the competition was as advertised. The races however left more than a few runners with a few questions.

On the girl's side the team ran well together and placed 6th over all. They are excited about Griak this week end and seem to be on track for the season.

On the boy's side, Dennis had a great race. He placed just ahead of a number of top runners who had been pre race picks to win the whole thing. Kevin and David also posted solid performances placing 13th and 25th. Brian, back from a recent illness, was still working out some of the cobwebs. Andrew struggled with a sore hip that has been a concern. The result was that we got thrashed in the team scores, which may not be a bad thing if it takes some of the spotlight and stress off of the guys. We are a talented but thin team and we need all seven varsity runners to come through if we are to achieve our goals for the season.

I had a crazy week end so pictures etc. will go up some time if I can get caught up.

In the meantime, Dr Mahn has some pictures up under the slideshow tab "Mahn Files".

Griak is on saturday.

Race time

2006-09-15T09:41:00.000-05:00

4:00 Boys Freshman 4000 M
4:30 Girls JV 4000 M
5:00 Boys JV 5000M
5:30 Girls Varsity 4000M
6:00 Boys Varsity 5000M

Marquette Invite Friday at 4:00

2006-09-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

This week's race is the Marquette Invite. Please note that it is being held on a new course this year. It will be held at Washington Park (40th and Vliet). It is also on a Friday rather than the usual Saturday. The races will start at 4:00.

The course is a new variation of Marquette's alumni route. It has been described as two loops around the north end and then one loop around the south end with the finish at the ball fields. The pictures make it look flat but I am told that there are a number of short but steep uphills.

Based on last year, the top teams there could be: Marquette, Catholic Memorial, Craig, Mad West, Shorewood, Neenah, Tremper, WB West, South Milwaukee, and Madison Lafollette.

According to the latest coach's poll the meet will feature the #1, and #2 D2 teams and the #2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 15 D1 teams in the state. The top individual guys are Werve, Christianson, Lund, Lepkowski, and Walsh. It should be one of the best team invites of the season.

I lifted the folowing directions from Marquette's web site :
-----
The park is bounded by Vliet Street on the south, Lloyd Street on the north, 40th Street on the east and Highway 41on the west. The race starts at the east end of the lagoon. The northern most parking lot off of 40th Street, about a quarter mile south of Lloyd, is the best access. Look for the Training Academy sign.
------

Mark your calanders and plan to be there !

Competition?

2006-09-14T17:41:00.000-05:00

A quick scan of recent results shows that on Friday night there will be at least twenty guys who have already run under 17:00 this year and there will be at least two who have broken 16:00. There should be 11 guys under 16:30 if conditions are right. That is a very good group of runners.

If Brian comes back and runs close to his average, we have a better than average chance to win the whole thing; which would be nice.

Also, this race will determine who goes to Griak next week so there will be a little more incentive for some of the guys.

Friday, 4:00 Washington Park

New uniforms ...

2006-09-14T17:34:00.000-05:00

Ultimate Frisbee ?

2006-09-14T17:28:00.000-05:00

I'm not really sure why I find this amusing; but it seems to tie in with all of the Halo and Frisbee that the guys have been playing lately.

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002723.html

Solid start

2006-09-08T07:58:00.000-05:00

It's hard to overstate just how nice the weather has been so far this year. Hopefully it will stay this way.

Both teams showed huge progress last night with just about everyone posting a meaningful PR. While Arrowhead is an unusually fast course we haven't always run our best there in the past so it was nice to see everyone where they wanted to be.

The boys ran without Brian who is recovering from an injury; that left Jon and Ben to hold down the fifth spot and hold it they did. Ben pr'd by over a minute and Jon held him off for his best ever as well. they were 50 and 51 overall which was just enough for the team to claim second. We were 5 points behind Arrowhead but we beat Whitefish bay and catholic memorial. The later was something of a surprise because they put all 8 of their runners ahead of Jon and Ben. The difference was that we put our top four ahead of their number two.

