The Science of Sport

Check out the following link to a great blog (by two Ph.D.s) which covers the great rivalry between Ethiopia and Kenya in their latest entry. Prepare to be on the blog for a while.

•http://www.sportsscientists.com/ (Scientific comment and analysis of sports and sporting performance)

SJS Pre-Season XC Rankings

The following is by El Camino HS Cross Country coach Jason Jimenez.
Feel free to comment or add your thoughts in the comment box below.

I took the top teams with the top 5 returning runners from
Sections. If a team did not have a top 5 returning, I used JV times.
If they had no JV times, I used frosh/soph times for frosh/soph boys
who I think might be able to be a top 5 runner for their team. This
was easy because a lot of the best frosh/soph runners had run the 5k
course before so I could get an idea of what each team's top 5 would
end up being.

Obviously, we don't know about the surprises and my
rankings do leave out teams who could not field 5 runners. And some of
these teams will likely be a factor later in the year (see Woodcreek
D2, for example). Some ones I'm not sure about are Granite Bay (Walt
Lange from Jesuit says they will be good so...) and El Camino - who
might be moving up to Division 2. Ok here they are...

Boys D1-3
**Woodcreek, Fairfield and Grace Davis seem to be out of contention at
this point in the season but who knows what can happen this summer.

(Overall Rank/School/Predicted Returning Section Team Time)
D1
1 Davis 85:16
5 Modesto 89:01
7 Kennedy 89:29
11 Sheldon 91:47

D2
2 Oak Ridge 86:30
3 Jesuit 86:46
4 Del Campo 88:31
6 Pleasant Grove 89:01
9 Rocklin 90:07
10 Ponderosa 90:50
12 Granite Bay 91:56

D3
8 El Camino 89:37
13 Del Oro 92:42
14 Placer 93:20
15 Union Mine 93:41

--
Jason Jimenez
El Camino High School
Head Coach Cross Country and Track and Field

Best Efforts by Kenny Moore

I am a big sports history buff including (of course), track and field history. I remember finding the book Best Efforts by Kenny Moore at the local library and just devouring it. It's a great compilation of articles that were written in Sports Illustrated about some of the best runners and races from the past. The book was first published in 1983 but is now once again available as you can see in the picture to the left. You can get a copy of the book at the website below for the low price of $14.95. Anybody who read Bowerman and the Men of Oregon can attest to the brilliance of Kenny Moore as a writer.

You can find further information about the book as well as how to order it at the following link:
http://www.kennymoore.us/thebooks.htm

Shannon Rowbury-By Andy Chan (her HS coach at SHC)

The following is from Shannon's HS coach, Andy Chan.

I thought I’d share some of the excitement we’re feeling at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (SHCP) about Shannon Rowbury (class of 2002) not only qualifying for the 2008 Olympic team but winning the US Olympic Trials in the 1500 meters.

I was lucky enough to be a first year head coach at SHCP when Shannon came in as a freshmen. Almost 10 years later we are still very close. The last two months have just been filled with excitement. My wife, Malinda, and I got married last summer but didn’t take a honeymoon then, deciding to save money and vacation time for a big international trip should Shannon ever qualify for one. We realized in January of this year that we
couldn’t wait for the Trials to be over and just pick-up and head over to Beijing. So we rolled the dice and booked our trip to the Olympics seven months ago. We figured at the worst, we had a great honeymoon to China, and at the best….well, you can guess what the best case scenario was!

The month leading up to the Trials, Shannon was back in San Francisco.
Coach John Cook (with Shannon making a toast in the attached photo) sent
her workouts and I went out to the track with her to hold the stopwatch,
write things down, and give her someone to talk to so she wasn’t talking
to herself all afternoon.

The Trials in Eugene were superb! Everything everyone is saying about the
atmosphere is correct. It was also very enjoyable to spend time with
fellow coaches like, Pete Brewer (Castro Valley), Tony Kauke (former City
College SF), Chris Puppione (former UC Davis), and Chuck Woolridge
(Campolindo) on Villard St.

