End of Season News & Notes

THANK YOU for another great season. The 2017 season saw many positives as the boys worked hard all season long to reach their individual and team goals. Many personal records were accomplished due to hard work over the off season, consistent training during the season, and mental toughness on race day. The JV team won the Smiley Invite and Joel F earned a trip back to the WIAA State Meet. We ran many miles, difficult workouts like the ladder & Rosa Hills, and dedicated ourselves to the team and our goals. As we look forward to the future we want to give a THANK YOU to our graduating seniors. This group of seniors have been a big part of developing our program over the last four years and leave the team in the good hands of the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. We challenge the next group of JMM distance runners to make a plan and set a goal for next season. Through hard work and dedication the next season can be even better.

2017 Results

Division 1 State Meet - Team & Individual/Interactive
DeForest Sectional - Varsity
Big 8 Conference Meet (All Results)
Madison City Meet (All Results)

Team GPA - 3.527

For the eighth season in a row our team has exceeded our team goal for GPA (3.4 or higher). This was our 3rd best performance in the last twelve years. KEEP WORKING HARD IN THE CLASSROOM!!! Our team has EIGHT student athletes with a 4.0 GPA, who were joined by six other teammates for a perfect 4.0 GPA during the 1st quarter. 85% of our athletes met our individual goal of exceeding 3.0 for their cumulative GPA. Those athletes needing help in the classroom should ask a teammate, talk to their teachers, and get a tutor. There are many options available at Memorial if you take advantage of them. Keep up the great tradition of Memorial Distance Runners in the classroom.

Off Season Running 

Madison Mileage Club

JMM Runners in College

Congrats to the JMM Alumni who represented their colleges at their respective NCAA DIII Regional Meets (Jonah Weisse - UW-LaCrosse, Bryce Hefty - Luther, & Jonas Bietz - UW-Stevens Point)

Congrats to Jonah Weisse on competing in his 4th straight NCAA Championship helping UW-LaCrosse to a National Runner-Up finish this year. (Article)

State - Joel F 57th Overall

For the 3rd year in a row the Madison Memorial Boys Cross Country season came to a close at the WIAA State Championships in Wisconsin Rapids. This season we were represented by Joel F who competed in his second state championships. Joel ran 16:46 to place 57th out of 190 competitors. He brings to a close a great season and a great cross country career. The future is bright for our team and the big question now is who is willing to do the work over the next 365 days to represent JMM at next years state meet. The competition in our area and our conference will lead to the ability to make a trip to state. Now, we just need to put in the work to rise to that level of competition that puts us in sub 17:00 shape and maybe next year it can be more than just one individual. The Big 8 Conference was represented well at the state meet with Middleton winning with 76 points. Sun Prairie finished 5th and Madison West was 6th. The Big 8 also put 7 runners in the top 22 finishers...get good in the Big 8 and you will be good in the state!

MEET RESULTS

Individual & Team

Interactive

END OF YEAR NOTES
Send pictures on a memory stick/flash drive to Coach Casey at JMM...ASAP

End of Year Banquet - Thursday Nov 2nd @ Rocky's on Tree Ln (5:30pm) - RSVP to jmmcc@rockemtail.com (pay $10 per person at the door)

Give your captains $10 for coaches' gifts and Thanksgiving Baskets

Make a plan....what are you going to do this winter to become a better runner?

END OF YEAR SURVEYS

Parent Survey - please click & fill out

Athlete Survey - please click & fill out

Sectionals - Team = 5th, Individual = Joel F Qualifies for State

After a rough Conference Championships the Madison Memorial boys varsity looked to rebound at the D1 DeForest Sectional and end their season with a strong team finish. Refocused and energized the team took on the windy and winding course at the DeForest sectional. State favorites Middleton and Madison West established the early lead group and were joined by three individuals. JMM's #1 runner Joel F positioned himself in the chase pack and looked to avoid the strong winds early on in the race. The remainder of the JMM group was back in the pack but in a good spot to improve as the race went on. As the team race unfolded in became clear Verona was having a good day for 3rd place and our team would be battling with a group of teams for 4th - 8th. Joel led the way finishing 9th overall and 4th among individual finishers earning his 2nd straight trip to the WIAA state meet. Elliot B then crossed the line next in 25th. Stryder C battled a leg injury all week long but had a great race to be a solid #3 runner for us in 32nd. Junior Imaad S came next in 38th. Imaad has been a solid runner for us all season and will be a big part of our attack next season. Senior Lance D closed out his last cross country race by stepping up to be our #5 runner in 45th place. Mahad O completed his first and only season in cross country by competing at Sectionals while Malcolm B brought to a close his 4th cross county season. Both seniors were valuable to our team but also show the importance of new and old runners alike contributing to our varsity. The team finished very well in 5th place scoring 149 points. Our team has a lot of work to do to get back to competing with the likes of Middleton and Madison West to earn a trip to the state meet. This years group of seniors have pointed us in the right direction as outdistanced 7 teams in a year where we were rebuilding and struggled with injuries, inconsistencies, and sickness. Next years group of athletes need to bring more consistency to our training and commitment to make that next jump in the sectional and the state (Middleton and West both will be battling for team trophies at the state meet). It is not easy but it is worth it....can we get a group of guys to buy in and do the work? Joel has earned the right to represent JMM at state next week. Who will do the work next year?

