THANKS for a GREAT SEASON

2010 JMM Boys CC

Everyone can be thankful and proud of being a part of this years team. The amount of growth that occurred this season is amazing. If we stay on this path we can take another trip back to state next season as a team and be in the discussion for a state trophy. Being a trophy team at state takes a lot of hard work and determination from an entire team. From top to bottom we will need to have every runner on board for achieving greatness on the course, in the classroom, in the community, and throughout their lives. It will take many hard days of work, dedicated hours studying, time spent on the road running, support from friends and families, and the belief that JMM Boys CC can and will be one of the top programs in the state. I hope everyone is ready to continue this tradition next season.

GO SPARTANS!!!

BELIEVE
Every Runner
Every Run
Every Day

State Meet Results (click to see)

Team GPA - 3.570

Amazing...I'm so proud of what we accomplished in the classroom. We reached my team goal of having a GPA above 3.4...lets keep up the great work!!! We have 7 student athletes currently with 4.0 GPAs !!!! Congrats Guys...keep up the great work !!!!
I would love to see our entire team have Accum GPAs above 3.0 - we have improved from 72% to 90% able to claim that honor...work as hard or harder in the classroom as you do at practice and we will see this success. Don't be afraid to ask your teammates for help, there are plenty of useful resources right on our own team.

Best of luck to all athletes competing in winter sports...if your not and looking for something to do, check out the Madison Mileage Club...many guys are already preparing for next year.

See you next season!!!

THANKSGIVING BASKETS

Amazing work by our captains and the team with 2010 Thanksgiving Baskets. The team was able to purchase 5 entire thanksgiving meals for families in need (the best prior to this year was 3 baskets). Our captains did a great job organizing and putting together this donation. Thanks to everyone involved from athletes donating, to parents driving, to family members assisting, and captains organizing. I hope we continue to improve upon this tradition :)

State - Jonah 80th Overall - 17:12

Saturday was a great culmination of the 2010 season for the JMM boys Spartan cross country. In a year that was supposed to be a rebuilding year the boys performed valiantly throughout the year leading to a 4th place Big 8 place, 3rd place Sectional place, and an individual state qualifier. I hope we continue to build upon the success we had this season going into next year. Jonah and I decided that state is a lot more fun with the whole team there and I hope to take back the team in 2011. What can you do to make sure JMM is represented by a team at state next season?





Jonah ran 17:12 on a very difficult Ridges course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday. His time was good for 80th overall (out of 190), he was the 13th best Sophomore on the day, and will be the 37th place returner from state meet participants. Jonah was cheered on by a great contingent of Memorial runners and Conny on an exciting day in Rapids.



STATE RESULTS
Individual D1
Team D1

Sectionals - Team = 3rd & Individual = Jonah is a State Qualifier

Mixed results from a day of cross country in DeForest. We knew going into the race we were going to have a tough race. Our team did not have a complete race like we needed to to be able to defeat a tough Middleton program. After last season people from our sectional would not have believed we could replace our team from a year ago and be back in the mix for a trip to state. We put a lot of hard work and dedication to get where we are today and unfortunatley it was not enough. Jonah was able to finish as the 3rd best individual not on a qualifying team to represent JMM at the State meet in Wisconsin Rapids. Last season the third place team from our sectional put in 9 months of hard work to be the #1 ranked team in the state. I challenge our young team to raise their level of work ethic to the next level so we can come out of this meet next year with a better overall feeling. On the bus ride home we set the goal of having 12 runners under 17:30 next season...this is a lofty goal but one I think we can accomplish.

I would like to give a big THANK YOU to our Seniors who competed today. Jordan C. ended a great four year JMM CC career, Colin and Erik completed great short JMM CC careers. These guys were great leaders that will be sorely missed. I think the best gift to these departing seniors would be coming back next year and earning that team a trip to state for JMM CC. Our team will return Jonah, Sam, Hunter, and Jordan B. next year along with alternates Bryce, Thejas, and Ryan W. Who else is going to step up to take us to the next level?

SECTIONAL RESULTS

One more meet left for Jonah, if you can make it to Wisconsin Rapids to support Jonah it would be great to see. I was very impressed by our JV kids and other fans at Sectinoals and hope we can bring some of that energy to State.

• RSVP for the End of the Year Banquet November 4th - jmmcc@rocketmail.com
• Get your captains $10 for team gifts and Thanksgiving Day Baskets
• Turn in photos to Coach Casey on CD/DVD for slideshow
• Turn in uniforms and clean out lockers

Photos added to second slideshow

Big Ten Championships

The University of Wisconsin men's and women's cross country programs will host the 2010 Big Ten Conference Cross Country Championships on Sunday, Oct. 31.The year-old Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Verona, Wis., will serve as the site of the championship races, which consist of a 6-kilometer race for the women and an 8-kilometer race for the men. The women's race gets underway at 10:45 a.m. (CT), with the men's race to follow. An awards ceremony will be held after the conclusion of the men's championship.

