Jackson Hole Middle School Cross Country

Schedule for the Week

2009-10-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you for such a great final meet! The weather cooperated, everyone ran well, we had a large crew of Jackson parent/sibling cheerleaders, the bus ride was ideal and everyone seemed very happy. Congratulations for a great season!

Monday: Columbus Day (You have no school, but feel free to visit me during my meetings at Jackson Elementary...)

Tuesday: Potluck Banquet
JHMS Commons
6:00 pm
Bring:
1. You, your parents, other members of your cheering squad
2. Table service (forks, plates, etc. for your crew)
3. Something to share
A-K Salad or main dish item
L-Z Dessert
4. Your uniform if you haven't already returned it

I look forward to seeing you there!

An Early Saturday Morning

2009-10-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here's the morning schedule for our Pocatello race:

4:45 AM Arrive to load bus (yikes, that's early!)
5:00 AM Bus leaves JHMS parking lot

I'm not a morning person either....

HOWEVER, this is our last race and it will be awesome. Plus, our high school friends will be racing there as well.

Perk up!

Wyoming Indian Meet Cancelled

2009-10-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, October 6th's meet in Ethete, WY has been cancelled due to weather. I am bummed in a huge way. We will meet at JHMS for practice as usual.

Pocatello Meet

2009-10-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

This is what I've copy/pasted from what I found while google searching our Pocatello Meet:

The Conley Invitational Cross Country meet is an inexpensive quality meet hosted by Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho. Highland High school is 1 mile from interstate exit 71 on the I15 and I86 Junction. This makes the Highland High School cross country course the most easily accessible XC competition site in Idaho.

The Course:
The Highland cross-country course is the most spectator friendly courses in the State of Idaho. Spectators can see the entire race from the upper campus. The course starts and finishes inside District 25 Stadium, is 10 to 6 feet wide and composed of several different surfaces including, grass, dirt, gravel, and track.
The course follows a European design. It consists of two major loops. Each loop has two long strait-a-way’s and two major hills.
Driving Directions to Highland High School:
Take I86 or I15 towards Pocatello, Idaho. Once in Pocatello take Exit 71 and turn east on Pocatello Creek Rd. Next, go north on Olympus Dr. Continue north on Olympus Dr. until you come to North Fairway. At North Fairway turn east until you come to Bench Rd. At Bench Rd. turn south and follow the road to the Highland High School general parking lot.
Parking:
Highland High School has three parking lots available on campus. The three parking lots on campus have 600 FREE parking spaces. Additional parking is available at the Bannock County Fairgrounds, located across the street from Highland High School on Church Hill Downs Rd.
Awards:
Girls Middle School Top 5 Medal
Boys Middle School Top 5 Medal
Girls J.V. Top 10 Medal
Boys J.V. Top 10 Medal
Girls Varsity Top 15 Medal
Boys Varsity Top 15 Medal
Members of the Girl’s & Boy’s Varsity Team Champions will receive Championship Medals and
The Girl’s & Boy’s Varsity Team Champions will also receive Championship Plaques.

Course Description: next to Highland golf course, east of the freeway Weather it snowed 1 and half inches last yearRace Divisions
Mens Races
2,500 Meters middle school 9:30 AM
5,000 Meters Junior Varsity 10:40 AM
5,000 Meters Varsity 12:00 PM
Womens Races
2,500 Meters middle school 9:00 AM
5,000 Meters Junior Varsity 10:00 AM
5,000 Meters Varsity 11:20 AM

Schedule 10/5/09-10/10/09

2009-10-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, how is it possible that this is our last week!?! Too soon!

Monday: Easy pre-race run + accelerations

Tuesday: Meet in Ethete, WY -- Wyoming Indian Invitational
Dismissal from class: 10:00 am
Departure: 10:15 am

Wednesday: Scavenger Hunt

Thursday: Wells Fargo

Friday: Easy pre-race run + accelerations

Saturday: Meet in Pocatello
Depart: 5:00am
Race start: 9:00 am
(As far as I know!)

Also, we are tentatively planning to have an end-0f-season potluck at JHMS on the evening of October 13th. I'll keep you posted when more of the details are confirmed.