2017 State Qualifiers - Joel F & Sydney P

RESULTS
Deforest Sectional
All WIAA Sectionals

UPCOMING MEET
Saturday October 28th
WIAA State Championships
Ridges Golf Course - Wisconsin Rapids
12:00pm - Girls D1 Race (Sydney P - Box 13)
12:40pm - Girls D3 Race
1:20pm - Girls D2 Race
2:00pm - Boys D1 Race (Joel F - Box 19) (2016 Results)
2:35pm - Boys D3 Race
3:10pm - Boys D2 Race

Spectator & Parking Information - HERE



END OF YEAR NOTES
- Please send pictures that can be used for an end of year slideshow on a memory stick/flash drive to Coach Casey at school ASAP
- End of year banquet will be Thursday November 2nd @ Rocky's ($10 per person - pay at door) RSVP to jmmcc@rocketmail.com
- Athletes who have not yet turned in $10 to captains for Thanksgiving Baskets & Coaches' Gifts...please do so ASAP

Big 8 Conference Championship - Varsity = 8th, JV1 = 5th, JV2 = 5th

Full write up yet to come

RESULTS
Varsity & JV
(JV1 & JV2 ran together in one race and then results were separated on the computer)

Avery G won an epic round 5 match-up against undefeated Casey W coming back from being down 2-1 in a best of 5 series to crush scissors with his rock for the win

NEXT MEET (varsity only)
Saturday October 21st
WIAA Sectional @ DeForest
Bus - 8:30am
11:00 - Girls Race
11:45 - Boys Race (2016 Results)
12:30 - Awards - top 2 teams and top 5 individuals (not on qualifying teams) qualify for the WIAA State Meet

UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday October 16th - TEAM MEETING - 3:45pm - 4:15pm @ JMM Team Room
Athletes will receive important end of the season information
If you have not turned in your uniform yet....BRING IT MONDAY
If parents have pictures from the season to share for end of season slideshow...send to Casey on a memory stick ASAP
Bring $10 to captains for coaches gifts AND thanksgiving baskets

City Championships - Varsity = 4th, JV = 3rd

Full write up

RESULTS
Varsity & JV
(all runners ran in one race...then results were split by the computer)

NEXT MEET
Saturday October 14th
Big 8 Conference Championships - Lake Farm Park
Bus - 7:30am
9:30 - 1st Race
10:05 - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)
11:10 - Boys JV1 (2016 Results)
12:20 - Boys JV2 (2016 Results)
1:00 - Awards Ceremony - Varsity - top 15 = medals, JV1 & JV2 - top 15 = recognition

***All athletes are expected to stay until the end of the meet...last meet of the year for many, we can all cheer each other on until the last runner finishes***

JV Athletes will turn in their uniforms at the meet on Saturday (bring a change of clothes)...if you are not running Saturday, turn in to Casey before Friday

Monday October 17th - Mandatory Team Meeting - 3:45pm - 4:15pm
Athletes will receive important end of the season information...MUST ATTEND!

UPCOMING EVENTS 
Wed October 11th - Light of Life Walk - 6pm @ Mansfield Stadium
$5 to Casey before Tuesday (funds go to Cancer Research)...families are welcome to join and pay at the gates on Wednesday night

NEWS & NOTES
Captains Shirts - $15 pay to a captain
End of Season Coaches Gifts - $10 pay to a captain

Stoughton Invitational - Varsity = 6th, JV = 5th

The Stoughton Invitational has quietly become one of the most competitive late season meets in the state of Wisconsin as again this year it hosted five ranked teams. Unfortunately this season we don't have a ranked team and we knew this would be a tough meet for our team. We continue to have new faces step up for us each week to help fill in the gaps but until we can consistently get everyone running at our best it will be tough for us in the team competitions. We just don't have the talent and depth to have multiple runners to have off weeks or miss meets. Hopefully as we prepare for the stretch run of the season we can get all the pieces in order to finish the season strong.

The varsity race saw our team hold on for a 6th place finish scoring 177 points to barely stay ahead of Madison East. We were led by Joel F who continues to improve each week and ran a season best 16:50 to finish 15th. The gap back to our #2 runner was too large today and something we will need to address going forward. Elliot B held on for a 17:38 and 35th place finish and was closely followed by a strong finish from Stryder C in 17:44 for 36th place. Mahad O continues to improve just missing the 18 minute barrier finishing in 42nd. Imaad S was our 5th in 49th in 18:17. Our gap from 1 - 5 of nearly 1:30 is too large for us to meet our goals down the stretch but we have plenty of guys who are capable of running sub 18:00...we just all need to do it on the same day. Our varsity was rounded out by Dylan A in 53rd and Malcolm B in 63rd.

The JV race was dominated by Madison LaFollette and SPASH just two weeks ago we be SPASH in a close race at Smiley. Since then, they have taken steps forward and we have only held steady. It shows the importance of continuing to push oneself in training during the season AND maintaining healthiness to continue to improve the whole season long. Our inexperience has cost us here as we battle it staying healthy throughout the season (this can be overcome by strong off season leading into next fall). Our JV was led by Aidan S as he finished 10th in 17:53. Gavin H ran 18:15 and Lance D ran 18:23. Peter S and Shaurya K rounded out our top 5 in 18:41 and 18:43 respectively. When we won Smiley we had a :35 second gap between 1-5...today we had a :50 gap, this makes a huge difference in a JV race. We had many athletes who ran season bests on the day including: Riley H, Suraj J, Ryan L, Shubh S, Andy T, Alex T, Yazi Y, Dhruv B, Zion H, Karsten K, Joey R, Elliot S, Andrew T, Ryan W, Peter W, Joey C, Avery G, Carter H, Gabe M, Garrett M, Brett N, Caleb S, Jacob T, Matthew B, Cam K, Silas P, Micah S, Leo S, Evan TJ, and Casey W. Hopefully we see more PRs over the final races of the season. To accomplish this we need to get more rest and be ready to perform at our best.

