Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New (almost) Year

Thanks to all of you that visited this site and contributed in any way.  Be safe out there tonight.  Here's to a successful 2011.  

All-Time California XC State Meet Podium Teams '87-'10 (Girls)

You can view the list of all-time list of plaques for the girls at the following link:
http://www.crosscountryexpress.com/2010/12/all-time-california-xc-state-meet_31.html

Please let me know if you spot any errors by emailing me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

All-Time California XC State Meet Podium Teams '87-'10

To find out what teams (boys) have made it to the podium (top 3 finishes) in the history of the California State Cross Country Meet, check out the following link:
http://www.crosscountryexpress.com/2010/12/all-time-california-xc-state-meet.html

If you identify any errors, please email me the corrections at albertjcaruana@gmail.com

Girls will be posted tomorrow.

End of the year highlights...

Top 10 Stories in Empire Sports (check out honorable mentions)
Empire's Top Runner Make All Nor-Cal Team (SR Press Democrat)
The top ten:  Titles, playoffs, state bids for local teams (HMB Review)
Preps plus:  Names and News (Sac Bee)
East Country's Year-End High School Sports Review (Contra Costa Times)
Top 10 of '10 (Los Altos Town Crier)
Say goodbye to 2010, Los Gatos
The Bee's All-District Cross Country Coach of the Year (Modesto Bee)
Serra Hoops, Hillsdale Baseball Among Year's Best (Lauren Croshaw Aragon XC)
Top 10 sports stories of 2010 (Lodi News)
Sequoia and Carlmont Football Dominate 2010 Feats (Carlmont Cross Country)
Petaluma sports Top 10 in 2010

Will post more as I find them.  Feel free to send similar links to albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

2010 Northern California Cross Country Awards

As we get closer to 2011 (Two thousand eleven, TWO THOUSAND ELEVEN...nope, still not sinking in yet), I thought I would list awards for this past cross country season.  If you have any other awards that you would like to add, feel free to add them in the comment section below.  If you disagree with my choices, feel free to identify your choice and include their accolades.  

Most Valuable Runner (boys)-Daniel Milechman Tamalpais HS
Most Valuable Runner (girls)-Carrie Verdon Campolindo HS

Most Impressive Performance (boys)-Kevin Bishop 14:50 at Mt. SAC Invitational
Most Impressive Performance (girls)-Julie Nacouzi 3rd place at Footlocker National Meet

Most Inspirational (boys)-Nolan Petersen/Jesse Chestnut Washington HS
Most Inspirational (girls)-Holland Reynolds University HS

Most Improved Runner (boys)-Jordon Rushing Del Campo HS
Most Improved Runner (girls)-Rachel Meadows Campolindo HS

Lifetime Achievement Award (boys)-Will Geiken Los Gatos HS
Lifetime Achievement Award (girls)-Lucy McCullough Marin Academy HS

Buster Posey (rookie of the year)-Aidan Goltra Las Lomas HS
Buster Posey (rookie of the year)-Clare Carroll Granite Bay HS

Shocker of the Year-San Rafael HS boys winning Division IV state team title

Most dominating team performance-Campolindo girls at CA state meet

Best Robin to Batman (best supporting actor)-Anthony Ortolan College Park HS
Best Robin to Batman (best supporting actress)-Grace Orders Campolindo HS

Coach of the Year (Directing)-Patrick McCrystle Bellarmine HS (boys)
Coach of the Year (Directing)-Chuck Woolridge Campolindo HS (girls)

Best running accessory-Running Arm Sleeves (and here and also here)

Best costume design (coaches)-Tim Hunter San Ramon Valley HS
                                                Andy Chan Sacred Heart Cathedral

Partners in crime-Tyler Troxel/Adler Faulkner Acalanes HS (see comment section below)

Attached at the hip (teams)-Del Oro HS and Woodcreek HS girls (Section and State)

Any other awards?

Monday, December 27, 2010

2010 XC Season Ending Questions...

Feel free to answer any or all of the questions listed below that pertain to this past cross country season.

1) What was your longest single run of the season?
2) What was your toughest workout (pace/rest/length)?
3) Did you do morning runs?
4) What was the best invitational you attended?
5) What was your highest total of mileage for one week during the summer or season?
6) What is the best tradition on your team?
7) How long was a typical practice for your team?
8) What was your favorite xc course this past season?
9) What was the most impressive performance you witnessed this past season?
10)  What athletes and/or coaches would you like to see interviewed on this site?


