I really wanted to say thank you to everyone in person last night, but it just wasn't possible. I had such a wonderful evening at the banquet, all of the gifts were so generous and thoughtful. I love the Red Sox pitcher, the jogging stroller is just fantastic, and all of the congratulations and pats on the back from everyone meant the world to me. Thank you so much, booster club, parents, kids, coaches, it was just great.
I also want to thank all of the athletes who ran for me this season. I know I can be very unreasonable, I know my standards are incredibly high and sometimes unrealistic, but I am so proud of all of you for giving it your all and doing your best every single day. Whether you finish the season with a trip to State, or a PR in your event, or knowing that you really are a runner and you really do deserve to be one of the best; that is awesome. Just awesome.
And finally, the seniors who are leaving to go to college, I will miss you immensely. The team has a huge hole to fill, and we are going to have to work very hard to make up for you guys. And to the three seniors who sacrificed their final year of XC, you will always have a huge place in my heart. Loyalty is a virtue I value very highly, and just to have the honor of working with you means the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Now, it is time to shut it down for a couple of weeks. Check back in a couple of weeks for some news on Red Rocks and summer training, but for now, I suggest to all runners to take 2-3 weeks off from running. Let your bones, tendons, ligaments heal up, let your brain recharge, let your muscles grow back stronger. I am going to hang out with little Chloe for the summer, and I am really excited about that. If you would like to come visit, we would love to see you, but please give a call first. Chloe needs her rest too! :)
I was under the assumption that the rankings would be finalized at 10:00 this morning. It looks like they were still up in the air until 2:00 this afternoon and some scratches were made in certain races.
To cut to the chase, the argyle sweater wearing speed demon Derek Eidt is back in the open 800! What a HUGE break for us, now we really have a chance to score some points and do some damage!
YEAH!!
SEP
P.S. Man I wish I had some High Five video footage to put here. :) :)
Well, the new way to get to State is certainly eye opening. I still think it is the best way to qualify kids for State, but I will be honest, some things fell in our favor, some things did not.
Boys 400 - We did not qualify anyone, but the 18th place this year was 50.10. I think that is something we can get a couple kids under easily next year.
Girls 400 - We did not qualify anyone in this event either, but 18th place was 60.08. That seems right to me, in order to go to State, you gotta go under 60 seconds.
Boys 800 - We only got one guy in, the 18th place was 1:57.92. One of our seniors (who was second in this race at League Championships) was in 19th place in the State, which really sucks, but the times don't lie. He is going to show the State how fast he is in the 4 x 800, I just know it!
Girls 800 - We only got one girl in this race as well, as the 18th place time was 2:21.96. This is a very fast time, but pretty much in line to what kids would have had to run in the past to get to State in this event.
Boys 1600 - The team got two boys in this race, Saturday afternoon! I think this is going to be a great race, our boys are going to be right in the mix of things! 18th place this year was 4:30.56, and sub 4:30 to go to State, things are pretty fast!
Girls 1600 - We have no girls racing in this race, but with 18th place being 5:23.56, it is going to take almost a school record next year to get in. I think we have the girls who can do that!
Boys 3200 - Wow, this was an event I thought would be a lot slower. At the beginning of the year, I though just barely getting under ten minutes would get you in. Actually, you need to run a 9:56.42 to get in, which is very, very fast. Hey, Colorado is known for being a distance State, so you gotta run really fast if you are going to live here!
Girls 3200 - We have one girl in this race, as the 18th place time was 11:43.40. It took a new school record from this girl to get in, so that shows just how fast these times are. I am excited for this race, it should be wide open, as I do not see Ms. McLaughlin qualified for this race.
Boys 4 x 400 - 18th place this year, 3:27.02. We did get our top team in this year, and I am very happy about that! This is a race where really anything can happen, and if we get two strong legs from our first two guys, we have a great shot of getting to finals!
Girls 4 x 400 - We were so close in this race, running a great race in our last meet, but ultimately, we came up a little short. 18th place is 4:10.00, which is appropriate. I think we have a great chance at this next year, but I wish we could have sneaked in this year.
Boys 4 x 800 - Wow, 6 teams within 5 seconds of each other. The 18th place team is 8:14.92. Two teams already under 8:00. Arapahoe having three individuals in the top 15 of the State. Every team has raced against each other at least once in the top seven. Let's just say it is looking like it could be the closest race of the meet. We are going to have to put together the best four 800s we have run all year, and we are going to have to do it Thursday morning. That will require perfect preparation, and the utmost in racing. (But, I'll be honest, I f-in LOVE our chances!)