RESULTS
Varsity & JV

NEXT MEET
Friday October 6th
City Championships @ Lake Farm Park
Early Release - 1:45pm
Bus - 2:00pm (ONE WAY...must ride bus to meet and have ride home from meet)
4:00pm - First Race
4:30pm - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)
5:40pm - Boys JV (2016 Results)
Awards will be presented at Lake Farm Park following the races
NO RETURN BUS (families will be able to take their sons after team cool down...approximately 6:45pm)

UPCOMING EVENTS
Oct 11th - Light of Life Walk - 6pm - 6:45pm @ Mansfield Stadium (bring $5 for registration/donation to cancer research) (mandatory team event for athletes...families are welcome to join, pay at Mansfield the night of event)
Oct 16th - Team Meeting - 3:45pm - 4:15pm for ALL athletes

Midwest Invite - Frosh/Soph = 10th, Varsity = 13th, JV & Middle School = DNS

They say if you coach long enough, you will see it all. Well, add another story to my 15 year collection of coaching stories. The JV boys and middle school races were cancelled due to 95+ degree heat on Saturday....September 23rd! The extreme heat not only cancelled the last two races of the meet but also made conditions difficult to run fast throughout the days other races. We prepared the best we could throughout the week. The guys were ready to go and we talked about places and competing more than worrying about times. Our frosh/soph ran really tough in the first boys race of the day. We don't run our varsity kids in this race unlike some other programs and I thought our guys placed a very respectable 10th place in this event. Our varsity returned to action in a deep field looking to improve upon our last outing. I thought they raced great, getting in good position and holding on strong in the blistering heat. We thought a good outing would be between 15th - 20th...instead we came away with a 13th place finish. Our JV was excited to go out and see if we could another meet victory this year but the weather is going to make us have to wait another week. I think my favorite moment from the meet was looking over at the start line when they announced the race was cancelled and seeing the range of emotions on our athletes faces. I'll admit when first hearing the announcement I didn't know how to react but in the long run, I think meet management made the right decision. It is unfortunate to lose a race opportunity but we will just take that saved energy and put it towards our Stoughton meet.

Joey C and Cole W led our group through most of the race but it was Sam S who was feeling good the last mile finishing strong. Sam (38th) and Joey (48th) had solid finishes in the top 50 and they were closely followed by Cole W (56th) and Peter B (57th). Peter H (74th) was not too far back giving our frosh/soph group a spread of :45 seconds. If these young runners can continue to run together and improve over the coming years this will be a fun group to continue to watch as they were just ahead of Brett N (80th) and Cam K (84th). Our depth at this age group can serve us well in the future.

In the varsity race we were much improved over our start at the Smiley meet. In a meet with 41 teams competing it is easy to lose track of your strategy on a hot day but our guys were focused and prepared today. Joel F led the way with a 38th place finish as he starts to round back into form. He spent much of the run in the top 30 and looks to continue this strong performance in some upcoming smaller races. Elliot B ran really strong finishing just 5 seconds back from Joel in 42nd this will be a nice 1-2 punch down the stretch run. We will need to close our gap between our 2 - 3 runners but today was a tough day for that. Stryder C held on strong as our 3rd run in 86th place while Dylan A and Malcolm B rounded out our scoring 5 finishing in 107th and 113th. Our gap of 1:13 between our 1st and 5th is larger than we like and if we can get this back under 1:00 we'll see the success we are hoping for in the stretch run. Big 8 opponents LaFollette and Sun Prairie showed today that they will be formidable but I think we can close the gap to Janesville Craig in the coming weeks and we were able to beat Beloit and Janesville Parker. We also beat our Sectional opponents of Waunakee, DeForest, Stoughton, and Oregon. Our season goals are still in reach as we approach the last month of the season.

Make sure to take care of your bodies both physically and mentally as this is a tiring time of the season. Check your shoes and see if maybe you need a new pair to get you through the end of the season. Take time to stretch and ice daily and GET MORE SLEEP. Continue hydrate this week and eat some healthy calories. Also, take care of business in the classroom so that you remain eligible for running but also so you can get good grades moving forward for the remainder of the school year. It has been a fun year so far with many ups and downs but I'm excited for a great finish to this season.

RESULTS
Frosh/Soph Boys
Varsity Boys
JV Boys - Canceled due to heat
Middle School - Canceled due to heat

NEXT COMPETITION
Saturday September 30th
Stoughton Invitational @ Stoughton HS
Bus - 7:00am
9:00am - 1st Race
9:35am - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)
10:45am - Boys JV (2016 Results)
11:30am - Awards (Varsity - top 2 teams and 25 individuals, JV - top 1 team and 15 individuals)

NEWS & NOTES
- PSAT testing (usually juniors) will occur at Memorial on Saturday October 14th (same day as Conference)....you can take the test at an alternate date & location but you must contact your JMM Counselor ASAP to sign up
- All City Pizza Party - October 6th @ TBA... for all you can eat pizza and all can drink drinks - All-City & City Spirit Awards will be presented here....EVERYONE is encouraged to attend and you must provide your own transportation (we have NO return bus from City so that you can attend this event with your family)

Smiley Invite - Varsity = 10th, JV = 1st

The Smiley Invite is one of my favorite days of the cross country season. I don't know exactly what it is...maybe it is seeing the sunrise, or driving into the fall colors, or competing on a course I competed on in high school, or seeing my brother's team and alma mater. Whatever it is, I always think the twelve hours of cross country is well worth it by the end of the day. We get to see some new competition and work on our race strategies. Today, our varsity struggled with its race strategy not getting out fast enough and even though we moved well in the last part of the race it was simply too little too late. Our JV today had a great race strategy and although it looked like things might slip away in the last 1/2 mile we got tough, competed, and sprinted to a 1 point victory in the JV race. Our varsity is not quite where we need it to be for JMM standards but the hard work ethic our team has this year is trending our varsity in the right direction and leading to a great JV squad. The next step is to take that leap of faith in the varsity race for some of our new varsity runners to replicate what they do daily in practice. I know we can be better than we were today and still end our season reaching our team goals.