Runner of the Meet - Lyman

2009-10-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Miss BH is our runner of the meet. During BH's race, a girl in front of her repeatedly fell leading BH to believe that the girl had broken her ankle. Witnessing the girl's pain, BH ran off the race course to alert a race official that the girl was injured. I applaud BH for seeing the "big picture." Instead of caring more about her two mile race, she cared about the well being of a girl from another team. Wow. Additionally, BH consistently encourages her teammates, takes responsibility for her paperwork and pushes herself in practice and workouts.

We're so happy to have you on our team!

Lyman/Fort Bridger Meet

2009-10-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'd have to say that our most recent meet was my favorite to date. The weather made it fun, the historical significance of the race site make the course meaningful and we performed well! To quote some of our sixth grade girls,"Our team is dynamite...tick...tick...tick...BOOM!" The girls finished first with many individuals medaling. The boys finished second and also had many individuals medal. Very exciting!

I calculated that I spent 13 hours with the team that day. The first 12 hours were awesome. I would give those hours an A+ letter grade. However, the bus ride from Alpine back to Jackson was disappointing. As KL, one of the bus cleaners, described the condition of the bus,"It looked like the candy gods threw up candy all over the bus." Sad, but true.

Since a significant number of the runners spent the last hour of the bus ride leaving the bus in poor shape, I decided that we should spend an hour making the school grounds a better place. Consequently, we had a trash picking up contest for practice on Friday. I really enjoyed watching runners get really excited about his/her particularly nasty finding. The clean-up went very well and the seating chart will only influence the ride to the meet on Tuesday.

The seating chart may sound a bit harsh, but I feel it's necessary to make sure that the bus is a safe and respectful place.

Runners of the Meet - Jackson Invitational

2009-10-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Two individuals had outstanding races and general race performances at our home meet.

RD earns this title because she:

- Mental Toughness
Ran a strong and steady race. Great kick at the end.

- Responsibility
Consistently has paperwork taken care of and is on time for everything!

- Team Player
When our last Jackson runner was finishing her race, RD ran the last lap with her teammate. Even though RD was tired from her own race, I liked that she decided it was more important to help her teammate than merely relax.

TD earns this title because he:

- Mental Toughness
Ran a great race. Strong pacing. To fully capture the look of his competitive spirit, you must see the picture of him finishing. His faces shows his obvious commitment to racing well!

- Responsibility
Consistently takes care of all his paperwork.

- Team Player
No one has ever accused TD of cheating in practice or a game. Also, TD has never accused anyone of cheating. He gets along well with everyone, makes us laugh and is a constant source of optimism.

Thank you for modeling such great behavior and for being such great representatives for our team!

Schedule 9/28-10/2

2009-09-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to say that I'm so glad that we had a home meet. As far as I know, every athlete had at least one parent, friend, teacher, aunt, uncle, etc., cheering at our race. It was such a joy to have such a great community turnout. If you weren't such great kids, we wouldn't have had so much support! Also, both boys and girls won the meet!

Props to Kathy Watkins, Sean Shockley, Jeff Parrott & the custodial crew for all their set-up, tear-down and organizational work! Don't forget to thank them when you see them.

As for this week:

Monday: Track Repeats (Our very last hard workout)

Tuesday: Team Pictures @ 3:15pm, wear your uniform!, 30-40 minutes

Wednesday: Easy Day Before Race run + accelerations

Thursday: Meet in Lyman, WY
- Dismissal from class: 9:30
- Departure from JHMS: 9:45
As always, you must have a pre-approval form to get on the bus

Friday: Wells Fargo!

One thing I really liked...

2009-09-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

At the Lander meet, the girls were off racing and the boys did an excellent job independently completing our pre-race warm-up and stretching. I was proud of you!

Runner of the Meet -- Lander

2009-09-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

AK was our Lander runner of the meet for the following reasons:

- Ideal bus behavior in spite of our calamitous journey
- Always gives full effort in practice (doesn't literally cut corners or slack)
- Calls me when necessary (takes responsibility)
- Exhibits role model behavior at practice and meets (hears and listens)
- Follows instructions (pays attention and follows through!)
- After her race, she cheered and ran along side some of our boys (team player)

We are so happy you're on our team!

