San Ramon Valley Nike Cross Country Clinic Notes

Just some bullet points from the clinic I attended about a week ago at SRVHS:

Pat Tyson
•When starting a program, have to get the numbers first.
•Have to make running fun.
•Have to have benchmarks-Sub 5 for 1600, Sub 18 for 5K, etc.
•Develop a culture. "It's all about the team".
•Get parents to help you. They can help you with some of the dirty work.
•Traveling as a team by bus is a cool thing.
•Victory lap after every meet. It's the little things that add up.
•In cross country you cheer for your teammates when you are done racing.
•Failure is a good thing.
•Don't let a bad day define who you are or what you have done. Get over it.

Danny Green
•You (the coach) are the difference in having a great program.
•When you have a fitness program, that is just above mediocre.
•Bad races are like a bowel movement. Flush it and move on.
•Year round program (all cross country runners run track)
•Volume center (mileage baby mileage)
•Follow hard/easy
•Vigil System
•It's all about the team
Coaching 101
•Be passionate
•Time cannot be a factor
•Be willing to make some sacrifices you ask your kids
•Don't be afraid to change
•We all make mistakes
•Love your kids
•Coach the way you want your children to be coached
•Finally, you are the most important part of the equation of success

Walt Lange
•We need to recruit for our sport (cross country)
•Tools of Communication
a) Team Website http://www.jesuittrack.org/
b) Workout schedule on calendar online
c) Google document sharing
•Record their time for each run
•Summer Program
June 16-July 256:30am-7:45am Monday through Friday
•Athletic.net-great resource for results
•Maps for California on Jesuit website: http://www.jesuittrack.org/mapscentral.html
•Training course maps
•GPS Visualizer
•Race analysis after each race
•Flip Video (Great way to videotape your races and get them online)

Will post Danny Green's yearly workout schedule next.

Northern California Newspaper Coverage

Santa Rosa Press Democrat All Empire Track and Field Teams
•BOYS 2008 ALL-EMPIRE
•GIRLS 2008 ALL-EMPIRE

Stockton Record Cross Country Runners of the Year
•Cross Country: Matt Airola (Bret Harte runner)
•Cross Country: Lauren Petersen (Galt runner)

San Jose Mercury News Year in Sports
•2007-08 The Year in Sports (Fall, Cross Country mention)

•Riverbank standout Fernandez is Gatorade national track athlete of the year (Modesto Bee)

•Athletes, Businesses Heartbroken by Cancellation of Endurance Race (Western States 100)

•Zerzan's family crucial to athlete of the year recognition (Sarah Zerzan Div. III athlete of the year)

Olympic trials: Olympic hopeful Rowbury is Sunset native and Sacred Heart Cathedral graduate

Great article in today's SF Chronicle about former Sacred Heart Cathedral runner Shannon Rowbury (pictures above courtesy of the SF Chronicle) by one of the best track writer's in the Bay Area, John Crumpacker. Rowbury is attempting to make her first Olympic team in the 1500m. this coming trials and based on her past accomplishments in high school, college and beyond, she seems like a safe bet to make the team.

•Olympic trials: Olympic hopeful Rowbury is Sunset native and Sacred Heart Cathedral graduate

Scotty Bauhs Workout

Former San Ramon Valley HS and current Chico State runner Scotty Bauhs is featured below on workout Wednesday courtesy of Flotrack.com. I am curious as to who was the last NCS distance runner to make the Olympic team? Anybody know?

State meet qualifiers and divisional breakdowns for '08 XC

As I start to put together the pre-season rankings for the Northern California sections, here is what I have in terms of qualifying teams (for the entire state) and divisions for the following sections. If you have any updates to any of these links, please post them in the comment section below.

The teams from each division that qualify from each section will be as follows for 2008:
http://www.cifstate.org/sports/state/cross_country/xc%20entries.html

NCS
http://cifncs.org/sports/cross_country/files/DIVISIONS0809.pdf

CCS
http://www.cifccs.org/playoffs/cbeds/07-08/07-08%20c-beds%20-9-12%20sb,%20bsb,%20soc.pdf (Division cut-offs not posted yet)

SJS
Not posted yet.