The varsity race was a tough race for us today. When your #1 runner comes in 30th place at an invite and you still have a 1:18 gap it is going to lead to a lower team place than we are accustom to at JMM. We finished 10th today but I think we were much better than this and we hope to make some corrections moving forward so that our team can be more competitive against some of our Big 8 and sectional competition. We lost today to Big 8 foe Sun Prairie but we were able to beat sectional competition of DeForest, Waunakee, and Oregon. Today we were led by seniors Joel F and Elliot B. Next came seniors Stryder C and Malcolm B. We will need someone to step up to run with these guys as our 5th because our gap of 30 seconds in this part of the race (the big pack) will hurt us each time. Our 5th today was 1st time varsity racer junior Aidan S and he was followed by senior Mahad O who was also in his 1st varsity race. Senior Will S and junior Peter S rounded out our top 8 today. It is good to know even when we don't run our best we can beat thirteen teams but I know we can race better than this yet this season and look forward to those performances.

The JV race at Smiley has become something of a dual meet between SPASH and JMM over the last couple years. Many times coming down to a handful of points either way. This year was no different and the race didn't disappoint in drama and intrigue. Our team established themselves early in the race and showed they were ready to compete. SPASH had an individual who took control of the race but our guys responded. At the half way point it looked like we had the race sealed up but the SPASH kids made a strong push the last half mile. On the final corner as I cheered on our top 5 I told them it was going to be decided by 1 point and that they would need to help us out. Each and everyone of these guys put in a full effort the last straightaway with Lance and Gavin helping our cause the most. The final score...JMM - 38 and SPASH - 39...1 point it was and before the last turn we were not winning but at the finish line we squeaked it out for the victory. Freshman Dylan A ran a valiant racing trying to chase down the individual victory. He was unable to hold on but he led his teammates towards the front and juniors Peter V and Imaad S joined him at the finish for a 3, 4, 5 finish. Our 1 - 5 was :35 seconds but it was still good enough to get the W today. Senior Lance D kicked home for a 12th place finish and junior Gavin H passed at least 2 runners in the finishing stretch (including 1 SPASH runner) to give us 5 runners in the top 16. I was encouraged by our next pack too which continues to close the gap and will give us a very strong JV2 come the conference meet mid-October. Today that group was freshman Cole W, senior Shaurya K, and freshman Sam S. Our guys ran great today leading to many season and personal bests. We took advantage of the nice weather, great competition, and favorable course conditions...that is all you can ask for in cross country.

RESULTS
Boys D1 Varsity Combined
Boys D1 Varsity Large
Boys D1 JV Overall

NEXT MEET
Saturday September 23rd
Midwest Invite @ Blackhawk GC - Janesville
Bus - 6:45am
8:15am - Community 5k - must register HERE
9:05am - 1st HS Race
9:45am - Boys Frosh/Soph Race (top 7 frosh/soph) (2016 Results)
10:55am - Boys Varsity Race (top 7 runners) (2016 Results)
12:10pm - Boys JV Race (all other eligible runners) (2016 Results)
12:45pm - 4th - 8th Grade Mile (see info below) (2016 Results)
Awards - Frosh/Soph - 2 teams 20 individuals, Varsity - 3 teams 30 individuals, JV - 20 individuals, Middle School - 5 individuals

** 4th-8th graders who are siblings/friends of Memorial Athletes or attend Memorial feeder schools can compete in the 1mile cross country race at 12:45pm representing JMM...to be entered in the race, parents/coaches must contact Coach Casey (crhopp@hotmail.com) by Wed 9/20 before 6:00pm with athletes Name, Gender, Grade in school...(NO cost)...it is the responsibility of each family to provide transportation for their Middle School athlete(s) to and from the meet and provide their own race day attire...timing chips will need to be picked up the day of the race by 12:30pm

UPCOMING EVENT
Sept 22nd (Friday) - Team Pictures @ 3:45pm - bring uniform top & bottom

NEWS & NOTES
Clothing was delivered on Friday...if you didn't pick it up yet, get it Monday - PUT YOUR NAME IN YOUR CLOTHES
PSAT Testing - Memorial has scheduled their PSAT testing for October 14th...athletes wishing to take the PSAT should contact their counselor ASAP to sign up for an alternate location so as not to meet the Conference meet
Still have some Gatorade & snacks still available for $1 after practices

Big 8 Grade Level Challenge - 6th Place

THANK YOU to all the parent volunteers who helped Madison Memorial host the Big 8 Grade Level Challenge Tuesday night. We had some challenges along the way but learned a lot in our trial run for hosting the Conference Meet next season. Your help with setup/clean up, parking, course marshaling, concessions, and all the little things in between helped JMM put on a great meet at Lake Farm Park.