Parking
There is no spectator parking available at the cross country course or the adjacent University Ridge Golf Course. Spectator parking is located at the Verona Area School District, approximately 2 miles south of the course on Country Road M
Verona Area School District
700 N Main St
Verona, WI 53593
Parking is not allowed on County Highway PD or County Highway M. Vehicles in violation are subject to ticket and tow at owner's expense.

Shuttle Service
Spectator shuttles are available to transport spectators for $5 round trip. The shuttles will begin at 9:15 a.m. and conclude 1 hour after the awards ceremony has finished.

More Big Ten Information

End of the Season Notes

GET OUT THERE AND CHEER!!!

Sectionals is Saturday @ DeForest
Boys Race - 11:00am
Girls Race - 11:45am

Everyone should come out and cheer!!!

$10 TO CAPTAINS AND UNIFORMS
If you have not yet dropped off your money with a captain (Jordan C., Brandon H., Hunter, or Jonah) for coaches gifts and Thankgiving baskets please do so ASAP. Find them during school or immediately after school in the lockerroom.

We still have a couple athletes who have not yet turned in their uniforms. Get them turned in to Coach Casey or he will be forced to place a hold on your student record. Turn them in immediately after school in the lockerroom.

END OF THE YEAR BANQUET
The banquet will be held on November 4th at Rocky's on the Far West Side. Cost is $10 per person for all you can eat and drink and payable at the door. Please RSVP to Coach Casey at jmmcc@rocketmail.com with the number of people planning to attend so they can be prepared to make us enough food.

Big Eight Conference Meet - Varsity = 4th JV1 = 3rd JV2 = 2nd

GREAT JOB TODAY BOYS!!!!

Our team went out today with the same competitive attitude we brought to city and got the cooperation of great weather and better competition (and probably a morning race) to set multiple PRs to end the season. 25 guys ended the day with a lifetime PR, a wonderful way to end the season. I really hope we bring this improvement to next season (or track :) The fitness our team currently maintains is impressive and I hope we can continue to reach this type of fitness in future seasons.

JV2 really set the tempo for us today. Ryan W. came out with a great mindset to compete and executed his race strategy perfectly for a 2nd place finish. Vladi and Mason were a great 2/3 combination working to get ahead of the Sun Prairie pack in the second part of the race. Jacob and Stefan held on wonderfully at 4/5 to provide our team a three point "win" over Sun Prairie for 2nd place. These guys really stepped up to fill in for some of the guys we were missing due to injuries and PSAT testing. I'm always excited to see our JV competing strong with young athletes to provide us with a snapshot for our future.

Our JV1 team kept the ball rolling and learned about close races and tiebreakers. This group got out conservatively but moved up nicely in the second half of the race. It is hard to say what would have happened had we been up further earlier in the race but we didnt let this hurt us. We chased down a lot of runners in the last mile and set many personal bests. Erik led this group up front nicely and earned back a spot on varsity. Thejas and Paul were joined by Ben A. with great finishes picking guys off right up to the finish. Tyler hung on for a solid 5th man and a season best. This group was one point behind Middleton and tied with Janesville Craig...I guess every spot does count. Our young team learned today that a cross country meet tie breaker goes to the 6th runner. We could have gone to either James or Alan as they both finished ahead of Craig's 6th runner. Our team today consisted of 15 underclassmen in the top 21 (our scorers today) which means that our JV team next year is going to be super competitive. I think we can set the goal right now to try to knock off West for Conference JV champs in 2011.

Since the beginning of the year our Varsity has been battling in the middle of the conference. We knew going into today we could finish anywhere from 3rd to 7th. We didn't have our best overall race but raced very solid as a team. Every helped pick up the team and get us to our fourth place finish. At our first meet of the season (Verona) we were the 6th best Big 8 team of the season. It goes to show that the hard work throughout the season has really paid off. We have put our self in a place to earn a second straight trip back to the State meet. Jonah earned his first All-Conference recogonition as a sophomore and sets himself up for a great future at this meet. Colin and Jordan C. led us solidly at the 2/3 spots their hard work gave us our edge against Middleton. Hunter and Sam battled in a huge pack all race and were right with the Middleton 4/5/6/7 runners and will need to win this battle next week. Again every spot counted in this race as we beat Middleton by just 1 point. Looking ahead, we return 5 of tonights varsity runners and I look forward to being back in the battle for the title at Conference next season.