Girls 4 x 800 - Again another close race with five teams under 9:50. The 18th place team is at 10:04.76, which is pretty fast. Just like the boys, we are going to have to put together 4 perfect 800s to be in the race on this one. Do I think we can win it, F yeah, but we need to be perfect to do it!
Holy cow, we got lots of individuals in, lots of relay teams. That is great. In NCAA basketball parlance, "we made it to the dance", but now we have to focus on what we are going to do once we get there. Like the coaches have been stressing for the past four days, it will take perfect preparation that needs to start now. Being constantly hydrated. Stretching really well at least twice a day. Putting the best foods into your body for fuel. Physically we can't do much more, but mentally, we can improve by leaps and bounds. Start imagining your race in your head, imagine yourself running faster than you have ever run before! You cannot do what you can't imagine, so start believing in yourself!
If I only had one thing to say about this situation it would be to embrace this as a great opportunity. Do not be afraid of this, look at this as a chance to shine and succeed. Let's have a great practice on Monday, and let's start believing we can do great things this weekend!
Below you will find the information for the annual end-of-the-year track banquet. This is a fantastic evening, I know Mrs. Cottingham has been working very hard to get it all together! We will honor all of the athletes who won awards during the year, we will honor all of the departing seniors, we have great food and drink, and the senior gifts are some of the funniest, most creative gags around! Athletes get in free, but anyone the athlete wants to bring with them will cost ten bucks. And, we have Bennett's BBQ catering it, woo-hoo!
With the League Championships being held in the middle of the week, the scrimmage with Littleton has been canceled. Both the LHS coaches and the CHS coaches decided that it would be too much to have a scrimmage so close to a major competition. We will be having practice on Saturday for all of the CHS kids going to State, however. We will be starting at 8:00 at the track on Saturday morning. This is a mandatory practice, it is a crucil practice to prepare for State.
If you still are in possesion of a CHS track uniform, and you are not partcipating at the State Meet, you need to turn them in to Coach Hawk or you will get fined for them. I'm not sure how much the school fines you, but I know it is more than you would think. You are allowed to keep the windsuits, but any uniforms you have must be returned washed and folded.
Please bring them to Coah Hawk in room 504L as soon as you can! Thank you.
But, League Championships was a great success for us. We had two League Champions, multiple second team All-League and scored lots of points for Chaparral.
Here are the results: G 4 x 800 - 9:42.93 - 1st place B 4 x 800 - 8:00 - 2nd place
G 1600 - Bri - 5:45; Janey - 5:53 B 1600 - Alex - 4:38 - 4th place; Derek - 4:39 - 5th place; Taylor 4:56
G 400 - Julia 65.65; Kendall - 66.16 B 400 - Brenden - 55.81; Patrick - 53.59; Tyler - 51.56 - 4th place
G 800 - Kendall - 2:36.50; Kelli - 2:24.39 - 3rd place B 800 - Taylor - 2:06.90; Derek - 1:59.09 - 2nd place
G 3200 - Caroline - 12:00 - 1st place; Bri - 12:54; Chelsea - 14:02 B 3200 - Keagan - 10:07 4th place; Josh - 10:37 - 6th place; Ryan - 11:18
G 4 x 400 - 4:13.97 - 5th place B 4 x 400 - 3:26.94 - 3rd place
Now we will have to wait and see on which of our distance times will get us in for top 18 in the State. There are a couple of leagues who are having their League Championships this Saturday, so we really will not know for sure until Sunday morning. If I had to speculate, however, I would guess that both of our 4 x 800 teams will get in, Derek and Alex will qualify for the 800, Katelyn will qualify for the 800, and Alex and Derek will qualify for the 1600. I think Caroline has a very good chance in the 3200. I think our Sprint Medley team and our girls 4 x 100 team also have very good chances to stay in the top 18. And even though I think both of our 4 x 400 teams ran fantastically last night, I think both are on the bubble as well. I guess we will see on Sunday morning! *Crosses fingers*
As far as the State Meet schedule goes, we are hopefully going to be very busy on Thursday. Sprint Medley Prelims. 3200 m Finals. 4 x 800 Finals. 4 x 400 Prelims.
Friday brings us the Sprint Medley Finals and the 800 m Finals.
Saturday is the 1600 m Finals and the 4 x 400 Finals. Let's hope everything falls our way and we spend three great days at State!