The night started off with our freshman and sophomores competing against the rest of the conferences frosh/soph competitors. Our group was led by our two freshman Dylan A and Aidan P. they finished 14th & 15th overall in 18:37. Both counted in our team scoring with their 5th & 6th place finishes among freshman. Sam S finished 18th (19:59) in the frosh race to count as one of our top seven finishers on the day in grade level races. Had the freshman race been scored as a meet by itself our freshman would have won with 64 points just ahead of Middleton with 67 points. Cam K (20:13) and Cole W (20:37) combined to be a part of this scoring group but our entire freshman class shows strong promise and potential. It will be fun to see how this group can embrace the sport of the next 3+ years and what that might mean for JMM as a whole. The sophomore group was led by Joey C who was 39th overall (19:43) and finished 26th among the sophomores. We had a tight group behind Joey that looks to continue to improve from meet to meet. Today these sophomores included Avery G (19:51), Brett N (20:13), Peter H (20:36), Jacob T (20:47), and Peter B (20:51)

In the junior/senior race we were led by Elliot B who finished in 17:32 for 14th place. He ranked 8th among seniors. He led a group of seniors who placed 11th, 14th, & 18th to score for us in the team scoring. This included Stryder C (17:40), Malcolm B (17:45), and Will S (18:25). Additionally Mahad O (18:27) had a nice race earning his first varsity spot for our upcoming meet at Smiley. For the juniors, Peter S led the way with his 37th place finish overall and 18th place among juniors. Closely behind him also earning his first spot on varsity was Aidan S running 18:34. He was narrowly ahead of Gavin H (18:39) and Imaad S (18:45). This junior and senior group continues to improve making our varsity and jv1 teams stronger and stronger. They lead with their hard work at practice and are seeing the benefits with strong races too.

On a hot afternoon at Lake Farm Park it was hard to come by a PR but we still got some lifetime best performances out of: Adrian A (19:26), Shaurya K (19:19), Shubh S (23:42), Neil K (19:14), Andrew T (21:34), Lucas V (20:27), and Evan TJ (21:01). This is the time of year where we really need to take care of our bodies as we are working the hardest and many are tired from the start of the school year. If we can stay healthy over the next two weeks and keep up the hard work at practice we will see many more PRs next time we come back to Lake Farm Park for the City and Conference Championships. Hopefully we can continue to close the gap on our Big 8 foes and meet some of our individual and team goals.

RESULTS
All Races

NEXT MEET
Saturday September 16th
Smiley Invite @ American Legion GC - Wausau, WI
Bus - 5:30am (Arrive at 5:15am!! Set TWO Alarms!!)
8:30am - First Race
10:00am - D1 Races Begin (Girls)
11:10am - D1 Varsity Boys (top 8 runners) (2016 Results)
11:35am - D1 JV Boys (2016 Results)
12:00pm - Awards (Varsity - Top 2 teams Top 20 individual, JV Top 1 team & Top 20 individuals)
***Bring $$...we will stop to eat***
Bus will return to JMM around 4:30pm (or later)

NEWS & NOTES
Clothing is not here yet....but we are hoping soon!
I will have some leftover concessions snacks & Gatorade available at practice ($1 per item)
Team Pictures got moved to September 22nd (Fri)

West Invite - Varsity = 3rd JV = 2nd

The West Invite at Lake Farm Park on Saturday was another stepping stone in the 2017 season of cross country. Madison Memorial took advantage of the beautiful weather to take a step forward on those stones. The team continues to see improvement and this comes from their positive work attitude at practice. We still have plenty of room for gains but we are definitely moving in a right direction as a team. Keep up the good work, get some sleep, and stay healthy and more big PRs will be accomplished in the coming weeks.

The varsity started off the meet with a 3rd place finish behind #1 ranked Madison West and Verona (both Big 8 foes) but 1 point ahead of Madison East (another Big 8 foe and City team). The varsity is working on their race strategy and we had 3 new faces in their first varsity races (Imaad, Peter S, and Lance). We got out a little slow in the first mile but we moved up great in the 2nd mile and many of the guys kept charging the last mile too. Elliot B (17:23) led the way with a PR and a 10th place finish. He was followed by seniors Stryder C (17:33 - 13th) and Malcolm B (17:44 - 16th) and junior Peter V (17:49 - 18th) all who set personal records. Our gap to our 5th runners was still a little bigger than we would want but the first time Varsity runners did a great job of navigating the crowds to continue to move through the field. This race experience will hopefully pay dividends for our team as we move forward. Peter S ended up our 5th runner with a PR of 18:12 in 30th place. He was followed by Imaad in 34th place with a PR of 18:22 and our varsity was rounded out by Lance D who ran 18:43 for 43rd. This group continues to improve and continues to develop. We will learn a lot about where we stand in the conference on Tuesday at the Big 8 Grade Level meet.

Our JV is not only making steps forward but more like large leaps forward. The continued improvement in this group is providing opportunities for guys to try out varsity and helps improve both our varsity and JV. Today we had two freshman help lead the charge through the race and hopefully both learned a little about themselves as racers and what they are capable of doing. We already made a big cut into West's gap ahead of us from the Verona meet and hopefully we can continue to work our group into their pack. Today we had 4 strong runners and will need more guys to step up to give us 7+ guys who can compete up front in this JV race. Freshman Dylan A led the way with his 18:03 PR for 5th place. He was joined in the top ten by junior Gavin H 6th PR 18:04, freshman Aidan P 7th PR 18:10, and junior Aidan P 8th PR18:11. This pack seperated by 8 seconds is exactly what we need...just more guys and slightly farther up into West's pack. We had a great group of guys trying to close the gap today for our 5th runner and I have know doubt they will continue to get closer each meet. Today it was freshman Sam S (19:11 PR - 23), freshman Cole W (19:13 - 24), and sophomore Brett N (19:14 PR - 26). Other PRs were run today by Ryan L, Richard T, James B, Callum F, Andrew T, Lucas V, Ryan W, Peter W, Nick B, Peter B, Joey C, Avery G, Jeffry H, Peter H, Kaine J, Jack M, Garrett M, Caleb S, Jacob T, Matthew B, Liam B, Christian J, Cam K, Charles ML, Evan TJ, and Connor W. Keep up the great work and keep improving!