Conference Results
Varsity
Complete Results

Photos Added

MONDAY PRACTICE FOR ALL ATHLETES - Athletes who are done competing will just meet with Coach Casey and recieve end of the year handouts and information. Athletes will not make the buses home, so should plan for transportation around 4:15 - 4:30. Athletes who have not yet turned in their uniforms should do so on Monday. Also, athletes who have not yet given their captains $10 yet should do so ASAP (Thanksgiving baskets and Coach gifts)

NEXT COMPETITION
Sectionals @ DeForest
Saturday October 23rd
Boys Race 11:00
Girls Race 11:45
Top two teams and top five individuals advance to state
Everyone should come out and cheer on the teams

City Championships - Varsity = 3rd Junior Varsity = 2nd

Someday we will figure out how to run an afternoon meet....we just don't seem to run our fastest in the afternoon but I was really happy with how well we competed and we get to come back to this same course next week (and in the morning :) Rumor has it that the "duck" tree might even be gone. This meet was a nice preview for our Conference competition next week where things will be a little tighter (10 teams vs 5 teams and a couple extra strong teams) and we have shown we can compete on this course. Hopefully weather, competition, and morning will provide for some faster times next week. I think we will be super competitive in the JV2 race, in a strong battle for the 2nd place spot in JV1, and in a barn burner of a race in Varsity where we could land anywhere in the top 6 teams...the higher the better.

I was excited to see many of our runners moving strong in the second half of this race. Staying relaxed on the hill and being able to move in the last mile is the key to racing well at this course. The course is not physically challenging beyond the hill but is mentally taxing. Remember, everyone must run the hill and the person who will prevail in the race is the person who is able to get back to their rhythm the quickest and push themselves the hardest in the last mile. Lets be ready to Run Fast and Have Fun at Conference.

CITY MEET
Results
BOYS

Team scores

Madison West 21
Madison La Follette 60
Madison Memorial 69
Madison Edgewood 101
Madison East 118

Individuals

Madison West - 1, Hacker, 16:31; 2, Thompson, 16:32; 4, Sereno, 16:35; 6, Read 17:05; 8, Hasse 17:11
Madison La Follette - 5, T.Laack-Veeder, 16:55; 9, N.Laack-Veeder, 17:27; 10, Staven, 17:28; 17, Aguirre, 17:53; 19, Loken, 18:10
Madison Memorial - 7, Weisse, 17:10; 11, Carlson, 17:33; 12, Sunde, 17:34; 16, Black, 17:51; 23, Hix, 18:27
Madison Edgewood - 3, McKenna, 16:34; 14, Mott, 17:36; 25, Fitzpatricl, 18:40; 27, Hanson, 18:58; 32, Utter, 19:41
Madison East - 18, Groat, 17:54; 21, Ogelman, 18:19; 22, Wilton, 18:26; 28, Highdale, 19:11; 29, Alexander, 19:13

Photos added (courtesy of Mrs. Hopp...THANKS)

NEXT COMPETITION - October 16th Saturday
Conference @ Warner Park
Bus - 7:30 am
Boys JV2 - 9:10 am
Boys JV1 - 10:30 am
Boys Varsity - 11:30 am
Awards - 1:05 pm (Top 15 varsity = medals Top 15 JV1 & JV2 = ribbons)

Uniforms - all JV uniforms must be turned in Saturday at the meet (bring a change of clothes) If uniforms are not turned in, a hold will be placed on athlete's academic records. Also, any lost unifroms must be paid for: top = $25 and bottom = $25

Captains Money - Captains are collecting $10 from each athlete to help pay for Captain's Club Thanksgiving Baskets (a service project our athletic department has participated in for nearly a decade) and for coaches gifts. Please help remind athletes this money should be turned in ASAP to help out the captains.

Monday October 18th - MANDATORY MEETING for ALL ATHLETES 3:45 till about 4:15
Athletes will recieve information about end of the season meets
Athletes will recieve information about end of the year banquet
Athletes who are not competing/practicing for Sectionals will be asked to clean out lockers
All athletes need to attend

Stoughton Invite - Varsity = 4th Junior Varsity = 4th

Fall has arrived and provided us with some great cross country weather. It is important to remember to have plenty of warm clothes along for these meets and that our under clothing is SOLID black (no grey/white stitching or writing on the clothes...they will get stricter now that we are in the championship season). We had some very nice races today with 16 PRs and many runners close to their season bests. This is the time of year when not only times but places count. Guys should check the results from Stoughton and see how they compare to some of the teams we will see in the next two weeks (City = West JV, LaFollette, East, and Edgewood then at Conference = West JV, LaFollette, East, Verona, and Janesville Parker).

