This Week's Schedule

From Buz:
Today Sunday is a 45 min. EASY RUN for this weeks "Dirty Dozen". Adam,
Ben,Ryan,Chris,Aaron,Will,Rowen,Zach G.,David K.,Jake,Sam,and Zach
Cof.

Monday @ PF. THERE WILL BE NO BUS FROM SCHOOL. PLEASE MAKE SURE THOSE
THAT DO NOT DRIVE CARPOOL WITH THOSE THAT DO. SAME ALL WEEK!

Monday will be a moderate workout and finished by 5:30pm. Everybody on
the team (boys and girls and German visitors) are invited to a bonfire
@ Krister's house.
ALL THOSE WHO PRACTICE ON MONDAY-Please go home and change into "warm
clothes" , a shower would also be nice and EAT a GOOD Dinner. Arrive at Krister's between 7:00-7:30pm. It is Halloween, so dress in costume if you want.
Because it is a school night you need to have your work done and we will finish early, staying just long enough to have some spirit for REGIONALS.Finish by 9pm. It will be cold enough by then. If you have too much work already in this new quarter, stay home and get it done.

Tue: @ PF for the above 12. Fin bet 5:15-5:30pm.
Wed. @ AHS fin by 5:15pm
Thur  Details on Monday on when you leave school.
Girls Race @ 1:00pm, Boys @ 1:45pm. Four teams qualify for State
Championships from the 16 racing.

Friday @ PF. Finish by 5:45pm.
Saturday TBD

Earthquake Race Update

Buz chipped in the balance of monies to bring the donation total to an even $1000! This was an incredible effort from the athletes, organizing coaches and donating parents to help Louisa recover from the effects of the earthquake. Thank you to all.

More Photos From Districts

Fred Smyth has again shared some great photos from Thursday's District Championships. There are photos from all three races at the link. Thanks so much Fred!!!
Fred Smyth Photos From Districts

Photos From Districts

Posted on Photobucket are over 600 pictures of the Varsity race and the JV race, as well as the award ceremony.
District Photos

Finish Line Video

I tried to upload the HD video directly to the blog, but an hour in, I gave up. The link is to YouTube at 240dp, poorer quality, but it is up for your viewing pleasure. No comments on my counting ability, please. There is a reason I don't shoot many race videos...
YouTube Finish Line

Scrimmage Play's Coverage

Here is the link to Scrimmage Play's coverage of the Commonwealth District Championships:
CD Championships

AHS Boys - Commonwealth District Champs!

Photos and a video of the finish will be posted late afternoon. Meanwhile, here is Buz's writeup for the morning announcements at AHS:

The Patriot Boys Cross Country team, led by District Champion Adam
Visokay, won the Commonwealth District Championship for the first time
in 10 years. Three other Patriots finished in the top 11, earning
All-District Honors ( Ryan Thomas 3rd, Chris Springer 10th, and Ben
Deal 11th). Albemarle's IMPORTANT 5th man was Aaron Elder who passed a
runner at the finish line, providing a one point VICTORY!

Ragged Mountain Poll

Here is the link to the October 27th Ragged Mountain XC Poll. Once again, AHS boys are ranked first in the area, with five individuals in the top 15.
Oct. 27 Ragged Mountain Poll

Directions to Willowmere (Districts)

From the desk of Buz:
Travel time to Willowmere Park is about 2 hours. The way
the team will travel is 29N until picking up 28N just north of
Remington ( only 673 people live there). We take 28 N to Bealton (home
of the Flying Circus) and then go East on Rte 17.
Go about 30 min.and turn left on Poplar rd. Go about 15-20 minutes and
turn Right on Mt. View rd.
and Willowmere Park is almost immediately on your right. There are
several ways to drive but to me this is the most straightforward.
There is no parking charge.

This Week's Schedule

Sunday: If you raced on Friday you have a day off today provided you
ran on Saturday.
Everybody please send in their Sunday email as usual.If you raced,
please make sure you give me some feedback on your race, especially if
you did not have a Panorama PR.

