KC Classic Results & Conference Information

It was nice to finally get the opportunity to race in cooler, drier conditions this weekend.  It's hard to imagine that this weekend will be the last weekend the whole team races together this season.  It has been an exciting ride.  The team not only grow in size this season, we grew in goals, ability, and desire to compete and achieve our best each week.  This is definitely a special group.

Here are the results from last weekend's meet: http://www.kcrunningcompany.com/results/ 

Conference Meet Information
Location:  Lake Jacomo course (same spot as the first meet)
7:00 Arrive at PHHS
7:15 Leave for the meet
8:30 Coaches meeting
9:00 Freshman Girls' Race (Caroline, Avery, Molly, Abby, Derrienne, Amy, Frances, Kayla, Kailey)
10:10 Varsity Girls' Race (Meg, Madison, Tessa, Grace, Caylin, Morgan, Amelia)
11:20 JV Girls' Race (Clarissa, Juliet, Natalie, Hannah, Kat, Emma, Lilly, Kayla)
12:40 Awards
1:30 Return to PHHS

Pasta Party:  The coaches will treat the girls to dinner at Coach Sweney's house.  We will continue our Pizookie tradition!
Meet Treats:  We will use the left over treats from the season, but if anyone wants to bring fresh fruit or other snack, feel free.  It is appreciated.

Platte County, Joplin, and Smithville--Oh my!

What a week!  Three meets in six days is no joke!  The team really stepped up to the challenge!

Platte County
The Platte County Invitational provided an opportunity for many runners to run their first varsity race.  It was a tough course on a warm day, yet many were up for the challenge!  Francis came out strong and earned herself a medal in her first-ever varsity competition

Results:  http://www.morgansports.net/results/pccc2016.php

Missouri Southern Stampede
The Missouri Southern Stampede was a memorable day in so many ways--from the ride down to the race to lunch and back--we all have so much to the cherish about that day.  Six of the nine runners who competed in Joplin earned personal best times: Madison and Grace both moved on the PHXC record board and Brooklyn and Avery enjoyed times at least two-minutes faster than previous races.  The team earned 12th out of 36 teams from states all over the region.  Congratulations!

Results: http://mo.milesplit.com/meets/150119/results

Smithville Invitational
With hot temperatures and both the JV and Varsity squads entering their second races in less than a week, everyone knew this day would be a challenge.  The teams were asked to take a personal racing risk, and it paid off!  JV earned first place as a team with Avery taking 3rd place overall.  Varsity took second place with 4 runners in the top twenty (Madison, Grace, Amelia, and Meg).  Great job, team!

Results:  http://www.morgansports.net/results/smithville2016.php

Kansas City Cross Country Classic
This week we will head back to the Ray-Pec Course for the Kansas City Cross Country Classic (formerly the KC Metro Invitational).  Hopefully, the course will be a little drier and the temperatures a little cooler than they were the last time we raced this course. 

Information:
Location: Ray-Pec Cross Country Course
6:00--Arrive at School
6:10--Depart School
7:30--Coach's Meeting
8:00--Girls' C Team Race, 50 medals (Molly, Maddie, Mikayla, Derrienne, Natalie, Amy, Abby, Juliette, Taylor)
9:30--Varsity Girls' Race, 50 large school medals (Madison, Tessa, Meg, Grace, Caylin, Amelia, Brooklyn, Avery)
10:30--JV Girls' Race, 45 large school medals (Morgan, Emma, Francis, Kat, Kayla T., Kailey, Hannah, Caroline, Anna, Lilly, Kayla S., Aubrey, Clarissa)
12:00--Awards for top 25 finishers in the varsity race and team trophies

Pasta Party: Amelia's Family
Meet Treats: Avery and Kailey

Ray-Pec Results, Platte and Joplin Information

Sloppy conditions on Saturday made for muddy, fun races--the true cross country experience!

We had two Varsity finishers in the top 10 with Madison K. taking 16th place and Grace F earning a 23rd place finish.  As a team we placed 7th.  In the JV race, Avery B took home 10th place.  Way to go girls!

Full Results Here

This week, we have two meets: the Platte County Invitational and the Missouri Southern Stampede.

The Platte County Invitational:
All runners will attend this meet.  The girls heading to Joplin this weekend will complete a workout and cheer for their teammates once complete.
Location:  Platte Ridge Park
2:30--Students dismissed from class.  We will leave once the bus is loaded.
3:00--MSSU runners begin workout
3:30--coaches meeting
4:10--Varsity Girls' Race (40 medals): Francis S., Emma M., Carly S., Kailey W., Kayla T., Kat M.,
5:00--JV Race (40 medals): Hannah C., Anna D., Caroline A., Lillian M., Aubrey R., Clarissa E., Kayla S., Juliet K., Taylor H., Amy G., Abby F., Natalie PR., Derrienne, Mikayla P., Molly C., Youxi
Awards to follow final race
Meet Treats:  Emma and Kat

Missouri Southern Stampede:
Location:  MSSU Cross Country Course
6:15--arrive at PHHS
6:30--Leave PHHS
9:00--arrive at MSSU
10:30--Varsity Girls Race:  Madison K., Grace F., Tessa M., Caylin R., Amelia P., Meg F., Morgan Y., Brooklyn N., Avery B.
We will depart the course after cool downs have been completed and awards are collected.  We plan to stop for lunch on the way home.
Meet Treats: Tessa and Madison

Kris Solsberg Results and Ray-Pec Invitational Info

What a great start to the season! The team came out ready to compete on Saturday, and it showed in the results!

