THANKS for another GREAT SEASON

JMM Boys Cross Country has experienced its ups and downs over the last six years as we attempt to find our identity as a high school program. Our senior class this year produced a senior picture based on the theme "Building Tradition." As a coach who enjoys the history of our sport, I know that Madison Memorial has a very storied tradition of distance running. Great athletes like Ron Crawford, Dan Cautley, Rob Aubey, Phil Downs, and Jim Marschalek have graced the same halls at JMM as our current athletes. I see our team not building a tradition but "Returning to Greatness." Making this step from good to great is more like a huge leap. We need every runner to buy into the training we are doing, we need every run to be an important step in improving our fitness, and we need to use every day to seperate ourselves from the other great athletes in the area trying to accomplish the same goals. The Big 8 Conference and Madison area teams are very strong programs and will not just step aside for our team...we will need to do the work to make that return to greatness. We have the pieces in place, we have the attitude needed, and now we just need to execute with our desire.

2011 State Results
2011 Sectional Results
2011 Conference Results

TEAM GPA - 3.577

WOW...for the second season in a row our team has execeeded our team goal for acadmics (above 3.4 GPA) and improved upon last school years all time best GPA of 3.570...Keep up the amazing work in the classroom!!! We have TWELVE student athletes who currently are maintaining a 4.0 GPA and six other student athletes who joined them having a 4.0 for 1st quarter. Our team again has 90% of our athletes with GPA's above 3.0 and I would love to see our entire team be able to claim this accomplishment. I encourage all guys to continue to help each other out in studying and ask for help from teammates when needed.

If you are looking for a way to stay in shape during the off-season check out www.madisonmileageclub.blogspot.com for more information about staying in shape.

SEE YOU NEXT SEASON

State - Jonah = 13th Overall = 16:12

A 30 minute frost delay gave way to beautiful October weather for the 99th Annual WIAA State Boys Cross Country Championships. JMM was represented this year by Jonah W. who put himself in a great place early on in the race, moved up well in the middle of the race, and had an amazing kick at the end of the race to finish 13th overall. Jonah ran very relaxed and executed a great race plan which allowed him to have a successful state meet. Jonah was 13th overall and will be the 6th place returner (all 5 are juniors ahead of him) for next years state meet. It was great to see some Memorial faces in the crowd cheering with the masses and Jonah commented about hearing many encouraging words from our fans. It was also interesting to see how the Big Eight Conference performed. The three teams that beat us as the conference meet finished 2nd, 4th, and 6th at state. If we continue to improve to be able to compete with the other teams in our area it will guarantee positive results for our team at state. Jonah returns for one more CC season and looks forward to competing at state as a team next year. We bring back plenty of kids with varsity experience but we need to make some big steps forward in our off-season training to compete at the state level year in and year out. Lets make plans on being back in Wisconsin Rapids on October 27th, 2012.

STATE RESULTS
Invdividual Results

Team Results

State Meet - Saturday @ Wisconsin Rapids

The 99th running of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Cross Country Championships and the 39th Annual Girls Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, Oct. 29, at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

Ticket price for the meet is $6. The girls will run a 4,000-meter course, and the boys will run a 5,000-meter course. CLICK HERE to sign up for live text messaging (SMS) from the meet.

The following is a listing of the times for each race:
Girls 11 a.m Division 3 11:40 a.m. Division 2 12:20 p.m. Division 1
Boys 1 p.m. Division 3 1:40 p.m. Division 2 2:20 p.m. Division 1

For meet preview CLICK HERE

Directions:
Ridges Golf Course - Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Take Interstate 90/94 W 39N towards Wisconsin Dells. Exit onto Interstate 39N towards Wausau. Take Exit 136 onto WI Hwy 73 N towards Plainfield/Wisconsin Rapids. Turn right onto WI Hwy 13 N (8th Street). Take a right onto Cty Rd Z (Griffith Ave.) towards Ridges Golf Course...(NO ON SITE PARKING -- See WIAA Info for more information on shuttles)

Sectionals - 4th place Team - Jonah W. Individual Qualifier

I'm very proud of everything our varsity accomplished this season. Unfortunately, our team was unable to qualify for state today and this is what is on our mind the most. I think our season accomplishments are much bigger than today's performance. I am so proud of the guys who stepped up this season to make our varisty and jv squads so much deeper. We have some young guys that gained some important experience this season who will be expected to step up as leaders in the coming years. All of this helped get Jonah to the point of being a state qualifier. Jordan B. had a good race today and missed being an individual qualifier by one second. Jordan has been a great leader for this varsity over the past four years and I wish he had one more CC race this season but has many future races in his running career. Bryce and Brad had very solid races today and will be part of leading this program in the future. I look forward to these guys really growing into their own as leaders of the team. Sam had a rough race today but has a ton of heart and desire for running. I have no doubt in my mind that Sam will do the right things in the coming weeks, months, and years to make sure he can always continue to be a huge part of this program. Ben A. and Hunter H. are our other two seniors who had great seasons. They both put forth great effort each day and will be hard to replace these guys desire.

Today was a great day for Jonah and he will represent JMM CC proudly at state in 2011. Even bigger for me as a coach was the turnout of JV runners, parents, and JMM fans supporting the team. I was proud to see so many people involved in supporting our athletes and I look forward to this excitement around our program. We can/should be a team that is always wondering what place we will finish at state...not sectionals. BUT to make this happen we have to put in the hard work on a daily basis...it will not just be given to us.