In the varsity race our top three ran great with Jonah and Jordan C leading the way and Colin charging hard at the end of the race. Our gap between our #3 and #4 runner was too large (30 seconds...needs to be 15 seconds or less). Had our #4 - #7 runners ran 8 seconds faster we could have finished second as a team. I was impressed how competitive we were with LaFollette and Verona but was surprised how close Janesville Parker was...it just shows that the Conference meet will be super competitive. I feel like there is room for improvement in our race and hope to see us picking off a couple more guys at each position in two weeks. SPASH was in a league of their own in this meet but we were competitive with every other team which was great. Our team also returns many young runners and could be a threat to win this meet next season.

Our junior varsity team ran really competitive. I was excited to see many great races on a tightly packed course. It was obvious to see which runners belived they could run well today and their times showed. If you enter the race with confidence, great things will happen. Our top 7 jv kids in todays race are all returners and will provide for some great competition for this team going into the coming years. Every race I see our young athletes learn more and more about competing and preparing to do their best. I hope this group of runners really puts in the effort the next two weeks to rest and take care of their bodies so they can run some nice PRs at the end of the season and compete with some really great programs in the area. JV kids will begin their taper in the coming weeks and really get ready to rip off some fast times.

STOUGHTON INVITE
Varsity Results
Junior Varsity Results

PHOTOS ADDED 10/3 from Stoughton

NEXT COMPETITION - October 8th (Friday)
City Championships @ Warner Park
Bus @ 2:00pm (NO RETURN BUS)
Races Start - 4:00pm
Boys JV - 4:00pm
Girls JV - 4:30pm
Boys Varsity - 5:00pm
Girls Varsity - 5:30pm

UPCOMING EVENTS
October 6th (Wednesday) - Light of Life Walk ~ 5:50 pm - 6:30pm
Must turn in $5 to Coach Casey by Tuesday!!!
October 9th (Saturday) - Team Practice - 8:30am

Big 8 Split Meet - 3rd Place

For those of us new to cross country, today was a reality check. Not every course is the same and we can't always run PRs. I was very pleased with our overall performance even though our times were not our fastest. This meet was definetly the stronger of the two Big 8 meets run today. West, LaFollette, and Craig will be battling it out for a conference championship in two and a half weeks and we got to see how we compare to this level of competition. I hope todays meet leaves a little sour taste in our mouth to give us that little bit of fire to finish the season on a high note. We have made huge strides this season but today showed us that we still have plenty of work ahead of us. We unfortunately did not learn anything new about ourselves and Middleton but we will see them again at Conference. It is hard to PR in back to back meets (especially ones that are only 3 days apart) I was very impressed with the performances of Garner, Chris W., Mason, and Jacob. These guys have shown that determination can allow for great performances whenever you are prepared to compete. Tomorrow we head back to work and begin preperation for the Stoughton Invite.

NEXT COMPETITION - Saturday October 2nd
Stoughton Invitational
Bus Time - 7:15 am
Boys Varsity - 9:30 am (2009 Results)
Boys Junior Varsity - 10:40 am (2009 Results)
Awards - 12:15 pm

UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday October 6th - Light of Life Walk (Bring $5 to Coach Casey ASAP)
Friday October 8th - City Championships

PICTURES - Check out the link for 2010 Pictures

Midwest Invite - Varsity = 12th Junior Varsity = 8th Frosh/Soph = 7th

Team Pictures - Monday - 3:45 - Bring your uniforms!!

What happens when you have athletes who have been working hard at practice and mix with great competition and a fast course? You end up with 53 Season Best PRs and 47 Lifetime Best PRs. The next challenge is, can we keep this success up over the next three weeks and carry it into our championship series events? What we do at practice, for sleep, and staying healthy will play a big part in how much fun we can have as our season comes to a close. I encourage everyone to continue to work hard to improve themselves and their teammates.

It was great to see the start our Frosh/Soph gave us to our meet. Thejas set the mark for our entire team to shoot for. He nearly missed varsity (again) but the competition that has been created for our varsity will make our entire better. This group of guys will be a big part of our future. I can't wait to see what these guys can do with a strong summer of running and another year of maturity. In the varsity race we found out a lot about ourselves in a very tough race. We competed with some of the best teams in the state and learned from this experience. In a race this large, 5 seconds can be 10 places and team places are seperated but just a few points. We put our top five varsity runners under 17:26 and we look forward to continuing to push this group forward in the pack. We are on track to do big things yet this year. In the final race of the day Hunter ran a great race earning back a spot on varsity and leading our entire JV team to a great performance. We beat some great JV teams and got a good look at what it will take to be a top team in the state. There were over 600 people in this race and our kids were able to navigate the crowds to great times. As the meets get smaller again it should be easier for our guys to close up the gaps again between teammates.

