Lagoon Valley Classic Meet Preview

You can check out the meet preview at this link:
http://ca.milesplit.com/articles/188734-lagoon-valley-classic-meet-preview

Feel free to comment below on the Saturday's meet and/or if anything is inaccurate or should have been included.

Lagoon Valley Classic Invitational

I am working on a preview of this meet which will be posted on Friday. If you have any information that would be helpful, please feel free to add it in the comment section below. If you would like to share your thoughts about the course, you know what to do. 

Thank you for the first comment below. Very helpful. If somebody has a copy, can you send me a course map. Also, what are the course records?

What is the Best CA XC Program of All Time?

This week, on ca.milesplit.com, you can vote on the top XC programs in California during the state meet era (1987 to present). Among the many candidates are a three schools from Northern California and they are Jesuit Boys (SJS) 9 state titles, San Lorenzo Valley Girls (CCS) 5 state titles and University Girls (NCS) 10 state titles. 

You can check out the article explaining how the voting works and where to place your votes at this link:
http://ca.milesplit.com/articles/188536-what-is-the-best-ca-xc-program-of-all-time

If you have any comments, feel free to add them in the section below.

Rancho Cotate Invitational

Results are now posted at the links below. You can also check out photos from the meet courtesy of Jim Crowhurst, www.redwoodempirerunning.com and Michael Lucid.  The video above is from start of girls varsity race. Aimee Armstrong of Maria Carrillo takes a pretty rough tumble but ends up recovering to finish in 3rd place. 

http://www.redwoodempirerunning.com/rancho-boys-invitational/
http://www.redwoodempirerunning.com/rancho-girls-invitational/

If you see the results posted and/or you have a link to share, please feel free to do so below in the comment section. Also, if you are competing today at a meet, please let me know so I can hunt down the results and post those as well.

Oakmont Invitational Results (SJS)

http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=117958 (Lots of SJS teams participated)

Toughest Cross Country Course in California

Milesplit.com is in the process of determining the toughest course in the United States. They are currently inquiring about the toughest courses in each state. I have done some research and asked a few coaches and I think I have my toughest course in California. 

I will keep that to myself for now (don't want to bias anybody out there) so let's hear it from the runners, coaches and parents out there about the toughest course they have encountered during their time competing in California.

Please list the course and any other information that backs up your claim as the toughest course in Northern California. Feel free to add photo links as well if you have any.

What is your first race and what are your goals for this coming season?

Feel free to share your first race and goals for this coming season. You can use your name or not. Let us know what you want to accomplish this year and feel free to add your individual and team goals.

Northern Section pre-season Cross Country rankings

"Here are my pre-season rankings for the Northern Section based on section cross country and track results from last year." Scott Fairley, West Valley coach

You can check out my interview with coach Fairley from April 2014 at this LINK.

Girls
1.       Kelly Koehnen (12) Hamilton
2.       Karly Gutermuth (12) Trinity
3.       Morgan Gregory (11) UPrep
4.       Naomi Renfroe (12) Red Bluff
5.       Meri Krier (12) Yreka

Teams
1.       Shasta
2.       Yreka
3.       Sutter
4.       University Prep
5.       Foothill

Boys
1.       Andrew Skoy (12) Shasta
2.       Jack Emanuel (12) Chico
3.       Brian Hastings (11) Las Plumas
4.       Michael Cramer (12) UPrep
5.       Chris Meeder (12) West Valley

Teams
1.       University Prep
2.       Shasta
3.       Chico
4.       Yreka
5.       West Valley

Note from Lowell Invitational meet director Andy Leong

The following was sent to teams that have switched from The Earlybird Invitational to the Lowell Invitational.

Coaches,
I need a couple of days to figure out how many schools I can accept to the meet.  Prior to Earlybird being cancelled, we were already approaching the all time high in number of schools.   

If you haven't already, please give me an estimate as to how many runners you will have per division.  I may have to ask the larger teams to limited what you can run.

If you have somehow been able to get on to the registration page on directathletics, please do not enter any names till I give the OK.

Thanks,
Andy Leong
Meet Director
Lowell Invite

***2016 Earlybird has been cancelled***

We regret to inform everyone that the 2016 Earlybird Invitational has been cancelled. The Soberanes fire containment date has moved more than a month later than originally predicted and Toro Park will be occupied by firefighters for the foreseeable future.  Be assured that we looked into all alternative options possible but we were not able to find any. Please make alternative plans for September 10th.

I want to thank all the teams that had committed to coming. We had the biggest and most competitive line-up of teams for our 22nd annual event. Special thanks to Saugus and Martin Luther King who were planning to make the trek from the southern part of the state and were bringing some of the top tradition rich programs in the state to face the best the northern part of the state has to offer. Please cancel any payments for the meet at this time and we will be sending your already received checks back to you ASAP.

Finally, traditionally we have had Earlybird the Saturday after Labor Day. For 2017 we will break with tradition and host the "Not So Early Earlybird" at Toro Park on the following Saturday. The 22nd Annual Earlybird will be Saturday, September 16th, 2017. This will allow some top programs who prefer to wait one more week before racing to come to the meet. Please mark your calendars and we will surely make the 2017 meet the best with fire on the course where it belongs!

Best of luck this season to all the teams and athletes and please let me know if you have any questions.

Coach Ibarra

Earlybird Meet Director

gusibarra@aim.com