SECTIONAL RESULTS
Madison West Sectional
All WIAA Sectionals

REMINDERS
- RSVP to jmmcc@rocketmail.com for November 3rd Team Banquet (@ Rocky's = $10 per person)
- Turn in uniforms to Coach Casey
- Turn in $5 to captains
- Attend Team Banquet to get information on Season Results, Team Certificates/Awards, and Off-Season Running/Lifting/Training options

NEXT COMPETITION
State - October 29th
@ Ridges Golf Course - Wisconsin Rapids, WI
First Race - 11:00am
Boys Division 1 - 2:20pm (last race)

Big 8 Conference - Varsity = 4th JV1 = 2nd JV2 = 2nd

Great work today by every Memorial Athlete! It is fun to be a Spartan when your team competes like we did today. We scored a lower score in every race this season compared to last season. We continue to close the gap on West in the JV races and I expect a breakthrough in these events in the near future. Our varsity finished a solid 4th place to the #2, #4, & #8 teams in the state. I'm very proud of every runner today and I look forward to seeing this tradition grow both in the classroom and on the race course. Seniors will always be a part of the JMM CC program and I hope they stay involved as alumni in both running and cheering on the team. Under classmen are the future of our program and it begins today. The choices we make this off season will determine how well next season will go. Our varsity will be competing at the Dump next Saturday attempting to qualify for State and I hope every athlete makes it to the meet to cheer on our team.

JV2 got things rolling for us today with a great performance. This race went out faster then all of the other races into the wind and it showed the excitement of every runner. The fast start allowed 19 of our runners to end the season with PRs. We had many runners who hoped to break up West's domination...I applaud the effort and hope we keep this hungry attitude into future seasons. James A. was able to break up West's group and finished a strong 4th in his first race back from injury. Tyler M, John H, and Max B all helped out with top 15 finishes and Stefan rounded out our top 5 just missing out on a conference ribbon but had a great race to be a scorer. It was fun to see this group compete we had PRs from Garner, Tyler, James, Jacob, Luke, John, Evan, Ben, Michael, Joe, Nathan, Franco, Josh, Brian, Brendon, Ben, and Kevin. Our freshman continued to improve and will be fun to watch over the coming years. I hope this group sticks together and is able to dedicate themselves to running. Our seniors have been a pleasure to have with us this season and I hope all find a way to be active in their future adventures.

The JV1 race got out slow (to put it politely) our guys were in great position and raced an excellent second half of the race. The slow start meant many guys were close to their PRs. Ryan had another great conference meet to lead the way as he and Nick both cracked the top 10. Joey D, Connor GT, and Thejas battled down the finish line with the senior Joey grabbing that top 15 spot but Connor and Thejas will be back for big things at these conference meets. Mason and Andy helped round out a great performance by our JV team. We beat Middleton JV who just two weeks ago beat us at the Stoughton meet. We have five underclassmen in this group who will be battling for a varsity spot next season and looking to locked down the JV team as a contender for a JV Conference championship in 2012.

Our varsity new what we had to do today to accomplish our team goal and not everything played out like we thought it would but our team took care of business. We get to come back one more time this season and will take what we learned over the last two weeks to put our best foot forward at Sectionals. Today Jonah was with the lead pack the whole way and finished a strong 5th place continueing to establish himself as one of the Conference/States elite runners. Jordan B. had a great finish to move from being just outside the top 15 to finishing on the second team all conference team with his 12th place finish. Ben A and Sam B ran well to be solid #3 and #4 runners for our team. Bryce and Brad hope to close up the gap a little next week but held on to provide a low enough score for our #5 for our team to finish in 4th place. Hunter is still battling a virus and we are hoping he can be healthy and back to his oldself by next week. We will go out and put our best foot forward and see where the chips fall. Keep doing what we do best and things will go well.

BIG 8 RESULTS
Varsity
JV1
JV2

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 $5 yet should do so ASAP (Thanksgiving baskets and Coach gifts)

NEXT COMPETITION
Sectionals @ Yahara Course (the Dump)
Saturday October 22nd
Girls Race 11:00
Boys 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 & JV = 2nd

Today may have been too warm for an October race but I was very pleased with how our team performed on the Yahara course and look forward to us going back next week to take one more step forward. We had some great performance in both of the races and everybody got a taste for what Conference will hold next Saturday.

In the JV race we had a great pack of runners and a big battle for our top seven spots. If we hope to beat West at Conference next week we will need to have more than one runner break up West's top 4...but we did a great job of putting a bunch of guys ahead of West's #5 runner. We'll see what next week brings in a bigger race and with a few more guys rested. Brad had a nice race and earned back his varsity spot. Thejas is getting healthy at the right time of year and led Mason, Ryan, and Joey for a formidable Memorial pack. Our 1 -5 gap for JV was 20 seconds and this is what we need to have a chance to win. Andy and Connor rounded out our top seven heading into Conference. I am also excited about our top guys who will have a chance to represent in JV2 at Conference. Our top guys are within ten seconds of any/all top JV 2 guys...anybodys race for a Conference Championship.

Our varsity performed better than we have in a couple weeks and I think we are moving back in the correct direction. Jonah was a strong 5th place finish and will have an opportunity to work on this group again next week. Jordan B. ran an excellent race (just missing All-City) and has put himself in a good position to compete for an All-Conference spot. Hunter ran a solid race and Ben has put himself in place to help our team out the next couple weeks. Sam learned a tough lesson but will be better prepared for Conference and Sectionals. It was nice to see Bryce back racing and will improve each week as he recovers his fitness. Nick had a tough first varsity race but received an invaluable experience for his many future varsity races. It will take a complete team effort over the next couple weeks for us to meet our team goals but I know this group is capable of making it happen.