Monday: Practice for Everybody @ PF. If you are not racing please
bring your uniform. Put it in a zip lock bag with your name on it.
This will be the last xc practice for those not going to Districts.
Finished by 5:45pm

Tuesday: Practice @ PF for District crew. Finished by 5:30pm. After
practice the "District Crew" is invited to my house for a simple Pasta
Dinner. We will have the food ready at 6pm and you you will be home by
8pm. If you have final quarter tests on wed. and feel you can't come,
just let me know.

Wed: Pre-meet w/o @ Albemarle. Finished by 5:15pm.

Thur: Leave school @ 11:20pm bring money to eat dinner at Bealton
shopping center. Home about 8:30pm.

Friday @ PF  Hour run. fin by 5:45pm.

Saturday @ Ridge or TBD

Sunday ROO

Roster Page

The Roster Page has now been updated with the results from the Earthquake Race, and all associated PRs.

Earthquake Results

Here are the AHS Boys results from Friday's race:

  FIRST EVER (and ONLY) EARTHQUAKE RELIEF RACE 10/21/2011

                  BOYS RESULTS : AHS 17 LOUISA 40

@ PANORAMA FARMS 5K COURSE 60 DEG.  Perfect racing wx

1.      Zach Gentry                   18:03   (48 sec. pr)      fr

2.      Sam Gilespie                  18:04   (31 sec pr)       jr

3.      Alex Levine                     18:05   (39 sec pr)       so

4.      Nat Pfund                       18:27   (  7 sec pr)       jr         

5.      Patrick Hedger               18:34   (18 sec pr)       sr         7^th pl

6.      Cam  Hatchette              18:39   (24 sec pr)       so         10^th pl

7.      Andrew Heatwole          18:40   (25 sec pr)       jr          11^th pl

8.      Robert Robison              19:01   (41 sec pr)       sr         12^th pl

9.      Asher Noble                   19:42                           sr         16^th pl

10.  Chad Carmines              19:55                           jr          17^th pl

11.  Cyrus Legard                  20:02   (21 sec pr)       so         18 th pl

12.  Michael Nasevich          20:02                           jr          19 th pl

13.  Joey Michel                    20:10                           so         20^thth pl

14.  Sam Melton                   20:17   (2:01 pr)          jr          21^st pl

15.  Jeffrey Leckerone          20:19                           fr.        22^nd pl

16.  Johnny Murray               20:33                           fr         23^rd

17.  Daniel Foley                   20:36                           jr          24^th

18.  Thomas Densmore         20:45   (4 sec pr)         fr         25^th

19.  John Hill                         21:04                           so         29^th

20.  Christian Carmines        21:14                           sr         30^th

21.  Gus Truslow                   21:18  (8 sec pr)          fr         31 st

22.  Xander White                 21:42   (23 sec pr)       so         34^th

23.  David Juers                     22:00   (3:28 pr)          8^th        35^th

24.  Ian Prum                         22:07                           sr         37^th

25.  Grayson Roesch             22:22   (37 sec pr)       fr         40^th

26.  Michael Chisolm            22:30   (1:34 pr)          fr         41st

Way To Go AHS XC!

With pledged money still rolling in, the AHS XC family has raised over $700 in "PR" donations to the Louisa Earthquake fund. The young men and women on the team set numerous Personal Records (5K and Farm 5K) in an outstanding effort to benefit a worthy cause. Thanks to all.

Photos, Photos, Photos

Jesse Smyth's father Fred has once again shared photos from both the Earthquake Race and the Albemarle Invitational. We really appreciate his generousity, and the links:
Albemarle Invite
Earthquake Race

I have uploaded 483 pictures from the Earthquake Race, and there are good ones of every boy that ran (you just have to wade through the chaff to find the wheat).
Earthquake Race - Thomas

Nutrition For Runners

Carole Krohn has assembled a chart of foods that are high in magnesium and potassium. Taken within the recommended doses, these nutrients will inhibit the potential for leg cramps, while contributing to muscle building. Over the counter supplements sometimes have adverse side effects, so it is always wise to consume foods that are naturally high in those areas. With the championship season upon us, this is timely and worthwhile info - a big thanks to Carole for sharing.

