Madison Memorial Boys Cross Country

Madison Memorial Boys Cross Country

Sunday, December 16, 2018

2018 Season Recap

Many accomplishments were had during the 2018 JMM Boys CC season. The team continues to get back to their winning ways. As the junior varsity won the Hadler Invitational and the frosh/soph team won the Midwest Invitational. Hard work and persistence is paying off as each individual looks to contribute to the betterment of our team. Every Runner. Every Run. Every Day.

2018 Results
Division 1 State Meet
Madison West Sectional (all sectionals)
Big 8 Conference Meet
Madison City Meet

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Big 8 Conference Championships - Varsity = 8th, JV1 = 3rd, JV2 = 3rd

The water was deep and the mud was thick and no one was escaping this course clean. Most were thinking if you escaped the race without falling and both shoes still on you were the winner. Yet cross country is a sport that is not competed on turf fields, inside heated gymnasiums, or with fans sitting in the bleachers and so we donned our JMM uniforms and went out to compete in the elements one last time this season. The fans followed with waterproof boots and loud voices. Through it all was competed one of the most competitive conference meets in the state. The Big 8 teams didn't care about the elements, it was cross country and they were ready to compete. JMM held there own in the conference finishing 8th in varsity, 3rd in JV1, and producing an individual champion in JV2 on the way to taking 3rd place as a team. 16 season best times were run in the mud and muck and many great memories were created competed cross country at flooded Lake Farm County Park.

The varsity started the meet off in a fast and furious race. State favorites Middleton and West battled it out up front and guaranteed a fast pace to the race. Imaad (19th - 16:42) and Aidan P (24th - 17:02) took advantage of this fast race for lifetime PRs and top 25 finishes. We put our next 3 guys in under 18:00 giving us a scoring 5 seperated by 1:10. Aidan S was 37th in 17:25, Dylan A was 43rd in 17:45, and Peter V ran 17:53 for 48th. Having only one guy under 17:00 and a 5th around 17:50 won't cut it in the Big 8 (next year our goal is for 3 guys under 17:00 and 5 under 17:20) but that level of team should be better than 8th place as a team. Unfortunately in the Big 8 in 2018 that is all we could muster against multiple teams that will make it to state and place high at that meet. Jacob W and Peter S rounded out our top 7 runners which included two sophomores and a junior who come back to help our team improve next season.

JV1 has worked hard all season long to improve the depth of our team. Many of these guys had opportunities to run varsity throughout the year. The group included 3 sophomores and 3 juniors who will really need to work hard this off-season to fill the void of the graduating seniors and help take our group to the next level. Today they chased down all the Big 8 teams except for West and Middleton. They were led by Cole W (7th - 17:45), Peter B (11th - 17:48), Casey W (14th - 18:02) who earned top 15 finishes with their great races today. Joey C and Avery G finished together at 18:20 for 27th and 28th place respectively. Neil was close behind and Sam S rounded out the JV1 squad. The more this group trains together in the off-season the more success they will see both in JV but hopefully also in varsity. To take that next step there will need to be some dedication and willingness to do the work in the off-season.

JV2 is a race about depth and the future. Junior Brett N led our group today with a great race leading most of the second half of the race and cruising to a Big 8 Conference Championship in JV2 with a time of 18:11. We look for big things from Brett in the future leading the other JV2 guys who were close behind him. Senior Gavin H was 4th finishing out a nice career. Then came our freshman with Mick S (18:47) leading the way for Rees H (18:51) and Jakob M (19:03). These freshman have the potential to do great things for this team over the next 3 and 1/2 years and I look forward to the progress they make as they improve their strength, speed, fitness, and running. They were helped to the finish by Nick B (18:49) and Karsten K (18:50). Other PRs we saw in the race included nice runs by Zion H (19:53), Jack M (19:38), Garrett M (19:39), Sean S (20:23), Kevin C (20:19), Jake K (21:54), Thomas L (21:49), and Felipe R (19:54). Continued hard work can lead to large PRs of 2+ minutes in a season. Guys running in JV2 this year can be the next JV1 or even Varsity stars with the right training and commitment to getting better.

RESULTS
All Big 8 Conference Results

Congrats to Senior Peter V for pulling out the 2018 Rock Paper Scissors championship

NEWS & NOTES
ALL athletes must attend practice on 10/15 from 3:45pm - 4:15pm - ish
The 11 sectional week athletes will practice following the meeting....everyone else will be finished practicing for the season after the meeting
ALL athletes not a part of sectional week practice must turn their varsity jackets & uniforms (don't have to be washed) at Mondays practice
Captains will have team shirts to pass out
Captains will collect $10 for Coaches Gifts/Thanksgiving Baskets

NEXT MEET
WIAA Sectionals @ Lake Farm Park (West hosts)
10/20/18 - Saturday
9:00am - Bus
11:00am - Boys Varsity (2017 Results)
11:45am - Girls Varsity
12:30pm - Awards (top 2 teams and 5 individuals qualify for WIAA State Meet)

***Please note...there will be a $5 charge per car to park at the sectional meet***
Carpool together and allow time to pay & park before the scheduled races

