Powerade Fab50 Preseason Poll

AHS Boys have made another pre-season national poll, this time entering the rankings at #44 in the Powerade Fab50 Poll. As Buz says, the only poll that counts is the last one. On to Portland...
Here is the link:
Powerade Fab50 Preseason Poll

2011 AHS Girls XC Blog

The girls' team now has a blog. Stop on by and give it a view. The link is on the sidebar, under (what else?) "Links".

2011 Ragged Mountain Cup Lineup

2011 CUP LINE-UP. 4X2 MILE RELAY TEAMS and OPEN 2 MILE RACE

(Racing Order)

5:00pm  Start

      (A)                         Chris, Ryan, Keith, Adam   (Ben ?) TBD on Wed.   (29)

      (B)                         Joe, Aaron,Will, Rowen

(SR. A)                   Patrick, Guilloume, Zach Coff , Dan

       (Sr.  B)                  Robert, Asher,  Sean R., Zach Craw

       (Jr. A)                    Sam, Nat Pf., Sean Mcp., Andrew Heat.

       (Soph. A)               Alex, Jake, Joey, Daniel (jr.)

      (Sprinters)             Jacob, Chad C., Nat Held., Ian

  

     OPEN RACE (2 MILES) @ approx.. 6:20pm  (14)

1.Dave,  2. Cam, 3.  Cyrus,4. Thomas, 5. Gus, 6. Jeffrey,7. Sam M., 8. John H, 9. Michael Caldwell, 10. Grayson 11. MichaelChisolm , 12. Andrew Hucheck, 13. Michael N, 14. Alexander W.

September Schedule

SEPTEMBER 2011 BOYS XC SCHEDULE (as of 8/24)

Thur.      9/1                “Cup” @ PF Varsity Race (4x2mile relay) @ 5:00pm. JV @ 6:15 Fin @ 7:45pm

Fri.         9/2                @ PF  bus from school/ cars @ 3:45pm (bus will probably be last one out of lot)

                             Change into running stuff before getting on bus). Post prac. p/u @ PF 6:15pmish

Sat.         9/3  Volunteers @ Women’s 4 miler @ 7:15am on Garth. Run @ Ridge after. Fin @ 10:30am

Sun.        9/4                OFF (REST)   email buz

Mon.       9/5                ROO  (Run on own)                A 60 min.        B 45                C 30

Tue.        9/6                @ PF                same as 9/2                          Fin @ 6:15pm

Wed.       9/7                @ PF                W/O                                       Fin @ 6:15pm

Thur.      9/8                @ PF                recovery                                Fin @ 6:00pm

Fri.         9/9                @ AHS @ 6:30am                Fin. By 8am  Shower and eat at AHS

Sat.         9/10                Fuma Invitational (see Meet Info sheet-Very Yellow paper)

Sun.        9/11                ROO                Remember why we are Americans!     Email buz

Mon.       9/12                @  PF                     Fin @ 6:15pm

Tue.        9/13                @  PF                     W/O                Fin @ 6:15pm

Wed.       9/14                @  AHS                 Fin @ 6:00pm

Thur.      9/15                @  PF                     Fin @ 6:15pm

Fri.         9/16                @ AHS                 @ 6:00am  Fin. By 8am  Shower and eat @ AHS

Sat.         9/17                @ Oatlands in Leesburg, Va 

                     And @ VMI in Lexington, Va.          See Meet Info sheet

Sun.        9/18                 ROO  and email buz

Mon.       9/19                @ PF                                             Fin @ 6:15pm

Tue.        9/20                @ PF                W/O                       Fin @ 6:15pm   

Wed.       9/21                @ AHS                                  Fin @ 6:00pm

Thur.      9/22                @ PF                                      Fin @ 6:15pm

Fri.         9/23                @ AHS @ 6:30am            Fin. By 8am. Shower and eat at AHS

Sat.         9/24                OFF

Sun.        9/25                ROO and email              

Mon.       9/26                @ PF  W/O                       Fin @ 6:15pm

Tue.        9/27                @ PF                                      Fin@ 6:00pm

Wed.       9/28                OFF

Thur.      9/29                @ PF                                      Fin. @ 6:00pm