Foods High in Magnesium & Potassium

	Magnesium	Potassium
Almonds (1 oz, 26 nuts)	76 mg	199 mg
Avocado (1/2 cup)	35 mg	585 mg
Banana (1 medium)	30 mg	420 mg
Beans, black (1/2 cup)	60 mg	305 mg
Beans, kidney (1/2 cup)	42 mg	371 mg
Beans, pinto (1/2 cup)	43 mg	373 mg
Halibut (3 oz)	90 mg	490 mg
Milk (skim, 8 oz)	30 mg	410 mg
Orange juice (8 oz)	27 mg	475 mg
Peanuts (1 oz)	49 mg	203 mg
Potato (1 baked, with skin)	50 mg	925 mg
Spinach (1/2 cup, cooked)	75 mg	420 mg
Yogurt (low fat, 8 oz)	45 mg	575 mg

Recommended daily intakes:

                Men – 420 mg magnesium, 4700 mg. potassium

                Women – 320 mg magnesium, 4700 mg. potassium

Milestat Rankings

After not posting the poll since the 9/29 update, Milestat has assembled the latest "Cream of the Crop" rankings, and for the first time this season, Albemarle is ranked first in the Commonwealth. The link below is to a subscription-only article, but Brandon Miles says several nice things about the team.
10/20 Cream of the Crop Rankings

Ragged Mountain XC Poll

After not being available online to link for several weeks, the Poll has returned. The AHS boys are once again the top team in Central Virginia, landing five men in the top 15, including the first four spots.
OCT 20 Ragged Mountain Poll

Roster Update

The Roster page has been updated with the results from Saturday's race at the Milestat Invitational.

Additional Pictures From Milestat Invite

Ryan's grandfather, Dick Thomas, shot a series of photos Saturday at the Milestat Invitational. Much thanks go out to him for sharing with the blog. Here is the link:
Milestat Photos

This Week's Schedule

Monday is ROO. All those who did not race should run min. of 30 and
max of 45 min on Monday.

Tue. will be a workout at PF. Finished around 6pm.

Wed. @ PF, fin @ 5:45

Thur. @ PF, fin @ 5:30-5:40pm

Fri. @ PF Race with Louisa. Final time to be set.

Milestat Invite Summary

At Pocahontus State Park Saturday, the AHS boys once again proved they belong in the upper tier of Virginia high school cross country rankings. The Varsity and JV teams both placed second in very competitive fields. The Varsity lost to District rival Stafford by 23 points, in a 25 team field. The JV yielded to Blacksburg, a perennial top program in AA, who ran close to fifty young men in the race.
The Varsity squad was again led by senior Adam Visokay, quickly followed by Chris Springer, Ben Deal and Ryan Thomas, all of which finished in the top twenty. Junior Joe Krohn tallied the final scoring points, while Will Hunt and Aaron Elder were pushers in the 6-7 spots.
The Junior Varsity was led by freshman David Kwiatkowski, tying his PR at 17:37. He was followed by scoring teammates Jake Brooks, Zach Gentry, Guillaume Bailey, and Captain Zach Coffman. The 6-7 pushers in this race were Alex Levine, who recovered from a starting line fall, and Nat Pfund.
Numerous PRs and SBs were made during this meet, on a very fast course.

Milestat Coverage

The link below will take you Brandon Miles' coverage of the Milestat Invitational:
Milestat Coverage

Results will be posted on the sidebar.

Milestat Invitational Photos

Follow the link to over four hundred photos of both boys races:
Milestat Invitational Photos

DirectionsTo Pocahontus State Park

From Milestat.com:

From 64 west of Richmond: Take Route 288 south to Route 10 east (Iron Bridge Road) to Route 655 (Beach Road) to State Park Road.

Earthquake Meet tonight is cancelled

Hey Patriots,

Because of water on course and over bridge at Panorama, today's
meet and practice at Panorama will be cancelled.

Boys going to Milestat on Saturday will ROO @ home 45-60 min.
Those boys that were going to race today can have the day off.

Thursday's practice will be at Panorama and only for the 20 boys going
to Milestat. Those not racing Saturday should ROO on Thur. 30-45 min. easy.