END OF SEASON NEWS & 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 1st @ 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

Friday, October 5, 2018

City Championships - Varsity = 4th, JV = 2nd

The course was wet, the sky was overcast, but the competition was stellar as always at the Madison City Championships. There is no lack of talent in running at the 5 city schools and the meet showcased the runners on wet muddy cross country course today. The course held up better then expected and assuming the rain ever stops in Madison will be our location for our next two meets. Lake Farm Park is not the most difficult course we run on and gives runners who are ready to run their best at the end of the year a chance to finish the season with a PR. 13 season best times were run on Friday in the muck & mire and all are hoping the course dries out in time for the Big 8 Championships. Today our varsity ran to a 4th place finish narrowly missing out on 3rd while our JV kids ran strong to finish 2nd. We turn our focus to Big 8 and a strong finish to the season.

The varsity race was the first of the day and the runners were tentative in the first mile to see how the course would hold up to the pounding. The race really started going in the second mile and our guys hung in there for quite a while. We missed out on getting anyone on the All-City team (top 10) but had great finishes by Aidan P (17:20 - 12th) and Imaad S (17:21 - 13th) to lead our team. Our 1 - 5 gap with :42 seconds and we need this to be under 30 seconds with our lack of a single digit scorer. If we make this improvement at Big 8s it could be a huge help in our team place. Today alone a 1 point swing would have seen us ahead of East (Could you pass one more person?). Dylan A (17:39) finished in 20th while Aidan S (17:51) also broke 18:00 earning a 24th place finish. Jacob W in his first varsity race finish as our #5 in 18:02. Cole W (18:08 - 27th) and Peter B (18:11 - 28th) rounded out our varsity today. Our team gets one more shot at East next week at the Big 8 and will need a strong group showing to take down this good team. We ran 3 sophomores, 2 juniors, and 2 seniors today...there is a lot of talent coming back to this meet for JMM next year but we have to step up and do the work to compete with the strong teams of West and LaFollette.

Our JV team looked to chase down West in the JV race and we took our first step by breaking up their top 5 runners. Today, Peter S (5th - 17:51) was able to break that group up and right on his heels earning top 10 finishes were Peter V (6th - 17:59), Sam S (8th - 18:03), and Avery G (18:11 - 10). We have our work cut out to try to beat them at Conference but it is possible and even if we can't, if we run that well we can earn a top 2 finish next week. Today our 5th was Neil in 18:19 giving us a spread of 28 seconds...to win conference we need to be about 10 - 15 seconds faster and have a 15 second spread...difficult but doable by this group. Casey W (12th - 18:20) and Joey C (18:31 - 18th) rounded out our JV1 which is running well at the right time of year Our JV2 next week will be giving a moment in the spotlight with their own race at Conference. JV2 has a chance to win Big 8s or finish top 2 with just a little bit of improvement. They saw some great PRs in this group including Dhruv B (19:49), Alex T (20:19), Matthew B (20:34), Jackson P (22:00), and Thomas L (22:01). Also, Alex B (22:52), Kaine J (23:33), and Gabe M (23:34) showed great teamwork today as they all hoped to break 24 minutes for the first time...not only did they do it, they crushed it...time for a new goal. Final week, time to rest up and go hard one last time...leave everything on the course this season and go home smiling.

RESULTS
Boys Varsity & JV

NEXT MEET
Saturday October 13th
Big 8 Conference Meet @ Lake Farm County Park
JMM HOSTS - Sign Up to help out
7:30am - Bus Departs
9:30am - Boys Varsity (2017 Results)
10:35am - Boys JV1 (2017 Results)
11:40am - Boys JV2 (2017 Resutls)
1:00pm - Awards (top 15 in varsity get medals, top 15 in jv1  & jv2 get recognition)
**ALL athletes are expected to stay for the end of the meet and cheer on every runner...last meet of the year, we can cheer until the last runner finishes!!

JV Athletes will turn in uniforms at practice on Monday October 15th

NEWS & NOTES
Monday October 15th - MANDATORY Team Meeting 3:45pm - 4:15pm - Lower Team Room
Athletes will receive end of year information. JV runners will turn in uniforms.
EVERYONE MUST ATTEND

$10 to Captains for Coaches Gifts/Thanksgiving Baskets

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Stoughton Invite - Varsity = 6th, JV = 4th

The first frost of the fall greeted the JMM harriers as they boarded the buses for the Stoughton Invitational. Cool temperatures gave way to hot competition as the Spartans took on state ranked teams in SPASH, Sun Prairie, Monona Grove, & LaFollette. This top competition led to some fast times and opportunities to improve as a team. Our team continues to improve and took a step in the right direction as we prepare for the championship season in the coming weeks and look to close the season strong.

The varsity started things off with a 6th place finish. Our pack was closer to the front this week and continue to move into competition with other teams packs. The group will look to be competitive with LaFollette and East again this week at the City Championships. Aidan P led our group to the finish with a season best time of 17:12 earning a medal for his 25th place finish. Imaad S followed him in six seconds later and Dylan A came across at 17:31. Aidan S finished strong in 17:42 and Peter B gave us five runners in the top 50 finishing in 17:50. Our gap of :38 is great if we can move this group forward 10 - 15 seconds we can be much more competitive. Cole W ran 18:06 and Peter S finished in 18:33. This was a good preview for our team to see what our competition will look like at Conference and Sectionals.