Our team put 2 runners under 17:00, 8 under 18:00, 14 under 19:00, 27 under 20:00, 41 under 22:00, and 51 runners under 24:00. We did all of this after a week and half of hard practices. As we began the taper for our junior varsity athletes I hope to see these numbers continue to rise. Our depth is something to be excited about.

MIDWEST INVITE RESULTS
Frosh/Soph Results
Varsity Results
Junior Varsity Results

NEXT COMPETITION - September 28th
Big Eight Split Meet - Yahara CC Course (The Dump)
Early Release 2:45pm
Bus 3:00pm
Race 4:45 pm (all boys in one race)

UPCOMING EVENTS
Team Pictures - Monday - 3:45 - Bring your uniforms!!
October 2nd - Stoughton Invite (Time Changed -- will post updates on Tuesday)

Big 8 Grade Level Challenge - 4th Place

This meet is always a fun meet as we get to see how athletes compare to other athletes in their own grades. Some excelled today and others struggled a little. Many variables that came into play that we should learn from...warmer weather, after school meet (water and food intake), early week meet (night before the night before was Sunday night), grade level vs jv/varsity races (missing our pacing partners). Our season is focused on running well at the end of the season, if Tuesday wasn't your best race...make sure to learn from it.

The Frosh/Soph started the night off very well for us with 11 PRs and many kids running faster on this course than they just did a week and half ago. Jonah W. had a great race to finish 4th in the Soph race and Sam B. and Bryce H. ran great to finish 2nd and 5th respectively in the Frosh race. This whole group of kids is really learning to compete and it is exciting to see what our future is going to look like. I really encourage the Frosh & Soph to really look at these results and what it is going to take for them to be top of our conference in two to three years (Can we put in the work over the next couple of seasons to win a conference title??).

In the Junior/Senior race we added another 10 PRs and kept the momentum rolling. Jordan C. finished 8th in the Senior race and Jordan B. finished 9th in the Junior race. It was nice seeing some new faces closing the gap on our varsity team. The competition for 6th -10th spots on our team is going to make everybody a better runner. Our team was able to place 4th tonight. We will need to continue to work hard to maintain this position (Verona sat out some runners tonight and Middleton and Sun Prairie are hot on our tails) for the end of the season. We have made some improvements to beat both Middleton and Sun Prairie both teams we will need to beat to get to State...lets keep distancing ourselves from these competitors.

BIG 8 GRADE LEVEL CHALLENGE
Race Results
Team Results

NEXT COMPETITION - September 25th
Midwest Invite @ Janesville
NOTICE TIME CHANGES (as of 9/17/10)
BUS - 6:30 am

Frosh/Soph Boys - 9:15 am (Top 7 runners not in Varsity) (2009 Results)
Varsity Boys - 10:25 am (Top 7 runners) (2009 Results)
Junior Varsity Boys - 11:35 am (All other runners) (2009 Results)
Awards 12:55 pm

Bus will stop for food on the way home (BRING MONEY)

UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday September 18th - Team Practice 8:30am
Monday September 27th - Team Pictures 3:45pm

PSAT Test and Big Eight Conference Meet

Parents and Athletes-

Madison Memorial’s PSAT exam is schedule for October 16th, the same day as the Big Eight Conference Meet. It is a family choice for which event you would like your athlete to participate in on the 16th. If you are interested in doing both the PSAT test AND the Conference Meet you can register to complete the test on Wednesday October 13th at Madison LaFollette. To guarantee a spot in the October 13th test date you should contact Mary O’ Hern in the Guidance Department at Madison LaFollette prior to September 17th. You can contact Mary at 204-3663. Please plan ahead because spots are limited.

Thanks

Madison West Invite - Varsity = 3rd & Junior Varsity = 3rd

Another great week of practice was followed by another great meet for our entire team. The great thing about having a young cross country team is that you can have great improvements throughout the year. Our team continues to impress week in and week out and if we keep up our intensity in practice and keep up our determination in racing we will be closing in our team goals for the season.

In the varsity race we ran with out Jordan C. and still performed at a high level to close the gap on Verona and show we can compete against Janesville Parker and Madison East. We put our varsity under 18:44 and put our top 5 under 18:15 (17:52 w/Jordan C.) we will need to continue to show this consistancy in improvement. This week we will see how we compare against Middleton and Sun Prairie at the Grade Level Challenge.

Our junior varsity team ran with alot of confidence. It was nice to see so many young runners willing to push their teammates and help each other to season bests. Our top 7 runners were seperated by only 32 seconds, we will need to move this group up closer to the 18 minute mark but this is a great place to be at this point in the season. I hope to see more guys breaking 19 minutes (currently 7 total on the team), 20 minutes (18 guys), 22 minutes (28 guys), and 24 minutes (39 guys). The only way to make improvements in meets is to practice running that pace in workouts...learn the pace you need to race.