Buz

Last Chance For Hats and Spirit Wear

Both Alec Lorenzoni andd Debbie McPhillips have agreed to another round of ordering of hats and spirit wear for the parents and team, for those that are interested. Alec's deadline for ordering is Thursday, Debbie would like orders today.
From Alec:
Due to the popularity of the new colors in the Nike hats, I'm going to put in a 2nd order if you missed out on the first one.  If you would like a hat, they are $16 and they come in white, red or navy.  Please let me know by Thursday evening as I would like to order them Friday morning.  Thanks!
Alec Lorenzoni
Please respond to him alec@raggedmountainrunning.com to ensure he gets your order.

And from Debbie:
I am placing another spirit wear order so if there is anything you meant to order but didn't, please email me (mcsix@embarqmail.com) today!
I have several orders that were taken at the meet so don't email me those.

More Photos From The Albemarle Invitational

Fred Smyth has generously posted a series of photos of the boys races on Picasa. The link is below:
Fred Smyth Album - Alb Inv

Don't forget to check out Tom Pajewski's photos on his website, now that they are all uploaded.

Pocahontus State Park Course Info

Here are links to the three part video series from 2009 that Brandon Miles created, a complete walk through and commentary on the 5K course.
First Mile - Milestat.com Invitational 5K
Second Mile - Milestat.com Invitational
Third Mile - Milestat.com Invitational

As previously posted, here is the link to the Google Earth flyover file.
Pocahontus State Park 5K Course

Parking ($5) will be a premium, please carpool and arrive early.

Milestat Summary

Below is the link to Milestat's coverage of the Albemarle Invitational:
Albemarle Invitational

Thank You

The huge success of the Albemarle Invitational is due to the tremendous support and volunteering of the parents of the team. Heather Stokes and Debbie McPhillips took the lead in organizing the volunteers this year, and deserve every thanks thrown their way. After the meet and awards were done, and their jobs over, both were emptying trash cans and carting bags to the dumpster. Their efforts were above and beyond the "call of duty". As always, the parking crew worked tirelessly, away from the action, to ensure the spectators could quickly access and exit the farm. Given the record crowd this year, it was a small miracle that they pulled it off as well as they did. Thanks also to the awards crew, the concession volunteers (exceeded anticipated income this year!), packet suffers, chip collectors and the chute crews for their exceptional work. Thanks go out to Deb Tyson and the athletic department for supporting the meet, and Principal Thomas for taking a Saturday of his own time to hand out the awards. The biggest thanks, however, should be reserved for Buz. As meet director, he has several weeks of headaches and details to deal with, all the while coaching our sons to their eventual first place finish. Granted, he couldn't accomplish it all without the help of the volunteers, but in the end, Buz is responsible. He has great stories of past Invite successes and failures, but this year will go down as one of the biggest successes. Thank you Buz.

Roster Updates

The Roster page has been updated with the results from yesterday's meet, including any 5K or PF5K PRs.

Earthquake Race

The following is from Coach Male:
Hello Patriots,
The leaves are starting to change and that always means we are on the backside of the xc season. There is one invitational left next Saturday, then Districts, Regionals, and States and finally, Nike Nationals.

Because we can only enter (and take) 24 for Districts and enter only 10 for the rest of the meets , we schedule a home dual meet in October. Because of our friendship with the Louisa coaches and the recent epi-center of the recent earthquake causing a lot of damage in Louisa County, the Albemarle coaches have decided to host Louisa on Wed. 10/12 (this coming wed.) and turn it into a win-win-fun(d)-raiser. I am asking our parents to pledge a dollar a second for their son or daughter's Panorama PR. So, if your son/daughter had a  20:12 or 23:12 PR (personal record)  for Panorama and this wed. breaks thru that barrier and runs 19:59 or  22:59 that would mean you would write a check for $13 to an Educational Fund for Louisa County that has been set-up for donations. We will get the exact name by wed. It can be a tax write off for you. More importantly is that Louisa County will benefit the best way we can help ($ to re-build) and our kids will know the feeling of giving something for a cause that is greater than our team., and greater than cross country. As one dad said to me yesterday he would contribute $5 a second to motivate his son:). That of course not necessary but it put a smile on my face yesterday. If you do not want to participate that will be ok and nobody has to know.