The JV race was also very competitive today seeing 16 runners go under 18:00 including Jacob W who finished 13th in a lifetime best of 17:55. Brett N and Casey W were close behind finishing in the top 20. Sam S and Joey C ran sub 18:30 on the day while Avery G and Nick B rounded out the scoring 7 for our JV. We have beaten Sun Prairie earlier in the year but today they got us by 10 points. In two weeks we will see them, LaFollete, East, & Middleton at the Big 8 Championships. Running lifetime bests on the day include Kaine J, Gabe M, Brett N, Sean S, Jacob T, Ethan Y, Charles ML, Alex B, Jake K, & Thomas L. We hope to see many more lifetime PRs in the coming races to close out the season. Take care of your bodies, get some good rest, and prepare to run fast!

RESULTS
Varsity & JV Results

NEXT MEET
Friday October 5th
City Championships @ West
Lake Farm County Park - Madison, WI
1:46pm - Early Release
2:00pm - Bus Departs
4:00pm - Boys Varsity (2017 Results)
5:00pm - Boys JV (2017 Results)
6:15pm - Awards - top 10 in Varsity & JV
Bus will return home after awards...about 7pm

NEWS & NOTES
- All clothing has been delivered...if you did not receive an item please let us know ASAP
- Midterm grades will be coming out soon...take care of your business in the classroom
- Thanks to everyone who participated in Light of Life Walk...Boys Cross Country raised over $350 towards cancer research...great job guys
****PARENTS - We host conference on October 13th @ Lake Farm Park...watch your e-mail for information about volunteering help....keep your schedule open, we will need help before, during, and after the meet on Saturday****
- October 15th - Last day of practice for JV runners

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Midwest Invitational - Frosh/Soph = 1st, Varsity = 24th, Junior/Senior = 6th

Summer flooding led to a new course at Midwest Invite this year as team from WI, IL, IA, & TX toured a 1 mile loop 3 times. The weather was perfect for cross country and the ground stay firmed to provide for an opportunity to run fast times on the day. Many Spartans obliged providing 45 season best times (34 of them lifetime bests). As the season winds down it is time to take advantage of the weather and training to run fast. We had mixed results on the day as our Frosh/Soph brought home 1st place and the Junior/Seniors brought home 6th place as the varsity finished 24th out of 42 teams. We enter the last 1/3 of our season and every day is important. Lets finish the season strong!



The Soph/Frosh group was led by Aidan P and Dylan A who finished in the top 10 running great races at the front of the pack. This experience will hopefully pay off for them over their career. They were joined in the the top 20 earning medals by Cole W. Sam S ran super strong just missing out on the top 20 and Casey W had an amazing last lap passing many runners giving us 5 runners in the top 24. Our team score of 74 points was impressive at a big meet like this and outdistanced Big 8 foe Sun Prairie by 25 points. This group of sophomores was chased to the finish by freshman Mick S and Rees H who joined the sub 19:00 club. It was fun to see these guys compete. The hard work they have shown throughout the season and every week at practice really shined in this race. I hope they continue to strive to improve and look for big things out of this group over the next couple of years.

The varsity group made the mistake of getting out slow again and paid the price with times and finishes. We are better than what we raced today in the varsity and have 3 weeks left to prove it. This group was led today by Imaad S with his sub 17 performance. Peter S led our next group with him and Peter B being sub 18. Peter V and Brett N rounded out the scoring 5. Jacob W and Neil K got their first experience at the varsity level and will benefit from this moving forward. We learn from each experience and can use this to run well this next week at Stoughton.

The junior/senior race was very competitive as Gavin H snuck into the top 20 with his sub 18:00 performance. Joey C, Avery G, and Nick B came in under 18:30 and Karsten K rounded out the scorers as he and Nathan H went under 19:00. Many runners reached new levels breaking 20 minutes, reaching a PR, or just improving from last week. As our JV continues to improve it gives us more depth and keeps our varsity improving. We are ready to run well at the end of the season it is important we do everything in the classroom, away from practice, and health wise that allow us to perform our best during championship season.

RESULTS
Boys Frosh/Soph
Boys Varsity
Boys Jr/Sr
Boys Middle School

NEXT MEET
Saturday September 29th
Stoughton Invite @ Stoughton HS
7:00am - Bus Departs
9:30am - Boys Varsity (2017 Results)
10:30am - Boys JV (2017 Results)
12:00pm - Awards - Varsity Top 25 individuals & 2 teams, JV Top 15 individuals & 1 team
We will NOT stop to eat...plan accordingly...return around 1:00pm

UPCOMING EVENTS
Wed Sept 26th - Light of Life Walk - 6:00pm - 6:45pm
(bring $5 for registration/donation to cancer research) This is a MANDATORY team event for ATHLETES....families are welcome to join and should pay at the gate