RESULTS
Varsity (partial)

UPCOMING EVENT
October 8th (Saturday) - Team Practice @ Zimmer CC Course (Verona)
8:00 am ~ 10:00 am -- Park in the first lot (NOT BY THE CLUBHOUSE)

NEXT COMPETITION -- Saturday October 15th
Conference @ Yahara CC Course (the Dump)
Bus Time - 7:45 am
Boys JV2 - 9:50 am
Boys JV1 - 11:00 am
Varsity - 12:00 pm
Awards - 12:40 pm (Varsity - top 15 = medals, JV1 & JV2 - top 15 = ribbons)

ALL JV RUNNERS WILL TURN IN UNIFORMS 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

All athletes will be expected to be at meet until last race is completed and cool down jogs are run (even if leaving with parents)!!! Be there to support your teammates until the end!!!

Captains Money - Captains are collecting $5 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 17th - 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 = 5th place & JV = 3rd place

The second meet of a week is always a difficult race and add in that this week was homecoming week I'm surprised that we ran as well as we did in both races. It is now time to get focused for the end run...the biggest thing is GETTING MORE SLEEP. The coming weeks open up our championship series of running and we will need to run our best to compete with some of the best teams in the state. We know we are capable to compete with all of these teams when we hit on all cylinders and I look forward to seeing us put everything together these coming weeks.

Jonah W. ran a great race chasing down some of the top runners in the state and beating some runners he had loss to earlier in the year. Jordan B. and Ben A. returned to nice form to be in perfect spots for the varsity. We will need a couple more guys to be able to run around these guys to finish the season well. In the JV race we saw some nice performances up front as Nick H and Ryan W led the way for our squad. In JV just like Varsity we will need to close up our # 4 and 5 runners to ensure we score well at the end of the season. Every second and every place will be important in the coming weeks. As we return to the Dump I hope we can improve upon our times from the West Invite and really compete against each individual and each team.

STOUGHTON RESULTS
Varsity & JV Results

Pictures added to the slideshow

NEXT COMPETITION - October 6th (Thursday)
City Meet Championships @ Yahara CC Course (The Dump)
4:30 Boys JV
5:30 Boys Varsity
NO RETURN BUS -- Reminder NO ATHLETE MAY LEAVE UNTIL ALL RACES ARE COMPLETED
City Banquet/Pizza Gathering @ Pizza Oven (on Monona Dr.) -immediatly following completion of meet...$5 for athletes and $6 to family members to Casey at the Pizza Oven for all you can eat pizza and drinks.

UPCOMING EVENT
October 8th (Saturday) - Team Practice @ Zimmer CC Course (Verona)
8:00 am ~ 10:00 am -- Park in the first lot (NOT BY THE CLUBHOUSE)

Big 8 Split Meet - Varsity = 1st Place & JV = 1st Place

Today was our first time back at Sun Prairie in about 6 or 7 years. It is a great course but we were again challenged by a "new" course. Those people who were mentally prepared to run fast regardless had a really nice day today. Others will have another day to race in the future. It is important that we start to get every athlete focused for every meet, as the opportunities for races are winding down. I'm really looking for the fire to compete and to place well at every meet now. Big props to Liam, Sam K., Connor W., Brendon, and Justin with PRs tonight.

The split meet is run with all boys in one race and only scored as one meet. Varsity scored 36 points to outdistance Madison East with 55 points (SP=59, Parker=117, and Craig=187). Junior Varsity scored a very impressive 16 points (one place away from a perfect score and a score that is good enough to "beat the field"). In the mean time we will gear up for Saturday and put our best foot forward for Stoughton. It is always tough to stay focused the week of Homecoming but I hope we can put the distractions aside and put a great performance together for Saturday. The varsity will get to see how we compare with Middleton and our JV will get one more shot at SPASH.

Light of Life Walk -Thanks to everyone who participated and donated $ -- Boys Cross Country raised almost $400 for Cancer Research :)

NEXT COMPETITION - October 1st (Saturday)
Stoughton Invitational - Stoughton High School
9:30 am - Girls JV
10:05 am - Boys JV (2010 Results)
10:40 am - Girls Varsity
11:15 am - Boys Varsity (2010 Results)
11:45 am - Open Race
12:15 pm - Awards -- Varsity 1st - 25th = medals and 2 teams -- JV 1st - 15th and 1 team

WE WILL NOT STOP TO EAT...bring $ for concessions or bag lunch or eat when you get home

Midwest Invite - Varsity = 13th, JV = 4th, & Frosh/Soph = 14th

It is the time of year when practices seem long, legs seem tired, and minds are packed full. Sometimes the best break is getting out to the cross country course and JUST RUNNING. It was fun to see our team compete at the Midwest Invite, arguably one of the most competitive meets in the state (outside of the state meet) and definetly one of the most overall "fast meets" that we go to throughout the season. I was amazed to see so many PRs after such a tough week of practice. I really think we can still improve upon these times in the coming weeks because of the work we put in this week at practice. I encourage every boy on the team to commit to cross country over the upcoming weeks and plan on ending the season on a high note.

The day started off with a great performance by our frosh/soph group. Some teams run their varsity frosh/soph kids in this race and we do not (so NO Sam, Bryce, or Brad) I was impressed how well our boys competed in this race. This group went 7 for 7 on PRs for the day. Mason and Connor G-T led the way with 18:00 and 18:04 performances. I really hope these guys continue the improvent and see that sub 18:00 yet this season. John H. and Marcus worked together throughout the middle of the race to pull our whole pack through the big field. This group will continue to pursue that 19:00 barrier. Jacob R., Liam, and Calder ran great races there was a little bit of "holding on" at the end of the race and hopefully these guys will continue to get stronger going into the next couple of years and we look forward to big things from these guys.

