Saturday, December 30, 2017

THE 10TH ANNUAL NORCAL DISTANCE COACHES COLLABORATIVE ROUNDTABLE

The Roundtable this year is being sponsored by Runner's Workshop Running Camps. You can check out the link to their site at http://www.runnersworkshop.com/

Coaches that have secured a position so far.
1) Chris Puppione
2) Jason Oswalt (Amador Valley)
3) Albert Caruana (Crystal Springs Uplands)
4) Sean Kohles (Skyline)
5) Ruth Seabrook (Northgate)
6) Peter Brewer (Northgate)
7) Jared Steele (Terra Nova)
8) John Maloney (Bellarmine)
9) Pat McCrystle (Bellarmine)
10) Rich Miller (Sir Francis Drake)
11) Jack Wallace (Albany)
12) Tim Tuff (Mills)
13) Jeff Gardiner (Lick-Wilmerding)
14) Carin Marrs (University)
15) Thomas Maltbaek (Cristo Rey)
16) Walt Lange (Jesuit)
17) Tyler Jorgens (Newark Memorial)

Location  
Amador Valley High School
1155 Santa Rita Road
Pleasanton, CA 94566

Date
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Session I: 9am-12pm
Lunch: 12pm-1pm
Session II: 1pm-4pm

Roundtable Leaders
Jason Oswalt – Clinic Co-Director
Chris Puppione – Clinic Co-Director
Albert Caruana – Clinic Co-Director

Roundtable Features
Everyone is a clinician, everyone is a student.
Roundtable 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 roundtable discussion is FREE! And you get breakfast and lunch!
Event is open to the first 30 coaches to register. 

Contact Jason Oswalt (trackcoachozzie@gmail.com) to register for the event, as well as to receive further information. This event is for HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ONLY.

Please contact Jason ASAP as spots will fill up fast. Some of the best coaches in California will be at this Roundtable. Don't miss out.

December 4, 2017

Dear Coaches,
.
It’s hard to believe that it was 10 years ago when we were sitting at Sports Basement in the first annual NorCal Collaborative Coaches Roundtable. At that time the Roundtable was part experiment and part excuse to simply get together and talk shop. As 2017 winds down, with cross country season behind us and track staring us in the face, the Roundtable has become a staple in our winter schedule and something that we hope local coaches look forward to as much as we do. 

It’s time to mark your calendars again as the 2018 Roundtable will be held on January 13th.The site will once again be Amador Valley High School, in Pleasanton, CA. 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. 

As many of you know, this clinic is unique in format and concept. We hire no presenters or speakers. When you RSVP, you are volunteering to share your knowledge of our sport. Your price of admission is your willingness to share your knowledge. For 9 years, our programs have evolved partially based on things we have learned from each other at the Roundtable. I invite you to make it 10.

Limited to the first 30 coaches to sign-up via email, this roundtable discussion is completely based on the contributions of all attendees. 
Here is how it works:

Coaches are asked to email Jason Oswalt (trackcoachozzie@gmail.com) to sign-up for the event.  

Upon receipt of your email, Jason will ask you to submit the following for the clinic by Friday, January 5, 2018:
Topics and ideas you would like to discuss or gain knowledge about at the clinic (training, recruiting, nutrition, state of the sport, etc.)
This is an absolute necessity, as these suggestions will function as our agenda for the day. This is Part I of your entrance fee.
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.)
All coaches are expected to contribute with this—consider it as Part II of your entrance fee!
These “nuggets” will be compiled and all attendees will receive the full collection of notes at the clinic in both print and digital formats.
A copy of your training plan and notes from the past cross country season or the upcoming track season.
This is Part III 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.
These training programs will be sent out to all attendees in digital format, and you are asked to print them out prior to the roundtable and make notes on them for discussion purposes.
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.
All submitted information must be sent in either MS Word or MS Excel docs so that they can be easily formatted for compilation.
In recognition of our 10th year, we invite you to send a training plan that you used in 2008 so that we might recognize and discuss how much we have evolved as coaches over the last decade.  

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

Prior to the event, Jason, 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.  