Meet Results
Varsity & JV

NEXT MEET
Tuesday - September 12th
Big 8 Grade Level Challenge @ Lake Farm Park
WE HOST - Sign Up to Volunteer if you can
Early Release - 1:45pm
Bus - 2:00pm
4:00pm - First Race
4:40pm - Boys Frosh/Soph (2016 Results)
6:00pm - Boys Jr/Sr (2016 Results)
6:45pm - Awards (top team and top 5 finishers in each grade division)

UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday 9/10 - Ironman Volunteering @ Lot 60 on UW - 12 - 4pm OR 4 - 8pm
RESCHEDULED to 9/22 (Fri) - Team Pictures @ JMM - 3:45pm (bring uniform top & bottom)
Tuesday 9/12 - WE HOST Big 8 GLC Meet @ Lake Farm Park

NEWS & NOTES 
Tuesday Reports - we will begin grade checks this week on Tuesday...athletes, remember to take them to ALL your classes on Tuesdays and get a signature (pick up from Coach Casey on Monday or athletic office)
School Attendance - take care of unexcused absences...you have 1 week to clear it up or each absence = a missed meet
With school starting it is important to have a plan to stay hydrated...get a water bottle and carry it with you throughout the day

Verona Invitational - Varsity = 11th & JV = 6th

The development process continued on Saturday at the Verona Invitational as the Spartans got to compare themselves to other teams. The competition was stiff on Saturday and we were given a great view of what progress our team still needs to make this season. We got to see Madison West (last seasons State Champion team, Big 8 & Sectional favorite this season) and Middleton (3rd place at state last year and this years state favorite, along with in the Big 8 & Sectional). Our team has a way to go to be competitive with these teams but the work ethic that we have seen so far this season will give us a great opportunity to close this gap. When you work hard during the week sometimes you race on tired legs over the weekend but the work we put in now is going to lead to great PRs in October. Even with our group running on a tough course and tired legs we had 39 PRs on Saturday which already shows some of that early growth in the season. Keep up the great work and keep your body healthy and this should be a fun end to the season.

Our varsity started the meet off with an 11th place finish. Our group was in good position on the first loop but faded on the second loop. At a deep quality meet like this one 10 seconds quickly becomes 20+ points. Joel F led our group with a 30th place finish in 17:19 and will continue to move our group forward into the pack. Our gap of 1:03 between our #1 - #5 needs to get closer to :30-:45 seconds for our team score to be where we hope. Elliot (44th - 17:38) and Stryder (51th - 17:54) joined Joel as sub 18:00 guys today but for our team to be competitive at a meet like this we need 5 guys sub 18:00 and we hope to have our #5 under 17:30 by the end of the season. Our top 5 was rounded out by Malcolm B (70) and Peter V (77). Aidan P ran in his first varsity race PRing with a 18:39 and Will S rounded out our varsity with his 89th place finish. This group keeps working hard and has great potential to develop into a top 4 team in the Big 8.

Our JV went out a bit slow on the first loop but closed really well on the second loop to have the opposite experience as our varsity. I think our JV guys are capable of putting a couple guys under 18:00 and if we are able to do that in combination with our :18 gap from #1 - #5 today we can be competitive with any JV team in the state including West & Middleton who will be our competition for winning a Big 8 Championship this season. Today's group were led by Imaad (18:24) and Peter S (18:29). They were followed quickly by Lance (18:35), Mahad (18:42), and Aidan S (18:42). The scoring seven was rounded out by Gavin H and Dylan A. This was good enough for 6th place at today's meet. In addition to these great races we saw lifetime PRs from Adrian A, Shaurya K, Ryan L, Shubh S, Neil K, Jacob L, Ryan W, Peter B, Joey C, Avery G, Jeffry H, Peter H, Caleb S, Soren D, Christian J, Charles ML, Silas P, Sam S, Casey W, Cole W, & Connor W. Hard work and trust in the system will continue to lead to more PRs and a fun season.

Classes begin this week....make sure you get off to a good start in your classes. Attend ALL classes, arrive on time, ask questions, be a positive contributor in the classroom, and get help if you need it. Take care of business in the classroom so you can stay eligible and take care of business on the cross country course.

RESULTS
Boys Varsity
Boys JV

NEXT MEET
Saturday September 9th
West Invitational @ Lake Farm Park
Bus Departure - 7:00am
9:00am - First Race
9:30am - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)
10:40am - Boys JV (2016 Results)
11:30am - Awards - Varsity = top 2 teams & 25 individuals, JV = top 20 individuals

UPCOMING EVENTS
9/4 (Monday) - Captains Practice @ UW Arboretum (meet at visitors center) 8:00 - 9:30am
9/10 (Sunday) - Ironman Volunteering @ Lot 60 on UW (optional) 12:00 - 4:00pm OR 4:00 - 8:00pm
9/11 (Monday) - Team Pictures @ JMM - 3:45pm (bring uniform top & bottom)
9/12 (Tuesday) - WE HOST Grade Level Challenge @ Lake Farm Park

NEWS & NOTES
School begins this week...practice will be from 3:45pm - 6:15pm
Take care of your body....SLEEP, Stretch, Ice, Eat Well, Hydrate!!!
Athletes MUST stay until the end of the meet which includes our team cool down after the last boys race!

