Cross Country

Announcements

Ballots for 2012 Cross Country Captains are now available in your email.
If you did not receive a ballot please email Mr. Babcock for one.

Team Banquet:
Mancini's on West 7th, 6:00 PM Monday, November 28, 2011
Athletes and their parents are invited. It costs $22 per person at the door.
Please RSVP by Friday, November 25 to Mr. Babcock

Congratulations to Kevin Docherty(11) on his All-State, 6th place finish at the Minnesota State Cross Country Meet.
Congratulations to Kevin Docherty(11) on his second Cross Country State Meet Qualification with his fourth place finish
Congratulations to Kevin Docherty(11) on his second Cross Country All-Conference Award

Minnesota State Meet, Saturday, November 5, 2011, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN - Results Girls | Boys - Photos

Comments: During the late morning hours of the day the sky was clear and their was a light breeze blowing over the open areas of the course. The girls and boys from class AA toed the line for their final High School League race. A race for which they qualified a week before. Kevin Docherty (11) joined the rest of the individuals from section 4AA who qualified for the meet in box 9 of 24. At 11:00 AM 157 boys sprung to life upon hearing the crack of the starter's pistol. It is an easy thing to get carried away and let the adrenaline which has been mounting in your blood stream all morning as you sat in the staging area sizing up the competition. The experienced, patient, and focused runner knows to hold back, wait, and position themselves for their moment. That is what Docherty did. Having competed at the State meet last year he had learned these lessons. At the first mile Docherty was back in the pack, but went through the first mile in the low 5 minute range, which is typical for him in a 5K race. In the next mile he found his way through the pack and in site of the lead group. By the second mile he had moved into the top 10 to 15 runners. Still gaining momentum as he moved through the wooded part of the last mile, up the longest hill on the course with about a half mile to go he found himself to be racing within himself. He pushed down the last hill and passed runners who qualified ahead of him a week prior. He looked strong as he crossed the starting flat for the final time and headed for the short but steep hill before the finish line. There were fewer runners in front of him than behind by far, and even less ground to try and catch all of them. But he did try. He looked stronger than he has at the end of any race to date. He was confident as he moved into and held sixth place. A race artfully crafted.

Workout Logs
available at http://www.teamstatsmanager.com/workoutLog/ Email coach Babcock for a user name and password or check your C-DH.org email account.

Historic Database now on-line
Check out teamstatsmanager.com. CDH Cross Country stats going back to 2000 here .

CDH Cross Country

What is Cross Country?

Cross Country is a team running sport in which a team of 5 – 7 runners competes. Runners score points based on their place in the race. The team with the lowest score wins. Every runner on the team is important and must have the drive to pass as many competitors as possible. Runners 1 through 5 directly effect the team score, while runners 6 and 7 directly effect other teams scores by taking places. They also are used to break ties.

What do you need to participate in Cross Country?

A positive attitude: having a positive attitude will help make the workouts seem less like work, keep you on track to achieving your goals, and make even the biggest challenges seem smaller.

A good pair of running shoes: This does not necessarily mean an expensive pair of running shoes. You can buy shoes from Run –N- Fun, Marathon Sports, or any of the other running stores in the area. Most of them will offer a discount for high school runners (Run –N– Fun is located on Randolph Avenue near Victoria, East of CDH).

Athletes may want to buy a pair of spikes for the races. These shoes can be purchased at the same store. Most of the top varsity and junior varsity runners will have them, but it is up to you. They are lighter and offer greater traction.
A watch with a stopwatch: having a watch with a stopwatch is necessary for timing during workouts. Workouts are set up on an individual basis. In order to get the most out of a workout you will need to know your time(s).

Practices

You are expected to attend practice everyday that you are at school and Saturdays. We will have practices every weekday from the beginning of the season in August to the state meet in November. The only exception to that rule is Labor Day, which we will have off. If you have academic conflicts, please inform Coach Babcock, Coach Leyden, or Coach Noel personally before the end of the day. However, you should be able to get most of these things taken care of before school or during homeroom. Use your time wisely.

Weekend runs will be starting at 8:30 AM from the Sibley House in Mendota. You are expected to be at these practices as well. If for some reason you cannot make it to any of these practices let one of the coaches know before hand.

Attendance will be taken at the beginning and the end of practice. Practices will generally end in the fitness center.

The first week of practice will start at 8:00 AM at the Hamline Doors and go until 10:00 AM (roughly). After that practices will be from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM (roughly).

Meets

Our first competition will be the second week of the season. Prior to that we will have a race with the Alumni which will give us the opportunity to challenge ourselves and run hard. Week day meets will be held after school. The majority of them will start at 3:30 PM. All of these meets have opportunities for all the runners on our team. Everyone is encouraged to race and it is a requirement for lettering. Weekend meets will be held in the mid-morning or early afternoon. With the exception of the Roy Griak meet all of our athletes can participate in all of these meets.

Transportation

Transportation via bus will be provided for all the athletes on the team to and from meets. See the schedule for departure times.

Goals

Early in the season will be setting goals for the teams. All individuals on the team will contribute to the achievement of these goals. You will also set individual goals to help you measure your progress throughout the season.

Awards/Lettering

At the end of the season we will have a banquet at Mancinni’s. There we will celebrate our accomplishments as individuals and as a team.

Individual awards include:

MVP, Most Improved, 110% (elected by the team members), Athletic Letter (earned by coming to practices (not missing more than 3) and meets, having a positive attitude, supporting your teammates, and giving your best effort to everything you do, athletes must remain eligible for the team academically and behaviorally as well.)