Fri.         9/30                Top 8-10                Released @ 10:30am to leave for Cary, NC.  All others OFF

Daily Progress XC Prep Preview

Albemarle Assistant Coach Alec Lorenzoni wrote an excellent article for the Daily Progress about the upcoming aspirations of the area cross country teams. The link to the full article:
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/sports/2011/aug/22/prep-preview-series-boys-cross-country-ar-1255382/

Here is the good part:
Albemarle head man Buz Male will field arguably the greatest team of his career this fall, an impressive statement considering he has been coaching for almost 40 years. The Patriots were third in Group AAA last fall, the second-highest finish in school history, and have their sights set on their first-ever state title as six of their varsity seven are back from last year’s squad. 

The good news is that Male will have the area’s top returner, All-State senior Ben Deal, 12th in Group AAA last year and the No. 6 returnee for all of Virginia. It gets better for Male though, as Deal’s supporting cast includes fellow senior Adam Visokay (19th in 2010), who was the breakout story of the state last spring.
     

Visokay enjoyed a magical track season, which culminated in a dramatic 9:09 victory at the state 3200-meter run, a stunning performance that instantly made him one of the favorites for this fall.  Rounding out the top four are senior Chris Springer, a sub-10:00 two-miler, and sophomore sensation Ryan Thomas, whose personal best times of 4:23 (1600) and 1:57 (800) ranked him amongst the top five freshman in the entire country last spring. 

Updated Schedule for the Week

Wed. 8/24 - We will have a recovery practice at AHS after school. We meet at the Field House at 4pm. Because there are other athletes dressing in the Field House.....MAKE SURE YOU BRING A LOCK FOR YOUR LOCKER.  We will finish by 6pm on Wed.

Thurs. 8/25 - Same as Wednesday.

Friday 8/26 - I will have practice with about 25 of the 56 boys at 6:30am at Panorama. We will be done by 7:50am and the boys can either take a shower at AHS and eat breakfast in the Cafeteria or go home before school.

Boys not on the following list will have an OFF (REST) day on Friday....ROO 30-40 min. on Saturday and same on Sunday.

The following will practice at the FARM @ 6:30am on FRIDAY 8/26

adam,ben,zach coff, chris,ryan,keith,aaron,joe,will, rowen,gb,patrick, BIG DAVE, dan,Sam G, Asher, Ian, Zach Craw,Seanr., Sean, Mcp, Robert, Andrew H, Alex, jake B., james, jacob, Nat H. 

  

The above will REST on Sat. and run 45 -60 min. on Sunday.

The Week Ahead

School starts Wednesday - a "Red" day.
Here is the practice schedule for the week, subject to change:

Mon.    8/22                 @  PF @ 6:30am                     Fin @ 8:15am

Tue.     8/23                 @  PF @ 6:30am  (1200’s)      Fin @ 8:30am

Wed.    8/24                 @  AHS  4:00pm  SCHOOL STARTS     Fin @ 6:00pm

Thu.     8/25                 @  AHS  4:00pm                      Fin @ 6:00pm

Fri.       8/26                 @ PF  6:15am                          Fin @ 8:00am  Can shower/eat@ AHS.

Sat.      8/27                 OFF REST

Sun.     8/28                 ROO

Roster

The updated roster is now posted to include the three new members of the team. Please double check for errors and let me know of any mistakes.

Marc Bloom's State By State

Marc Bloom is a respected sportswriter covering high school cross country, as well as track & field. AHS did not make his national pre-season top 25 poll, but gets a mention in his latest article, assessing teams state by state.

VIRGINIA: Bile Back With Speed and Strength (Like Dad)State 3A champion Ahmed Bile of Annandale is back as one of the nation’s premier runners, and what range! Last fall, Bile also placed 14th in the Foot Locker nationals and is this season’s 4th returnee. In the spring he won the state 3200 in 4:09.48 (my edit-3200 in 4:09? World Record!) while also clocking a 1:50.77 800 for 4th at nationals. His father Abdi, of Somalia, won the 1987 world championship 1500.