Field Trip

2009-09-22T20:29:00.001-07:00

Today we ran to Bell Fitness to hear some nutritional advice from Carrie Clark (sp?), the nutritionist at Bell Fitness. Ask your child about what he/she learned and how a runner can make healthy pre- and post-race decisions when dining at a gas station convenience store.

Thank you Carrie!

Team Picture

2009-09-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Next week we will take our official team pictures. Here are the pictures we took after the Star Valley and Idaho Falls meets.

Team Picture Day:

Tuesday, September 29th

3:15 pm
JHMS

I will distribute the money/ordering envelopes at practice.

Attendance & Fall Weather Reminder

2009-09-22T20:22:00.001-07:00

Believe me, I know a lot of people in the schools are sick. Please contact me via phone, email, blog, facebook, etc. to let me know your whereabouts. You are expected to be at practice unless I hear otherwise.

It's starting to look and feel like fall. Don't forget to pack an extra layer or two!

Late Bus Arrival

2009-09-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Why did our bus get back so late after the Lander meet?

Our bus broke down in a remote cell phone-less place, we had to switch buses a couple times and, consequently, we encountered the "night delays" on Togwotee. That is why we finally arrived in a Pavillion bus.

Mad props to Donna, a Pavillion bus driver, who rescued our crew.

Mad props to Ed Lavino, our Jackson bus driver, who drove us back.

Mad props to Kathy Watkins, volunteer extraordinaire, who helped everyone stay sane by providing pizza and wisdom.

We couldn't have done it without you!

Lyman Invite Info - yay!

2009-09-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

The information below is copy/pasted from the email I received:

LYMAN HIGH SCHOOL
10th Annual Invitational
Cross Country Meet

The Lyman High School Cross Country Invitational will be held this year on Thursday, October 1, 2009 starting at 3:30 pm. The meet is being held at the Fort Bridger Museum grounds, in Fort Bridger.

You may walk the course at 2:00. The starting times are as follows.

` 3:30 Middle School boys and girls (depending on the number)
Separate if we have 20 or more.
4:00 Middle School boys or varsity girls (depending on previous number)
4:30 Varsity girls or varsity boys (depending on previous number)
5:00 Varsity boys or JV girls & boys (depending on previous number and also the number of JV runners)
5:30 JV runners (if the numbers have demanded)

This time schedule or immediately following the previous heat will be used.

When you arrive, please check in at the flagpole area. Depending on the number of entries we may combine some running categories.

Meet Update

2009-09-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

Our Jackson race will take place on Thursday at JHMS. All Jackson and Star Valley runners (both boys and girls) will run together and the race will start at 4:00pm. The race will be run around the nearby fields and will finish on the track.

Schedule 9/21-9/25

2009-09-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

Monday: Pyramid Intervals

Tuesday: Distance + Accelerations
+ Field trip to a surprise location!!!

Wednesday: Easy pre-race day, preview the course

Thursday: Meet in Jackson (NOT in Thermopolis)
This will be a dual meet against Star Valley. As far as I know the races will be at 3:30/4 ish. The course will likely run around the middle school and will finish on the freshly painted track. I will relay the details to you as soon as I get them...

Friday: Game day...Wells Fargo? Try something new?

** As always, the schedule is subject to change!

At 3:37pm I got this info for our Lander meet

2009-09-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Lander Invitational Cross Country Meet
September 17, 2009

Junior High 3:00 P.M. J.V. Boys 5:00 P.M.
Varsity Girls 4:00 P.M. J.V. Girls 5:30 P.M.
Varsity Boys 4:30 P.M. Awards 6:00 P.M
.

The LVHS/SJHS Cross Country program invites you to participate in the Lander Invitational Cross Country Meet on Thursday, September 17, 2009. The following information should be helpful:

The high school course is 5 kilometers and the junior high course is 2 miles long.

The course will take place on the back nine holes of the golf course. THIS WILL NOT BE THE SAME COURSE USED DURING CONFERENCE. MAPS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR THE CONFERENCE COURSE. Please arrive early enough to walk the course. The meet will start at 3:00 P.M.

