10/17 Newsletter

A Busy Week Off the Course

We still have tomorrow's Conference Meet (see last's weeks newsletter for a preview), but otherwise with Homecoming this week hasn't been too eventful for our team.  We did get in a race-pace workout on Tuesday and continued our pickleball tournament to the championship game, which will feature Sydney and Sybina against Carter and Reagan.

The Week Ahead

With only two weeks until districts, things are starting to get a bit more serious.  The overall plan is as follows:

Monday 10/20 (3:30-5:15PM):  Easy Run at Blechle Park

Tuesday 10/21 (3:15-5:30PM):  Race-Pace Workout at Course.  We will also have our pasta dinner following.

Wednesday 10/22 (3:30-4:45PM):   Easy Run/Pre-Race Workout

Thursday 10/23 (1:30PM-???):  North County Meet.  More details below.

Friday 10/24 (3:30-5:00PM):  Fun Day at School.

Saturday 10/25 (On Own):  Easy run.

North County Meet Preview

Last year we added the meet at North County at the last minute when a communication failure made another meet unavailable.  It became a nice final race of the regular season for those who couldn't race at Conference, needed an extra tune-up, or who weren't going to be racing at Districts.  That is our plan for it again this year, but with the size of our team and individual health situations, we'll have a pretty thin roster this time around.  Race lineups are as follows:

The meet is medium-sized.  Like our meet North County only has single high school race each for boys and girls. Right now there are 15 high schools attending.  Most of the schools are ones we've seen before.   Some schools choose to go ahead and race their full teams, whereas others take a similar approach to us.  We tend to put an emphasis on individual goals and performances at this meet rather than team scores.

The course runs through Leadbelt Golf Course in Bonne Terre and has as similar two-lap structure to Willow Springs.  That includes some rolling hills and a longer slope after the one-mile marker that shows up again with about 1 km to go.  The most challenging feature of the course is that the finish stretch is a steep and steady uphill that can definitely get the best of athletes running on fumes.  Unfortunately it isn't the fastest course, so athletes aren't likely to come away with PRs.  However, it is a great course to demonstrate mental and physical fortitude at the end of the season.

For spectators wanting to maximize encounters with athletes, the area near the start and finish is probably optimal.  You'll see runners at least 3 times, and if you're willing to venture up and down the hill toward the 2-mile, you can fairly easily add in at least 2 more.  For more dedicated spectators, anything along the side of the loop opposite the start and finish gets minimal support, and athletes could definitely benefit from encouragement on the long hill after the 1-mile.

District Week Themes

The week after next is District Week.  The longstanding tradition on our team is to have theme days at practice each day of this week.  Coaches usually determine the best-dressed athletes for each day who are awarded prizes.  The themes for this year are as follows.

Monday 10/27:  Ahead of the Field
Athletes should wear their craziest hat or head covering.  Head covering can be interpreted very loosely and creatively.

Tuesday 10/28:  Choose Your Adventure
Athletes will be divided into groups.  Each group will create their own theme, and the group that pulls it off best will receive a prize.

Wednesday 10/29:  Going for GANS
Each grade will be assigned a letter from Gans (as in Gans Creek, site of the state meet) and should dress as something that begins with that letter.  The assignments are as follows:
Freshmen:  Something starting with "A"
Sophomores:  Something starting with "N"
Juniors:  Something starting with "S"
​Seniors: Something starting with "G"

Thursday 10/30:  67 Day
​Athletes should dress as something that starts with 6 or 7 letters.

Friday 10/31:  Scare the Competition
We'll be heading down to Oak Ridge for practice, so athletes should dress as their spookiest selves as we try to give our foes as little fear.

MSHSAA Lightning Policy

Given the weather forecast for this weekend, it seemed prudent to share the state's policy on thunderstorms.  Ultimately it is up to the meet officials and hosts to decide if/how to implement the policy, but on paper it is as follows:

• When thunder is heard or lightning is seen, the leading edge of the thunderstorm is close enough to strike your location with lightning. Suspend play for at least 30 minutes and vacate the outdoor activity to the previously designated safer location immediately.
• 30-minute rule. Once play has been suspended, wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard or lightning is witnessed prior to resuming play.
• Any subsequent thunder or lightning after the beginning of the 30-minute count will reset the clock and another 30-minute count should begin.
• When independently validated lightning-detection devices or mobile phone apps are available, this technology could be used to assist in making a decision to suspend play if a lightning strike is noted to be within 10 miles of the event location. However, you should never depend on the reliability of these devices and, thus, hearing thunder or seeing lightning should always take precedence over information from a mobile app or lightning-detection device.