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.  

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 (We will actually have a working projector this year!).  

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.  

Sign-in on January 13th will begin at 8:30am with the roundtable beginning promptly at 9am. We will section the day into topics picked by our attendees.  
We will break for lunch at noon, and then reconvene for further discussion starting at 1pm. The roundtable ends at 4pm.  

While this is an open discussion, Jason, Chris, and Albert will serve as leaders for the event. These coaches will act as guides for the discussion, keeping the roundtable 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.  

On the day of the event, all attending coaches will receive the following:
“A Packet of Nuggets”—a compilation of coaching gems from all attendees
A collection of all attendees training programs
Great conversation with amazing colleagues  
It is our belief that this collaborative roundtable will be of great benefit for all coaches—rookies and veterans alike. Please join us for this amazing event by emailing your registration to Jason Oswalt (trackcoachozzie@gmail.com).

When the day comes to an end, all are invited to take the conversation down the street where coaches can gather for food and refreshments.

Be a part of the excitement—be a part of the conversation. Join us January 13, 2018 at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA for The 10th Annual NorCal Distance Coaches’ Collaborative Roundtable.

Yours in running,
Jason Oswalt

Chris Puppione

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Ideas for 2018?

As we get closer to the end of the year, I am reaching out to all of you about ideas for 2018. What else would you like to see posted on this site? I wish Albert would post __________. What would you like to see continued that you currently enjoy reading on here? All ideas will be considered so feel free to post anything that comes to mind.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Donation to Cross Country Express site

If you have enjoyed all the Cross Country coverage this past year, a kind donation would be appreciated.  You can do so with the link to the right.  If you don't do online payments, you can email me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com and I will send you an address where you can send a check.

This site will remain a free service throughout the upcoming track and field season but as you know, a lot of time and effort goes into the maintenance of the website.

Thank you very much to those of you that have already donated.  If I haven't done so already, you will hear from me in appreciation.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

CA Coaching Legends: Carlmont coach, Loren Lansberry

You can check out my latest article (link below) on one of the most successful cross country and track and field coaches, Carlmont coach, Loren Lansberry. He, along with Bob Rush, are responsible for the birth of the Crystal Springs course. His teams were regularly in the top 10 in the nation in the National Postal meet. 

http://ca.milesplit.com/articles/229431-ca-coaching-legends-loren-lansberry

If you have other Northern California cross country coaches that you would like to see profiled, please feel free to add them in the comment section below. You can find the other coaches that have been profiled at this link:
http://ca.milesplit.com/series/1615

Monday, December 18, 2017

2018 Stanford Cross Country Invitational

It's been confirmed that the Stanford Cross Country Invitational will be returning next year. The date has not been set yet. You can check out any updates about all the meets that Stanford hosts throughout the year at this LINK.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

2017 NorCal Cross Country Awards

Now that the 2017 XC season is complete, here are my awards for this past cross country season.
2011 Award Winners
2012 Award Winners
2013 Award Winners
2014 Award Winners
2015 Award Winners
2016 Award Winners
Feel free to share your comments below.

Most Valuable Runner (boys)-Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS)
Most Valuable Runner (girls)-Elena Denner Oak Ridge (SJS)

Most Impressive Performance (boys)-Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS) at NXN
Most Impressive Performance (girls)-Maddy Denner Oak Ridge (SJS) at Clovis Invitational

Most Impressive Performance (boys' team)-St. Francis (CCS) at CA State Meet/NXN/Dublin (NCS) at Clovis Invitational
Most Impressive Performance (girls' team)-Granada (NCS) at NCS MOC Meet

Rising Star (boys)-Matt Strangio Jesuit (SJS)
Rising Star (girls)-Caroline Garrett Oakland Tech (OAK)

Most Inspirational (boys)-Open to suggestions
Most Inspirational (girls)-Open to suggestions

Most Improved Runner (boys)-Connor Livingston De La Salle (NCS)/Nicholas Medearis Crystal Springs Uplands (CCS)
Most Improved Runner (girls)-Claire Jackson University (NCS)

