North Coast Section Track Preview 2009

The following is a link to Keith Conning's blog where he lists the fastest NCS returners from last season in all events (boys and girls). If there are any omissions or errors, please contact Mr. Conning at his email address (conning@aol.com). Remember that the top 4 athletes and/or relay teams will qualify to the state meet UNLESS...other runners/jumpers/hurdlers/throwers/relay teams surpass the At Large Marks which are also linked below.

North Coast Section Track Preview 2008

2009 State Track and Field "At-Large" Marks

Contacting Colleges: A Guide For Parents and Athletes

by Peter Brewer, Castro Valley High School Coach
revised 1/04/09

This is a topic that has come up more and more in recent years. At times some of our athletes have received general interest letters from colleges, and other runners want to get letters too. It tickles the fancy of runners to get letters, and there is a bit of status involved. However, there is a larger subject that the college letters are just a smaller part of --Running in college & college scholarships

Can high school athletes compete in college? -- Absolutely

Castro Valley High has had good success in the past few years having athletes that have gone on to compete in college. However, this is not limited to Castro Valley, and all high schools have athletes with college-level potential. There are college possibilities for competition and scholarships at every possible level. The box shows recent Castro Valley athletes who have or are competing in college, but this could as easily be any other school

Can running help pay for college? -- There is no doubt

With the rising cost of everything, and the necessity of a college education to secure the best
possibilities for a successful future for our children, expenses become a primary concern. Yes, running can help cut the cost of college, perhaps even dramatically. NCAA Division I and Divsion II colleges can offer athletic scholarships. NCAA Division III colleges cannot offer athletic money, but there are many academic scholarships that coaches have access to. NAIA schools (usually smaller academies and religious colleges) have no restrictions on the amount or the number of scholarships, and many have very large endowment funds to draw from. Junior Colleges, esecially those outside of California, often offer money to athletes.

How do I get noticed by colleges? -- Send them an e-mail

Well, colleges have a huge number of athletes and races and results to go through, and they don’t
always get to all the athletes. The very top athletes get lots of attention but the athletes near the top need to promote themselves to the colleges. Coaches really appreciate having information come to them in their e-mail in-box, since that is one less search they need to make. Recruiting is a big part of the college coaches’ job, and your input helps them out.

What do I put in this e-mail? --

This is a very good question. You need to look at it from the coaches’ viewpoint. They have to know how to contact you, and they need to know your academic achievements as well. Grades do count when it comes to recruiting. Then you need to list your academic goals. Finally, you get to put down your athletic accomplishments. You will also need a coaches’ assessment statement, and contact info for the coach (that’s me). Including a picture of you in competition helps too.

If you are interested in reading the rest of this article, please email me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com and I will send you the entire article in pdf format. Sorry for the hassle but I am not able to upload pdf files on this blog.

Catching up with Tamalpais runner Daniel Milechman...

Today we chat with Tamalpais HS sophomore, Daniel Milechman. For a young runner with only two years of cross country experience, Milechman has already established himself as one of the top runners in Northern California by his performances in the North Coast Section Meet of Champions and at the cross country state meet. His times and places resulted with Milechman claiming the sophomore runner of the year honors on the 2008 All NorCal Cross Country team. This spring, Milechman will put the golf bag aside and give Track and Field a try in the ultra competitive NCS distance races.

1) How did you discover and get started with the sport of Cross Country?
My brother Sam was a cross-country runner in high school and enjoyed the experience. He had great success as a runner and loved the social as well as competitive aspects of the team. Watching his races and seeing how much fun he had drove me to do cross-country, despite my interest in playing for the High School Soccer team.

2) What other sports have you played?
I'm not just a runner. I like to play soccer, basketball, tennis and golf. On weekends, I'm almost always playing one of these sports. In the past, I have played on basketball, soccer, and baseball teams and enjoyed them a great deal before turning my main focus to running.

3) As you were first starting out in the sport, who were the runners that were role models for you (on your team or other teams)?
My brother Sam was a great motivation to me, as he got me interested in cross-country. But really, my teammates have provided unbelievable motivation. I came in as a freshman on a boys team that was mostly made up of Juniors, with a few Seniors. Cory Rand, Kalen Rago, Michael Fearon, Chris Lowell, Cody Chapman, and Sam Brigham are just a few of the many runners who have made my experience so much fun. They have an unbelievable attitude that makes the practices so much more relaxing and enjoyable. I can't say enough about all of my teammates.