Buses will park in the lower tier of the parking lot east of the club house

T-shirts will be awarded to the top 10 finishers in both the varsity boys and girls division. Ten medals to the top finishers in both the junior varsity boys and girls division. Medals to both the top ten finishers in the junior high school boys and girls race. Team trophies will be awarded in the varsity divisions.

Four Port-a-Potties will be made available in parking lot of the club house.

The award ceremony will take place after the JV girl’s race.

Please! If we need to hold the award ceremony indoors, due to weather, it will be held in the front lobby of the high school.

Thanks for coming;

You might feel like we were training this hard yesterday...

2009-09-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Take special note of the scenery...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AemCeiuI_k

Develop a good mantra...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Os0WAhOjs

More inspiration and Chariots of Fire...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RUCpdjbNqU

Tonight's Calico Dinner

2009-09-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hi. Tonight's Calico dinner has been canceled. The high school runners have a PowderPuff event and the middle school has its open house tonight. We'll have to reschedule this dinner!

Idaho Falls Runner of the Meet

2009-09-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

PG was our Idaho Falls Runner of the Meet:
- Teamwork
Never complains and doesn't cut corners!
Ran with his teammates during the race
Steers clear of drama

- Responsibility
He lets me know if he has to miss part of a practice
Exhibited perfect bus behavior (Polite, didn't need any reminders, etc.)
Very responsible with turning in all paperwork

- Mental Toughness
Strives for excellence in practice
Ran a great race (strong, steady and well-paced) and when his buddy attempted to sprint past him at the end he stuck with him. Good work.

We're so happy to have you on our team!

Old Bill's + Creek Videos + Climb the King

2009-09-15T11:36:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to see so many of you at Old Bill's. I think it's great to have such a fun philanthropic event in our community! There are many great organizations - the Community Foundation accepts donations through September 18th.

My computer was giving me trouble last night. I'll continue to try to post the other creek videos ASAP.

Also, tonight is the Climb the King celebration at Snow King. I think it's from 5:00-6:30pm. I think this is another great fundraiser and I hope many of you participated in it this summer. If you want more information for next summer's climbing let me know.

Creek Crossing

2009-09-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Team Cheer

2009-09-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

We are in desperate need of a fun, rowdy and empassioned team cheer.

Ask your parents, your friends, your families...we'll practice your suggestions this week.

Schedule for the week of 9/14

2009-09-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

Monday: Distance run, 30-40 minutes toward Journeys tunnel

Tuesday: Rangeview Park Repeats

Wednesday: Day before meet run, 30 minutes Easy + accelerations
Optional carboload dinner at the Calico with high school team

Thursday: Meet in Lander
Dismissal from class at 10:15
(MUST have pre-approval form)
Departure from JHMS 10:30

Friday: The greatest game ever...Wells Fargo!

Results from IF

2009-09-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet2.aspx?Meet=19120#2923

This link will connect you to the results page for the Tiger/Grizz Invitational. Even though we missed our sixth graders and soccer players, we had a great time at this big event!

Teton Village Meet

2009-09-11T06:46:00.001-07:00

The Teton Village Meet (scheduled for 9/19) has been canceled. I'm bummed - I was looking forward to a home meet!

Our First Runner of the Meet

2009-09-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that MG was our Runner of the Meet for the Star Valley Invitational.

Reasons MG earns this award (a T-shirt):
- Mental toughness
Our fastest girl at the meet, our female Colts leader
Ran a smart race - good pacing, good form, strong & steady

- Responsibility
Always has paperwork in on time
Consistently ready for practice
She called me (not her parents) to notify me that she would miss a practice

- Team Player
Never complains which helps to keep morale high
Positive attitude
Quiet confidence, she's not the loudest person on the team, but she is a reliable role model.

MG was a leader at the meet and she leads by example at practice.

I'm so glad you're on our team!

Update

2009-09-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your flexibility. It seems like a race or its time changes at least once a day.

For tomorrow's meet:

Students will be dismissed from class at 1:30 and the bus will depart at 1:45. I will need pre approval forms from everyone running at the meet (it's ok if you write your responsibilities on a piece of notebook paper).

As always, I'm not sure what time we will get back to JHMS. I would encourage everyone to pack a dinner.