WEST INVITE RESULTS
Varsity & Junior Varsity (Girls and Boys)

NEXT COMPETITION -- September 14th
Big 8 Grade Level Challenge @ Verona High School

Early Release - 2:30 pm Bus Time - 2:45pm
(ONE WAY BUS -- NO RETURN BUS)

4:30pm - Boys Frosh/Soph Race
5:10pm - Girls Frosh/Soph Race
5:50pm - Boys Junior/Senior Race
6:30pm - Girls Junior/Senior Race
7:15pm - Awards Ceremony

Verona Invite - Varsity = 8th & Junior Varsity = 8th

Wisconsin weather at its best this weekend, as 50 degree weather greeted the team upon arrival at Verona this morning (I'm sure it means Sectionals will be in the 70s) along with great competition. The Big 8 Conference has quickly proven that it will be a force to be reckon with again this year in the state. Our team finished a nice 8th place in both the varsity and junior varsity races. This is a very nice start to the season for our inexperienced team. It was the first varsity race for 4 of our 7 varsity runners and we introduced another 8 runners to their first cross country race ever. Many improvements were seen from race one to this week and we can continue this improvement throughout the season.

In the varsity race Jonah lead the team with a 21st finish and Jordan C. followed closesly behind in 27th place earning both athletes medals from this meet. Our pack of 3 -6 runners landed between 18:26 - 18:42, this group will need to improve about 30 - 45 seconds for our varsity to step up to the next level. The intestity that we have had in practice prove this is a possibility. Our team is known for improving throughout the year and if we keep up the hard work the varsity will start to close the gap on all the Big 8 and Sectional competitors. Sam B. was the 2nd fastest freshman to compete today and has a competitor from Craig to chase down in a week and half at our Grade Level Challenge back at this same course.

Our junior varsity race saw a lot of young runners leading the way towards closing the gap with their varsity teammates. The more this group works to run with their varsity counterparts in practice, the easier it will be for them to close the gaps in races. I like to see the freshman and sophomores who are taking control of their improvement and stepping up to the challenge of improving our overall team performance. This improvement was evident in the 30 lifetime PRs set at today's meet...lets keep this improvement going!!!

VERONA RESULTS
Varsity
Junior Varsity

Check out pictures added to the 2010 Pictures Album

NEXT COMPETITION -- September 11th
West Invitational @ Yahara CC Course
9:00 am - Boys JV
9:45 am - Girls JV
10:30 am - Boys Varsity (Last Years Results)
11:00 am - Girls Varsity
11:45 am - Awards Ceremony (1st - 30th in Varsity and 1st - 20th in Junior Varsity & top 2 Varsity teams)

EVENTS THIS WEEK
September 6th - Practice at the UW Arboretum - (Directions)
September 8th - Fall Sports Potluck 6:00pm
September 12th - Ironman Volunteering

CORE Wins Intrasquad

With the largest team in boys cross country history, JMM Boys CC had an exciting intrasquad this Saturday. We set a record of 55 finishers at intrasquad. Nearly half the runners (26) were competing in their first cross country race...ever.

The CORE won its first intrasquad championship with 406 points, outdistancing the Warhawks 462 and Thundercats 467. Jordan C. repeated as individual champion. Our varsity was spread out over 2 minutes and we will need to close that gap as the season goes along. We have great depth again this year, just like last season we had 15 athletes under 21:00 (with the 16th at 21:01) this depth will help lead the competition we will need to improve as a team throughout the season. (Complete results and times will be posted in lockerroom on Monday)

I like to see the hard work we have put together as a team leading into the intrasquad race. If we can keep this work up throughout the season we will see many large improvements in PRs throughout the year (starting as early as next week). It is exciting to see the potential our young team has for this season.

Check out pictures from Intrasquad by clicking on the "2010 Pictures" Picasa Web Album (in the right hand column)

NEXT COMPETITION -- September 4th
Verona Inviational @ Verona High School
No Bus --> Arrive at 7:30 am
9:00 Boys Varsity (last years results)
9:40 Girls Varsity
10:20 Boys Junior Varsity (last years results)
11:00 Girls Junior Varsity
11:40 Open Race (parents welcome to race...it is free)
12:30 Awards Ceremony (top 2 teams, top 40 individuals in varsity, and top 30 in JV)

EVENTS THIS WEEK
August 31st - 9th Grade Athletic Code Meeting (Required for athletes AND parents) 7:00pm
September 1st - School Begins -- Practice Time 3:45pm - 6:00pm
September 2nd - 11th Grade (and NEW 10th/12th grade athletes) Athletic Code Meeting (Required for athletes AND parents) 7:00pm

Intrasquad

What is intrasquad?
Intrasquad is a glorified practice that is organized to expose the athletes and their families to the sport of cross country and the racing distance of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). It is a relaxed environment for the runners to begin their season and an easy way for our program to determine our seven varsity athletes for our first invitational.