Warhawks Win - 62 JMM Boys Start Season Off Right

It has been a couple years since the course at Elver has been dry but for the 11th year in a row the Spartans toed the line at Elver Park for our annual Intrasquad competition. It is our first glimpse at what the team will look like for the season and for many runners it is their first ever 5k race. This race is just a stepping stone to our season and it will be important for every runner to strive to get faster and stronger throughout the year. We look forward to the improvement many runners will make simply from this first competition to Verona, as they compete against other teams and have more runners to chase towards fast times. It will be important we continue to work hard at practice AND take care of our bodies away from practice. Get in a good sleep routine (8-9 hours of sleep) now before school starts and make sure to re-hydrate and eat healthy daily. I think our team can reach big things this season but it will take individual efforts from every runner to reach these goals.

The Intrasquad race helps us determine our varsity for the Verona Invitational. The race for our top 7 was tight and hotly contested and hopefully this healthy competition will create some faster times for our varsity and jv athletes. Joel F returns this season with state meet experience and led the way on Saturday with his 17:23 performance. In the next 32 seconds we saw seniors Elliot B, Stryder C, and Malcolm B cross the line. We will need to add a fifth to this group b/c our gap of 1:01 between our 1 - 5 will costs us valuable points at large invites. Today our 5th was senior Will S but I see many prospects, who if willing to put in the work, can help bring this varsity group closer together. The battle for 6th & 7th place probably cost us some overall time in the race. This group needs to get faster (which I know they can) to be competitive at our big varsity meets. Today junior Peter V and freshman Aidan P earned varsity spots but I think we will see multiple athletes take a turn at varsity this year and that competition will make us better as a team.

The JV showed great depth and strength today. Our ability to work together in both practice and meets will lead to success in the JV group. 36 seconds separated our top 7 jv runners which is great. If this group can continue to work together to get faster and challenge for varsity spots our JV should be in contention to win a lot of meets this season. There is a nice mix of new faces, veteran runners, and freshman that can help each other learn and get faster at each and every meet.

The team competition today went to the Warhawks (540) and captain Malcolm B. His team outdistanced the Thundercats (652) captained by Elliot B & Stryder C and The CORE (753) captained by Joel F. This race showed the importance of depth on your team as in the 5 person team scoring the Thundercats (30) would have beat the Warhawks (38) in a close battle. I think this meet was a successful start to the season. We look forward to adding some more pieces to the puzzle as we head into the Verona Invitational and see where we stand against some of our competition from our Conference and Sectional. The hard work we put in now will determine how successful our championship meets will be at the end of October.

RESULTS
2017 Intrasquad Results & Intrasquad Statistics (click on the tabs)

UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday 8/27 - Spartan Card Blitz @ Olson Elementary 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Wednesday 8/30 - Mini-Golf Outing @ Vitense 7:00pm (optional) (moved due to Thurs night fball game)
Monday 9/4 - Captains Practice @ UW Arboretum - more info to come

NEWS & NOTES
Clothing Order - turn in to Casey by 3:00pm Sunday (I'll be at Olson from 1 - 3 on Sunday)
Spartan Card Awards - If you sold 15+ cards...attend awards ceremony Monday 8/28 @ 7pm in Cafeteria
Lost & Found - I already have accumulated a bunch of items, please check for your stuff at practice (and then also remember to gather items after practices better :)

WEEK 3 PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Note switch to afternoon for mandatory practices!
**Meet behind fieldhouse still...use phy ed lockerroom

August 28th (Mon)                8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM

August 29th (Tues)               8:00 am – JMM (optional)          4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM

August 30th (Wed)                8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM

August 31st (Thurs)              8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM
September 1st (Fri)               8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM

NEXT MEET

Saturday September 2nd

Verona Invitational - Verona HS

NO BUS - Arrive at 8:30am

Please Note Times are Different than Parent Handbook
9:30am - First Race

10:30am - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)

11:40am - Boys JV (2016 Results)

12:20pm - Open Race (parents & siblings can run for fun)

1:00pm - Awards Ceremony - Varsity = top 2 teams & 40 individuals, JV = top 30 individuals

Week 2 - Intrasquad/Family Meeting on Saturday

WEEK TWO - PRACTICE SCHEDULE

August 21st (Mon)     8:00 am – 10:00am JMM     4:00pm – BLITZ @ JMM**

August 22nd (Tues)   8:00 am – 10:00am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 23rd (Wed)    8:00 am – 10:00am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 24th (Thurs)   8:00 am – 10:00am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 25th (Fri)        8:00 am – 10:00am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)        

August 26th (Sat)       7:30am - Intrasquad/Alumni Race (more info HERE) Athletes arrive at 6:30am (NOTE TIME CHANGES THIS YEAR)

                 ***Family Informational Meeting *** (immediately after race at JMM in the Wisconsin Neighborhood Center) 

Sell your Spartan Cards
Details & Prizes
** ALL Spartan Cards & collected money should be turned in at morning practice on Monday 8/21...then ALL athletes should return to school (meet in the Wolf Neighborhood) at 4:00pm on Monday to "Blitz" our remaining goal (probably somewhere between 3 - 6 cards)....kids should plan ahead to carpool for this event so they can sell cards Monday from 4:00pm - 7:00pm.

FINAL Boys CC Team Blitz Sunday 8/27 1:00pm - 3:00pm @ Olson Elementary

THANKS to all the volunteers for the Madison Mini-Marathon

 


Good start to the season! Lots of hard working athletes this season and this will lead to big things. It is important to remember we want to build off of each day of practice with consistency in our running. This occurs when we stay healthy and take care of our bodies. Make sure you are developing good habits in stretching, eating, fluid intake, and sleeping. The work we do over the next month will determine how successful the season will be for each individual. We look forward to our first 5k of the season on Saturday at Elver Park for our annual Intrasquad/Alumni 5k.