Sunday, December 26, 2010

Top 5 Bay Area prep sports stories of 2010 courtesy of Mitch Stephens and the SF Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/26/SP4U1GVJA2.DTL (1 cross country and 1 track and field).


Catching up with JSerra coach, Martin Dugard

Today we chat with JSerra HS coach, Martin Dugard.  While he may be more well known for his numerous books including "Chasing Lance:  The 2005 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's Ride of a Lifetime", Mr. Dugard has also made his mark in the CA high school coaching scene.  His girls won the Division IV state championship this past season following a second place finish in '09.  He got his start in running in the Sacramento area during junior high school years.  You can view a more complete bio on his blog at http://www.martindugard.com/.  

1)  What sports did you participate and compete in before and during high school?
I began running back when junior high schools had athletic programs, so I was able to get a great introduction to distance running when I ran 7th and 8th grade track and cross-country for Mitchell Junior H.S. in Rancho Cordova. Our coach's name was Al Withers, and he had a club program called Canadian Bacon that constituted our running between seasons. We did all the major races on the Sacramento road circuit. My family moved a lot in high school due to my dad's career, but everywhere we lived I was able to run track and cross-country. 

2)  Where did you run in high school and what were some of your accomplishments and highlights? 
9th grade: Mitchell Junior H.S. in Rancho Cordova. Finished 3rd or 4th (I can't remember in CIF and won the Cordova Invitational). Jesuit H.S. in Shreveport, Louisiana (self-coached because the school had no team Ran road races). 11th grade: Gwinn H.S. in upstate Michigan. Can't remember specific results, but I made Michigan's all-state team. 12th grade: Notre Dame H.S. in Riverside, California. Can't remember specific results, but I seem to remember a 3rd or 4th at Mt. SAC and an All-CIF ranking. 

3)  Tell us a little about your college running experience at Northern Michigan University. 
Hmmmm. Started off solidly enough, but the program was in transition and a new coach had been hired, replacing the guy who recruited me. I ran well enough, and made it to NCAA Regionals three years in a row, but didn't run up to my ability. I was so burned out after ten straight years of competing that I eventually stopped running altogether for five years. 

4)  You have written several books including "Chasing Lance" and "Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth".  What inspired you to write and your interests in the subjects you have covered in your books?
I got a corporate job right after college, but was miserable. At my wife's urging, I started writing small articles for running and triathlon publications in my spare time. Five years later I was able to quit the corporate world and write full time. "Surviving... " was my first book, and came about because I'd been covering adventure racing for awhile and knew the sport well enough to cobble together a book of my experiences. That led to my other books, all of which have the common theme of individuals striving to fulfill their potential and step beyond the mediocrity that so often envelops our lives. "Chasing Lance" was the culmination of that arc. I'd been covering the Tour de France since 1999 and wanted to tell the story of life at the Tour during Lance's last bike race -- or what was supposed to be his last bike race. Both those books are personal favorites. Coincidentally, "Surviving... " will be expanded and re-released on May 15. 

5)  You have competed in the Raid Gauloises.  For those not familiar with this race, can you please describe it. 
The Raid has changed over the years, but back when I raced it was a team adventure competition. Five-person teams, each having at least one woman, raced nonstop across some of the most grueling terrain on earth, using only non-motorized locomotion. I raced in Patagonia, Lesotho, and Ecuador. Some of the disciplines (they changed every year) were whitewater rafting, trail running, ocean kayaking, horseback riding, climbing and rappeling, and mountain biking. 

6)  Besides the Raid, what have been some of your athletic achievements as an adult? 
A bunch of marathons, triathlons, mud runs, mountain bike races, trail runs, and XTerra's. My favorite was Britain's Tough Guy race. Google it. It's insane.

7)  You have coached at JSerra HS for 6 years.  What led you to coaching at JS and what was the state of the cross country program when you took over? 
I'd always wanted to coach, and though I offered to work for free at my oldest son's high school, they weren't all that interested. I made the same offer to the A.D. at JSerra when my son transferred there after his freshman year. All I wanted to do was help, but it turned out they needed a head coach. I got the job. There wasn't a program at the time. The school was only in its second year. So everything we've done has been through trial and error, slowly building a program and becoming more competitive over the years. It really helps that we have an incredible trail network and an amazing numbers of great hills within a quarter-mile of the track. We almost never have to run on pavement. 