NEWS & NOTES
- Captains 2018 Team Long Sleeve Shirts - $20 (pay to captains this week!!!)
- PSAT testing (usually juniors) will occur at Memorial on Saturday October 13th (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
- We are hopeful Kollegetown orders will be delivered this week
- JV kids...3 weeks left....take care of the little things, drink lots of fluid, eat well, & GET SLEEP

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Upcoming Events

NEXT MEET
Saturday September 22nd
Midwest Invite @ Blackhawk GC - Janesville
6:45am - Bus Departs
8:15am - Community 5k
9:45am - Frosh/Soph Boys (ALL frosh/soph runners) (2017 Results)
10:55am - Varsity Boys (top 7 not frosh/soph runners) (2017 Results)
12:10pm - Junior/Senior Boys (ALL junior/senior runners who are not in varsity) (2017 race was canceled)
12:45pm - Middle School Mile (2017 race was canceled)
**PLEASE NOTE RACE DIFFERENCES THIS YEAR**
Awards - presented after each race - Varsity - top 30 individuals & 3 teams, Frosh/Soph - top 20 individuals & 2 teams, Jr/Sr - top 20 individuals & 2 teams
$$ BRING MONEY - We will stop to eat at Culver's on the way home
Approximate return time is 3 - 3:30pm

UPCOMING EVENTS
Wed - Sept 26th - Light of Life Walk 6:00pm - 6:45pm (bring $5 for registration/donation to cancer research) This is a MANDATORY team event for ATHLETES....families are welcome to join and should pay at the gate

NEWS & NOTES

- PSAT testing (usually juniors) will occur at Memorial on Saturday October 13th (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
- Still waiting on clothing order #2....we are not happy either :(
- Lots of sick kids lately....wash your hands, drink lots of fluid, eat well, & GET SLEEP

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Grade Level Challenge - CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

Tonight's Big 8 Grade Level Challenge has been CANCELED
We will have practice as normal tonight
To be determined if the meet will be rescheduled

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Smiley Invite - Varsity = 4th, JV = 2nd

It wouldn't be a cross country season without fun bus stories and sometimes those stories include the bus not being there. Luckily, we got everyone to Wausau for the meet where we were greeted with summer like conditions. The D1 boys were the last two races of the day, during the hottest part of the day, and times were effected by the heat. The JMM boys did their best to battle the heat and the difficult competition, and turned in a nice performance at the 62nd Annual Smiley Invitational. The varsity took on state ranked SPASH (#2), Sun Prairie (#14) and Eau Claire Memorial (#18). While the JV once again battled the strong SPASH team (in the 9 years we have run this meet...either JMM (twice) or SPASH has won the JV race). Overall it was another great day of cross country in the state of Wisconsin.

The varsity started off the meet with a strong 4th place overall (3rd in large schools) performance finishing behind SPASH and Sun Prairie. This is the 2nd time we have seen Sun Prairie this season and we are closing the gap nicely on this team. Early in the year they put 4 runners in front of our #1 runner while today our #1 was only 9 seconds behind their #2 and ahead of their 3rd runner. Imaad S once again led our pack finishing 18th overall with a time of 17:20. Aidan P (22 - 17:25) and Aidan S (25 - 17:30) came in during the next 10 seconds and earned top 20 large school finishers giving us 3 medalists on the day. Dylan A hung on tough for a 37 place finish in 17:49. Our gap of 1:01 back to our number 5 is too large and with improvement back to our pack we had at Menomonee Falls we would have beat Marshfield and would have been closer to Sun Prairie. Peter V and Peter B battled the heat to finish 56th & 57th in 18:21 & 18:22 respectively. Sophomores Cole W (18:36 - 69) and Sam S (18:52 - 80) continue to gather valuable varsity race experience. As a team each race better prepares us for the championship season and teaches us how to race against tough competition. This group continues to improve and compete. Staying healthy and consistent over the last month of the season will give us an opportunity to reach our team goals.

In the JV race it was evident that SPASH has a strong deep program. I was excited to see our guys willing to compete with these runners. In some cases this led to fast times and other quality learning experiences. This group needs to remember to stay focused on their training & pace and keep that competitive attitude to keep improving. We see this group again in 2 weeks and we'll see which group has improved more. Our JV was led today by senior Neil K who ran a lifetime PR of 18:36 to earn 10th place right in front of junior Brett N who ran 18:37 for 11th. Joining them in the top 20 were Jacob W (18:51 - 16th), Peter S (18:53 - 17th), and Avery G (18:58 - 20th). Our scoring group had a spread of 22 seconds and will just need to nudge this group forward to keep pace with the top JV teams in the state. Gavin H and Nick B rounded out the top 7 giving us our 5th best group of JV runners on this course having them all under 19:05. Some other notable performances go to the runners who had lifetime PRs on the course today including Liam J (22:38),  Jackson P (23:55), and Felipe R (21:48). Keep up the great work! The JV runners are getting through their toughest part of training all season. Staying consistent during the coming days will be accomplished by stretching, icing, sleeping, and doing strength exercises. Less than 4 weeks remain...things are getting real now!