As Shannon took her victory lap around Hayward Field, I held up a sign
(see attached photo) that read:
Hotel in Beijing – 10,875 Yen
Tickets to the Olympic Track Meet - $520
WATCHING THE KID YOU COACHED IN HIGH SCHOOL RUN IN THE OLYMPICS – PRICELESS


That summarizes exactly how I feel.

See you all at the XC meets in the fall,
-Andy

P.S. We have a great link on the SHCP website with info about Shannon’s
high school career and we’ll be adding links to various things from the
school website, too.
http://www.shcp.edu/s/148/sacredheart.aspx?sid=148&gid=1&pgid=292&cid=5365&ecid=5365&crid=0&calpgid=408&calcid=5224

Mental Toughess

Good article on the following blog discussing mental toughness.
http://ramscrosscountry.blogspot.com/2008/07/mental-toughness-for-runners.html

CCS Division II Pre-Season Rankings '08

The following rankings are based on teams and individuals that competed in this division last year. The CBEDs are not out yet for CCS so there could be changes which will be dealt with later in the season. Thanks to former Palo Alto coach Jeff Billing with his help on the following rankings. Thank you also to Walt VanZant for his incredible compilation of all runners and teams in every CCS division which can be found at this link.

With my sabbatical from teaching and coaching last year, I was able to attend a LOT of cross country races and without a doubt, two of the most exciting races I witnessed last year involved Mt. View and Palo Alto High Schools, but more specifically Philip MacQuitty (Palo Alto) and Garrett Rowe (Mt. View). Fortunately for cross country fans, MacQuitty and Rowe were both sophomores last year so we will get to see those two battle once again for at least two more years.

Going into this season, it appears that Mt View and Palo Alto are going to lock horns again in a very tight battle during the league, section and state competition. The match-ups will be tight down the line starting from the #1s (Rowe vs. MacQuitty), #2s (Charlie Avis vs. Ian Myjer), and #3/4s (Parker Schuh/Neil Lingarker vs. Skyler Cummins/Henry Jordan). As with most close cross country races, the winner could be decided by the 5th and 6th runners as both teams displayed a lot of depth this past track and field season.

With 3 teams going to the state meet and with Mt. View and Palo Alto already spoken for, the next two teams are no strangers to CCS Championships. St. Francis, the defending Division II champions, have won 7 CCS titles ('91, '94, '97, '98, '02, '05 and '07) while Los Gatos, last year's 2nd place team, has won CCS titles in 4 separate decades ('78, '79, '80, '88, '92, '98, '99, '00, '05 and '06). While they both lose several key runners, it appears that St. Francis will have the edge returning 4 out of their top 7 from last year.

This is a clearly a very deep division that will result in several very good teams staying home during Thanksgiving weekend. The teams at this moment that appear to be on the cusp of state meet berths are Gunn with their 5 juniors, the Vince Rodriguez led Santa Clara squad who should have a very low number begin their team scoring.

The contest for the individual crown will be a repeat from last year as most of the top finishers are all back as well as Sobrato's Lance Wolfsmith who drops down from Division I. Last year's race had the first five runners separated by 5 seconds and this year's race could be just as competitive. Despite some setbacks during the just finished track and field season, the two favorites will be juniors Philip MacQuitty and Garrett Rowe. Rodriguez and Avis should be right there with those two as well as Daniel Filipcik of Woodside, Lance Wolfsmith of Sobrato and Myjer of Mt. View.

The girls' team race will be a battle between two teams returning their entire top five, league rivals Mt. View and Gunn. Both have tremendous front runners (Jackie Evans and Allegra Mayer for Gunn and Mary Reynolds and Alexandra Westbrook for Mt. View) and tremendous team depth. I am not sure how many times these teams will meet each other but the CCS race could be the tie breaker to determine the season champion.