Our varsity was led by an oustanding performance by Jonah as he was able to go under 16:00 for the first time in his career (and unofficially the first athlete to do it at Memorial since Phil Downs). This performance helped a ton at a meet of this caliber. Our gap of 1:20 between 1-5 stayed the same and we will need to close this down a little bit. We didn't hit on all cylinders today and we still placed similiar to last seasons finish (12th in 2010). If we can correct just a few things going ahead we are still in really good shape. Jordan B. performed well at #2 and Sam B. had a nice race today, closing the gap back up for our #3 runner. It was fun to see Bryce and Brad G. pass a lot of guys in the last mile of this race and I wish I would have seen Ben A. finish because when I saw him at 400 meters to go I wouldn't thought he would of caught these guys. It is nice to have a group of guys working together to improve this # 5 spot.

Our JV proved again that it can be a factor at any meet we compete at during the season. I hope this is a trend that continues because these athletes will be the guys leading our varsity in the future. Andy R, Ryan W, Nick H, and Joey D ran as a great group spending most of the time in the top 20. Arrowhead and Lax Logan are ranked 1 and 4 in the state for varsity and have great depth on their JV teams we competed well with them and Lake Park, IL today. We are getting healthier as Thejas joined the ranks of competing to help our team score. The last step for this group will be putting some guys in the top 10 at every meet. Chris D. and Max B had great races today to lead a large group of guys including Nick S, Stefan, and Edwin all under 19:00. Also Ben B. joined Liam and Calder as freshman who have run under 20:00 this season. It was nice to see many of the freshman really compete hard today and see the process pay off with some great PRs in this group. It has taken awhile for us to get into shape but we have many great runners in this class that I hope can commit to 4 years of running.

MIDWEST INVITE RESULTS
Frosh/Soph
Varsity
Junior Varsity

Pictures have been added to the 2011 Album

UPCOMING EVENTS
September 28th - Light of Life Walk ($5 to Coach Casey by 3:45pm on Wednesday -- a fundraiser for cancer research that is a part of Homecoming Week festivities...we will be doing this as a team (required) parents and familes are welcome to join)

NEXT COMPETITION - September 27th (Tuesday)
Big Eight Split Meet @ Sun Prairie
4:45pm - Girls Race
5:30pm - Boys Race (all boys in ONE race)

TEAM NOTES
Clothing Items -- MOST items are in (some had to be "back ordered")...put names into clothing items so boys can keep track of their clothing
Captains Shirts -- $12 is due to captains ASAP if you are hoping to get the 2011 Team Shirt
Homecoming Week -- Make good choices, boys are still expected to be at all practices and meets, take care of yourself and get some sleep so we can compete well still this week

Smiley Invite - Varsity = 4th place and Junior Varsity = 2nd place

Whew...what a long day...many lessons learned, great fun had, and a few stories for the future. This week was a tough one to stay healthy but we got most of our athletes through the week and are bringing a few more guys back from injuries as we make our way towards the stretch run of the season. It was fun getting to see some new competition and learn some different race stategies. I hope our non-seniors learned a lot from todays race so that when we come back next season we are better prepared to race at Smiley. It is a tough course but with the right race strategy it can be a PR course (we had dozen PRs today). It was nice to have the coach buses for the ride to Wausau (thanks to all the donations provided, collected, and fundraised for this effort...we'll have to do it again next year to have the "sweet" rides). It was fun for us as coaches seeing all of our athletes hanging out and enjoying each others company all day long.

Our varsity team finished 4th in the large schools and 6th overall in division one teams. We had come into the day hoping to finish 3rd and had a rough start to our race today. Jonah did a wonderful job getting to the front of the race but many of our athletes got buried in the pack. Our 2 - 8 runners probably passed over 80 runners each during the race and that is having to do too much work during the race. We needed our pack to be about 10 seconds faster in the first mile and this would have led to 10 - 20 spots differnce at the finish of the race. Our 2 - 8 pack was a nice group but it needs to be closer to our #1 runner. Today provided a nice learning experience for our varsity squad and will be something we needed to learn before the end of the season. If we have it fixed by next week it will make a huge difference at the Midwest Invite. Jonah continued his solid season with a sixth place finish overall (4th in large schools) and will be the #2 returner to this meet next season.

Our JV team continues a great season. We were missing some key pieces to our squad (injuries and 8 runners in varsity) and new guys stepped in for the challenge. Nick H., Ryan W., and Joey D. led the charge today with Nick and Ryan holding on for the 6th and 7th finishes. Connor G-T had a great race to PR, earn a medal, and be a solid #4 runner for our JV today. Mason rounded out our top 5 and had plenty of company from John H and Max B during the race. Our team performed well against a very tough SPASH JV squad (3 of their runners were sub 18:00). I hope these guys learned something from today's race because we will see SPASH again in two weeks at Stoughton and if we have everyone healthy it will be fun to see if we can compete with them in two weeks.

Overall today had many positives, it was so nice to see so many Memorial faces in the crowd...a big THANK YOU to all the parents and relatives who made the trip to Wausau to support the squad. I hope every parent has the opportunity to get to a meet this year to see their son compete. I'm excited for the coming weeks and continue to encourage the boys to keep their academics, health, and running on the forefront of their minds.

SMILEY RESULTS
Division One Varsity - Overall
Division One Varsity - Large School
Division One JV

Pictures added to the Picasa Album

UPCOMING EVENTS
September 28th - Light of Life Walk ($5 to Coach Casey ASAP -- a fundraiser for cancer research that is a part of Homecoming Week festivities...we will be doing this as a team (required) parents and familes are welcome to join)

NEXT COMPETITION - September 24th (Saturday)
Midwest Invite - Janesville, WI
9:15am - Meet Begins
9:50am - Frosh/Soph Race (top 7 frosh/soph not on varsity) (2010 results)
11:00am - Varsity (top 7 runners) (2010 results)
12:10pm - JV (remainder of team) (2010 results)
12:55pm - Awards - JV and Frosh/Soph - top 20 get medals -- Varsity - top 30 get medals

***We will make a final decision on Saturday but most likely will stop for food on the way home from Janesville...so bring $$$

Big 8 Grade Level Challenge - 4th Place

Great weather, great course, great competition....equals great times. It was fun to see our team be competitive with some of the best athletes in the state and show that we are a team that will need to be reckoned with at the end of the season. We have a lot of season left to continue to improve and we are already in a great place. If we stay healthy, take care of business away from the course, and keep up the great work we are looking for a great finish to our 2011 season.