REMINDERS

- Bring a water bottle to practice to rehydrate after runs

- EVERYONE needs a watch!!!!!!

Order JMM Cross Country Clothing

Orders will be Due 8/26!!!***
(I'll take last minute orders up until 3pm Sunday at our Blitz)

Week 1 of Practice

DUE TO CONSTRUCTION
Practice will meet behind JMM Fieldhouse at the Low Ropes Course...athletes should use the Phy. Ed. locker room if needed
(bring your own locks)

Monday August 14th @ 8:00am - 10:30am

1st Day of Practice - Low Ropes Course (behind school)

Use Boys Physical Education Locker Room
Must have all your paperwork completed and turned in with Coach Casey to participate

We will run for 30+ minutes on 1st day of practice...have your running shoes and watch
REMINDER - Everyone will need a watch this season!!!! Any watch will do but here is coach's recommendation - Timex Ironman

WEEK ONE - PRACTICE SCHEDULE

August 14th (Mon)      8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 15th (Tues)     8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 16th (Wed)      8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 17th (Thurs)    8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)

August 18th (Fri)         8:00 am – 10:00am              4:00pm – Elver (optional)

                                                10:00am – Team Breakfast @ JMM (more info to come later)

August 19th (Sat)       6-9am OR 8-11am – Madison Mini-Marathon Volunteering (sign up at practice)
Our aid station is located at the corner of Nakoma & Monroe (park in neighborhood)

*** We will practice everyday...no matter the weather!!!!
*** Due to locker room construction JMM practices will meet behind the JMM field house at the low ropes course & athletes should use the physical education locker room (bring your own locks)
Elver practices meet at the large shelter in Elver Park next to the splash pad

Paperwork that Needs To Be Done 

1) Fill out Athlete Questionnaire (Click on link & Fill out)

2) Fill out Online Athletic Forms (Click on link ... Parent & athlete BOTH must complete)

- Log in with Infinite Campus log-in information

3) Complete Physical/Insurance Cards (green OR yellow card)

4) Turn in Team Rules

5) Turn in Athletic Fees ($115 check to JMM or Fee Waiver)

Sell your Spartan Cards
Details & Prizes
Did not get them or need more...stop in the athletic office (8am - 4pm)
Sell to your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, families co-workers...get creative & get out and SELL!!!!

Order JMM Cross Country Clothing

MORE INFO TO COME HOME ABOUT THIS
***It will be new & different then previous years

Upcoming Events

UPCOMING EVENTS

Spartan Sports Kickoff
Did you miss it?
IT WAS MANDATORY FOR ALL (Athlete & at least 1 parent/guardian)
Contact our Athletic Director Mr. Schlitz at jschlitz@madison.k12.wi.us if you missed the event & turn in your paperwork to Coach Casey ASAP

1) Fill out Athlete Questionnaire (click on link & fill out)

2) Fill out Online Athletic Forms (click on link....Parent AND athlete BOTH must complete)

- Log in with Infinite Campus log-in information (please make sure to choose boys cross country)

3) Complete Physical Cards (Green OR Yellow card)

- Check in the athletic office if you are unsure which one you need for '17-'18 school year
- Green Card must be from after April 1st 2017 to count towards the Fall '17 season

4) Turn in Team Rules (click on link in sidebar, print, read, & sign)

- Turn in to Casey at Spartan Sports Kickoff or Summer Running

5) Turn in Athletic Fee  (or waiver) - Check for $115 made out to JMM

- Turn in to Casey at Spartan Sports Kickoff or Summer Running

Sell your Spartan Cards
Details & Prizes
Did not get them or need more...stop in the athletic office (8am - 4pm)
Sell to your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, families co-workers...get creative & get out and SELL!!!!

Sunday August 13th @ 5:00pm (optional)

Captains Potluck - 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 chairs or blankets to sit on
Bring Your Own Plates, Cups, & Silverware
Sports Drink & Water will be available
Bring an item to share for all:
Food to bring by grade in school:
Frosh – Desserts
Soph – Salads (Fruit, Veggie, etc)
Jrs & Srs – Main Dish

Monday August 14th @ 8:00am - 10:30am

1st Day of Practice - Lower Team Room

Must have all your paperwork completed and turned in with Coach Casey to participate

We will run for 30+ minutes on 1st day of practice...have your running shoes and watch
REMINDER - Everyone will need a watch this season!!!! Any watch will do but here is coach's recommendation - Timex Ironman

Gettin' Ready for CC 2017

What needs to be done before August 14th

1) Fill out Athlete Questionnaire (click on link & fill out)

2) Fill out Online Athletic Forms (click on link....Parent AND athlete BOTH must complete)

- Log in with Infinite Campus log-in information (please make sure to choose boys cross country)

3) Complete Physical Cards (Green OR Yellow card)

- Check in the athletic office if you are unsure which one you need for '17-'18 school year
- Green Card must be from after April 1st 2017 to count towards the Fall '17 season

4) MANDATORY Parent AND Athlete attend Spartan Sports Kickoff on July 27th at Madison Memorial @ 6:30 - 8:00pm

- this is where you can turn in physical cards, athletic fees, team rules, etc..

5) RUN (check out www.madisonmileageclub.blogspot.com for more information)

- Meet at 8:00am Mon - Fri at Jefferson Parking Lot and Sat at Military Ridge Trail

Everyone will run 30+ minutes of continuous running the first day of practice

First Day of Practice 

Monday August 14th

8:00am in Lower Team Room

Must have all paperwork completed prior to practice to participate

We will go for a run on the first day of practice...have your running shoes and a watch

Team Rules

JMM Boys CC Team Rules are currently being reviewed & updated...check back closer to the 2018 season to see the rules