We had four guys under 17:00 and Dennis and Kevin both look like they could break 16 by the end of the year. If everyone can stay healthy and keep improving this could be a very special season.

The JV boys looked solid but not as solid as they were told. For some reason they were presented the second place trophy and actually took it home despite finishing dead last in the JV section. The irony is that CM is the school that should have won it. I don't think that I have ever seen that before.

The ladies had another stand out performance. I can't stress enough how amazing their pack running is. because of the way meets are scored it is almost as important to minimize the gaps between your own runners as it is to finish at the front. The girl's have been working really well together and they have been getting faster every week. They are certainly on track to surprise a lot of people at the end of the season. Kudos in particular to Morgan who finished second on the team. She is getting over her freshman nerves and running with a lot of courage.

All of the results are up at PT Timing the link is on the right as "PT results" I won't put everyone's time here because PT does it so much better.

Pictures will go up this afternoon.

Great Job everyone!

Arrowhead is this Thursday!

2006-09-06T12:52:00.000-05:00

The Arrowhead invitational attracts some of the best competition every year because it is a very flat, fast course. This year will be no exception, with most of the top D1 runners committed to being there. The leaders in the boy's race will go out sub 5:00 and will probably still be under 10 at the 2 mile mark. The winners will definitely be under 16. The girl's race will go in the mid 14's. Runners circle this date because it is a rare combination of a fast course with a stacked field.

Don't let the fact that it is on a Thursday afternoon keep you from coming, this is a premiere event and we have a chance to place very well. This is also a fan friendly venue in that you can see most of the race without too much effort.

The races start at 4:00 and they are pretty punctual. Directions and details are on the schedule page.
see you there.

Missing your Claire fix?

2006-09-06T12:38:00.000-05:00

Claire, as most of you know is attending the University of Colorado on a full athletic scholarship this year. What you may not know is that she has already been putting up some very respectable numbers. The women's team had their annual pre-season time trial last week. The course is an odd 5.8K or 3.6 miles and Claire finished 3rd in 23.12 which is just under 7 minutes a mile on a very hilly course. She was part of a five person pack that stayed together the whole way. She ran next to another freshman ( alisson). Together they are being touted as the core of what looks like a very dominate team in the next few years. I'll keep you posted on her times as they come up.

Tegenkamp on time ...

2006-09-06T09:27:00.000-05:00

Tegenkamp has been posting some very interesting comments in his on line training journal. In this latest he talks about why he dropped out of a recent race :
CONTINUED

---
Truth about Rieti: So I have a confession to make--the DNF at Rieti was not due to tired legs. I went into Rieti with one thing on my mind: .the 3K American record. When the gun went off until the time I dropped out, I never settled into the race. I was forcing the pace and not letting the race come to me. I got a good start, and was sitting in third until the second alley came in on us, and then I got shuffled back to about tenth. For some reason, I got very flustered by this, and sprinted around the group to get myself back into fifth. I don’t know what I was thinking, because it was so early in the race, and no one was going anywhere. That really hurt me, because it never allowed me to settle into a pace. I was pressing so much in the race that I kept running into the guy in front of me and getting spiked. I still have some huge marks on my shin.
Even before the mile, I was already looking at the lap counter, and I was very tight. My mind was everywhere, trying to figure out if I was on pace for the record, instead of competing and letting the time come to me. It is true that my legs were not feeling good, but it was not because they were tired from training--I went through 2K in 4:59! Once I knew I was not going to be able to hold onto the pace anymore, I lost it mentally and just stepped off the track. I do think I can handle that pace, but I need to let it happen, not force it.
It was smart to put another 3K on the schedule this season, but I got greedy after Monaco. Everything has been going so well this season, and I knew I could run faster after the 7:34. I thought I could just step out onto the track and grab the American record. Moral of the story is that no one should ever chase a time. If you get into the race and compete well, the times always follow!
-------

This is really a key point, especially for young runners. If you spend the whole race thinking about your splits and how you feel you will never improve. Races are for racing; save the analysis for the bus ride home.