Behind Bile, the victorious Midlothian team returns only #4 man Sean Willard, 20th as a soph and a 4:23/9:36 track runner. But Midlo has already put together a solid top-5 in pursuit of a repeat. Other 3A contenders include 3rd-place Albemarle, plus Stafford. In 1A, unsung defender Altavista returns 4 top-25 harriers led by Dan Blanks and Sean Farney, 4th and 5th.
Here is the link to the entire article:
http://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/us/2011-xc/previews/Bloom-boys-state-by-state.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC

Almost Forgot

The Pantops location of the carwash had a celebrity, at least for the running community, stop by to get his Oregon-plated car soaped down. Alan Webb was gracious enough to take the time for a picture with the team (click to enlarge).

What A Success!

Thanks goes out to all those that supported, donated, and helped out at the August carwash. The two locations raised nearly $1500 in just a couple hours. Here are some pictures from Pantops location.

Car Wash Info

From The Coach:

 

SENIORS and  FRESHMAN will work together at ALC (copy place on the corner of RTE. 29 and Barracks Rd. There are 18 seniors and 10 freshman. I need 3 or 4 SENIORS  to please bring a hose. I have a multiple hose connection that I will bring. We need a couple of FRESHMAN to bring some car wash soap. I  have plenty of buckets, and sponges that I will distribute after we run at Albemarle in the morning. I need everyone to bring 1 OLD but CLEAN towel.

 

JUNIORS and  SOPHS will work together at ALL-AMERICAN CAR WASH which is located on Route 250 bypass across from Burnley-Moran elementary school. Address is 1300 Long St, 22901 (250 bypass).

There are 12 juniors and 14 sophs. A couple of Juniors please bring a hose. I will have a connector and they have spray washers there. A couple of sophs please bring some car wash soap. Everyone bring  1 old but clean towel.

 

I will provide change for both groups. We ask for a DONATION and just say thank you. Most people are generous when they know it is a fund raiser for a hs team.

Parents can bring their cars and get them washed.

We should have plenty of cars as there will be a lot of traffic in Cville because of UVA move-in day. I will put a flyer in AHS teachers boxes for a reduced price car wash.....and you all can take the brown nosing from there, now that you have your class schedules.

Also, we need some new signs as the June car wash signs all say Hilltop Market.

 

We will meet at AHS at 8:00am for a short run, circuits, core,...BAGELS...and then distribute car wash stuff and carpool from there. Should be finished @ AHS by 9:30am...car wash from 10am-2pm. If we make take in a combined total of 1500 we will stop whenever that happens.

There will be a competition between the 2 "teams".....This can/will be fun and we can make some much needed money for the booster account.

Any parents that have some time to be at either site or can send in a hose or soap please let me know.

questions...email buz.

Worth A Mention

Former UVa Steeplechase & Cross Country runner Stephanie Garcia will compete in the World Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Daegu, South Korea at the end of the month. She made the team this week after Delilah DiCrescenzo had to withdraw due to injury.
"This is an exciting opportunity for me and serves as my first big experience as a post-collegiate runner," said Garcia. "I am looking forward to representing the USA at such a high level and aim to be a symbol of all the amazing training I had at Virginia."
Stephanie runs 8/27 at 10:35am Daegu time (13 hours ahead of us) in the prelims. Finals are 8/30 at 9:20pm Daegu time.
Good Luck Stephanie!
 http://www.virginiasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=88800&SPID=10607&ATCLID=205242904&DB_OEM_ID=17800

Race Strategy

Every race is different - the course, the weather, the competition, what you ate for breakfast, etc. From an interview in Runnersworld.com, Shalane Flanagan offers a good point of view on the prep for races:

The tools that I use are not trying to predict anything but going in with an arsenal of different tactics and really being able to execute any one of them on any given day. I draw from every major championships and how I've approached them, and I tweak things to know that works for me. For me, going in with a completely open mind about the race and trying not to predict things is really a key.