4) You had a very successful 9th grade season in cross country. What would you say was your best race as a freshman?
As a freshman, I worked hard all season and peaked at the end of the year. I had a strong MCAL league race, but I felt that my NCS performance was by far my best race. I ran my best time in 16:20 and felt that I pushed myself harder than I ever had the entire season.

5) In terms of cross country: favorite race? favorite course? favorite competitor? favorite workout? favorite run?
As far as my favorite race goes, I would have to say that it is the state meet. I ran it for the first time this year, and the excitement and hype that surrounds that race is unbelievable. For me, I love the competition, as it pushes me to another level. My favorite course has to be the Tam home course. I have run it so many times that I know exactly how to maneuver it and feel confident every time that I run there. I wouldn't say that I have a favorite competitor or workout, it just depends on the day.

6) What did you do this summer in preparation for the season that was different than your previous summer?
This summer, I definitely set myself up for a strong season by running hard. For the most part, I ran with former Tam runner Nick LaPlant, who is now a college runner and pushed me all summer long. The miles I put in were not astronomical; probably only 15-20 per week. But I ran hard for every one of them and got myself into good shape for the beginning of the season.

7) What was your proudest accomplishment from this past season?
My proudest moment was coming in first place at NCS, though it is followed closely by my third place finish at state. The main difference between the two was that our team won at NCS, which made the whole experience infinitely better. Our team won by a single point, and that made me realize that had I finished second, which would have been a great accomplishment by itself, we would not have won. The same is true for all my teammates- one more place back and we would not have prevailed. Tthe knowledge that we had all worked together and that each of us had carried his load made me and the team amazingly proud.

8) Your team competes in the MCAL. Tell us a little about the competition in that league and how it helped prepare you for NCS and state.
In the MCAL competition, I had wonderful competitors in Erik Olson and Steven Iglehart. Even though I had never come close to beating Erik in a single race, I began the race by staying on his tail and seeing if I could keep up with his fast pace. Through the mile mark, he was in at 4:34 and I was right behind him at 4:37. He ended up winning the race by opening up a larger gap during the next two miles. Even though I fell off of him during that race, the fast start prepared me well for the state race. So, when my first mile at State was 4:41, I felt comfortable and confident. Steven ended up running a great race and passing me for second place, and his competition drove me during the final mile as well.

9) Tell us a little about your NCS race against St. Mary's Dan Maxwell.
My NCS race against Dan Maxwell was amazing in that everything worked exactly as I had hoped it would. I had never run against him before, but I knew that he would be gunning for the lead and that he would put up some tough competition. He lead the race for the first mile and a half or so, taking out a quick pace that left the rest of the field far behind. I hung right on his back as we cruised to a 4:45 mile and continued to stay with him from there. With strategic aid from my college running mate Nick LaPlant, I broke away from Maxwell with a short spurt of energy just before the two mile mark. This was the plan; sprint on that downhill straightaway to create separation. From there, I continued to break away. Dan Maxwell ran an excellent race and an even better one at state, where we again were neck and neck for most of the race.

10) This was your first state meet experience. Tell us about some of highlights during the two days you were in Fresno.
I had a great time in Fresno with all of teammates and coaches and family. It was the teams' goal to make it to Fresno, and we couldn't have been happier to be there. The highpoint was the race itself. I ran the best race of my life to this point, contesting for the lead during the first mile and hanging on during an competitive last mile for third place.

11) You did golf last year during the spring. Have you decided what you want to do yet during the spring and if you did, what helped contribute to making that decision?
This year I have decided to do Track instead of golf. One of the main things that drove me to do Track was all of the great friends that I have made on the Cross-Country team that are doing track. This is the last season of competetion for the seniors, and I can't wait to spend all of my afternoons with them.

12) Anything else you would like to add.
Go Tam!!!!

Thank you very much Daniel! AJC

Catching up with Tamalpais coach Sylvia Goodman...