Who participates at intrasquad?
All athletes who have joined the team during the first week of practice, participated in at least five practices, deemed healthy and strong enough to complete the course, and attends practice on Friday before the meet. Also, the meet will be open to alumni and coaches to participate.

Why are there teams for intrasquad?
There are three teams (Thundercats, The CORE, and Warhawks) for intrasquad to help create a competitive atmosphere for the event and show the athletes the importance of every runner in the scoring of a cross country meet.

What kind of time schedule will occur for intrasquad?
6:45 am – All athletes must arrive or be dropped off at Elver shelter to warm up for race
7:45 am – Parents, family members, and friends should arrive at Elver to prepare to cheer
8:00 am – 5k race will start (Runners…run and Fans…cheer)
8:16 ~ 8:30 am – Racers will finish 5k race
8:45 am – Scores for race will be tallied and results will be shared
9:00 am – Athletes cool down and Parents meet with coach
Bagels and Lemonade will be available for athletes and parents
9:45 am – All finished (hopefully even finish a little earlier)

Do parents need to be there for the whole thing?
It is always nice to have support for all the young athletes and we hope everyone can make it out for the race. Each athlete must have at least one parent who can represent them at the parent meeting. Please contact Coach Casey at 219-7451 if no one can attend the meeting.

What happens if there is inclement weather?
The race will occur rain or shine. If there is lightning, the race would be postponed but all athletes should show up on time to receive further instructions.

What should the athletes wear on this day?
Each athlete will need to choose their own race outfit (most likely shorts and shirt/singlet); team uniforms will not be passed out for this race. Also, the athletes may compete in “racers” but should not wear spikes. If athletes only have “trainers” they should wear these shoes to compete. As for any meet, the athletes should have “warm ups” that they can wear to warm up and cool down in before and after the race. Warm ups should consist of something long sleeve (long sleeve shirt, windbreaker, or sweatshirt) and pants (windbreaker or sweat pants).

Questions or Concerns
Contact Casey 219-7451

CONGRATS and THANKS

Congratulations...although are team still was short of our team goal (averaging 12 cards per kid) Boys CC did improve upon last years Spartan Card sales...THANKS to all athletes and parents who helped in selling Spartan Cards. We sold $8,340 worth of Spartan cards and had 5 athletes who sold 20 + cards.

Additionally, recently the Madison Metropolitan School District has been gaining attention for their inclusive schooling policies. The inclusion of students with special needs in the mainstream classroom is not a national policy but one that is very important in MMSD. Equally important is the ability for our athletic programs in Madison to include students of all abilities. Cross Country has been available to many kids over the years and I am proud to tell parents and community members that our program serves students of all ages and abilities. Due to this inclusion our program has been included in some recent articles and newstories. THANKS to all those who support what we are attempting to accomplish on a regular basis for all kids.

New York Times article

WKOW News story

Announcements

Clothing Orders - MUST BE COMPLETED BY THURSDAY - AUG 19TH

Click Here

*** MONDAY AUGUST 23RD PRACTICE - SITE CHANGE ***

Practice will be held at Pope Farm Park (Old Sauk entrance)

Get those SPARTAN CARDS sold!!!! Each athlete should try to sell at least 20 cards...money can be turned once all 20 cards are sold OR Wed August 25th at morning practice (8:00am).

Practice BEGINS

CLOTHING ORDER INFORMATION

Orders Should be Placed NOW until August 19th!!!

2010 Practice Schedule

August 16^th (Mon) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 17^th (Tues) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 18^th (Wed) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 19^th (Thur) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 20th (Fri) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 21st (Sat) 8:00 am – Hill Farms Pool * & Volunteering at Madison Mini-Marathon

August 23rd (Mon) 8:00 am – JMM (optional) 4:00pm - Pope Farm Park*

August 24^th (Tues) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 25^th (Wed) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – BLITZ @ JMM

August 26^th (Thur) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 27^th (Fri) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 28^th (Sat) 8:00am - Intrasquad Athletes arrive at 6:45am

***Family Informational Meeting *** (immediately after race)

August 30th (Mon) 8:00 am – JMM (optional) 4:00pm - JMM

August 31st (Tues) 8:00 am - JMM (optional) 4:00pm - JMM

September 1^st (Wed) School begins – practices after school 3:45pm – 6:00pm

September 4^th (Sat) 9:00am – Verona Invite NO BUS – Arrive at 7:30am

September 6^th (Mon) 8:00am – UW Arboretum *

*Additional information will come home about practices that do not occur at JMM or Elver

Practice Starts August 16th - Are You Ready?