Good Quote on Bad Days

Courtesy of the Let's Run Website (link on the sidebar), from Nate Jenkins:

"As to Sunday's workout I don't have much to say other then it was s*** and I was pissed. You have a go like that during a stretch of dull unimpressive training like I've been doing, particularly coming back and it's very frustrating. Makes you feel like you want to quit. I hesitate to write that because I don't want 50 comments saying don't quit, etc. But I think it is important for people to hear that we all get down and want to pack it in. I wanted to quit many times in HS and college, just wanted to walk away. I wasn't nearly as good as I thought I should be, I was regularly beaten by guys I knew I was working harder than and then in college I was hurt all the time. On top of that other peoples success always seems so easy from the outside. It seems they never struggled and you should just walk away. Now I'm no world beater and I've not accomplished all my goals but as someone who could have easily walked away a thousand times and no one would have thought anything of it I can tell you, even if I never run 1 second faster in anything, that it is HARD, we ALL have bad days, we ALL get frustrated and IF you just keep picking yourself up and dusting yourself off and getting back at it you will reap the rewards. Maybe not the exact ones you want but rewards all the same."

Milestat's Preseason XC Rankings

You need a subscription to view the link, and I would encourage all folks to consider joining Milestat. The coverage, photos, articles, and stats are incredible.
To summarize, the AHS boys' team is ranked #2 overall in the Commonwealth, #2 in triple A, and #1 in the Northwest Region in this preseason poll. Two young men are ranked in the top 20 in the state, the same two in the top 15 in AAA, and three AHS boys made the top 10 in the NW Region.
So without further ado, the link:
http://va.milesplit.com/articles/71347-2011-group-aaa-pre-season-xc-rankings

The Week Ahead

This week's schedule:

Tue 16 @ AHS @ 6:30am

 

Wed 17 @ PF@ 6:30am ...w/o

Wed. night @ 6:15pm   REQUIRED FOR ALL NEWBIES to go to shoe talk at Ragged mt. run Shop (3 Ellieweood Ave) from 6:15pm;7:40ish. EVERYTHING 20% OFF. Any others  who need new shoes go that night to get the 20% off....or buy  your next pair early.

 

Thur 18 Boys and girls  (except Freshman) go to Krister's home for swimming w/o @ 4:00-5:30pm . Freshman need to go to Back to school night and will have the day off.

 

Fri 19 @ 6:30am @ PF

 

Sat 20 @ AHS @ 8:00am for a run,bagels and then car wash from 10am-2pm. Details about the car wash to come.

Great Interview

Here is a link to an interview with the legendary cross country coach, Joe Newton. His high school teams have won 27 state championships, and the 2005 season was the topic of the fabulous cross country movie, "Long Green Line".
http://ky.milesplit.com/articles/71051-the-great-joe-newton-york-il-coaches-corner

Revised August Schedule

Sat.      8/13                 OFF (REST)

Sun.     8/14                 ROO (A) 60 minutes EASY  B(45min)  C(30 min)

Mon.    8/15                 @  PF   6:30am                        Fin @ 8:15am

Tue.     8/16                 @  AHS  6:30am                      Fin  @ 8:15am

Wed.    8/17                 @  PF    6:30am  ( Fartlek)      Fin  @ 8:30am

Thu.     8/18                 @  4:00pm @ KRISTERVILLE  (swim w/o)  Fin @ 6:00pm

Fri.       8/19                 @  PF  6:30am                         Fin @ 8:15am

Sat.      8/20                 Meet @ 8am @ AHS  for run and Bagels then Car Wash ( 10:00am-2:00pm ) ½ @ ALC on Barracks@ 29     and ½@ ALL-American  on Rte 250 Bypass  across from Burnley-Moran Elem.

Sun.     8/21                 ROO

Mon.    8/22                 @  PF @ 6:30am                     Fin @ 8:15am

Tue.     8/23                 @  PF @ 6:30am  (1200’s)      Fin @ 8:30am

Wed.    8/24                 @  AHS  4:00pm  SCHOOL STARTS     Fin @ 6:00pm

Thu.     8/25                 @  AHS  4:00pm                      Fin @ 6:00pm

Fri.       8/26                 @ PF  6:15am                          Fin @ 8:00am  Can shower/eat@ AHS.

Sat.      8/27                 OFF REST

Sun.     8/28                 ROO

Mon.    8/29                 @ PF  Bus from school/carpool          Fin@ 6:30pm

Tue.     8/30                 @ AHS                                                 Fin @ 6:00pm

Wed.    8/31                 @PF                                                     Fin @ 6:15pm

Thu.     9/1                   @PF     Ragged Mt. Cup @5pm           Fin @ 8pmish

Alltime AHS Ragged Mountain Cup List

Still a couple weeks away from the Cup, but here is the Alltime List from Alec's 2010 website just to get you psyched:
http://sites.google.com/site/albemarlexc/cuplist
Anyone have photos from previous Cups that we could post?