The meet started with a great performance in the Frosh/Soph race. Sam B. went to the lead and work hard from the front. Bryce and Brad took the first mile relaxed and charged towards Sam. All three joined forces in the last mile and it was fun to see the three JMM jerseys charging hard towards the end of the race. These guys led our group to some great PRs in the race and it will be fun to see what this group can continue to do in the future (and hopefully we return a few of our injured frosh/soph kids). Additionally, all three will be a part of our varsity at the Smiley Invite this weekend. Mason and Connor G-T worked together through much of the race and Mason finished well to be the 14th Soph and score in our team points. Our freshman group continues to improve at every meet and I hope this trend continues. Today Liam broke the 20:00 barrier and Ben B. and Calder broke 21:00. Sam K had almost a 2 minute PR and also almost broke 21:00. I would like to see if we can get some frosh under 19:00 this year and quite a few more guys under the 20:00 barrier.

The Junior/Senior race was a nice preview of what our conference race will look like. First off, it is going to be fast and second off we are going to be part of a competitive race. Craig, LaFollette, and West are all currently ranked in the state and they have shown why they are ranked. We are closing the gap and need to continue to do this in the coming month. Jonah had a great race and a nice PR and finished 7th overall (4th for Juniors) against some amazing competition. Jordan B. has closed our gap between 1-2 to less than 30 seconds. Now it is time for our 3 -5 runners to be within 30 seconds of Jordan (again we need a 1-5 of less than 60 seconds). Hunter and Ben A. had great races and made our 1-4 gap at 60 seconds and we'll see if we can keep that and one of the Sophomores into the mix to keep improving. Andy R, Joey D. and Ryan W. joined the sub 18:00 group. Andy will run varsity again this weekend at Smiley and Joey and Ryan will lead the charge in JV to take on SPASH JV this weekend. Nick H. put out a great effort to try to break 18:00 and just miss but will have more chances yet this year.

Tonight was a good night. We put 26 athletes under 20 minutes, 10 athletes under 18 minutes, and 2 athletes under 17 minutes...I hope we continue to improve these numbers in the coming week. We got another great look at the conference schools and we will dissect how we compare in a standard scored varsity and junior varsity race.

BIG EIGHT GRADE LEVEL RESULTS
Frosh Race
Soph Race
Junior Race
Senior Race
All Results
Team Results

NEXT COMPETITION - September 17th (Saturday)
Smiley Invite - Wausau, WI
BUS TIME - arrive 5:30am depart 5:45am (Boys and Girls will be leaving at the same time so we need to leave a little earlier)
Meet Starts - 8:30 am
Girls JV - 9:55
Girls D1 Varsity - 10:25
Boys D1 Varsity - 10:55 (2010 Results)
Boys D1 JV - 11:20 (2010 Results)
Awards - 11:45 (team trophy for top 2 teams varsity and top team in junior varsity, individual medals top 20 varsity and junior varsity)

Buses will stop for lunch at Culvers/DQ/Wendys...so bring money!!!

PSAT Same Day As Conference

Attention Junior Parents (and others hoping to take the PSAT @ Memorial)

Again this year the Memorial PSAT testing day lands on October 15th...the same day as our cross country conference meet. There are options though, as most other Madison schools will be providing the PSAT on Wednesday October 12th...you must sign up in advance.

I will post information about it when I get it...you can also contact your guidance counselor for more help in this process.

Edgewood High School
They have room for 9 more students from other schools, and you would need to send your student's name, the Memorial HS Code 501-157, and a check for $25. Send to Jordan Ross - Student Services, Edgewood HS, 2219 Monroe St, Madison, 53711. Students should go to the Krantz Center Gymnasium which is behind the Commons at 7:30am on Oct 12.

Hope to have more info soon

Madison West Invite - Varsity = 2nd and JV = 2nd

Beautiful cross country weather!!! Our team continued to compete and finally got the weather and a course to cooperate for some improved times. It was great to see our times start to move towards the potential we have shown in practices. There is plenty of season left and I hope to see our PRs continue to drop. This is the time of year where it is important for EVERYBODY to take care of their grades, be in class, take care of their body, get some sleep, and ensure we continue to stay eligible and healthy to keep improving. Don't forget your goals and what we are working for this season.

Our varsity team battled well today with West, as we continue to close the gap between our two teams. Jonah lead our team with a great race and a runner-up finish. Jonah continues to get comfortable running with the lead pack and we look forward to more top finishes this season. He was joined at this meet by Jordan B. pulling a single digit in 8th place. It was nice seeing two JMM jerseys in the top 10. Sam and Hunter were solid 3/4 runners, both were up front early and will add that last mile to their race to close that gap to Jordan. It was fun seeing Bryce, Ben, and Ryan work together to improve our number 5 spot. We took about 10 seconds off our 1-5 gap as we continue to try and work that gap down to 1 minute. Last year at this meet our number 5 runner was 18:15 (17:40 by end of the season) and this year we had 8 runners at 18:18 (hoping for 17:30 or under by end of the season).