RESULTS
Overall D1 Varsity Results
Large School D1 Varsity Results
Overall D1 JV Results

NEXT MEET
Tuesday September 18th
Big 8 Grade Level Challenge @ Verona HS
1:45pm - Early Release (only competing athletes)
2:00pm - Bus
4:00pm - Boys Frosh/Soph (2017 Results)
5:20pm - Boys Jr/Sr (2017 Results)
6:40pm - Awards (top 5 in each grade level)

NEWS & NOTES
Monday Sept 17th - TEAM PICTURES - 3:45pm - bring your uniform TOP & BOTTOM
Saturday Sept 22nd - Midwest Invite @ Janesville
***Families who have 4th - 8th grade siblings who are interested in running the middle school mile at Midwest Invite should e-mail Casey ASAP with name, gender, grade (crhopp@hotmail.com)
Still NO word on clothing order #2
Captain's shirts information will come home this week
Wednesday Sept 26th - Light of Life Walk 6:00pm - 6:45pm (team event...apart of homecoming week)

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Hadler Invite - Varsity 4th, JV 1st

Saturday was a day of many firsts as we attended the Matt Hadler Invitational in Menomonee Falls for the first time in school history. After a wrong turn, a U turn, and even a Y turn on a dead end road we finally arrived at a rain soaked Rotary Park. This was nothing new to our team as it was not nearly as wet or muddy as what we had experienced at Verona and we didn't know that the course was changed because we had never experienced the original course. Our team got focused and was prepared to show what they were made of against some of the teams from the southeast of Wisconsin. Our team showed our depth and capability this weekend as we got out at good paces for the first mile and then raced tough for the remainder of the races. If we continue to use this race strategy we will have many more successful meets this season. Our JV runners led the way placing 7 in the top 10 and scoring 24 points for the win. The Varsity capped it off with an impressive 4th place finish putting our top 5 runners within 21 seconds of each other and having the best #5 runner on the day. We get back to work this week in the classroom and at practice as we prepare to head north to see some good competition at the Smiley Invite.

The Hadler Invite was our first JV victory of 2018 and something we can hopefully repeat again this season. There was a lot of JMM green that got to the front of the race and competed for the individual victory. We were led to the finish by Sophomores Cole W (2nd - 17:43) and Sam S (4th - 17:47). Senior Peter S (5th - 17:59) broke 18:00 for the first time giving us 9 athletes on the day to accomplish this feat. Less than 30 seconds after our number 1 runner we had all 5 scorers across the line as Gavin H (6th - 18:11) and Jacob W (7th - 18:12) finished out our scoring 5 giving our team an impressive score of 24 points (had all the other teams been one team...they would have scored 35 points). Avery G (9th - 18:25) and Casey W (10th - 18:26) gave JMM 7 runners in the top 10. Our JV set the tone for the whole day as they were willing to get out at a good pace and competed really hard for each spot all the way to the finish. This not only led to a great performance with our top 7 but throughout all 48 who competed as we saw 35 new lifetime PRs. We also saw 5 freshman (Mick - 19:05, Reese - 19:09, Caleb - 19:27, Jake Z - 19:45, & Jakob M - 19:48) break the 20 minute barrier and now set their sights on going sub 19. Our hard work in practice is starting to show in meets and we can continue to see big time drops the second half of the season.

In the varsity race we got to see some good teams from the southeast as Hamilton is ranked #7 in the state of Wisconsin. Our group got out much better this week and were able to compete as a pack throughout the race. Our top 5 were separated by only 21 seconds (last week it was 51 seconds) and this tight pack gives us a chance against teams who might have better #1 runners. We put our #5 ahead of every teams #5 today but starting at 15th with our #1 put us at too large of a deficit to do any better than 4th place as a team. We have been training hard the finish of that race will come together as we get closer to the end of the season. Had we moved our whole pack just 5 - 10 seconds faster it would had saved us about 40 points...earning second. Imaad S led the team going sub 17 for the first time and having a great kick to earn a medal with his 15th place finish. Our next pack came in within 7 seconds of each other including Aidan P (27th - 17:12), Peter V (28th - 17:12), Aidan S (29th - 17:14), and Dylan A 31st - 17:20). Peter B (40th - 17:35) and Brett N (51st - 18:11) had great races beating 11 of the 15 teams # 5 runners (and many other top teams runners). This depth is important for our team as even Joey C our number 8 runner today would have been on 6 teams scoring 5. Today was a big step forward for our varsity as we get more experience for all of these runners and we learn to race after getting out hard and in good position. Next week we will see three ranked teams and hopefully we can show that we can compete with this level of competition.

As we start to reach the middle of the season it is very important that the athletes are doing everything they can to stay healthy. Being back at school introduces more germs, stress, and chance for illness. The grind of the season continues to introduce risk for injuries, soreness, and fatigue. Help each other out reminding each other to SLEEP, wash your hands, hydrate the entire day, stretch, take advantage of the ice bath, roll out your muscles, eat well and often, and SLEEP. The next two weeks are very important for how the end of our season will turn out. It will take a strong consistent effort over this time to guarantee continued fast time and PRs during championship season.