IF Info

2009-09-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here's some info I've copied from the meet's website:
http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Team.aspx?Cal=73560

Tiger/Grizz Invitational Cross Country Meet
Friday, September 11, 2009
Freeman Park
Idaho Fall, ID

The course is mostly grass, but there is some pavement, gravel roads, and a little sand/dirt. There are several hills with the three most difficult in the last 1.2 miles.

Freeman Park is located off of Science Center Drive. Take exit 119 off of Interstate 15, then travel east on Highway 20 one half a mile to the Science Center Drive Exit, turn left and travel one half mile more to the light and turn left into the designated parking areas. Please be careful NOT TO PARK on the course! The course will be open around 1:45 p.m. for inspection.

AWARDS:
Awards will be given to the top 20 Varsity runners, the top 15 JV runners and the top 10 middle school runners.

Tentative time schedule:
3:00 pm A Division Girls JV
3:20 pm B Division Girls JV
3:40 pm A Division Boys JV
4:00 pm B Division Boys JV
4:30 pm Girls Varsity
5:00 pm Boys Varsity
5:30 pm 7th and 8th Grade Girls/Awards for High School
6:00 pm 7th and 8th Grade Boys
7:00 pm Awards

Race Divisions
2,500 Meters Middle School

Friday

2009-09-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Seventh and eighth graders can attend Friday's meet. As mentioned, I will post details as soon as I get them.

If you are in sixth grade or if you are new to the team and don't have enough practices, plan to stay after school for practice with the wonderful Kathy Watkins.

Star Valley Meet

2009-09-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

It was such a joy to watch you run at yesterday's meet! When I got home I showed my husband the video of you running through the creek and we both laughed hysterically. So fun!

I applaud you for remembering all your pre approval forms, uniforms, running shoes, etc. and for your excellent bus behavior. Let's keep this up!

I would like to post our post-race team picture and the creek video. If you do not feel comfortable with me posting the team picture and video of you/your child please let me know by Saturday at noon.

As soon as I get information about our Idaho Falls meet, I will post it.

What to Pack...a video

2009-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

What time will we return from the meet?

2009-09-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure. Our 1.2 mile race is at 3:00. We'll warm-up, race, cool-down and stop for a quick dinner on our way back to Jackson. I'll try to have as many kids as possible call as we approach home. If you want your child picked up South of town, let me know. If the bus driver is willing to accommodate you, we'll try to make it work.

Also, the afternoon of the event you can call the Activity Line for our expected return time. The number is 307-739-9226.

Packing List for Meets

2009-09-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

- Colts running singlet & shorts
- Running shoes
- Socks
- Rain gear
- Warm clothes
- Deodorant
- Necessary undergarments
- Healthy Lunch + snacks
- Money for dinner
- Water bottle
- Homework
- Post-race change of clothes

Goals for the Season

2009-09-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

Once we board the bus to Star Valley, I'm going to have every athlete write a goal for the meet on a sticky note. I believe goal setting is a good life skill and I'd like the runners to try it!

At the very beginning of the season, I had the athletes fill out goals sheets. Some of the goals were beautifully crafted and meaningful. Others were quite amusing...let me share some...

- Find a man/bear/pig
- Become a ninja
- Do not get beheaded
- Ride down the slide on a unicycle
- Find a pet penguin
- Create the world's gigantigist ball of sponges
- Beat Michael Phelps in a potato sack race

Changes & Pre Approval Forms

2009-09-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

1. The sixth grade team of teachers made the new rule that sixth graders can only participate in one meet per week. This only affects our meets this week.

Updated schedule--
Review of last week's theme- good form
Introduction of this week's theme- being a student-athlete (balancing schoolwork and sports)
Tuesday: Regular Practice
Wednesday: Meet for everyone in Star Valley
Thursday: Regular Practice
Friday: Meet for 7th & 8th graders in Idaho Falls

2. Another recent change:
On 10/9 we will NOT travel to Riverton. Instead we WILL travel to Pocatello on 10/10. I will keep you posted with all details as soon as I have them!

Pre Approval Forms
- All athletes are REQUIRED to have pre approval forms filled out prior to boarding the bus for our weekday meets. The forms are designed so that the students need to communicate with their teachers and take responsibility for their schoolwork.
- Athletes can get the forms from me or at the front office.