Today we chat with Tamalpais coach Sylvia Goodman who just finished her 8th season at Tamalpais High School. Her boy's team won an incredibly competitive NCS Division IV team race this past season by a single point over 2 time defending champions, St. Mary's Berkeley (and by five points over 3rd place San Rafael). Sylvia's top runner, sophomore Daniel Milechman, was just voted as the sophomore of the year on the 2008 All NorCal XC Team after winning his first individual section title and finishing 3rd at the state meet (An interview with him will be posted shortly). Sylvia also had a great deal of success during her own high school career (in a different state) which you can read about below.

1) How did you get involved with running in your childhood?
I have 2 older brothers, and I used to joke that I took up running and tree climbing as a form of self-defense. Actually, our parents used to take us up in the mountains hiking a lot, and they would give us a 20 minute head start down the logging road ( I think the idea was to tire us out) before they started driving back. We'd run as far as we could before they caught up with us. I remember doing this when I was around 5, so I've been running for nearly 50 years.

2) Tell us a little about your running in high school and beyond and some of your achievements?
In high school in the late 60's and early 70's I was 3 time Oregon state champion in the 880. Unfortunately, injuries pretty much ended my running career when I entered college. I am still in touch with my high school coach, Sharon Hatfield, and consider her to be my savior during high school and my inspiration and mentor. Coaching at Tam has given me the opportunity to complete the circle.

3) How did you get started with coaching?
I am a psychotherapist by profession and early in my training I worked with a first grade boy who I had a strong connection with. He was a gifted runner, and I went to his meets throughout his grade school and middle school career. At his 1st high school race, I was introduced to one of the coaches who had heard of my back ground in running, and I was asked to coach cross country the next season. That was 8 years ago. At that time, the program was small, had not had consistent coaching, and not much success in recent years.

4) Who do you consider as your coaching mentors?
See above.

5) Besides your current coaching situation at Tamalpais HS, where else have you coached?
Prior to coaching at Tam, I had coached boys rec league soccer, and middle school cross country and soccer. I sought out my high school coach, went to training seminars, and did my best to get up to speed on the most current training techniques before launching into the cross country season at Tam that fall 8 years ago. I also had great support from my assistant coach Bob Friedlander. The program has definitely been a collaborative effort.

6) Tell us a little about the Tamalpais program when you first started coaching at the school?
See above.

7) Can you identify a runner(s) that you feel helped elevate the Tamalpais program to what you hoped the program would become?
We have had more strong teams than individuals, but Emilie Olson (07) went to state all 4 years of high school...as a freshman she was a member of the Tam girls team that placed 10th at state in D4. She competed as an individual the subsequent 3 years, finishing 18th her senior year. Sophomore Dan Milechman, who placed 3rd in this year's state D4 competition, is by far the most talented runner I've coached. Coming into the season, I knew I had a very solid core of 5 senior boys, and Dan had run well as a freshman last year, earning the #2 spot on the team after steady improvement. Dan is as solid emotionally as he is as a competitor, and his team mates love him. He does not particularly enjoy the attention his success has garnered, and is all about the team. When interviewed by the local paper about his feelings about going to state, he remarked that he was excited that his team would be there with him.

8) Your league (and area) did extremely well at the NCS meet this year. How did this helped your team?
I think its great that we're in such a competitive league...it forces us to think strategically and constantly push. Nearly every school in MCALs had either a very competitive team or a top runner this year. It was great! It set us up well for NCS. Both the girls and boys teams did an outstanding job of coming together and really competing at NCS this year. I couldn't have been prouder.

9) What were your goals going into the season for your team and was it a surprise winning NCS?
Coming into the season I thought the boys team had a decent chance to make it to state, and that was the focus of the season. My girls came so close to making it too...that was sweet! But the boys winning NCS and upsetting St Mary's by a point was huge!

10) In looking at what you do with your team, what do you consider as the keys to your team's success?
Cross country is a physically and psychologically challenging sport. We try to make it fun, to foster a sense of family and a positive environment. As a result, I have athletes who more internally motivated. They learn the importance of working as a unit and not as individuals, with strong team values and respect for each other and other teams.

11) If you were to give advice to a young coach, what would it be?
My advice to a young coach would be this: never lose your passion, your sense of humor, your patience, sight of your goals, or yourself. Respect each runner as an individual, support their effort, and listen. Make it fun.

Thank you very much Sylvia! AJC.