Our JV team was locked in another battle with West and today did not end in our favor. Had the race stopped at 4,000 we would have won but we need to put a stronger finish on our race to compete with West (we will see them plenty this season). Last season we had NO runners in the top ten and only one in the top 20 JV. This year we had Brad, Nick, and Andy in the top ten and Tyler, Joey, and Connor G-T finishing in the top 20. Our JV2 kids are continuing to close the gap on our top kids and this will be important to do both at meets and at practice. This will help everybody improve their PRs and make our team more competitive towards the front. Our freshman are starting to learn what this whole cross country thing is about and are getting used to racing 5,000 meters. The freshman were lead by Liam, Ben B. and Calder who all broke 21:00 today and are now setting their sights for breaking 20:00 and better.

WEST INVITE RESULTS
Varsity & Junior Varsity

Madison.com Coverage
Pictures added to Picasa Photo Album

UPCOMING EVENTS
September 10th (Saturday) - Team Practice @ Elver - 8am
September 11th (Sunday) - Ironman Volunteering - UW Lot 60
September 12th (Monday) - TEAM PICTURES (must have uniform top and bottom)

NEXT COMPETITION - September 13th (Tuesday)
Grade Level Challenge @ Warner Park
4:30 - Meet Begins
5:10 - Boys Frosh/Soph (2010 Results) (Wrong time in parent handbook...5:10 is correct)
6:30 - Boys Junior/Senior (2010 Results)
***Note - they will run ahead of schedule...if they can (so Boys Jr/Sr may be earlier than 6:30)
7:15 - Awards - Top 5 at each grade level

Verona Invite -- Varsity = 4th and Junior Varsity = 1st

A wet and muddy start to the 2011 season saw many positive results (although the times may not have cooperated). A big THANK YOU to coaches Mark, Paul, and Suzanne filling in for me as I spent time with my family mourning the loss of my Grandfather. I was so proud of the team to step up and compete with all the challenges going into this first race of the season and making lemonade out of lemons. As we spoke about earlier in the season, the weather will not always cooperate but we must be ready to run and compete...it looks like it is a good thing we ran our mile repeats through the inclement weather and now it has paid off. The Verona Invite is always a great measuring stick for our team and where we can go this season. After a tough week of practice, starting school, battling all that Wisconsin weather could throw at us, and much more I am glad to say we passed our first test. We have work to do to meet many of our individual and team goals but today's competition put us in a great place to accomplish our seasons goals. Keep working hard and good things will continue to happen this season.

The varsity team finished a great 4th place at a difficult invitational. We saw what lies ahead of us in the conference (Craig, LaFollette, and West) and will now work to close the gap on the competition. Jonah led the team with a single digit finish (8th) and a strong 17:00 time for the conditions. Jordan B. and Hunter H. ran well as our 2nd/3rd runners these seniors will help close the gap on our team towards Jonah. Our gap of 1:36 between 1 - 5 is something we will work on closing all season long...we need to get that less than 1:00. Our sophomores Sam and Bryce finished close together and continue to build their varsity experience. Andy and Tyler had nice races after a tough week of practice (both rolled ankles this week) and will be back next week Thursday to keep our varsity competition alive and pushing towards that sub 18:00 mark. This group will need to continue to improve to compete in our conference and create some breathing room on teams from our sectional.

JUNIOR VARSITY CHAMPIONS!!!! So awesome, we had a talk with this group of boys on Monday about the possibility of winning at Verona and they competed to make it happen. We have had some injuries on our team and will need to continue to work hard to get people healthy but todays performance proves that the sky is the limit for our JV team this season. Ben A. led the charge with a 3rd place finish and will get his first chance to run varsity next week for the team. Ben was joined by Ryan W, Joey, and Brad in top 10 finishes...having 4 guys pulling single digit cards in this difficult meet (last season our JV took 8th here and went on to miss 2nd at conference by one point). This year our JV team should be competing for a team title at every meet we go to and will get some challenges from programs like Arrowhead, Neenah, SPASH, and Madison West. These guys work ethic will help keep our Varsity guys working hard to improve and keep our whole team competing well. I was excited to see some PR's today on a tough muddy course. Lets hope for better weather next week and more PR's for everyone.

Verona Results
Varsity
Junior Varsity

Next Competition
West Invite - September 8th (Thurs)
@ Yahara Cross Country Course (the Dump)
4:00 Girls JV
4:30 Boys JV
5:00 Girls Varsity
5:30 Boys Varsity
6:00 Awards (top 2 varsity teams, top 20 varsity individuals, top 20 jv individuals)
(2010 West Invite Results)

Events This Week
September 5th - Arboretum Practice (Directions)
September 7th - Fall Sports Banquet (Pancheros for $5...all money collected benefits athletics)
September 11th - Ironman Volunteering
September 12th - Team Pictures

Meet Preparation

Night Before the Race
 Be sure to know the bus/early release/arrival time
 Pack all your gear
 Listen to the weather report
 Eat right – avoid large amounts of meat and caffeine
 Drink plenty of fluids (preferably water or juices)
 Keep your normal sleep routine or earlier
 Use good judgment in going to sporting events/dances/potlucks
 Set an alarm clock (two if needed)

Morning/Day of the Race
 Dress at home/in locker room (must wear warm-ups)
 Get to bus/meet on time
o 5 minutes early = on time
o on time = late
o late = unacceptable…the bus will be gone
 Eat a light breakfast/lunch or none at all
 Allow at least 2-3 hours between eating and race time

On the Bus
 Music should be listened to on headphones only loud enough for you to hear
 Respect the bus driver at all times
 Leave the bus cleaner than when you got on the bus

Things to Bring to the Meet
 Travel bag (with all your necessities)
 At least 2 sets of pants, sweatshirts, jackets, t-shirts, shorts, and socks
 Training shoes and racing shoes (including spikes/spike wrench)
 Weather appropriate attire (cap & gloves if cold…rain poncho if wet)
 Water bottle or sports drink and healthy snacks for yourself (not provided by the team)
 Bag lunch and/or money for lunch/dinner

***Remember that we are all representing James Madison Memorial athletics, be on your best behavior at all times and continue to carry on the great SPARTAN tradition***

Warhawks Win!!! New Course Record!!!