Star Valley Invitational Cross Country Meet

2009-09-04T11:13:00.001-07:00

Date of the meet: Wednesday, September 9

Dismissal from school time: 12:15
Show me your Pre Approval Form
Departure time: 12:30
Middle School race: 3:00

Location: Cedar Creek Golf Course on the Star Valley Ranch

If you want someone other than your parents to pick you up you must fill out a special form. I will have the forms available at practice.

Our race will be 1.2 miles long and we will traverse two creeks! True cross country :)

The map shows the 5k high school race course. Our middle school race will be a part of this...

Schedule for Next Week 9/7-9/11/09

2009-09-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Schedule for the Week - Please note that the departure times have changed!

Monday: Labor Day
Practice 3:00-4:30
30 minute run with 4 accelerations

Tuesday:
Get your Pre Approval Form filled out during school!
Practice 3:00-4:30
Easy 20-30 minutes

Wednesday:
Star Valley Invitational
12:15 Dismissal from class
Show me your Pre Approval Form
12:30 Leave
3:00 Middle School race

Thursday:
Practice 3:00-4:30
Easy 30 minutes

Friday:
Idaho Falls Meet - Tiger Griz Invitational
11:45 Dismissal from class
Show me your Pre Approval Form
12:00 Leave

First Day of School

2009-09-01T19:14:00.001-07:00

Have a great first day of school tomorrow! I look forward to hearing about your JHMS adventures at practice!

Theme of the Week: Running Form

2009-09-01T18:38:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we will meet at the front of the school at 3:00pm and we will travel to Mr. Poduska's 7th grade social studies room. His room is #112 and it's in the SE corner of the school.

Upon arrival we will watch some youtube videos that will help us improve our running form:

Here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fBh2qH4QbM
Run Right with Newton Running
I like the first half the video - minutes 0:00 - 4:11. The latter part of the video is an advertisement for their shoes.

Here's a stick figure dude who is running. Proper running form:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJAVYXxYOcQ

Inspiration running music from Chariots of Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7Vu7cqB20

Here's the website for the first video link I posted. I liked the visual from their website's proper form page:
http://www.newtonrunning.com/run-better/optimal-running-form

Just for fun...one of youtube's greatest hits...Charlie bit my finger!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

Meet Schedule with Departure Times

2009-08-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

Parents - thank you for reading this blog and for your suggestions. Keep them coming! Here is the updated information about when exactly we will leave for our meets:

September 9
Star Valley Invite
Depart 1pm

September 11
Tiger Griz Invite, Idaho Falls
Depart 12pm

September 17
Lander Invite
Depart 11am

September 19
Teton Village Invite
Race at 11:30am, more details to follow (as soon as I get them!)

September 24
Thermopolis Invite
Depart at 9:30am

October 1
Lyman Invite
Depart at 9:45am

October 6
Wyoming Indian Invite
Depart at 10:15am

October 9
Riverton Invite
Depart at 10:15am

Training Schedule for Week of August 31st

2009-08-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Monday: 25-35 minute easy run + 2 accelerations (one in middle and one at end), bike path toward Smith's

Tuesday: Group challenge, Blair Apartments Courtyard

Wednesday: 30 minute recovery run, bike path toward Journeys

Thursday: Hill workout, High School Butte

Friday: Game time, Rangeview Park

As usual, practice is from 3:00-4:30. We meet in the front of the middle school.

Training this Week

2009-08-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

What a great first week we've had! In addition to dealing with paperwork (keep it coming my way!), giving introductions and getting to know one another, we've started our training schedule.

Here's a list of what we've done this week:

Monday: Easy 20-30 minute run (On bike path toward Smith's)
Tuesday: One hard mile (In the high school parking lot)
Wednesday: 20-30 minutes easy (Along the 3 Creeks ranch path)
Thursday: Negative split, 12 easy minutes out- fewer than 12 minutes back (Toward Journeys school)
Friday: The Olympics, crazy events I learned about while I was a counselor at Mr. Cody Hansen's Camp Wyoba

I will post next week's training schedule by Sunday night.

** I appreciate it when the athletes call me to let me know when and why they will miss practice. As much as we want them running with us, it shows me that they take responsibility for themselves.