Girls' Top 25 Distance Relays from 2008

4 x 800m. Relay
1 9:21.06 Saugus SS Pasadena Games 03/29/08
2 9:25.19 Ursuline NC Mt. Carmel 03/29/08
3 9:28.37 Mira Costa SS California Relays 03/21/08
4 9:28.62 Great Oak SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
5 9:28.92 Torrey Pines SD Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
6 9:30.68 Poly (LB) SS Trabuco Hills Invitational 04/04/08
7 9:34.35 Los Gatos CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
8 9:36.40 King, ML SS Chet Nicholson Relays 03/29/08
9 9:37.44 El Modena SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
10 9:39.59 Castro Valley NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
11 9:40.06 Vista Murrieta SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
12 9:40.40 Deer Valley NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
13 9:40.82 Wilson-LB SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
14 9:42.20 Fountain Vlly SS California Relays 03/21/08
15 9:44.57 St. Mary's NC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
16 9:44.93 Corona Del Mar SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
17 9:45.40 Edison-HB SS Triton Invitational 03/15/08
18 9:45.82 Santa Margarit SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
19 9:46.25 Upland SS Trabuco Hills Invitational 04/04/08
20 9:46.36 Oak Ridge SJ Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
21 9:47.10 St. Francis SJ Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
22 9:47.99 Etiwanda SS Trabuco Hills Invitational 04/04/08
23 9:48.09 Campolindo NC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
24 9:49.45 Rancho Bernrdo SD Falcon Relays 03/22/08
25 9:51.15 La Reina SS Camarillo Classic 03/14/08

4 x 1600m. Relay
1 20:03.73c Saugus SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
2 20:46.02 Carondelet NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
3 20:49.71c Crescenta Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
4 20:55.59c Lutheran (Orange) SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
5 20:55.62c Chaparral SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
6 21:11.10c Dana Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
7 21:11.11c Mountain View CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
8 21:15.46 Redlands SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
9 21:17.44c Murrieta Vally SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
10 21:21.84c El Toro SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
11 21:22.83c Trabuco Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
12 21:24.33 College Park NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
13 21:24.33c Fountain Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
14 21:25.57c El Modena SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
15 21:28.31c St. Francis SJ Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
16 21:29.46c Aptos CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
17 21:31.19c Santa Margarit SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
18 21:33.20c Buchanan CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
19 21:37.26 Rancho Buena V SD Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
20 21:37.57c Great Oak SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
21 21:38.36c La Costa Cnyn SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
22 21:38.70c Simi Valley SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
23 21:42.34c King, ML SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
24 21:45.48c Escondido SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
25 21:46.92 Castro Valley NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08

4 x 1 Mile Relay
1 20:10.76 Saugus SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
2 20:57.01 Crescenta Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
3 21:02.92 Lutheran (Orange) SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
4 21:02.95 Chaparral SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
5 21:18.52 Dana Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
6 21:18.53 Mountain View CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
7 21:24.90 Murrieta Vally SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
8 21:29.33 El Toro SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
9 21:30.32 Trabuco Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
10 21:31.83 Fountain Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
11 21:33.08 El Modena SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
12 21:33.34 Redlands SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
13 21:35.83 St. Francis SJ Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
14 21:36.99 Aptos CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
15 21:38.73 Santa Margarit SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
16 21:40.75 Buchanan CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
17 21:45.15 Great Oak SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
18 21:45.94 La Costa Cnyn SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
19 21:46.28 Simi Valley SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
20 21:49.95 King, ML SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
21 21:53.10 Escondido SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
22 21:58.00 Maria Carillo NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
23 22:00.70 Castro Valley NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
24 22:04.30 Arroyo Grande SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
25 22:08.55 Canyon-Ana SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08

Distance Medley Relay
1 11:51.58 Saugus SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
2 12:06.15 Torrey Pines SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
3 12:06.42 Crescenta Vlly SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
4 12:10.11 Esperanza SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
5 12:12.60 Carondelet NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
6 12:18.63 Corona Del Mar SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
7 12:19.18 Gunn CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
8 12:21.01 Brea Olinda SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
9 12:21.18 Woodbridge SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
10 12:22.00 Bishop O'Dowd NC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
11 12:22.26 King, ML SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
12 12:22.64 Fountain Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
13 12:22.88 Rancho Bernrdo SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
14 12:24.60 Great Oak SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
15 12:25.37 Rancho Buena V SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
16 12:26.80 Redlands SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
17 12:27.72 Vista Murrieta SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
18 12:33.63 Castro Valley NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
19 12:34.05 Edison-HB SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
20 12:34.25 Los Gatos CC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
21 12:35.14 Marlborough SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
22 12:36.63 Murrieta Vally SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
23 12:37.23 College Park NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
24 12:37.68 Campolindo NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
25 12:38.81 Mira Costa SS Mustang Relays 03/29/08

Boys' Top 25 Distance Relays from 2008

The following data is courtesy of www.episports.com. Norcal Teams are in bold.