Many positves and many lessons learned on a beautiful August morning. For the second straight year we broke a participation record with 54 Memorial athletes and 5 Alumni competing in the 2011 Intrasquad race. The weather cooperated and allowed for a great race.

Team Scores
Warhawks - 523
The CORE - 539
Thundercats - 560

Some Positives
New Course Record by Jordan C (Alumni '11) 17:06
Best #1 runner time in history by Jonah W 17:07
#2 hardest year to make Varsity...it took an 18:56 to make Varsity this year with plenty of competition to keep this improving (18:55 was hardest year in '09)
15 runners under 20:00 (on a hard Elver course) (10 was the next closest)

Some Things To Work On
Our gap between 1 to 5 (1:36) and 1 to 7 (1:50) is too large of a gap
We have a lot of guys still getting in shape...we need to keep working hard at practice
We need to compete and race more...too many guys "just running"...we'll work on that

Some Other Notes
Summer running can pay off....Joey D improved by 4 minutes from last year and PRed by over a minute on a tough course AND Tyler M improved by 2 1/2 minutes from last year and made varsity
Top Frosh race was a close one with the nod today going to Liam M (22:48) in a close battle over Calder B (22:49)
Pictures from the meet added to the Picasa Web Album (click on link - in right side bar)

UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday - August 29th - Junior Athletic Code Meeting (athlete and parents) 7:00pm
Tuesday - August 30th - Freshman Athletic Code Meeting (athlete and parents) 7:00pm
Septemeber 7th - Fall Sports Potluck

NEXT MEET
Verona Invitational - September 3rd
@ Verona High School
NO BUS --> arrive at 7:30am
9:00 am - Girls Varsity
9:40 am - Boys Varsity (2010 Results)
10:20 am - Girls JV
11:00 am - Boys JV (2010 Results)
11:40 am - Open Race (Parents are welcome to race...it is free)
12:30 pm - Awards Ceremony (top 2 teams, top 40 individuals in Varsity, and top 30 individuals in JV)

Begining of the Year - Odds & Ends

SPARTAN CARD SALES and BLITZ
Our ONLY fundraiser this year is our annual Spartan Card fundraiser. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, we have an expectation for each student-athlete at Memorial to sell Spartan Cards to family, friends, neighbors, and anyone else in the community interested in donating/contributing to athletics at Memorial High School.

Each student-athlete is given cards to sell. The cost per card is $20 and checks can be made to Madison Memorial HS. For $20, purchasers get discounts to area businesses. Each athletic team is given a goal...this year, Boys Cross Country is expected to sell 12 Spartan Cards per athlete. If we reach this goal as a team before Wednesday, August 24th, we are done fundraising! IF NOT, we will go through a full team BLITZ NIGHT (AUGUST 24th from 4:00 - 7:00 PM). THIS EVENT IS A MANDATORY EVENT!

Prizes are given to athletes who sell 20 or more cards...i-pods, laptops, televisions, and more along with cash prizes. All prizes will be given out at 7pm on Blitz night.

Coaches will collect unsold cards and money at 8:00am practice on Wednesday the 24th (so we can see if we met our goal). If we need to BLITZ, ALL athletes should report to the Fieldhouse at 3:45pm for Blitz night...Mr. Ritchie will speak to all groups and then athletes will be given their cards to sell for the night and will need to provide their own transportation to sell for 3 hours. All athletes will report back to the Fieldhouse at 7pm with all money collected and unsold cards.


CLOTHING ORDER FORM (click link to see order form)
Forms will be sent home 8/22
Orders must be turned in by 8/27

PAPERWORK
All paperwork must be turned in before 8/26 for athletes to be included on our 2011 roster. Paperwork includes: Physical/Insurance cards, Team Rules, Cautionary Statement, and Athletic Fees ($115).

PARENTS MEETING
Parent meeting will be held at Elver Park on 8/27 following the Intrasquad Race (Approx ~8:45am). Parents must call Coach Casey and speak with him directly if they are unable to attend the Parent Meeting.

Off-Site Locations Information

Saturday August 20th - 8:00 am
Hill Farms Pool – 2N Eau Claire Ave (click link for directions)

Meet at pool at 8:00 am. RUN. Bring swimsuit and towel if you plan on swimming after the run. Bagels and bananas will be provided by coaches. Practice will be over by 9:15 am and we must leave the pool by 9:30am. This is an athlete only event.

Monday August 22nd 4:00 pm
Pope Farm Park (click link for directions)

Meet at Pope Farm Park Old Sauk Road parking lot at 4:00pm. RUN w/alumni. After run we will cookout and have a social. Meat to grill and drinks will be provided by coaches. Each athlete should bring at least $3 towards the food and drinks and to keep this event going in the future. In addition, bring food item that corresponds to their last name. Coaches will have cell phones available for athletes to call for rides. We will be leaving the park by 7:15pm. This is an athlete and alumni only event.

Food to bring by last name:
A – J – Salads (Veggie, potato, other)
K – R – Desserts
S – Z – Chips/Pretzels

Monday September 5th - 8:00 am
UW Arboretum Visitor Center – 1207 Seminole Hwy (click link for directions)

Meet at visitor center parking lot at 8:00 am. RUN. Practice will be over by 9:30 am and coach will have cell phone available to call for rides. This is a required athlete practice.