EVERY RUNNER - EVERY RUN - EVERY DAY

RESULTS
JV Boys - Individual - Team
Varsity Boys - Individual - Team

NEXT MEET
9/15 Saturday - Smile Invite
@ American Legion GC - Wausua, WI
Bus Departs - 5:30am (Arrive at 5:15am - Set TWO Alarms!)
8:30am - First Race
11:10am - D1 Varsity Boys (2017 Results)
11:35am - D1 JV Boys (2017 Results)
12:00pm - Awards (Varsity - top 2 teams & 20 individuals, JV top 1 team & 20 individuals)
*** Bring $...we will stop to eat***
We hope to return about 4:30pm

NEWS & NOTES
Clothing Order #1 is here....put your name in your items...(no word on order #2 yet)
$25 for JMM bucket hats...talk to Coach Casey
Tuesday Reports & Attendance checks start this week...get to class & get ahead on your work
SLEEP, HYDRATE, STRETCH, & EAT WELL....take care of your bodies!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Sept 9th - Ironman Volunteering (Optional) 12 - 4pm or 4 - 8 pm - Lot 60 UW Campus
Sept 17th - Team Pictures - 3:45pm


Saturday, September 1, 2018

Verona Invite - Varsity = 14th, JV = 2nd

When I awoke Saturday morning to thunder and lightning I was not sure if we would get our first meet of the season completed or not. The lightning passed but the rain persisted leaving a soft, wet, and muddy course to be traversed at Verona HS. Our inexperience in the varsity race showed as our team got out too slow for the first mile and struggled to pass people on the difficult course conditions. Our JV runners learned from this and did a much better job of positioning themselves in the field to place well. On the day, times were not super fast but cross country is not always about running super fast times. Saturday was hopefully a learning experience to be prepared for all weather conditions, to compete regardless what the course throws at you, and to realize we are better than what we performed on Saturday. We got our first look at many of our conference and sectionals foes at the Verona Invite... now it is time to set our sights on improving so we can compete with these teams in six weeks. The work we are putting in at practice will get us to our team goals. We need to carry that confidence from practice into our next meet and keep improving each day. As a whole, week 3 was a successful week and our 14th place finish does not represent what JMM Boys CC can do this season. I hope each member of our team comes out next week to really compete and show the progress our team is making.

The varsity race was a first for Peter B, Joey C, Brett N, and Sam S and combined Imaad S, Peter V, and Peter S have only run in 10 varsity races. Racing against this competition is different and difficult. Our group got out too slow in the first mile, spending too much time and energy on the second loop trying to pass people on the hills and mud. We needed to be out about 20 seconds faster the first mile which could have led to 40+ seconds improvement over the 5k. Imaad led the charge in the second half of the race finishing strong for 48th in 18:14. The 30 second gap we had between 1 - 2 will be helped next week with some new faces but today Peter B did a great job of leading our 2 - 5 runners to the finish. Peter ran a personal best 18:44 and in the next twenty seconds we saw Peter V (18:54), Brett N (19:02), and Joey C (19:05) cross the line. This group can work together in the coming weeks to really improve and make our team more competitive. Sam S (19:22) learned a lot as a sophomore in his first varsity race and Peter S (19:38) rounded out or top seven. Finishing 14th in a meet of 23 teams is tough but I know we can do better as the season moves on...so we get back to work and look forward to the next race.

Our JV team finished a very solid 2nd place as a few runners looked to earn a varsity spot. We have our work cut out to chase down Madison West but now we know how much improvement we need to make. JV was led by Sophomores Aidan P in 3rd - 18:20 and Dylan A in 5th 18:32. Aidan S was 11th in 18:43 and will join these guys in trying to help out our varsity next week. Another sophomore Cole W earned a medal with his 18th place 19:07 and junior Nick B set another PR rounding out our top 5 running 19:35 for 32nd. We'll need to tighten up our front group to have a chance to compete with some of the top JV teams in the state but these guys have been working hard and I know they will be able to continue to improve. The hard work is starting to show as even on a muddy and difficult course we saw 15 lifetime PRs set...these guys didn't care what the weather was like, they were going to compete and that led to fast times. Lifetime bests were set by Tim Z, Matthew B, Micah S, Liam J, Santi R, Sean S, Ethan Y, Alex B, Rees H, Jake K, Jakob M, Felipe R, Mick S, and Alex T. Keep up the good work!

School starts this week...start your year off right. Be on time to class, participate, ask questions, get help if need, turn in your homework, and make good decisions. Take care of business in the classroom so we have no distractions from taking care of business on the cross country course.