While Gunn and Mt. View may have the two best teams, the team with the two best runners will be Leland as they return the individual section champion, Stephanie Barnett and her sister Claudia who finished in 4th place in the same race. The rest of their team included precocious 9th graders who should benefit from the experience. The next two teams should be one of the state meet qualifiers from last year, Presentation and Lynbrook which boasts two runners (Lauren Tang and Cindy Huang) with sub 19 Crystal Springs clockings.

As with most girls' races, the majority of last year's finishers are back. The favorite and rightfully so will be Stephanie Barnett of Leland. She won last year's race by 23 seconds in an impressive 17:32 but don't count out her sister Claudia, the Mt. View and Gunn runners who could all venture into the sub. 18 territory.

Division II Boys (Top 3 teams advance to state)
1) Mt View-Top 5 are back for state '07 state qualifying team.
2) Palo Alto-MacQuitty/Avis, tough 1/2 punch.
3) St. Francis-Can they repeat another stunning performance at CCS?
4) Gunn-Paul Summers will lead the way.
5) Los Gatos-New coaches/key losses but don't count them out.
On the bubble: Leland, Sobrato, and Santa Clara

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 CCS meet time:
Philip MacQuitty (1) Palo Alto 15:26
Garrett Rowe (2) Mt. View 15:27Vince Rodriguez (3) Santa Clara 15:27
Daniel Filipcik (8) Woodside 15:44
Charlie Avis (9) Palo Alto 15:47

Division II Girls (Top 3 teams advance to state)
1) Mt View-Top 5 are back for state '07 state qualifying team.
2) Gunn-Will give Mt. View all they can handle.
3) Leland-Barnett sisters lead the way.
4) Presentation-State meet qualifiers last year.
5) Lynbrook-Could have 2 runners in top 10.
On the bubble: Santa Clara, St. Francis and Palo Alto

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 CCS meet time:
Stephanie Barnett (1) Leland 17:32
Allegra Mayer (3) Gunn 18:19
Claudia Barnett (4) Leland 18:21
Mary Reynolds (5) Mt. View 18:29
Emma Dohner (7) Gunn 18:33

Feel free to comment on the above rankings. NCS and CCS Division III rankings will be up next.

NCS Division II Pre-Season Rankings '08

For all those teams hammering away the past few years to make the state meet, the road to Fresno got a little easier as perennial contenders (Eureka) dropped down to Division III for the '07 season and two time defending champions (Petaluma HS) dropped down this year. If you want to see a complete list of all the schools in each division for NCS, check out this link.

Since 1989, the De La Salle football team won 18 NCS championships (16 straight) and along the way won 151 straight games (national record)!!! At most campuses, those numbers would overshadow any other teams but at DLS, the football team is not the only fall sport with a running attack. Taking a gander at the same time period, the DLS cross country team won 11 NCS titles (5 straight in Division II from 1994-1998) and was ranked 3 times in the Harrier national rankings (5th in 1989, 11th in 1991 and 12th and 1996). They are still the only boys' team to be ranked in the top 25 in the nation from NCS.

Following their 3rd place finish in '06 and 2nd place finish last year, DLS will be the favorites to win the NCS title in '08 despite not returning the most fire power to this division. At this point, this is solely based on past history and the incredible depth they display each season. Since this division sends 3 teams to the state meet, the next few teams appear to be a toss up between Washington (return 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7), Santa Rosa (return 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7), Montgomery (return 3, 5, 6, and 7) and Alameda (return 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and yes you guessed it, 7...wow!).

The battle for the individual title will be Lockert (Sterling and Devin) free as the top 2 finishers from last year will now compete with their teammates in Division III. That means that the individual favorite(s) will be 1600m. victor at the NCS Meet of Champions and 3rd place finish here last year, Clayton Valley's Nathanael Litwiller and 3200m. NCS MOC champion and 2nd placer in Division I, Liberty's Wyatt Landrum. Their closest pursuer appears to be Andrew Zellman of Ukiah HS who finished just 3 seconds behind Litwiller last year on the Hayward course. De La Salle's top returning runner Spencer Sheaff and Arroyo's Danny Thomas should also be part of the lead pack.