8)  What do you think have been the most important changes that you have made to the training plan that led the girls to their high state meet finishes the past two seasons? 
Without giving away too much, I've put more focus on mileage and rest. I spend a lot of time experimenting. Those free LA84 clinics are a treasure trove of coaching knowledge, and I go as often as I can. They're free, and invariably some of California's best coaches actually hand out their workout schedules. I have a binder full of workouts from all sorts of State Championship programs. 

Also, we have a very small program, with just 16 boys and girls. I can't afford for anyone to get injured. So we really stress ice baths, stretching and being proactive about injury. 

9)  What does a typical week look like for your team?  What are your team's key workouts? 
A long run, a hill session, some sort of fartlek workout, and a focus on making sure that even recovery days are run at a brisk pace. My favorite workout is from Joe Vigil, a 6 x 1-mile w/3' rest. The recovery stays the same throughout the season, but the pace gets faster as we move from base training into the championship phase. My boys and girls do almost identical workouts, although the boys run about 15 more miles per week. 

10)  Your girls won the Division IV state title going into the meet as the favorites.  What did you do as a coach to ease some of the pressure? What was the reaction of the team when it was confirmed that they had won?  
My girls are nails. If anything, they found ways to make me less nervous during the week. I gave everyone a job to do, and reminded them that we would win if they all did their jobs. For instance, my #6 girl had the tough job of trying to beat as many of the other teams' #4 girls as she possibly could. 

As for the reaction, during the race I was standing at the final turn, where there's just a half-mile left. I got so caught up yelling for my girls that I didn't see how the other teams were doing. Then, as I was jogging back to the finish area, I saw the La Reina coach being congratulated and overheard someone say that Flintridge Sacred Heart had won. I was devastated. Then, of course, came that awful fifteen minutes of waiting as they tabulate results. I was standing with the girls as we finally got the results sheet... man, what an amazing sensation. Someone took pictures of that moment, and I'm telling you that the looks of euphoria on my face and the team's is so genuine and so amazing. We'd been pointing toward state since practice started in July. To finally win, and then to step up onto that podium was such a sublime feeling.

11)  You have a book coming out in 2011 titled "To Be a Runner".  Brief description? 
It's a collection of running-related essays, written to inspire and also offer a few pointers. I don't write it from the point of view of a coach, but from that of someone who's been a runner for more than forty years. It's written for runners of all abilities, from beginner to competitive, and details everything from running with the bulls in Pamplona to buying a new pair of running shoes. Rodale is the publisher. They also publish Runner's World, so there will be a nice tie-in between my book and the magazine.

12)  Anything else you would like to add. 
Just that I need more runners! 

Thank you very much for your time Marty!  AJC

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Sponsored by RADAR TS 2010 All NorCal High School XC Teams - Boys & Girls

As posted at www.lynbrooksports.com (history of NorCal team and pictures of athletes included):
http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2010/allnorca.htm (click also for contact information to receive your certificate if you are named below)

BOYS


1, %,+,SB            D4   Daniel       Milechman      Tamalpais              12    NCS
1, SB                D3   Domenic      D'Acquisto     Enterprise             12    NS
1, SB                D2   Chris        Kigar          El Camino HS           12    SJS
1, SB                D2   Parker       Schuh          Mountain View          12    CCS
1                    D1   Jeff         Bickert        College Park           12    NCS
1                    D2   Will         Geiken         Los Gatos              12    CCS
1                    D1   Trevor       Halsted        Davis HS               12    SJS

2,++                 D3   Luis         Luna           Piner                  11    NCS
2                    D1   Kevin        Bishop         Monta Vista            11    CCS
2                    D3   Thomas       Joyce          Campolindo             11    NCS
2                    D1   Anthony      Ortolan        College Park           12    NCS
2                    D2   Robert       Pflasterer     Del Campo HS           12    SJS
2                    D2   Riley        Ruppenthal     Ponderosa HS           11    SJS
2                    D2   Jordan       Rushing        Del Campo HS           11    SJS
2                    D3   Forrest      Shaffer        Petaluma               12    NCS