RESULTS
Boys Varsity
Boys JV

NEXT MEET
Saturday September 8th
Hadler Invite (Menomonee Falls) @ Rotary Park
Bus Departure - 6:45am (arrive early...bus will NOT wait)
9:45am - First Race
PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGES (different then parent handbook)
9:45am - JV Boys (2017 Results)
11:00am - Varsity Boys (2017 Results)
12:15pm - Awards (Varsity - top 15 individuals & top team, JV - top 5 individuals)
**** Bring $ to eat...we will stop to eat on the way home****
(This is our first year going to this meet... my guess for return time is 3pm)

UPCOMING EVENTS
9/3 (Monday) - Captain's Practice @ UW Arboretum (meet at visitors center) - 8:00am - 9:30am
9/4 (Tuesday) - School Starts - Practice starts at 3:45pm...change in locker room & meet by "shed"
9/9 (Sunday) - Ironman Volunteering @ Lot 60 on UW (optional) 12pm - 4pm OR 4pm - 8pm

NEWS & NOTES
- Clothing order...we are still waiting for Order #1 from July...we are hopeful it will be delivered this week and we will get it home to families right away (Order #2 from August is supposed to be delivered September 14th BUT #1 is over 2 weeks delayed.....so??)
- Get some SLEEP...school starts this week, get in a good routine
- Eat, hydrate, stretch, & ice to take care of your body
- To help with the recovery process - bring a water bottle to hydrate right after runs...you can even bring a snack to start to replace those calories
- JMM CC Bucket Hat - Available at practice from Coach Casey for $25

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Intrasquad - Warhawks Win! - Next Step...Keep Improving

Saturday was the first in many steps towards a successful 2018 cross country season. The JMM CC Boys got their first taste of 5,000 meters for the season. Many improvements were made for returning athletes and the new kids got a great learning experience. The team has been working hard and we were racing on tired legs. This time of year is more about what we do Sunday through Friday then our results on Saturday. The work that is being done on mileage days and workouts now in August/September will determine if we have success during the championship season at City, Conference, and Sectionals. Early season races are meant as a learning experience so that we can keep on improving. If you weren't happy with your place/time on Saturday....get back to work and keep improving. If you were happy with your place/time on Saturday...good job...get back to work and keep improving. No one will remember at the end of the year what happened at Intrasquad but many stories will be told in the future years about our performances at the Championship Meets.

The team competition this year came down to 3 points! The CORE held an early lead as they won the 5 person competition scoring 19 points compared to the Warhawks 43 and Alumni's 82. BUT as at many cross country races, EVERY runner makes a difference and passing 1 more runner can always be important. The Warhawks led by captain Imaad scored 673 points to The CORE's 676 points. It was fun to see guys competing for every point and spot on Saturday. This will become even more important at the Verona Invite as we see runners from other teams.

Our varsity has some work to do to move our pack forward. Our gap of :27 seconds between our 1 - 5 runners is really exciting to see but we can't be competitive with other teams if we have no runners under 18:30. Unfortunately during the race Imaad took a wrong turn (dropping him from 1st to 18th) having him back out front will help a ton and we will look for some more help from some runners who will run their first race of the season at Verona. Today's race turned into a tight competition between senior Peter V and junior Brett N as they went 18:36 & 18:38 respectively. The goal for these guys is to lead this next pack closer to Imaad and our top runners. Senior Peter S led our guys competing for a top 7 varsity spot which saw 4 runners come in within 15 seconds of each other. Junior Joey C earned a varsity spot along with Junior Peter B and Sophomore Sam S. First year CC runner Jacob Weller will lead a strong group of JV runners at Verona who are hungry to compete for a varsity spot. Our JV1 looks really strong and needs to keep working hard to push our varsity and JV to improve. 


We head back to work for one more week of practice before school begins. It will end with our team seeing some great competition at the Verona Invite. It is important we stay healthy as we continue to work hard to improve. Get SLEEP, hydrate, eat well, stretch, and ice! Start thinking about your season goal and what you need to do to reach it. I see big things for this years team and am excited to get everyone training and racing with the start of school just around the corner.

RESULTS
2018 Intrasquad Results & Intrasquad Statistics (click on the tabs)

UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday 8/26 - Spartan Card Blitz @ Olson Elementary 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Monday 9/3 - Captains Practice @ UW Arboretum - more info to come

NEWS & NOTES
Clothing Order - click link - LAST CHANCE...online store closes this weekend
Spartan Card Awards - If you sold 15+ cards...attend awards ceremony Monday 8/27
Lost & Found - I already have some 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!
August 27th (Mon)                8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM
August 28th (Tues)               8:00 am – JMM (optional)          4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM
August 29th (Wed)                8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM - varsity uniforms
August 30th (Thurs)              8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM - Sr/Jr uniforms
August 31st (Fri)                   8:00 am – JMM (optional)         4:00pm – 6:15pm JMM - So/Fr uniforms

NEXT MEET
Saturday September 1st 
Verona Invitational - Verona HS
NO BUS - Arrive at 7:30am (remember to try to arrive early!)
9:00am - First Race
9:00am - Boys Varsity (2017 Results)
10:20am - Boys JV (2017 Results)
11:40pm - Open Race (parents & siblings can run for fun)
12:40pm - Awards Ceremony - Varsity = top 2 teams & 40 individuals, JV = top 30 individuals
***Reminder, no bus but athletes MUST stay until the completion of ALL races AND the team cool down before leaving the meet (probably around 11:40am) ***

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Week 2 - Working Hard at Getting Better