The girls' team title will once again go through DLS neighbor, Carondelet HS. They return their top 3 runners based on the results of the '07 NCS and state meets. Following their '06 state championship, Carondelet finished a surprising 5th at state but don't count them out of making the podium again in Fresno this year. Now, if Carondelet was to stumble at NCS, the team that appears best equipped to unseat them is Livermore HS which returns possibly the best #1 runner in this division (Diana George) and oh by the way, their entire top 7 from last year.

With 3 teams making state from this division, the favorite for the last spot appears to be Casa Grande which qualified for their first state meet last year. Jacque Taylor leads this group with most of their state qualifying team returning except for their #3 runner. Keeping CG honest will be Irvington HS (4th here last year) who return their top 5 and Santa Rosa who return their top 3 runners.

The individual title comes down once again to the defending champion (Carondelet's Nicole Hood), the '06 champion and 4:49.63 1600 runner (Casa Grande's Jacque Taylor) and 2 time defending NCS 1600/3200 champion (Livermore's Diana George). Kellie Houser, 3200m. state meet qualifier (11:01.83) appears to be the only runner that can touch the big three based on her success on the track.

Division II Boys (Top 3 teams advance to state)
1) De La Salle-Historically tough team no matter division.
2) Washington-Tough top 3 back this year after elusive Fresno spot.
3) Alameda-Top 5 are back from last year.
4) Santa Rosa-Rory McLeod leads way here.
5) Montgomery-State meet qualifiers last year.
On the bubble: Liberty, Arroyo

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 NCS meet time:
Nathanael Litwiller (3) Clayton Valley 15:35
Andrew Zellman (4) Ukiah 15:38
Spencer Sheaff (8) De La Salle 15:53
Rory McLeod (11) Santa Rosa 16:05
Bisrat Zerehaimanot (13) Hayward 16:13
From Division I-Wyatt Landrum (2) Liberty 15:09

Division II Girls (Top 3 teams advance to state)
1) Carondelet-Two-time defending champions.
2) Livermore-Will be closer to Carondelet this year.
3) Casa Grande-Looking to qualifying for 2nd state meet as a team.
4) Irvington-Top 5 return following 4th place finish.
5) Santa Rosa-Top 5 return after 5th place finish.
On the bubble: Alameda, Montgomery, Washington

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 NCS meet time:
Nicole Hood (1) Carondelet 17:08
Jacque Taylor (2) Casa Grande 17:21
Diana George (3) Livermore 17:52
Heather Cerney (5) Carondelet 18:25
Kellie Houser (6) Carondelet 18:33

Feel free to comment on the above rankings.

NCS Pre-Season Division I Rankings '08

By Castro Valley Coach Peter Brewer.
=====================
2008 North Coast Section
Cross --CC-> Rankings
Division I

Marks in parantheses are ordered thusly: for cross country, the 1st time is the 2007 NCS-MOC Hayward HS time, and the 2nd is the 2007 State Meet Woodward Park time. For track times, they are the 2008 season PR’s as reported on the EPI database and are listed 800/1600/3200. If faster track times exist for the runners, they did not show up on the database, which combs the web.

Girls:
1. Castro Valley brings ‘em all back
2. College Park so do the Falcons
3. Granada they’'re all returning too
4. California good up front power
5. Monte Vista good track season bodes well

Castro Valley narrowly edged College Park last year for the top spot, and both squads return intact. As with all season, it is the small variables that seem to be the largest influences. Health, summer running, soccer camps ... it all factors into how the teams enter the season and how they show up at the end.