NS
http://cifns.org/playoff/Divisions/08ccdiv.pdf

Oakland Section Schools are all considered Division I

San Francisco Section Schools
"Since, at least 1994, the San Francisco Section qualifiers (top team and top 5 individual as long as they finish in the top 8) to the state cross country meet do run in their school's division. We do not get any addition teams or individuals but it does allows our athletes to run on a more level playing field. Over the last three years or so, it just happens that are best runners are from Lowell, Lincoln and Galileo (all D1 schools, Gal only the last two years or so). When Bolota Asmeron was at McAteer, he ran in D3. Marc Christensen and I worked on this and as a result our section's basketball teams have followed our lead."
Andy Leong Lowell HS Coach

Fresno, Fresno and Fresno.

If you are a cross country and/or track and field athlete, the place you want to be for at least the next three years is FRESNO. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) just announced an agreement with Buchanan HS to hold the CA state meet on their campus for the next 3 years. I am all for anything that keeps the city of Fresno happy so we can continue to hold the cross country state meet in Fresno. There is just way too much history now at Woodward Park to move to another venue in the future (hopefully).

•Official Release from CIF

From Contra Costa Times Blog
•New site for high school state track meet

I expecially like the colored exchange zones (what a great idea!)
•http://www.flickr.com/photos/andynoise/2286990055/in/set-72157603970916228/

George Carlin's Baseball and Football

I have always been a big fan of George Carlin and was very saddened to hear about his untimely death last night. Here is one of my all time favorite bits of his were he compares Baseball and Football. Enjoy this classic!

3rd Annual West Coast Distance Clinic

Great event once again at San Ramon Valley HS on Saturday as the coaches that attended the free coach's clinic were treated to lots of Nike gear (my prediction is Nike will develop a pair of spikes that weigh nothing and I am NOT kidding), a great lunch, 3 of the greatest HS coaches ever to hold stopwatches in the history of high school distance running and FREE shoes!

Leading the way was Pat Tyson (above left picture in the middle), formerly of Mead HS fame, who is the new cross country and track and field coach at Gonzaga University. Tyson has just completed a stint at one of the legendary high schools in distance running lore, South Eugene HS. Between his 22 years at Mead and his one year at South Eugen, Tyson made two quick stops at Oregon U. and Kentucky U. He is also well known in the distance running community as the roommate of Steve Prefontaine during his days in Oregon.

Following more Nike gear, the next coach to speak was Danny Green (above left picture on the left) of Woodlands HS. Mr. Green was quite a character as he stole the show cracking his fair share of one liners (think funny Vince Lombardi) but leaving no doubt about why his teams are so successful. How successful you may ask? 2 years ago, his school boasted 22 boys under 10:00 for the 3200. Last year, his team finished in 4th place at NTN without one of his best teams in his long illustrious career. He's close to retiring but don't count out Woodlands HS in the future as his son, Juris, is rearing to take over for daddy.

Lastly but definitely not least was Jesuit (of Carmichael) longtime coach, Walt Lange (pictured above on picture to the right). He is well known, especially in California, for winning state cross country titles (NINE!), his outstanding website, coaching lots of fast runners, and most recently his incredibly detailed cross country maps. You can also view lots of tools and links that Walt uses here.

Thanks to Tim Hunter (San Ramon Valley HS coach), all the Nike representatives and Jimmy McFadden of Forward Motion Sports for putting together another outstanding clinic. If you weren't able to make this clinic this year, don't miss out next year. Definitely a must for any coach that wants to pick up something new (or two) for the following cross country season.

If you attended the clinic, what did you think?

By the way, the coach pictured above that wasn't mentioned, the one and only Joe Newton. A documentary about all his accomplishments will be opening the Running Film Festival at the Olympic Trials in Oregon.

HS Track coverage...

Nice blog article about who else but German Fernandez:
•A "German" Invasion Worth It's Place in History

Diego Estrada is named athlete of the year in the Californian (Salinas)
•The Salinas Californian's 2008 male athlete of the year: Diego Estrada
•Watkins: Estrada makes a little history

•California track & running NEWS

1968 U.S. track team was best ever

Great article found in the SJ Mercury News by Ann Killion about her thoughts on the greatest Olympic Track and Field team ever, the 1968 team.

You can find the article at the following link:
•Killion: 1968 U.S. track team was best ever

Also, the following article is from the Sacramento Bee with a historical perspective of what the trials mean to the state of Oregon:
•Eugene's deep track history resurfaces for U.S. Trials

And for your television viewing pleasure, here is a list of Track and Field meets coming up in the next three months courtesy of USATF site:
•TV Track and Field Broadcasts