3, +++               D1   Johannas     Estifanos      Milpitas               10    CCS
3                    D2   Kyle         Feuerhelm      Woodside               12    CCS
3                    D2   Grant        Foster         Los Gatos              11    CCS
3                    D1   Adrian       Hinojosa       Bellarmine             11    CCS
3                    D2   Jack         Nevins         Del Campo HS           12    SJS
3                    D1   Kyle         Rae            Bellarmine             12    CCS
3                    D5   Cole         Williams       Urban School of SF     12    NCS

hm                   D2   Peter        Anthony        Cupertino              11    CCS
hm                   D1   Jack         Bordoni        Bellarmine             11    CCS
hm                   D1   Trent        Brendel        Granite Bay HS         10    SJS
hm                   D3   Dylan        Chamberlen     Paradise               11    NS
hm                   D1   Brian        De La Mora     Davis HS               12    SJS
hm                   D2   Parker       Deuel          San Ramon Valley       11    NCS
hm                   D3   Ryan         Douglas        Petaluma               10    NCS
hm                   D4   Trevor       Ehlenbach      San Rafael             12    NCS
hm                   D2   Richard      Ho             Leland                 10    CCS
hm                   D4   John         Lawson         Sir Francis Drake      10    NCS
hm                   D1   Cormac       McCullough     Jesuit HS              12    SJS
hm                   D3   Donald       Plazola        Willow Glen            12    CCS
hm                   D3   Kevin        Poteracke      Petaluma               10    NCS
hm                   D2   Ben          Schneider      Los Altos              12    CCS
hm                   D4   Ned          Tannenbaum     SF University (HS)     12    NCS
hm                   D1   Estaban      Valencia       Bellarmine             11    CCS
hm                   D1   Miguel       Vasquez        Andrew Hill            10    CCS
hm                   D1   Kyle         Williams       DeLaSalle              12    NCS
hm                   D1   Benji        Xie            Oakridge HS            12    SJS

SB                   D3   Cameron      Trinh          Skyline                12    OS
SB                   D1   Patrick      Gray           Lincoln                12    SF

all-frosh, ++++      D3   Aidan        Goltra         Las Lomas              9     NCS
all-frosh            D5   Gabe         Arias-Sheridan St. Joseph Notre Dame  9     NCS
all-frosh            D1   Ben          Garcia         Pleasant Grove         9     SJS
all-frosh            D2   Taylor       Guinnip        Woodcreek HS           9     SJS
all-frosh            D3   Dante        Hay            Maria Carillo          9     NCS
all-frosh            D2   Blair        Hurlock        Ponderosa HS           9     SJS
all-frosh            D1   Austin       Lloyd          Berkeley               9     NCS
all-frosh            D4   Logan        Marshall       Half Moon Bay          9     CCS
all-frosh            D1   Parker       Marson         College Park           9     NCS
all-frosh            D1   Trystin      Martin         Jesuit HS              9     SJS
all-frosh            D3   Andrew       Melendez       Bishop O'Dowd          9     NCS
all-frosh            D3   Zach         Stelzer        Placer HS              9     SJS

GIRLS

1,SB,%,++ D3 Carrie Verdon Campolindo 11 NCS 1,+ D1 Kelsey Santisteban Castro Valley 12 NCS 1,SB,++++, all-Frosh D1 Clare Carroll Granite Bay HS 9 SJS 1, SB D1 Jessie Petersen Carlmont 12 CCS 1, all-Frosh D4 Anna Maxwell San Lorenzo Valley 9 CCS 1 D1 Brooke Holt Granite Bay HS 12 SJS 1 D3 Grace Orders Campolindo 12 NCS 2,+++ D4 Vanessa Fraser Scotts Valley 10 CCS 2, all-Frosh D1 Sophie Hartley Granada 9 NCS 2, all-Frosh D4 Spencer Moore St. Mary's College (HS)9 NCS 2 D3 Madeline Ankhelyi Vista Del Lago HS 10 SJS 2 D5 Lucy McCullough Marin Academy 12 NCS 2 D1 Carina Novell Granada 11 NCS 2 D1 Samantha Ralstin Oakridge HS 12 SJS 3 D5 Bridget Blum San Francisco Univ (HS)11 NCS 3 D1 Maryann Gong Granada 10 NCS 3 D3 Nikki Hiltz Aptos 10 CCS 3 D3 Rachel Hinds St. Ignatius 12 CCS 3 D3 Lauren Kraus Maria Carillo 10 NCS 3 D3 Annie Marggraff Acalanes 10 NCS 3 D1 Elaine McVay California 12 NCS hm D1 Cassidy Daley Lodi HS 10 SJS hm D2 Caitlin Devitt-Payne Del Oro HS 12 SJS hm D1 Jessica Diaz St. Francis HS 11 SJS hm, all-Frosh D1 Reaghan Emrick Oakridge HS 9 SJS hm D2 Emma Freeman Del Oro HS 12 SJS hm D2 Jessica Gerards Washington 12 NCS hm, all-Frosh D3 Kendal Hacker St. Ignatius 9 CCS hm D4 Becky Hobby Hughson 11 SJS hm D3 Amy Hollshwander Acalanes 10 NCS hm D2 Kayla Knapp Los Gatos 11 CCS hm, all-Frosh D1 Lauren Larocco St. Francis HS 9 SJS hm D1 Erin Matranga St. Francis HS 12 SJS hm, all-Frosh D5 Julia Maxwell Branson 9 NCS hm D3 Rachel Meadows Campolindo 11 NCS hm D2 Ashley Moffet Casa Grande 10 NCS hm D2 Julie Nacouzi Montgomery 12 NCS hm D2 Karina Nunes Woodcreek HS 10 SJS hm D5 Holland Reynolds San Francisco Univ (HS)11 NCS hm D1 Erin Robinson Gunn 12 CCS hm D2 Brooke Ruppenthal Ponderosa HS 10 SJS hm D2 Allison Sturges Mountain View 11 CCS hm D2 Alexandra Tate Clayton Valley 11 NCS hm D1 Christine Zavesky Granite Bay HS 12 SJS all-Frosh D2 Elizabeth Hutchison Rio Americano HS 9 SJS all-Frosh D1 Sophie Meads Davis HS 9 SJS all-Frosh D1 Sarah Robinson Gunn 9 CCS SB D2 Kody Atkins Chico 11 NS SB D2 Isabella Bowden Balboa 10 SF SB D3 Jessica Kong Oakland 12 OS SB = Section Best % = Runner of the Year + = Senior of the Year ++ = Junior of the Year +++ Soph of the Year ++++ = Frosh of the Year hm = Honorable Mention