Vehicles can enter in two places:
-from the north at the intersection of McCaffrey Dr, North Wingra Dr, and South Mills St
-from the south at the intersection of McCaffrey Dr and Seminole Hwy, just off the Beltline

Practice Begins August 15th

2011 Practice Schedule

August 15th (Mon) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 16th (Tues) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 17th (Wed) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 18th (Thur) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 19th (Fri) 8:00 am – JMM 5:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 20th (Sat) 8:00 am – Hill Farms Pool *

August 22nd (Mon) 8:00 am – JMM (optional) 4:00pm - Pope Farm Park*
August 23rd (Tues) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 24th (Wed) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – BLITZ @ JMM
August 25th (Thur) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 26th (Fri) 8:00 am – JMM 4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 27th (Sat) 8:00am - Intrasquad @ Elver - Athletes arrive at 6:45am
***Family Informational Meeting *** (immediately after race)

August 29th (Mon) 8:00 am – JMM (optional) 4:00pm - JMM
August 30th (Tues) 8:00 am – JMM (optional) 4:00pm - JMM
August 31st (Wed) 8:00 am – JMM (optional) 4:00pm - JMM
September 1st (Thurs) SCHOOL BEGINS - practice after school 3:45pm – 6:00pm
September 2nd (Fri) practice after school 3:45pm – 6:00pm

September 3rd (Sat) 9:00am – Verona Invite NO BUS – Arrive at 7:30am

September 5th (Mon) 8:00am – UW Arboretum *

Captain's Potluck - August 14th

Captain’s Potluck
Sunday August 14th 5:00 pm
Walnut Grove Park

What: Meet & Greet teammates & families
Learn about training shoe options (Fleet Feet)
Opportunity to ask questions or turn in paperwork
Who: All boys cross country members and family
What to bring:
Bring Your Own Beverages

Bring chairs or blankets to sit on
Bring an item to share for all:
Food to bring by last name:
A - L – Main Dish
M - R – Salads (Fruit, Veggie, etc)
S - Z – Desserts

Season Starts in One Month!!!

JMM Cross Country Candidates,

2010 was a successful season but ended one meet short of our goal...the WIAA State Meet. We hope 2011 will see the return of JMM CC to state and an even better overall season performance. 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 2011 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 and your teammates 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 (9th year) and Mark Eames (6th year). Captains Jordan Black, Hunter Hix, Andy Rodgers, and Jonah Weisse will help lead the team.

As you begin to think about the 2011 season, you should consider a personal goal you want to achieve and make a plan for achieving this goal. All-State runner, State Qualifier, Academic All – Conference, earn a varsity letter, run JV-1, sub-20 minutes, make all-time lest, finish a 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 meet for runs at 8:00 a.m. at Memorial HS at 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 continuously.

Official practice begins Monday, August 15th 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 seeing if we can meet our potential this season. We return an individual state qualifier and six athletes with varsity experience. 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 whether this season is a good or GREAT season…hope to see you running soon!!

If you did not get this letter...send your mailing address to jmmcc@rocketmail.com

Upcoming Events:
Pick-up Spartan Cards (8am at running club...starting July 20th)
Capitol Mile - Sunday July 24th
Captain's Cookout - More information to come soon

End of School...Time to Think CC

Things to do:
1. Complete physical and insurance cards (green and orange OR yellow)
2. Complete paperwork: Cautionary Statement and Team Rules
3. Send contact information to jmmcc@rocketmail.com
Include parent/guardian names, phone number, and mailing address
4. Recruit quality people to join us for this fall
5. Begin running – 8:00am at Jefferson Parking Lot (Mon – Fri)
6. Mark your calendar with the following (TENTATIVE) dates

August
15th – First Day of Practice 8:00 am
27th – Intrasquad (Elver Park) 8:00 am NO BUS 6:45am (Boys Only)

September
3rd – Verona Invite (Verona HS) 9:00 am NO BUS 7:30am (Boys Only)
8th – West Invite (Yahara) 4:00 pm Bus 2:30 pm
13th – Big8 Grade Level Challenge @ East (Warner Park) 4:30pm Bus 2:45pm
17th - Smiley Invitational (American Legion GC, Wausau) 8:30am Bus 6:30am
24th – Midwest Invite (Blackhawk GC, Janesville) 9:00am Bus 6:30am
27th – Big 8 Split Meet @ Sun Prairie (Sheehan Park) 5:00pm Bus 3:00pm

October
1st – Stoughton Invite (Stoughton HS) 9:30am Bus – 7:00am
6th – City @ Edgewood (Yahara CC) 4:00pm Bus – 2:00pm (No Return Bus)
15th – Conference @ West (Yahara CC) 9:10 am Bus 7:45am
22nd – Sectional @ West (Yahara CC) TBA am Bus - TBA am
29th – State @ Wisconsin Rapids (Ridges GC) 2:20pm Bus - TBA

Saturday Team Practices
August 20th (Hill Farms Pool) September 10th (Elver Park) October 8th (Zimmer CC Course)

Other Important Dates:
June 13th - Summer Running begins (8:00am at the Jefferson parking lot)
August 24th – Memorial Athletics card fundraiser (BLITZ) 4:00pm
August 27th – Family Meeting (following intersquad race)
August 29th - Athletic Code Meeting (11th graders AND parents) 7:00pm
August 30th – Athletic Code Meeting (9th graders AND parents) 7:00pm
September 11th - Ironman Volunteering 12:00pm - 4:00pm OR 4:00pm - 8:00pm
November 3rd – End of year banquet 5:30pm @ Rocky’s

ALL TIMES AND DATES TENTATIVE and SUBJECT TO CHANGE