4 x 800m. Relay
1 7:49.24 Loyola SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
2 7:49.49 Dana Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
3 7:52.11 Servite SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
4 7:54.57 University Cty SD Trabuco Hills Invitational 04/04/08
5 7:54.84 Woodcreek SJ Bronco Roundup Distance 04/11/08
6 7:58.99 Vista Murrieta SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
7 8:00.0 Ventura SS Spartan Relays Rio Mesa 04/05/08
8 8:00.58 Palo Alto CC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
9 8:01.45 Torrey Pines SD Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
10 8:01.53 Carlmont CC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
11 8:03.04 San Ramon Vlly NC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
12 8:03.87 La Sierra SS California Relays 03/21/08
13 8:04.55 Deer Valley NC Deer Valley Relays 03/29/08
14 8:05.05 Corona SS Chet Nicholson Relays 03/29/08
15 8:05.20 Skyline OK Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
16 8:05.57 Mira Costa SS California Relays 03/21/08
17 8:06.01 Cal Sch Deaf SS Sparta Relays 03/29/08
18 8:06.15 El Toro SS Earl Engman Relays 03/01/08
19 8:06.27 Granite Bay SJ Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
20 8:06.57 Clovis East CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
21 8:06.79 Rancho Bernrdo SD Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
22 8:07.36 St. Mary's NC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
23 8:07.98 Simi Valley SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
24 8:08.8 Newbury Park SS Spartan Relays Rio Mesa ... 04/05/08
25 8:09.39 Fountain Vlly SS California Relays 03/21/08

4 x 1600m. Relay
1 17:28.45c Loyola SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
2 17:40.00c Crescenta Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
3 17:40.11c Willow Glen CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
4 17:44.39c Ventura SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
5 17:45.94c Skyline OK Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
6 17:46.66c Buchanan CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
7 17:47.18c Barstow SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
8 17:47.71 Arcadia SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
9 17:49.33 Campolindo NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
10 17:50.88 University Cty SD Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
11 17:50.97c El Toro SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
12 17:53.10c Aptos CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
13 17:54.57c Corona SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
14 17:55.37c Monte Vista NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
15 17:58.35c El Rancho SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
16 18:02.33 Ayala SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
17 18:03.08c Thousand Oaks SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
18 18:05.40c Lakewood SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
19 18:06.34c Dana Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
20 18:07.04c Vista Murrieta SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
21 18:07.52c Whittier SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
22 18:08.87 St. John Bosco SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
23 18:08.9 Trabuco Hills SS Katella Relays 03/15/08
24 18:11.32c Madera CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
25 18:12.03c Valencia-Pl SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08

4 x 1 Mile Relay
1 17:34.57 Loyola SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
2 17:46.19 Crescenta Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
3 17:46.30 Willow Glen CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
4 17:50.61 Ventura SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
5 17:52.17 Skyline OK Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
6 17:52.89 Buchanan CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
7 17:53.41 Barstow SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
8 17:57.22 El Toro SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
9 17:59.37 Aptos CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
10 18:00.85 Corona SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
11 18:01.65 Monte Vista NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
12 18:04.65 El Rancho SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
13 18:05.15 Arcadia SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
14 18:09.41 Thousand Oaks SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
15 18:11.74 Lakewood SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
16 18:12.68 Dana Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
17 18:13.39 Vista Murrieta SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
18 18:13.87 Whittier SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
19 18:15.54 Ayala SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
20 18:17.69 Madera CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
21 18:18.41 Valencia-Pl SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
22 18:21.62 Amador Valley NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
23 18:22.59 Fountain Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
24 18:23.00 San Pedro LA Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
25 18:23.54 Rancho Cucamng SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08