Sports Illustrated: Faces in the Crowd (UHS coach, Jim Tracy)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/scorecard/faces/2010/12/27/


Top 10 NorCal performances by coach Jason Oswalt of Amador Valley HS

As posted below by Jason in the previous article's comment section:

1) Ashton Purvis dominates 11.17 100 and 22.90 in 200 at state to win both.
2) Jesuit Team state champs in track.
3) Campo girls state champs in cross country.
4) RJ Frazier of Jesuit runs 36.90 to win 300h and and 10.52w for 5th in 100 at state meet.
5) Julie Nacouzi from the North Bay takes 3rd at Footlocker Nationals.
6) Trinity Wilson runs 13.35 in the 100 hurdles for 2nd at state finals.
7) Ciarra Brewer triple jumped 41'4.5" into a -1.4 wind to win NCS MOC's.
8) Erik Olson runs 4:12 to win MOC finals, running the last 1200 in like 3:02 or something like that.
9) Chris Mamon from Benicia runs13.86w in the 110 hurdles for 2nd at state finals.
10) Chioma Amaechi of Lincoln (SF) takes 2nd at state in women's shot


Pretty good list to get things started.  Any other additions?

Bay Area Track Club -- Announcing BAXC

From David Torrence:
The BATC is building a cross country race called the Bay Area Cross Challenge (BAXC), which will take place on Sunday, January 16. 


--
David Torrence
Nike - Track & Field
Bay Area Track Club
UC Berkeley '08
(510)-326-1536

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

University High coach Jim Tracy update...

You can find lots of newspaper, web and video links covering Jim's battle with ALS as well as Holland Reynolds' crawl to the finish at the state meet here:


Here is one of the links to Greg Papa's interview with Jim and Holland on Chronicle Live on December 17th:

To make a donation to the special needs trust that have been established for Jim Tracy, please send your check as follows:
Payable to: Jim Tracy Special Needs Trust
Mail to:
University High School
Attn: Sue Davenport
3065 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA
94115

Monday, December 20, 2010

Lowell HS in search of an opponent for March 9th at Kezar...

Westmoor is unable to meet us this track season for a pre season meet.  Need a school that can meet the following criteria:

1) Be able to meet to us on March 9 at Kezar, start time 3:00 PM 

2) A well rounded track team similar to Westmoor of at least 70 people and be able to have athletes in most events.

3) Be able to setup and run two to three field event areas.

Let me know if you are interested and if you are not give me some suggestions on who else I can contact. WCAL  & BCL schools start league that week and PAL schools have a relay meet.

