Phoenix,
There is a lot of information in this email, especially about NXR below, so please don't skip that part.
I want to say well done to everyone who ran at region. When we zoom out and see the big picture of our season thus far, it's amazing how much improvement you all have made. Most of you had a big improvement in pace per mile from pre-region to region, and that coming from a 2 mile race to 3 mile race! Faster per mile with an additional mile! At least a third of you improved by 30 seconds per mile. Incredible. That's a testament to your hard work. The more "seasoned" you are in running, the more difficult those kind of improvements become, but all the more important to stay the course, and stay consistent.
Our region result wasn't what we wanted as a team, but individually there were so many great performances, and even as a team we performed greater than the projections. Although we weren't victorious, we ran to our best as a team on the day, and for that we should be very proud!
For future teams, all it means is that we have little room for error, and from the first runner to the last, we need to be more committed and more consistent if we are going to reclaim the region title.
Shoutout to our seniors, who ran their final region race. I was amazed and the performances of our seniors and the effort they put out there. There are too many senior to mention all of them here, but here are some of the top 10 in the JV races.
Brooklyn Nowling moved from 6th at the 1 mile mark, to 5th, at 2 miles, to 3rd overall, nearly nabbing 2nd place in the JV race. It was awesome to see her determination. She was followed by Hailey and Gabri with top 10 finishes (who were 21st and 17th at the mile mark, respectively). Courtney Wall finished 12th, running nearly a minute faster per mile than she did at pre-region. Sam Swain and Trey both finished in the top 10 of the JV race as well. Sam was in 14th place at the 2 mile mark before finishing 7th, followed by Trey in 10th. Joining the top ten party were Spencer Grover and Henry Kimoto.
If I had the time I'd elaborate further, but just know this: I'm proud of this group. You guys have worked hard, and I look forward to refining what we've done to get better over the next few weeks and years. You seniors, thank you for your contribution to our team. I'm particularly proud of those seniors who weren't necessarily in contention for a varsity spot, or were just out of a varsity spot, and still gave their all every single day, week, month, and year. THAT is how our team gets better. It starts with the commitment of the upperclassmen showing the newer runners how it is done. Those of you returning, let's redouble our resolve to be the best we can for the future.
Upcoming
While it may sound like the season is over, it isn't. Although region was a big marker, there is more to come in the form of Divisionals, State, jv State (optional), and NXR.
Divisionals
We will be travelling to Orem on Tuesday, 10/10. The buses will leave at 6:45 AM. ALL are excused from school to attend and support. I want to bring two buses, which means we need the full squad to pull up and turn out to get our teams to state. The girls race at 9 AM, the boys race at 10 AM. We'll get back to the school around lunch time. The 8th period cross country class will be excused. Some of you will have an "off" day, so that you can raise your quality of runs later in the week, while others will need to put in a few miles to reach the weekly mileage.
For this race we are only allowed 7 varsity runners, and there are no JV races. The 7 runners know who they are at this point, and there are a couple of alternates available in the event of injury, illness, or other. Everyone else should still come down and support.
We qualify for state by finishing in the top 7 of the 9 teams in our section. That should be doable, so we are looking at this race as a tune up for state.
State
The state meet is on 10/24 at the Regional Athletic Complex in Rose Park. Details on that are forthcoming, but the girls will race at 3:30, the boys at 4:30. We'll do a team dinner afterwards at Cafe Rio, so bring some $.
JV State
JV state is a meet hosted down in Spanish Fork for those who don't qualify for State. It is totally optional, and up to you if you want to attend. You can view the info here: RunnerCard.com Web Registration
NXR
The breakdown for NXR is forthcoming, but I need to know ASAP who is planning to come. If you are on the fence, I'd really like to know if you're planning to come or not. If your status has changed, or you never filled out the form, please fill this out. As it stands, we have about 20 kids who are likely rather than for sure. Please let me know which way that is going to go so I can plan the buses and rooms. If you said you are going, or maybe going, and you no longer can, I need you to tell me directly in an email so I can remove your name. I won't remember if you tell me in person.
If you cannot go because it is an issue of money, please let me know. In the past I've had a few parents want to help others attend if they were unable due to the cost. We can hopefully make it so everyone can attend. The more who come, the cheaper it becomes, obviously.
The trip is a lot of fun, and I hope it becomes something that helps our team grow in numbers, commitment, and consistency. If you're on the fence, I encourage you to come and get to know your teammates even better.
With the present number of those committed, only counting those who said they'd be for sure attending, the price would be about 475 (which would include hotels, busing, race entry, and lunch Saturday (Jimmy John's)). If those 20 or so kids who said they can most likely attend do in fact come, the price would lower to about $405-410, depending on hotels (depending on gender, we'd either fill rooms, or need to add some, etc.). Again, the prices went significantly up from last year for the hotels and buses (it's the way of the world at the moment, unfortunately). The hotel is nicer though, so that's a win.
Finally, we will need a few parents to come as chaperones. Last year we had 8 parents come along, and they were awesome. Many of them told me they didn't do much, but they were super helpful in helping the kids have a fun trip and keeping things organized. It was also nice for Munk and me to have other adults to talk to lol. I consider those who came last year my friends, so I really appreciate you. Pros of being a chaperone: hang out with these awesome kids, "free" trip to Arizona (your hotel rooms will be bundled in the cost, the about $5 per kid is worth it, considering you'd be taking days off of work - but if you take work off, it isn't exactly free), a front row seat to Coach Munk's genius, and a little escape before the holiday hustle. Cons: you aren't 16 anymore so you might feel the sleep deprivation if you struggle to sleep on the bus.
If you'd like to be a chaperone just send me a quick email. I'll basically do it based on who emails me first. If you're willing but not eager, you can let me know of that too and I can prioritize those who are more eager. However, if experience dictates, I may have to put a few more calls out for chaperones as we get closer.
The dates are 11/16-19 (early AM of 19 only).
This week
Team Dinner
The Hancock's will be hosting a team dinner on Monday, 10/9 at 6 PM. The location to be shared in the chat.
Training