I have great respect for Jerry Cutright, the Louisa Boy's coach. His oldest daughter coaches the girls and his younger daughter is now a new counselor at AHS and will help me with the Indoor track team. Your son/daughter may have her as a counselor and both girls are wonderful. The coaching profession can be quite a network of friends for those of us who have been coaching for a long time and Jerry is one of the best!
If you have questions please email Cathy or me. We will talk about this on Tuesday and give you the details before Wed. I will update the boys "Panorama PR's" before the race and send to you before Wed. That might make our race more exciting.

All 18  boys going to Milestat on Saturday will not race on Wed., so that means there will be about 32 or 33 racing on Wed. The top 7 from Wed.'srace will get to race at Districts with the 18 Milestaters and for ALL OTHERS, this will be their last race of the season. It goes fast when you are having fun and I hope your boys have had as much fun as I have. For those boys that the EARTHQUAKE RACE will be their last race, I can't think of a better way to conclude your xc season.

If there are any questions shoot me an email. buz

A Quick Summary

The Albemarle boys once again proved they are the top team in Virginia, by winning the Albemarle Invitational October 8^th, in a field of 44 high schools.  Led by senior captain Adam Visokay, the varsity scored 124 points, beating Commonwealth District rival Stafford by twenty points. Scoring for AHS were Adam Visokay (2^nd, 15:58.8), Ryan Thomas (5^th, 16:10.1), Ben Deal (16^th, 16:33.4), Chris Springer (26^th, 16:46.1) and Aaron Elder (75^th, 17:33.0). Rounding out the top seven were Will Hunt (85^th,17:41.0) and Joe Krohn (109^th, 18:00.4). The lack of rain the previous week promoted quick course conditions, but the warmer temperatures took its toll of the entire field of 298. Five meets into the season, the AHS Boys Varsity has not lost to any Virginia team.

In the Boys JV 11-12 race, Albemarle finished a strong third out of 19 teams competing. Lead by top AHS finisher Rowen Perry (6^th, 18:10.2), the upperclassmen JV squad placed eleven runners in the top 75 of the 265 man field. The JV 9-10 squad continued the AHS trophy winning trend by placing first in their divisional race against 21 other teams. Top AHS runner Jakob Brooks (4^th, 18:02.0) was joined by the other four scorers in the top 22 of the 235 man race.

Albemarle Invitational

Results From The Albemarle Invitational

Milestat has finally posted the results, and the link is on the sidebar. Here is a link to the text file of the full results:
2011 Albemarle Invitational Results

Press Coverage of the Invitational

Coach Male has been after the local press for years to cover the high school cross country running scene. It is great that they are finally paying attention, or at least two media outlets are.
The link to the print:
Daily Progress Article
The link to the tube coverage (article and video):
WCAV Channel 19 Coverage

Photos From The Albemarle Invitational

Over 700 photos have been uploaded to Photobucket. My apologies to the men in the JV 9-10 race, as my 1GB memory card reached its limit during their approach to the finish. Just click the link to view the album:
Albemarle Invite Photos

Professional photographer Tom Pajewski has once again provided excellents photos uploaded to his website from yesterday's race. The link to his site is on the sidebar. Click through the galleries to get to the Invite album. When prompted, enter AHSpics as the password (case sensitive). If you purchase a print or download, all proceeds benefit the AHS athletic department.

Once again, a plea for others to share their photos.

Albemarle Invite

Congrats to the young men of Albemarle, who won two of the three contested divisions at Panorama Farms today. Results, summary and photos will be posted Sunday morning.

Albemarle Invitational Preview

Alec Lorenzoni has written a great article for the Daily Progress previewing the 28th annual running of the Albemarle Invitational. The link:
Albemarle Inv. Preview

Albemarle Invitational Line Up

11:30am  Varsity Race: (7) Adam, Ben, Ryan, Chris, Aaron, Joe, Will (Rowen). 

12:45Pm   JV (11-12)   (23) Rowen, Keith, Sam,Patrick, Guilloume, Asher, Zach Cof., Robert, Nat Pf., Andrew HeaT, Chad, Christian, Zach Craw., Sean R., Ian, Bennett, Mike N., dan, Paul, Daniel,Sam M., Nat H., Jacob S.   