Thanks

Andy Leong (coachaleong@hotmail.com)
Lowell HS 

All NorCal Cross Country selections

LAST CALL FOR NOMINATIONS!
=====================
We are in the process of selecting the All NorCal Cross Country team (Sections include NS, SJS, NCS, CCS, OAK and SF).  I would love to hear your input on who belongs on this team.  What we need is the following:

Boys and Girls
1st Team-7 runners
2nd Team-7 runners
3rd Team-7 runners
Honorable Mention-20 runners

Boys Runner of the Year
Girls Runner of the Year

Senior of the Year, Junior of the Year, Sophomore of the Year, Freshman of the Year.

Top 10 Freshmen Boys
Top 10 Freshmen Girls

Let's hear from everybody out there on what runners belong on the above lists.  I just want to make sure we (the committee) are as accurate as possible in selecting all the runners that deserve to be at the very least nominated.  

Speak now or don't complain later when the lists come out.  

2010 Saucony/Heart and Sole Redwood Empire Runners of the Year

http://heartnsolesantarosa.com/aotw.html

Top 10 NorCal performances in 2010 (Track and Field and Cross Country)

I always enjoy end of the year top 10 lists (actually any number will do) so I will post the top 10 NorCal performances in 2010.  To get this rolling, I would like to take nominations from you.  


Who had the best performances during this past cross country and/or track and field seasons?  It could be individual or team.  


Here is Runner's World take on 2010:
http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/2010/12/2010-the-running-year-in-review.html

Does Goal Setting Work?

One of the most studied aspects of sports psychology is that of goal setting. The research on its impact has been consistent. More than three-quarters of the published studies on goal setting in sport and physical activity found that it yields positive results. In fact, the evidence is so overwhelming that many sports psychologists feel that goal setting may be the most effective performance enhancement strategy in sport. Take a look at this chapter on goal setting – it’s a great how-to guide for doing it right. It’s taken from “Sports Psychology for Coaches”, a book written by two sports psychology professors.

At XCStats, we did a study of our own to evaluate the impact of goal setting. The results agree with the other research. Based on about 3,000 races in which goals were set and 10,000 that weren’t, runners who set goals improved 76% of the time versus 57% of those who didn’t.

Mike Sherwood
www.xcstats.com


Friday, December 17, 2010

The 3rd Annual NorCal Distance Coaches’ Collaborative Round Table

CrossCountryExpress.Com and XCSTATS.COM Present
The 3rd Annual NorCal Distance Coaches’ Collaborative Round Table

Coaches that have signed up to date:

1. Chris Puppione St. Ignatius
2. Albert Caruana Crystal Springs Uplands
3. Jason Oswalt Amador Valley
4. Al Berrin St. Ignatius
5. Chuck Woolridge Campolindo
6. Craig Stern Albany
7. Enrique Henriquez Moreau Catholic
8. Andrew Schreiber Las Lomas
9. Josh Small Valley Christian
10. Steve Brown Bishop O’Dowd
11. Walt Lange Jesuit
12. Koffi Kpachavi Woodside Priory
13. Marin Rodriguez St. Theresa
14. Gus Ibarra North Monterey County
15. Charlie Pierce North Monterey County
16. Peter Brewer Northgate
17. Aron Lyons Xavier College Prep
18. Chris Williams Dublin
19. Vince Sturgis Evergreen Valley
20. Tim Hunter San Ramon Valley
21. Tony Fong St. Joseph
22. Kenneth Wilner Sacred Heart Prep
23. Nick Alvarado St. Ignatius
24. Nino Hernandez Alameda
25. Ernie Lee Gunn
26. John McMullin Terra Nova
27. John Hotchkiss Mission San Jose
28. Jeff Banks Amador Valley
29. Cara Banks Amador Valley
30. Conor Dunn San Ramon Valley 31. Dave Iremonger Washington
32. Ben Vose Washington

Crystal Springs Uplands School
400 Uplands Drive
Hillsborough CA 94010

Saturday, January 8th, 2011
• Session I: 9am-12pm
• Lunch: 12pm-1pm
• Session II: 1pm-3pm

Round Table Leaders
Chris Puppione – Clinic Co-Director
o St. Ignatius College Preparatory
Albert Caruana – Clinic Co-Director
o Crystal Springs Uplands School

Round Table Features
• Everyone is a clinician, everyone is a student.
• Round table topics selected by attendees in advance via email..
• All attendees receive “A Packet of Nuggets”—a compilation of coaching gems from each attending coach.
• Attendees will also receive a collection of training programs submitted by the other coaches in attendance.
• Cost for the round table discussion is FREE.
• Event is open to the first 60 coaches to register.

Contact Chris Puppione (cvpuppione@yahoo.com) to register for the event, as well as to receive further information. This event is for HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ONLY.