WEEK TWO - PRACTICE SCHEDULE
August 20th (Mon)     8:00 am – 10:15am JMM     4:00pm – BLITZ @ JMM**
August 21st (Tues)    8:00 am – 10:15am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 22nd (Wed)    8:00 am – 10:15am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 23rd (Thurs)   8:00 am – 10:15am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 24th (Fri)        8:00 am – 10:15am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)        
August 25th (Sat)       7:30am - Intrasquad/Alumni Race (more info HERE) Athletes arrive at 6:30am 

Sell your Spartan Cards
Details & Prizes
** ALL Spartan Cards & collected money should be turned in at morning practice on Monday 8/20...then ALL athletes should return to school 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.
IF it is raining...bring umbrellas (thunderstorms...meet at 4 and we will make a different plan)

FINAL Boys CC Team Blitz Sunday 8/26 1:00pm - 4:00pm @ Olson Elementary
(for athletes who have not sold 9 or more cards by this date)

THANKS to all the volunteers at the Madison Mini-Marathon

Good start to the season! 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
- Bring a lock to put on a locker...then bring extra dry clothes to keep in locker
- EVERYONE needs a watch!!!!!!


Order JMM Cross Country Clothing
(click on above link to order)
Orders will be Due 8/26!!!***

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Week 1 - BELIEVE Every Runner Every Run Every Day

Monday August 13th @ 8:00am - 10:30am
1st Day of Practice - Lower Team Room
Must have all your paperwork completed and turned in 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 13th (Mon)      8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)
**Parent/Athlete Meeting - 6:00pm - Wisconsin Neighborhood Center
August 14th (Tues)     8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 15th (Wed)      8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 16th (Thurs)    8:00 am – 10:30am JMM     4:00pm – Elver (optional)
August 17th (Fri)         8:00 am – 10:00am              4:00pm – Elver (optional)
                                                10:00am – Team Breakfast @ JMM (more info to come later)
August 18th (Sat)       6:00 - 10:30am – Madison Mini-Marathon Volunteering (Everyone is Volunteering...sign up at practice for which location)
Start/Finish Volunteers (park in ramps) (meet at State Historical Society)
Aid Station Volunteers (park on streets) (meet at Breese Ter & Summit)

*** We will practice everyday...no matter the weather!!!!
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!!!!

Want to Order JMM Cross Country Clothing??
CLICK HERE
Orders must be completed by Sun 8/26

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

The Season Approaches

UPCOMING EVENTS

Spartan Sports Kickoff
Did you miss it?
IT WAS MANDATORY FOR ALL (Athlete & at least 1 parent/guardian)
Stop in the Athletic Office to see our Athletic Director Mr. Schlitz 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 '18-'19 school year
- Green Card must be from after April 1st 2018 to count towards the Fall '18 season
4) Turn in Team Rules (click on link in sidebar, print, read, & sign)
- Turn in to Casey at Summer Running week of Aug 6th
5) Turn in Athletic Fee  (or waiver) - Check for $115 made out to JMM
- Turn in to Casey at  Summer Running week of Aug 6th

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 12th @ 5:00pm (optional)
Team 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 13th @ 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

Friday, July 20, 2018

Order JMM CC Clothing

Parents & Athletes
Order JMM CC Clothing
(click on above link to visit online store)
Store Open 7/19 - 7/29
Clothes will be delivered 1st week of practice

Monday, April 23, 2018

Upcoming 2018 Season


What needs to be done before August 13th
1) Fill out 2018 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 '18-'19 school year
- Green Card must be from after April 1st 2018 to count towards the Fall '18 season
4) MANDATORY Parent AND Athlete attend Spartan Sports Kickoff on July 26th at Madison Memorial @ 6:30 - 8:00pm
- this is where you can turn in physical cards, athletic fees, team rules, etc..
5) RUN and lift and yoga and get in better shape (check out www.madisonmileageclub.blogspot.com for more information)
- Summer Running meets 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 13th
8:00am in Lower Team Room
(enter by fieldhouse & follow signs)
MUST have all paperwork completed PRIOR to practice to participate
We will go for a run (30+ minutes of continuous running) on the first day of practice....have your running shoes and a watch
Parent/Athlete Meeting 6:00pm
 Wisconsin Neighborhood Center @ JMM

Monday, April 16, 2018

Summer Training Options

The more you do during the summer the easier it will be to reach your goals during the season.
Consistency and building from week to week are essential to a successful fall.


JMM SUMMER TRAINING
June 11th - August 10th (M-F) - Summer Running @ JMM - 8:00am
June 11th - July 26th (M - R) - Summer Lifting @ JMM
June 11th - August 2nd (M or R) - Summer Yoga & Mindfulness @ JMM

SUMMER RUNNING CAMPS
July 8th - 12th - Luther Distance Running Camp
July 8th - 12th - UWSP Middle/Long Distance Camp
July 16th - 19th - MMC Summer Distance Camp
July 15th - 20th - UWW Cross Country Camp
July 15th - 19th - UWEC Cross Country Camp
July 15th - 19th - UWO Cross Country Camp

SUMMER RACING OPTIONS
June 2nd - Mooovin 5k
July 26th - Full Moon Run 5k
July 28th - Waunafest 10 Mile/5k

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