2:00PM   JV (9-10)  (21)  David, Jake B., Zach G., Alex L., Cam, Cyrus, Joey, Jeffrey, John H., Thomas, Johnny, Gus, Bobby, Jake P., Michael Cald., Michael Christian, Grayson, Craig, Sam S., Matt H., (Xander)

Not Racing: Sean Mcp., Krister, James.

Green Ribbons At The Invite

     We are looking forward to hosting this weekend's AHS Invitational and we are very pleased that you are coming.  As you know, Louisa County was significantly impacted by the recent earthquake. The earthquake caused such extensive damage to the high school that the high school students and middle school students are having to share the middle school building by attending school for lengthy alternating days. The effects of the earthquake caused many challenging repercussions on their community. As a local cross country program, we cannot help but be greatly impressed by the dedication and persistence of Louisa's cross country team members to overcome the challenges caused by the earthquake, which have included overcoming injuries from the earthquake and shifting the start of all practices to late in the evening in order to accommodate their adjusted school schedule. We would like to encourage all the athletes and fans attending the AHS Invitational this weekend to show that we are all impressed by the Louisa Lions' dedication and heart by wearing a green ribbon.  Therefore, we welcome and encourage the athletes to each wear a green ribbon, such as a green ribbon tied around a ponytail or around the top shoulder strap of the singlet, to demonstrate how impressed we are by Louisa's cross country team's integrity. We look forward to seeing you all this weekend!

Thank you!

Flyovers For Remaining Meets

If you have Google Earth, you can click on the link to get a flyover video of the Panorama Farms 5K Course. First, open Google Earth, then click on the link. It takes you to Google Documents, hit Download in the upper right corner, then Open (or save if you are so inclined). Bring up Google Earth, and it should run automatically if you had clicked Open. You may have to run it twice to see the start, as the lead in to the start is quicker than the Earth focus.
Google Earth PF 5K

Next week the team is at Pocahontus State Park for the Milestat Inviational. The flyover is a little jerky, and most of the path is hidden by the trees. I got the 5K path for the flyover from Milestat, cannot verify the accuracy. Terrain features are turned up, so it looks like a mostly flat, quick course. The link:
Milestat Invitational

Here is the two lap flyover of the District Championship Course at Willowmere:
Willowmere

This is the State Championship course at Great Meadows:
Great Meadows State Course

And here is the revised flyover for the Great American/NXN Cary, NC course:
Wake-Med 5K

Sub-16s At The Albemarle Invitational

It is an impressive list of athletes that have broken the sixteen minute mark at the Albemarle Invitational over the past twelve years. This year's squad may add four to the list.

ALBEMARLE INVITATIONAL PANORAMA BOYS TIMES UNDER 16:00(1999-2010)

15:13                     John Crews                          Rockbridge              2002                    NC State

15:24                     Kippy Keino                          Fork Union               2002

15:28                     Tyler Stutzman                    Western                   2008                    Stanford

15:33                     Alex Ott                                 Turner Ashby         2008                   

15:35                     Hari Max                               Albemarle                2003                    Stanford

15:35                     Ted Richardson                   James River            2009                    W&M

15:35                     Kippy Keino                          Fork Union              2001   

15:36                     Josh Morris                         Fork Union              2009                   

15:37                     Kyle King                              Grafton                     2010                    Uva

15:42                     Kyle Satterwhite                  Western                   2008                    Navy

15:43                     Daniel Kane                          Louisa                       2001                    Uva/Lynchburg

15:45                     Ryan Foster                          Sherando                  2002                    Uva/Wisconsin

15:48                     Thomas Curtin                    Loudon County        2009

15:50                     Justin Hatch                         Christiansburg      2003

15:50                     Hari Mix                                Albemarle                2002                    Stanford

15:52                     Patterson Wilhelm             EC Glass                  2005                    W&M

15:52                     Kevin Bennert                      Woodberry               2009                    Duke

15:53                     Jeremy Haney                      Fork Union              2007                    Navy

15:53                     Austin Ellis                          Covenant                  2007                    Milligan

15:55                     Jordan White                       Great Bridge           2009

15:56                     Daniel Kane                          Louisa                       2002                    Uva/Lynchburg

15:57                     Nathan Richards                  EC Glass                  2007