Castro Valley leads off with the trio of sophomore Kelsey Santisteban (18:47/19:14; 2:22/5:05/11:17), and juniors Chelsea Schneider (18:46/19:35; 2:15.95) and Pam MacLeod (18:49/19:19). The rest of team comes back, and the Trojans are looking to add newcomers senior Ayla Granados (2:21.75) and sophomore Marisa Matines (5:37/12:14) to the mix. Track discovery Elise Wummer (2:24.0/5:10.98/11:38.62) is opting for the musical this fall.

College Park have talented junior Alycia Cridenbring (17:55/18:29; 2:24.87/5:01.76/11:41.3) at the forefront. She is ably backed up by seniors Lauren Crawford (19:17/19:34; 5:15.34/11:25.00) and Rosie Smith (19:07/19:49; 5:17.65/11:32.75).

Granada also comes back with its entire team. The top runner for the Matadors is junior Lara Jansen (19:07/19:54; 2:28.08/5:47.23/12:03.88). Her main support comes from seniors Hayley Swanson (19:18; 5:26.59/12:04.41) and Emily Paddock (19:30; 2:23.45).

California boasts returning NCS individual champ junior Colleen Lillig (17:54/19:14; 5:17.61/11:42.17) to do the frontrunning chores for the Grizzlies. Senior Holly Babcock (19:30; 2:26.25/5:18.27/12:47.27) is an excellent runner. Sophomore Elaine McVay (20:13; 5:27/11:29.46) adds to the front.

Monte Vista returns several girls from last year’s 4th place NCS team. The top returnee for the Mustangs is junior Nicole Aha (19:31; 2:32.66/5:24.48/11:41.12) and judging by the track marks, will have a large supporting cast this fall.

Other individual runners of note include Newark Memorial’s junior Rachel Borg (19:01/20:09; 5:27.50/12:02.73) and junior Jamira Cox of Deer Valley (19:22; 2:18.72).

Boys:
1. Amador Valley state meet teambrings back 5 of 6
2. Granada youngsters are all back and older
3. Deer Valley solid 5 coming back
4. College Park returns #’s 2-5; can they regroup?
5. Castro Valley youth movement -- 5 sophs on var

Amador Valley appears to hold all the cards here. A real good returning group posted some very good track times as well. Junior Kellen Cole (15:57/16:39; 4:27.49/9:55.54) is the apparent top runner, but will be pushed by senior teammates Garrett Ward (16:00/16:40; 4:44.09/9:54.87) and MIke Marlin (15:58/16:43; 4:23.45/10:05).

Granada will be chasing the Dons all year in the EBAL. The Matadors have all top 5 coming back, led by junior Alex Summers (15:43; 4:31.34/9:30.65). He is joined by seniors Drew Callen (15:50; 2:05.17/4:31.34/9:59.77) and Nate Smauley (15:56; 4:32.17).

Deer Valley brings back to the fold their 2-3-4-5 runners. The Wolverines have the upfront tandem of junior Nathan Baker (16:13; 4:34.98/9:58.75) and senior Ryan DeVito (16:23; 1:57.36/4:34.06)

College Park is always a presence, and looks to continue that trend with a strong returning contingent. Senior Brian Cameron (16:04; 4:32.23/10:02.23) will be pushed by sophomore Jeff Bickert (4:40.82/9:58.88).

Castro Valley leads off with veteran junior Tom Ashby (16:13; 10:23.27/35:35 10K) and will be backed up by a horde of sophomores including Ben Eversole (16:16; 2:04.5/4:34.07/9:53.95) and Anthony Martore (17:02; 4:41.06).

An individual runner to watch is state veteran junior Danny Thomas of Arroyo (15:38/16:15). Injuries curtailed his track season, but when healthy he is a force. (Editor's note: Arroyo will be in Division II this coming season).

Thank you very much Peter. NCS and CCS Division II rankings will be coming up next. Feel free to comment on the above rankings in the comment section below.

CCS Division I Pre-Season Rankings

By Kevin Liao (Evergreen Valley HS) aka attack the hill on dyestatcal message board.