Lifetime Achievement Award (boys)-Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau Bellarmine (CCS)
Lifetime Achievement Award (girls)-Mari Friedman Santa Cruz (CCS)

Buster Posey (rookie of the year)-Kamran Murray Menlo (CCS)
Buster Posey (rookie of the year)-Layla Ruiz Watsonville (CCS)

Best Robin to Batman (best supporting actor)-Dublin and St. Francis top two runners.
Best Robin to Batman (best supporting actress)-Maddy and Elena Denner Oak Ridge (SJS)

Best Three Amigos-Shyam Kumar, Eric Eng, Colton Colonna St. Francis (CCS)
Best Three Amigas-Colleen McCandless, Kalea Bartolotto, Gracie Dupuis Granada (NCS)

Boys Coach of the Year (Directing)-Phil and Sam Pompei St. Francis (CCS)
Girls Coach of the Year (Directing)-Noel and Jeremy Mattern Granada (NCS)

Any other awards?

Friday, December 08, 2017

39th Annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championship National Finals This Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, San Diego

Image
*** MEDIA ALERT ***
39th Annual 
Foot Locker Cross Country Championship National Finals
This Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, San Diego
GENERAL INFORMATION: The top 80 high school distance runners (40 boys and 40 girls) from across the country will compete in the 39th Annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championships this Saturday, Dec. 9 at Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif. The 5,000-meter course has launched the professional careers of an impressive array of prestigious runners in years past, including Olympians Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, and Kara Goucher. The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships is comprised of four regional 5K races, Midwest (Kenosha, Wis.), Northeast (Bronx, N.Y.), South (Charlotte, N.C.), and West (Walnut, Calif.), where the top 10 boys and top 10 girls from each region's seeded races qualified to compete in the National Finals.

WHERE: Morley Field, Balboa Park
RACE TIMES: Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017
Girls Race: 9:15 AM (PT)
Boys Race:10:00 AM (PT)

MEDIA INFORMATION: Media credentials will be issued to photographers and journalists on assignment at Morley Field at Balboa Park starting at 8:30 AM on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017.

PHOTOS: Photos of all runners from the race will be available from this linkhttp://footlockercc.com/FootLocker2017 at approximately 2pm (PT). Photo credit is PhotoRun.net for Foot Locker

MEDIA CONTACTS:

For more information on the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, please visit www.footlockercc.com or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FLCCC. Follow us on twitter and Instagram at @FLCCC and #FLCCC.

Wednesday, December 06, 2017

2017 All-CCS Cross Country Team


You can find the entire list of runners at this LINK.

The All-NorCal team will be posted at the end of next week once Hank Lawson compiles all the votes. The NorCal Awards will be posted after the Foot Locker National race this Saturday.

Sunday, December 03, 2017

NorCal Teams/Individuals shining at NXN and Foot Locker

NXN
Boys Individuals
3) Liam Anderson Redwood Junior (fastest underclassman)
15) Matt Strangio Jesuit Sophomore (fastest sophomore)

Boys Teams
9) St. Francis, Mt. View (1st CCS team to qualify for NXN)

Foot Locker West Region
9th Grade Boys
1) Kamran Murray Menlo

10th Grade Boys
1) Christopher Middleton-Pearson Dublin

10th Grade Girls
1) Kelli Wilson Monte Vista

Girls' Seeded Race
4) Alize Hartke Oakmont (qualifies for Foot Locker National)
19) Caroline Garrett Oakland Tech
20) Clarissa Nowag-Nelson McClatchy
30) Marea Zlatunich Aptos
35) Colleen McCandless Granada
37) Kaylah Grant Live Oak

Boys' Seeded Race
2) Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau Bellarmine (qualifies for Foot Locker National for 2nd year in a row)
6) Collin Ullrich Liberty Ranch (qualifies for Foot Locker National)
20) Connor Livingston De La Salle
24) Henry Saul Palo Alto
30) Owen MacKenzie Los Altos

You can check out interviews with many of the above athletes at this LINK.

If any other athletes deserve mention, please feel free to add them below in the comment section.

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