CLOTHING ORDER INFORMATION

Orders Should be Placed NOW until August 19th!!!

Official practice begins Monday, August 16th at 8:00 a.m. We will meet in the lower team room in the Memorial athletics area. Please make sure you have all of your paperwork taken care of by the 1st day of practice AND bring it with you to the meeting. See below about paperwork to assure you will have everything turned in on the first day of practice. Also, we will run on the first day of practice, so bring appropriate workout clothes (shirts, shorts, watch, and socks) and running shoes with you in the morning.

It is one month until the teams first official practice. If you have not started running yet, the time is NOW. Get out on your own or join one of the two following running groups. Mornings - 8:00am at Memorial or Evenings - 4:30pm at Elver Park. The next couple weeks will be important for starting your season off on the right foot. Starting the first day of practice you will need to be prepared to run for thirty minutes, start your training now to make your body ready for the first week of practice.


PAPERWORK

To participate in Boys Cross Country, you must turn in the following paperwork to Coach Casey on or before August 16th (the first day of practice):

Team Rules
- parents and athlete should read and sign prior to returning

Cautionary Statement
- parents and athlete should read and sign prior to returning

Athletic Fees
- check made out for $115 to J.M.M.
- OR waiver form filled out (athletic office)

Physical Cards
(Must do Green & Orange OR Yellow)
(Must be done after April 1st to count towards this school year)

- Green card = physical (usually Frosh, Juniors, and 1st time sport participants)
- Orange card = insurance (usually Frosh, Juniors, and 1st time sport participants)
- Yellow card = alternate year & insurance (usually Sophs and Seniors)

Get Your Motor Running!

6th place State Finish - Sectional Champions
Conference Runner-Ups and City Runner-Ups

JMM Cross Country Candidates,

2009 was a successful season and we hope 2010 will be even better. The start of summer means fall sports season is just around the corner. We hope this letter kicks off your training (or keeps it going :), as it is time to start considering your goals for the 2010 Cross Country season. As coaches and captains, we look forward to having a successful season in the classroom and on the course. The work you put in over the next month will help build your confidence for the season and allow you to perform at your best. The 2010 season will provide an opportunity for our program to chase a Big Eight Championship and a return to the state meet. The only way we can make this happen, is with your participation, and dedication to the season beginning TODAY!

Memorial Cross Country is a 9th – 12th grade program that supports all abilities of runners in Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshmen levels. This season, the Boys CC team is going to be coached by Casey Hopp (8th year) and Mark Eames (5th year). Senior captains Jordan Carlson and Brandon Hall along with assistant captains Hunter Hix and Jonah Weisse will help lead the team.

As you begin to think about the 2010 season, you should consider a personal goal you want to achieve and make a plan for achieving this goal. State qualifier, Academic All – Conference, earn a varsity letter, sub-20 minutes, finish my first 5k …no matter what your goal is, the best way to prepare for the season is to be running this summer. Runs can consist of long runs, hills, hard runs and easy runs. If you want someone to workout with, there is a group of runners who have been running and will continue to meet for runs at 8:00 a.m. at Memorial HS in the fieldhouse parking lot. The more running you do now; the easier the start of the season will be for you and your body. Starting the first day of practice all runners should be prepared to run for thirty minutes.

Official practice begins Monday, August 16th at 8:00 a.m. We will meet in the lower team room in the Memorial athletics area. Please make sure you have all of your paperwork taken care of by the first day of practice AND bring it with you to the meeting. Also, we will run on the first day of practice, so bring appropriate workout clothes (shirts, shorts, watch, and socks) and running shoes with you in the morning. If you do not have running shoes yet, I highly recommend Fleet Feet on Old Sauk Rd to help you get setup with your first pair of shoes.

I’m really looking forward to another great season. We return four runners who experienced last year’s state meet with a young core of talented runners. If we can produce the same enthusiasm in summer running as we did last summer this season can be just as exciting. Every year our program has taken a step forward, this year will be no different. The team’s success this season will be contingent upon getting contributions from all members of the team; each teammate must do their part. Other teams from around the state are training; make some time in your schedule, take a teammate with you, and get out running. We look forward to a great year of practices, meets, socials, and all the wonderful experiences of Spartan Cross Country!! YOU will determine how good this season will be…hope to see you running soon!!

Didn't get this letter?
Send your mailing address to jmmcc@rocketmail.com