After winning the CCS Division I title the last three seasons, the Surh brothers and other top athletes at Carlmont High have moved on to the college ranks, leaving the door wide open for a number of quality squads vying for the top two spots advancing to the state meet. A quick glance at the rankings shows Bellarmine College Prep the heavy favorite for the team championship. The Bells have five of their top seven returning, led by seniors Lawrence Smith, Marcos Hinojosa, and Ben Kelly (4:30 miler on the track) and junior Dalton Guthrie. A young Carlmont squad headlined by senior Chris Pedro as well as Evergreen Valley, Serra, and San Benito look to have a strong chance of grabbing the second ticket to the state meet. The battle for the individual title is also very much up for grabs. Nick Oliver of Homestead is the only returning individual state meet qualifier, but Salinas's Robert Anderson and members of the Bellarmine crew are also poised to compete for the win.

Division I Boys (Top 2 advance to state):
1. Bellarmine – Return most of 2nd pace team
2. Carlmont – Three time defending champs lose 4 of top 6 from '07
3. Evergreen Valley – Lose top 2 but have young runners with potential
4. Serra – Padres have four sub-17 Crystal runners returning
5. San Benito – Young athletes had solid track seasons
On the bubble: Salinas, Homestead, Monta Vista

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 CCS meet time:
Nick Oliver (6) Homestead 15:53
Lawrence Smith (8) Bellarmine 16:00
Robert Anderson (9) Salinas 16:01
Dalton Guthrie (11) Bellarmine 16:04
Marcos Hinojosa (12) Bellarmine 16:13

Like their boys team, the Carlmont girls' squad is looking for their fourth consecutive CCS team championship. Led by defending champ Justine Ferdronic (CCS 800m runner-up) and CCS 3200m champion Jessie Petersen, the Scots took to be the presumptive favorite despite the unknown regarding often-injured star Hayley Pascale. Gilroy is looking strong for the second spot going to the state meet, returning all six of their top runners from 2007 squad that just missed a spot to Woodward Park. Salinas, Monta Vista, and Homestead could also challenge for those top two positions in the team competition. Several phenomenal athletes will be battling it out for the individual title at Toro Park on November 15. Fedronic is the two-time defending champ, but Petersen and a healthy Pascale, as well as Gilroy's Kathleen Miller could challenge for the top spot.

Division I Girls (Top 2 Advance to state)
1. Carlmont-3 time defending champions
2. Gilroy-Top 6 returning for 2nd spot they just missed last year
3. Salinas-Qualified to state last year with 6th runner tie-breaker
4. Monta Vista-Perennial contender in this division
5. Homestead-Top 5 are back and could move up rankings
On the bubble: San Benito, Piedmont Hills

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 CCS meet time:
Justine Fedronic (1) Carlmont 18:04
Kathleen Miller (2) Gilroy 18:09
Jean Feng (5) Monta Vista 18:27
Jessie Petersen (6) Calrmont 18:40
Emily Evans (7) Homestead 18:45

Keep coming back for more rankings (CCS, NCS, SJS and more) in the next few weeks. Feel free to state your opinions about the above rankings. Who are the sleepers in this division? Any new hot shot freshmen?

I don't have pictures for all the runners above so if you have them for any of the runners above, please send them to this email.

The 1st Annual Novato 4th of July Run!

** The Mayor's Mile (walk/jog) for kids and families **

** Four on the 4th -- a Four mile road race **

Full event information here ... Please pass on to others who might be interested in participating!

http://www.theschedule.com/EventInfo.cfm?EventID=19309

There is also a breakfast and the famous parade following the race!

We are super excited to add this event and bring it to Novato prior to the big downtown parade!

There are no other big time races in Marin that day ... which is such a big traditional day for racing!

--Registration: 6:30 am

--4 Mile Road Race: 7:20 am

--1 Mile Family / Kids Race: 7:25 am

7th and Grant Street in Downtown Novato