First Practice

2009-08-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

It was SO FUN to meet all of you and see your dance moves yesterday! I'm excited to get to know you better throughout the season. It is evident that our team has a lot of talent and pizazz...

Necessary Paperwork

2009-08-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Every child needs to give me:

1. A form documenting that he/she has had a physical after 6/1/09
*Unfortunately, if there isn't a physical on file your child will not be able to do the training runs with the team
2. A check for $25 made out to JHMS
3. A signed JHMS Athletic/Activity Commitment sheet
4. A signed Code of Conduct sheet (I will distribute this at practice today)

First Day of Practice

2009-08-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

In just a few short hours, we'll have our first practice! I look forward to meeting everyone!

We will end practice at 4:30 everyday. Though it might sound harsh, it has been recommended that I enforce the rule that if you pick up your child more than 15 minutes late your child will not be able to run in the next meet.

Necessary Gear

2009-08-19T18:24:00.001-07:00

- Running shoes
- Weather appropriate running clothes
- Watch
- Water bottle

If you need help acquiring these items, let me know.

Look both ways

2009-08-19T18:18:00.001-07:00

My high school cross country coach, Joe Costa, would always remind us to not be like the lemmings who blindly follow their fellow lemmings into the oceanic death trap.

I will do my best to plan safe routes, but all athletes are responsible for looking both ways when we cross the street.

Here's a depressing youtube video about lemmings:

Don't be a lemming!

Goals

2009-08-19T18:13:00.001-07:00

Athlete goals for the season:
- Have fun!
- Build friendships
- Perform at 100% of ability level (If everyone is training and competing at his/her highest level, we will have a great team!)
- Make good decisions

Contact Info

2009-08-19T18:11:00.001-07:00

If you need to reach me:

Ann Klosterman/Gentry
PO Box 2722
Jackson, WY 83001

ahklosterman@gmail.com

651-324-6559
If you don't reach me, I'll try to call you back ASAP

My Middle School Days

2009-08-19T18:04:00.001-07:00

I'm the gangly #181. My buddies Katie, Samantha, Kate and I had just finished our first citizen race, June 1998.

First day of eighth grade. I probably spent an hour picking out that outfit, September 1997.

Introduction

2009-08-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here I am with my husband atop Jackson Peak, August 2009.

Greetings! My name is Ann Klosterman/Gentry. I originally hail from St.Paul, MN and I studied at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. My connection to the Midwest means that I am not pleased with Brett Favre’s new career with the Vikings. :)

Ever since middle school, I have trained to compete in cross country, Nordic skiing and track events. To bolster my knowledge about creating comprehensive training plans, I took (and loved) a weight training class and a marathon distance training class in college. Some of my more notable events include Grandma's Marathon, the American Birkebeiner, the Pepsi Challenge, Boise's Ironman 70.3 and a cross country bicycle trip with my Dad.

In May of 2006, I originally traveled to Jackson to volunteer at the Teton Science Schools for two weeks. While in Jackson, I was offered a job, a place to live and I met my husband! I have been in Jackson for three years and for the past year I have been a part of the Title 1 staff at Jackson Elementary School. This means that I work with students who are reading below grade level. I also taught an early morning ESL program and last winter I was an assistant coach for the Nordic skiing team at the high school.

I LOVED coaching the high school Nordies and my goal is to bring the same exuberance and level of training to this program.

My goals for the season:
- Make the training plans appropriate and challenging for athletes of all abilities
- Foster a love for running and competing in middle school and beyond
- Help athletes build friendships
- Be a good role model

I’m excited for the season to begin...

Schedule for the Year

2009-08-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

Meet Schedule
M 8/24 First Day of Practice
W 9/9 Star Valley Meet
F 9/11 Idaho Falls Meet
R 9/17 Lander Meet
Sa 9/19 Teton Village Meet
R 9/24 Thermopolis Meet
R 10/1 Lyman Meet
T 10/6 Wyoming Indian Meet
F 10/9 Riverton Invite

Welcome

2009-08-19T17:48:00.001-07:00

Hello!
Instead of distributing countless papers, I've decided to keep a blog for the Jackson Hole Middle School Cross Country team. Parents and athletes can look here for all the information you will need regarding schedules, weekly practices and other need-to-know tidbits.