Please contact Chris ASAP as spots are filling up fast. Some of the best coaches in NS, SJS, NCS, and CCS will be at this Round Table. Don't miss out.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ROUND TABLE. KEEP READING!

November 29, 2010

Dear Coaches,
Now that cross country season is in the books and the track and field season looms on the not-so-distant horizon, we would like to invite you to join us for a clinic unlike any other in the state of California.

On January 8th, 2011, we will be hosting The NorCal Distance Coaches Collaborative Round Table in Hillsbrough at Crystal Springs Uplands School. The event is scheduled to kick-off at 9am and will be attended by many of the finest coaches from our part of the state. This clinic is unique in format and conception.

Many of us have attended clinics over the years, and although we have been lucky enough to hear some great speakers, the part most of us look forward to is the aftermath—sitting around with your peers, swapping stories, discussing training ideas, asking questions, all while enjoying some good food and drink.

We have decided to get rid of the lectures and ditch the conventional while getting straight to the good stuff—some high-energy shop talk with some of our sport’s finest coaches in a relaxed environment full of friends and soon-to-be friends. At this event, the attendees will choose the topics. Whether you want to rehash the last cross country season or talk about the track season ahead, you tell us and we will put it on the agenda.

1. Limited to the first 60 coaches to sign-up via email, this round table discussion is completely based on the contributions of all attendees. Here is how it works:

2. Coaches are asked to email Chris Puppione (cvpuppione@yahoo.com) to sign-up for the event.

3. Upon receipt of your email, Chris will ask you to submit the following for the clinic by December 21, 2010:
a. Topics and ideas you would like to discuss or gain knowledge about at the clinic (training, recruiting, nutrition, state of the sport, etc.)
i. This is an absolute necessity, as these suggestions will function as our agenda for the day.
b. A 1-3 page installment (or “nugget of knowledge”) describing something you do with your athletes that you feel is key to your program’s success (i.e. a particular workout, coaching philosophy, mental training, etc.)
i. All coaches are expected to contribute with this—consider it as Part I of your entrance fee!
ii. These “nuggets” will be compiled and all attendees will receive the full collection of notes at the clinic in both print and digital formats.
c. A copy of your training plan and notes from the past cross country season or the upcoming track season.
i. This is Part II of your entrance fee, and coaches are to submit these so that they may be shared with other attendees for review, critique, and to foster discussion of training methods.
ii. These training programs will be sent out to all attendees in digital format, and you are asked to print them out prior to the round table and make notes on them for discussion purposes.
iii. By submitting your training ideas or plans in advance, you can have your season’s training discussed by some of our sport’s greatest coaches, so don’t miss out on this opportunity.
d. All submitted information must be sent in either MS Word or MS Excel docs so that they can be easily formatted for compilation.

4. A running tally of coaches who commit to attending the round table willbe maintained on Albert’s website (www.crosscountryexpress.com) so everyone can prepare any specific questions that they may have for their fellow coaches.

5. Prior to the event, Chris and Albert will release a schedule that will outline the topics for the day so that each coach attending may come prepared to participate and contribute.

6. THERE ARE NO LECTURERS AT THIS EVENT. We are not presenting a seminar—this is an opportunity to expand the discussion and for everyone to be a student and a teacher.

7. Attending coaches are encouraged to bring any information they wish to discuss or share to the event. We will have overhead projectors, LCD projectors, as well as AV equipment—bring it all.

8. Also, we would like all coaches in attendance to bring their laptop computers with them, as we will be using internet connections to access information during discussion periods. Please be sure to have your flash drive or memory stick with you so you can steal/borrow info from other coaches.

9. Sign-in on January 8th will begin at 8:30am with the round table beginning promptly at 9am. We will section the day into topics picked by our attendees,

10.  Break for lunch at noon, and then reconvene for further discussion starting at 1pm. The round table ends when either you go home or they kick us out of the building at 3pm.

11. While this is an open discussion, we have designated the following coaches as leaders for the event:
a. Chris Puppione, St. Ignatius College Preparatory
b. Albert Caruana, Crystal Springs Uplands School

12. These coaches will act as guides for the discussion, keeping the round table focused while moving the group through the agenda and moderating input from all coaches. They will offer their insights as well, but they are not clinicians or panelists.