Results for the event can be found  here.

This Saturday, the team will head south to one of the fastest courses in the area for the Ray-Pec Invitational.  

Information:
Location: Ray-Pec Cross Country Course (behind the HS)
7:30--arrive at school
7:40--depart
10:00--Varsity 5K (Grace, Madison, Caylin, Tessa, Amelia, Morgan, Meg)
11:10--JV 5k
12:30--awards
1:45--arrive at PHHS

Pasta Party: Hartley family
Meet Treats: Procopio-Ross and Collins Family

Thank you for supporting the team!

Kris Solsberg Invite Information

It's finally here--the first race of the season!

This Saturday, we will race in the Kris Solsberg Invitational at Lake Jacomo Blue Springs.  (Lake Jacomo, Shelter 14 Blue Springs, MO 64015)

Here is the information for the meet:
6:45 (athletes should arrive at PHHS no later than 6:40)--Bus departs
8:00--Coaches meeting
9:00--Varsity Girls 5k Race
10:15--JV Girls 5k Race
11:00--Awards (both races will award medals to the top 25 runners: 11-25 will be handed out in the chute; 1-10 announced during awards)
12:00--return to PHHS

Other Information:
Thursday's Pasta Party: The Collin's Family
Meet Treats: The Gaddis Family
Parking will cost $5

This week's Varsity Team (all other racers will run the JV race):
Madison, Tessa, Meg, Grace, Morgan, Caylin, Amelia

Cross Country Season 2016

As the school year wraps up, it's time to start thinking about cross country season!  

I have attached a summer schedule to help families plan vacations, summer activities, and the like.  I've also included the tentative meet schedule for next fall along with some other important dates to be thinking about.  If any changes need to be made, you can find that information here or on the Park Hill Girls' Cross Country Twitter @PHGirlsXC

If you are an 8th grader, unsure of whether or not you would like to run cross country in the fall, I encourage you to come give summer runs and team activities a try to see if it's the sport for you!

Track Athletes:  At the conclusion of your season, take 10 days of active rest.  This means you are not running, but you are doing other low-impact activities (swimming, biking, hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, etc).  This will help your body recover from the stresses of the season while maintaining your cardio fitness.

Athletes in Other/No Spring Sports:  Get out and run a couple of days a week.  We will start the summer runs with low-mileage, but starting now will help you prevent injuries as well as help you keep up with the girls who ran track.  Start simple.  If you are new to running, try 1-2 miles every other day, increasing by no more than 5 total miles each week.

Summer runs start June 1st!  Attendance is optional, but highly recommended.  If you are interested in a varsity spot, plan on being at as many runs as possible.  We will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  Fridays will be an optional run led by an upper-classman teammate.  Participation in summer runs will help your in-season performance, reduce your injury risk, and give you the opportunity to bond with your teammates.

We will also be hosting a team camp July 18th-21st from 8-10 am! Please plan on attending.  The cost is $30 (includes your t-shirt).  We will meet at the PHHS track.

SHOES!!!  Cross country is a sport that doesn't require a lot of equipment--but it does require good-quality running shoes!  I strongly recommend runners get a new pair for every season.  Do your best to find a pair of shoes that works for you.  You can be fitted for the right shoes at running specialty stores around the city. Running Well does a great job of fitting your foot to the proper running shoe, and they usually offer athletes a nice discount.  The right shoes can cost a lot, but they can also help keep you from sustaining injuries that cost a whole lot more and may even cut your season short!\

Physicals, Fees, and Impact Testing:  To be eligible to play sports, students must turn in complete physical and take the IMPACT test.  Dates of the IMPACT test will be made known as soon as they become available.  At the start of the season, students will need to pay an activity fee.  In the past, this fee has been $55.

Tentative Dates to Remember:
June 1-3: First three days of summer runs.  After these dates, team runs will continue through out the summer on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  New runners should run at least 4 days a week; returning runners should run 5-6 days a week
July 18th-21st:  Team camp!
August 1:  First day of practice
August 20th:  Time Trials at PHHS @ 8 am
August 20th:  Team Fundraiser--Carwash @ HyVee on Barry Road--10-2
August 27th:  Saturday practice at Platte Ridge Park @8am
September 3rd:  Meet @Lake Jacomo
September 10th: Meet @Ray-Pec
September 15th: Meet @Platte County
September 17th:  Varsity Meet Joplin
September 20th:  Meet @Smithville
October 1st:  Meet @KC Metro
October 8th:  Conference @TBD
October 22:  Districts @TBD (Qualifiers Only)
October 29th:  Sectionals @TBD (Qualifiers Only)
November 5th  State @Oak Hills in Jeff City (Qualifiers Only)