As far as practice goes, if you were named above, or on any of the teams named above, we will be having practice as a team every day except Sunday until the State meet. (Depending on the baby of course.) If you did not qualify for State, then you need to shut your season down to get ready for your summer training and your fall competition. Take two-three weeks off from running. Your body and mind need time to recover from the repetitive motion of left foot-right foot-left foot-right foot. The coaches will be at practice focusing on the kids ready to go to State, so you get some well deserved time away from the track. Enjoy it and take advantage of it.
One last note, if you are still reading. Our team banquet is Saturday night the 16th, at Chaparral, sometime around dinner time. Everyone is invited, everyone who competed varsity or JV is welcome, along with their families. I'm not sure what time it starts, I am not sure how much it is to get in, if it costs anything at all, but I would love to see as many track kids as possible there, as it is really a fun night!
SEP
P.S. Seven days to State Meet!!!!
EDIT: Here are the line-ups and alternates for the relay teams.
4 x 800: Derek, Nate, Taylor, Alex w/Brenden & Tyler as alternates 4 x 800: Kelli, Caroline, Melanie, Katelyn w/Kendall as an alternate
4 x 400: Tyler, Patches, Alex, Derek w/ Brenden & Taylor as alternates 4 x 400: Katelyn, Melanie, Michelle, Karlie w/Kelli & Caroline as alternates
With our meet being postponed this weekend, it gives us an opportunity to rest up, and to really set ourselves up for some great racing on Wednesday. Below are the 18th place times in all of the distance events we are involved in. Even though this is our last chance to qualify, I think we can't just sneak in at 17th or 18th. A lot of other schools have their league championships on Saturday, and they could potentially knock us out. Getting a time that is further up the rankings would make all of us sleep a lot easier over the next few days.
18th Place
Boys 400 - 50.54 Boys 800 - 1:59.33 Boys 1600 - 4:30.77 Boys 3200 - 9:58.97
Boys 4 x 200 - 1:31.50 (Our best is 1:33.23) Boys 4 x 400 - 3:28.77 (Our best is 3:29.15) Boys 4 x 800 - 8:21.39 (Our best is 8:06.84)
Girls 4 x 200 - 1:49.05 (Our best is 1:49.20) Girls 4 x 400 - 4:15.48 (Our best is 4:15.89) Girls 4 x 800 - 10:10.35 (Our best is 9:47.49)
We have a lot of kids in the top 18 in a lot of events, but we have a lot of relays just on the outside of the top 18. Anyway you look at it, we need to have lots of personal bests this Wednesday at Hinkley. The training is there, as we had 5 or 6 personal bests at the JV meet on Friday night. And that meet was in the cold drizzle, this Wednesday is looking like 75 degrees and sunny!
The bottom line essentially is this. All of you have been working towards your goals for a long time. Some of you started in December, some of you in August, some of you in June. And, it all comes down to one meet, one afternoon. Your training has been excellent, your mental preperation is awesome. Now, you just need to ignore all the distractions, block out any disturbances, and make your legs burn like they have never burned before. We all have the potential to lay down some super fast times, so let's go out there and do it. Remember, we just gotta get to State, cause once we're there, we know anything can happen!
The decision was made by the powers-that-be to postpone the League Championship meet to Wednesday afternoon.
Here are the crucial details: Meet will still be at Hinkley HS. The meet will start at 3:00. The bus will leave CHS at 1:30, and the athletes will be dismissed from class at 1:00. All athletes are responsible for getting any work that they will miss.
No wind or rain is forecast, unlike this Saturday where it was thought to be rainy all day, with potential snow in the afternoon. I have to say I am glad with the postponement. In years past, where going to State was determined by place at the championship meet, this year, it is determined by time. We need to have the most ideal conditions possible for athletes to be able to achieve those times. If we need to wait a few days for better conditions, then we should wait a few days.
Instead of the meet tomorrow, the varsity distance kids will have practice. We will meet at Sierra, on the back XC loop at 8:30. I want to practice early to avoid any late day precipitation. We will be doing intervals on the XC trail, bring your training shoes, water, extra clothes, etc. This is a mandatory practice for the distance kids, and it is a crucial practice, as it sets us up very well for the next few weeks.
Even though the final JV meet is today, all JV athletes are encouraged to continue attending practice. We do have a scrimmage with LHS next Saturday, and JV kids are eligible for that along with varsity kids. Running is a year long activity, in order to be really good at it, you need to be dedicated to it year-round. I hope to see lots of JV kids at practice after school next week.
If any more details are forthcoming, they will be posted here as soon as I get them.