Roster is Up

The 2011 roster is posted as a separate page. Please leave a comment below this post if there are any mistakes (there will be). Thanks.

Parents' Meeting

What a great turnout for this year's Parents' Meeting. Thanks to all who showed up, helped set up and clean up, and brought the wonderful variety of food.

 Athletic Director Deb Tyson addressed the group.

After everyone had eaten, Buz spoke to the boys' parents about his expectations for the season.

Although I did not take a picture, the owner of Panorama Farms, Steve Murray also talked to the group. He stressed carpooling to PF, being respectful to the PF neighbors, watching speed on Panorama Road, and reminded everyone that PF is his home. AHS is extremely fortunate that the Murray family allows our athletes access to their beautiful property.

Milestat's AAA Boys Preview

Lots of love for the team in Brandon Miles' preview of the AAA cross country season. The article requires a subscription (worth every penny!):
http://va.milesplit.com/articles/71202-group-aaa-boys-xc-preview

Right now, the boys' picture is the featured photo at the top of the main page. The link to Milestat is on the sidebar.

Parent's Email Group

What’s going on on the Boy’s Cross Country Team?  Join the AHS Boys XC Parent Yahoo Group and get all the emails Coach Male sends to parents: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ahsboysxc2011/

We are hoping to wean everyone off the old email mailing list and onto the yahoo group to make things much easier for Buz and so people don’t get left off emails by mistake.   Please join now so we can transition over soon.

The Week of August 8

Looks like everyone survived cross country camp, and had a great time too! I hope someone will be willing to submit photos to share.

The week ahead:
Tue 8/9 @ 6:30am PF Fin @ 8:15

Wed. 8/10 @ 6:30am AHS Fin @ 8:15
Wed. 8/10 @ 4:30pm PF for boys....Parent Mtg @ 5:30pm with Deb Tyson and Steve Murray 6:00pm Pot Luck supper and mtg. with Buz and Cathy over @ 7:00pm

Thur 8/11 @ 6:30am @ PF for workout Fin @ 8:15

Fri. 8/12 @ Ridge for Top 20 Boys. All the Rest ROO on Friday.

Sat. 8/13 OFF REST

Sun. 8/14 ROO

Congratulations Adam, Ben & Zach

By nearly unanimous vote, the Team Captains for 2011 are Adam Visokay, Ben Deal and Zach Coffman. Congratulations men, you have exhibited the leadership qualities that instill confidence and dedication from your team.

Departure to Camp

From Buz:

General Schedule:

Thursday afternoon we will warm-up, do drills, circuits, core, and then finish up in the swimming pool. If we have any non-swimmers please be sure to let me know.

The meal schedule daily is 8:30am breakfast, 12:30pm lunch, and 6:30pm dinner. There is a country store (Syria Mercantile Market) across the street if you want to bring a small amount of money to buy snacks or drinks ( smoked skunk tails which are like beef jerkey), etc.

Thursday night we will have a boys team mtg. and Alec will have a chance to speak to you all.

Friday morning we will run before breakfast.... have a video session in the morning, Hike to White Oak Canyon, goal setting session in the afternoon, dinnerand then SKIT PRACTICE  and Talent Show practice . All NEWBIES (1st time at Camp...which would include Ryan Thomas, etc) are REQUIRED TO CREATE A REALLY FUNNY SKIT on Saturday night. We will also have a talent show on Saturday night.

Saturday morning we will get up REALLY EARLY (like 5am) and drive to Hoover Camp for the 6 mile uphill challenge (12 mi. total up and back) along the Rapidan River.

Back by 9:30am for breakfast, nap time, Lunch, team session, pool workout, dinner , ice cream treat, Campfire,Talent show, skit, and team session.

Sunday we will clean our dorms before breakfast, leave after Breakfast to Hike OLD RAG Mtn. , return for Sunday Lunch and then depart for  home.

Updated August Schedule

The big change for parents is that the Pot Luck Dinner/Parent's Meeting has been moved from the 9th to Wednesday the 10th.