Rebel Results

2006-09-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

Both teams put in a solid performance Saturday. The weather was perfect and the competition was very very fast.

The boys took second overall thanks to a pair of well timed finishing kicks, however the results were skewed because catholic memorial pulled a runner in the last hundred meters because he was having an asthma attack. With him in, CM would have smoked us. On the plus side we did beat Tremper again along with a long list of other good D1 schools. Dennis finished first for the squad and 6th overall but just barely. He had to work to catch Kevin. Kevin posted what I think is the fastest time for a freshman in the state so far this year. His 16:49 would have put him 8th on the final list for all freshman last year. The bonus is that he did it on a real course too.
Andrew was third in 17:12, followed by david ( 17:22), Brian (18:07), Jon (18:42), Ben (19:16), and Sam ( 19:31). very solid.

Full results are up at http://www.wisconsinrunner.com/results/2006_rebel/index.htm .

The ladies were paced by Becky (16:27) who is looking very strong this year; Becca (17:20); and then a six deep pack of Erica, Morgan, colleen, Devon, and Devin between 17:26 and 17:29. If they can all stay together and move up that kind of pack running will win a lot of races.

I'm sorry that I didn't get a watch on the open race. Participants included Bill H, Chris S, Coach K, and mad dogg. If you watch the slide show they look like they had a lot of fun.

Speaking of which my pics are up now at Photo show. The Weir pictures will be up later.

Congratulations to everyone!

The Bus

2006-08-31T12:43:00.000-05:00

The bus will leave at 7:30 AM saturday.

They have and will leave people who come late.

The schedule looks like this:

9:45 JV girls
10:15 Freshman Boys 4K
10:45 Varsity Girls
11:15 Varsity Boys
11:45 JV boys
12:45 Open 4K

Anyone can jump in and run in the open race.

Pasta Dinner

2006-08-31T12:40:00.000-05:00

This week's dinner for the boys is at Dennis' house. It's too far to walk, so guys should plan to car pool or bring a bike to practice.

The ladies will be at Erica's house I believe (someone correct me if I am wrong). They are also on the near east side just past reasonable walking range.

Badger Miles

2006-08-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

Tegenkamp explained the concept of "badger miles" in a recent interview :
---CONTINUED ----

Badger Miles Explained
Everyone seems to have a hard time with this issue; why, I don’t know. Everyone has their own way of counting miles, and at Wisconsin, we count everything at 7:00 per mile pace. There is a funny twist to it, in that we round to the nearest 5 minutes (e.g., 8 miles is 56 minutes at 7:00 pace, but gets rounded to 60 minutes, no rounding down). Even though we count everything at 7:00 pace, that does not mean that I go out and run that pace. Very rarely will I run 7:00 pace--I would not get very good doing that. Usually my runs are done somewhere between 5:40 and 6:20 per mile. That includes easy runs, which are more toward 6:20 pace. The only time I might go slower is after a hard race or on my way back after a break. I usually build into runs, starting out slow and ending faster, gives my legs time to warm-up. I almost always run on some sort of trail and make loops, and there is only one place for us to check out splits in the city, so it is easier to just have a fixed system for counting miles. Here is a Badger miles chart. I hope this chart is the answer that everyone as been looking for-- the secret to our training!

Miles Minutes
0-----------below 25
3-----------25
4-----------30
5-----------35
6-----------45
7-----------50
8-----------60
9-----------65
10----------70
11----------80
12----------85
13----------90 (this is our only break--should be 95)
14----------100 (1:40)
15----------105 (1:45)
16----------115 (1:55)
17----------120 (2:00)

A little extra: we figure for about every 60 miles during base training, you can add 10 miles to your total. That changes during the seasons because workouts are a more accurate account of mileage

-------------------

Notice that they don't even start counting miles until after 25 minutes of running and they don't consider anything slower than 7:00/mile. I know that this is a top ranked D1 college program, but it is interesting to see what their definition of "running" is.