Distance Medley Relay
1 10:12.77 Trabuco Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
2 10:14.08 Dana Hills SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
3 10:16.36 Monte Vista NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
4 10:16.46 Loyola SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
5 10:17.69 Palo Alto CC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
6 10:18.27 Skyline OK Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
7 10:18.68 El Toro SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
8 10:19.59 Woodcreek SJ Bronco Roundup Distance 04/11/08
9 10:20.02 University Cty SD Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
10 10:21.79 Newport Harbor SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
11 10:24.19 Ventura SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
12 10:24.84 Crescenta Vlly SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
13 10:26.75 Madera CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
14 10:27.35 Buchanan CE Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
15 10:27.45 Petaluma NC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
16 10:28.81 Mira Costa SS Mustang Relays 03/29/08
17 10:31.85 Evergreen Valley CC Stanford Invitational 04/04/08
18 10:32.49 Saugus SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
19 10:32.62 Corona SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
20 10:33.85 St. Mary's NC Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
21 10:35.11 Lakewood SS Arcadia Invitational 04/10/08
22 10:35.17 Burroughs(Bur) SS Trabuco Hills Invitational 04/04/08
23 10:35.38 DeLaSalle NC Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08
24 10:35.69 La Sierra SS California Relays 03/21/08
25 10:36.71 St. John Bosco SS Mt. SAC Invitational 04/18/08

Girls will be posted tomorrow.

Northern California Track Preview 2008

You want to know who are the fastest returners in all Track and Field events for Northern California? Look no further as I have the link for you.

The following link and information is courtesy of Keith Conning and the Conning Tower blog.
Northern California Track Preview 2008

What is going to be the most strongest event for Northern CA? What will be the most competitive event in NCS? CCS? SJS? NS? Oak? SF? Who is the best athlete (in any event) in Northern CA?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I know this is not running related but...

If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious.

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears
With their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were
growing up; what with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning…
Uphill... barefoot... BOTH ways... Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up,
There was no way in hell I was going to lay
A bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it
And how easy they've got it!
But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of
Thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my
Childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you
Don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to
know something, We had to go to the damn library and
Look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!
There was no email!! We had to actually write
Somebody a letter, with a pen!
Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the
mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3' s or Napsters! You wanted to
Steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it
yourself!
Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd
usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you
were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal,
that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either!
When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your
school, your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections
agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances,
mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video
Games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games
like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square!
You actually had to use your I mag ination!! And there were no multiple
levels or screens, it was just one screen forever!

And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and
faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a Little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!
You were screwed when it Came to channel surfing! You had to get off
your ass and walk over to the TV to change the Channel and there was no
Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons
On Saturday Morning. Do you Hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK
For cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat
Something up we had to use the stove.... Imagine that!
That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids
today have got it too easy.
You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted
five minutes back in 1980!

Regards,
The over 30 Crowd

3 IN FAMILY OF RUNNERS TAKE FIRSTS

For those of you that remember former Head Royce runner Clara Horowitz, here is a pretty cool story about her, husband and...well you will have to read the article.

Baby Boy Peterson bounces across finish in mom's belly

By DENNIS TAYLOR
Herald Staff Writer

Updated: 01/02/2009 01:34:28 AM PST

The son of Clara and Jeff Peterson finished the annual Rio Resolution Run well ahead of most of the competition Thursday, which was noteworthy because (1) he was in the first race of his life, and (2) officially, his life isn't scheduled to begin for another three months.

Mama Clara, six months pregnant, was the first woman across the finish line at the 6.5-mile charity race, hosted by Carmel's Rio Grill, which made it a big day for the Peterson family. Daddy Jeff won the men's division for the second year in a row. And Baby — who doesn't yet have a name — seemed to enjoy the bumpy ride on a nice morning in Carmel.

To read the rest of this article, check out the following link:
3 IN FAMILY OF RUNNERS TAKE FIRSTS

Happy New Year everybody!

Hope this coming year will be even an greater success than 2008 for all those teams and athletes out there.

I will see those coaches that are attending the Collaborative Round Table this Saturday. Chris and I are both very excited at this first annual event.

If you have any ideas that you would like to see on this blog in this coming year, please forward them to me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

Check out the following article about one of the best teams in Northern CA, Mt. View HS.
Great in ’08 (Los Altos Town Crier/Mt. View XC)