             AHS BOYS AUGUST 2011 DAILY PRACTICE SCHEDULE

·       * Ridge Rd. Corner of Free Union Rd. and Ridge Rd.

·       ** ROO means “ Run on Own”

Mon.    8/1                   @ AHS @ 4pm.                        Finish@6pm

Tue.     8/2                   meet @ AHS @  6:30am (will carpool to PF)  Finish@8:30am.

Wed.    8/3                   @  PF  @ 6:30am ( 2mi. TT)    Fin@8:15am

Thur.    8/4                   @  PF  @ 6:30am                    Fin@8:15am

8/4 Leave for camp@ 1:00 pm from AHS Fieldhouse  (School bus). Some seniors drive.

Fri./Sat./Sun. 8/5-8/7  @ GRAVES MT. LODGE  $225 ck. Payable to AHS XC Boosters

Sun.     8/7                   Return on School Bus from GML by 3:00pm

Mon.   8/8                   OFF (Rest)

Tue.     8/9                   @  PF @ 6:30am                     Fin @ 8:15am

Wed.    8/10                 @  PF @ 6:30am (1600s)         Fin @  8:30am

                                        @  PF @ 4:30pm   PARENT MEETING @ 5:30pm     Fin @ 6:30pm

Thu.     8/11                 @  Ridge Rd. 6:30am*                        Fin @ 8:15am

Fri.       8/12                 @  PF  6:30am                         Fin @ 8:15am

Sat.      8/13                 ROO **

Sun.     8/14                 ROO or OFF

Mon.    8/15                 @  PF   6:30am                        Fin @ 8:15am

Tue.     8/16                 @  AHS  6:30am                      Fin  @ 8:15am

Wed.    8/17                 @  PF    6:30am (1200’s or Fartlek)    Fin  @ 8:30am

Thu.     8/18                 @  Ridge  6:30am                   Fin @ 8:15am

Fri.       8/19                 @  PF  6:30am                         Fin @ 8:15am

Sat.      8/20                 Car Wash  10:00am-2:00pm  ½ @ ALC on Barracks@ 29 and ½ @ ALL-American  on Rte 250 Bypass across from Burnley-Moran Elem

Sun.     8/21                 ROO or Rest

Mon.    8/22                 @  PF @ 6:30am                     Fin @ 8:15am

Tue.     8/23                 @  PF @ 6:30am  (1600’s)      Fin @ 8:30am

Wed.    8/24                 @  AHS  4:00pm  SCHOOL STARTS     Fin @ 6:00pm

Thu.     8/25                 @  AHS  4:00pm                      Fin @ 6:00pm

Fri.       8/26                 @ PF  6:15am                          Fin @ 8:00am  Can shower/eat@ AHS.

Sat.      8/27                 ROO or Rest

Sun.     8/28                 ROO or Rest

Mon.    8/29                 @ PF  Bus from school/carpool          Fin@ 6:30pm

Tue.     8/30                 @ AHS                                                 Fin @ 6:00pm

Wed.    8/31                 @PF                                                     Fin @ 6:15pm

Thu.     9/1                   @PF     Ragged Mt. Cup @5pm           Fin @ 8pmish

Opening Day for Cross Country

The first Monday in August brings the official start of the cross country season across the Commonwealth. On the first day of practice, every team in the state begins with the loftiest of goals, to be the last name called to the award podium at the State Meet. This year it will be Albemarle. This team will bring the quiet confidence (got that from Buz), and swagger, that they have what it takes - the heart, soul, and drive of champions. It will not be easy, but then nothing of worth is easy. Dedication and effort in the heat of August pays off on a cool morning in November. Good Luck to the team as they mount the campaign to the Championship.
The week ahead:
Today, practice at AHS at 4.
Tuesday, Meet at AHS at 6:30am. Carpool to Panorama Farms.
Wednesday, Panorama Farms, 6:30am. Two Mile time trials.
Thursday, Panorama Farms, 6:30am
Thursday, Meet at AHS Fieldhouse @ 1:00 to leave for camp.

Any help - from athletes, parents, grandparents and coaches - with taking (& then submitting) photos of practices, camp, and meets will be greatly appreciated. The goal of this blog is to be a community effort that provides interest for all those that follow Albemarle Cross Country.