13. On the day of the event, all attending coaches will receive the following:
a. “A Packet of Nuggets”—a compilation of coaching gems from all attendees
b. A collection of all attendees training programs
c. Great conversation with amazing colleagues

It is our belief that this collaborative round table will be of great benefit for all coaches—rookies and veterans alike. Please join us for this amazing event by emailing your registration to Chris Puppione (cvpuppione@yahoo.com).

Be a part of the excitement—be a part of the conversation. Join us January 8, 2011 at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, CA for The 3rd Annual NorCal Distance Coaches’ Collaborative Round Table.

Yours in running,

Chris Puppione
Albert Caruana

11th Annual San Rafael Twilight Relays

www.twilightrelays.com
San Rafael High School
185 Mission Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901
Date:  Saturday, March 12, 2011Start Time: 4:00 PM

Relay Events
--Sprint Medley Relay (100m-100m-200m-400m)
--Boys Sprint Medley Relay (100m-100m-200m-400m)
--Girls Distance Medley Relay (1200m-400m-800m-1600m)
--Boys Distance Medley Relay (1200m-400m-800m-1600m)
--Coed 4x200 meter Relay (girl-girl-boy-boy)
--Coed 4x800 meter Relay (girl-girl-boy-boy)

** Entry is limited to the first 40 schools who let me know they are attending. **

Entry Fees: $15.00 per relay team.
How to Enter
Email jjaco@qar.com

Example Entry
School: San Rafael High School
Coach: Jason Jacobson
Email: jjaco@qar.com

Just list race and estimated time of each relay team.

Girls Sprint Medley Relay
Team A: 2:10
Team B: 2:15
Team C: 2:20

Boys Sprint Medley Relay
Team A: 1:50
Team B: 2:00

Girls Distance Medley Relay
Team A: 14:00

Boys Distance Medley Relay
Team A: 12:00
Team B: 12:30

Coed 4x200 meter Relay
Team A: 1:50
Team B: 2:00
Team C: 2:10

Coed 4x800 meter Relay
Team A: 11:00

Total Entry Fees: 12 relay teams x $15 each = $180.


Thursday, December 16, 2010

NCS CROSS COUNTRY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE POST-EVENT MEETING MINUTES

As posted on The Conning Tower at the following link:
http://theconningtower.blogspot.com/2010/12/ncs-cross-country-management-committee.html


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Present: Jim Tracy (BCL-West); Eddie Salazar (EBAL); Peter Brewer (DVAL); Doyle O’Regan (BSAL); Manny Myers (DFAL); Keith Conning (At-large); Chris Puppione (At-large); Bri Niemi (NCS Staff).

Absent: Jason Jacobsen (MCAL); Steve Gregg (BCL-East); Chuck Woolridge (DFAL); John Luppes (USATF); Albert Caruana (At-large).

1. NCS DIVISIONS
Niemi presented the group with the divisions for 2011. Jim Tracy reported that the SF University boys would move back down to Division V, as they had not placed first in Division IV. Niemi also noted that Dougherty Valley moved up to Division II, as it had grown more than 15% in enrollment in the past year. All other schools remained the same for 2011 (the final year of the alignment cycle).

2. EVALUATION OF 2010 NCS/LES SCHWAB TIRES CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS 
a. Despite the weather, 2010 was one of the better championships in the past few years.
b. Wood chips should be placed at the top of the hill in inclement weather.
c. NCS would ask leagues to send in their league results to be posted on the NCS website.
d. Course monitors should be on a separate channel.
e. As always, the places where the course crossed caused the most concern. Monitors did very well in keeping spectators off the course.
f. Manpower at the chute in the afternoon was lagging.
g. Keith and Tom will both need microphones next year.
h. NCS would look into improving the sound at the course so that spectators could hear better, outside of the finish area.

The financial summary for the 2010 championship was reviewed. Niemi reported that when all the expenses had been accounted for, the net gain would be about 11,000. Gate admission was down approximately $2000 because of the weather, but entry fees were up slightly over 2009.

The group discussed moving to chip timing at the 2011 NCS championship. Niemi was to follow-up with Sean Laughlin of Record Timing to see if he would be available for next year’s event and what his group could provide in terms of the chip timing system, bibs and the entry process. Niemi would report back to the group, but the general consensus was that chip timing would be used in 2011.

The group also discussed additions to the management committee, including Angela Paradise from Alhambra, as well as a USATF official to take the place of John Luppes, who was retiring from the committee.

3. LOCATION OF 2011 NCS/LES SCHWAB TIRES CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2011 NCS/Les Schwab Tires Cross Country Championships were to be held at Hayward H.S., pending approval from the administration.

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