Archbold Invitational Sat. 9/9 (Middle School only)
Archbold Reservoir 502 South Street (parking)
Archbold, OH 43502
8:00am – Bus leaves from the Middle School (est. arrival 8:30am)
10:00am – Middle school girls
10:45am – Middle school boys
12:00pm (est.) – Bus returns to Middle School
Meet Notes – This meet involves loops around the larger and smaller reservoirs, with hills in between and a downhill finish. The middle school makes one loop around each reservoir, while the high school adds a second loop around the larger reservoir. Spectators can see pretty much the entire race, although individual runners can be a little hard to make out when they’re on the far side of the water. This is not a fast course despite being mostly flat; in part, because it’s so open and flat. It’s much harder to push your pace running a one mile long circle around the reservoir. Still, all the runner have to run the same loops, so it’s a chance to get out and compete against some of our NWOAL rivals.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
6:30am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 8:00am)
9:35am – Girls’ Div. III Varsity
10:05am – Boys’ Div. III Varsity
11:25am – Boys’ Div. III Open
3:30pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – This meet is truly something to behold. One of the largest meets in the country, this carnival is in its 49th year and features most of the top teams and individual runners in the state. The first race of the day kicks off at 8:30am, and the last race doesn’t start until 5:25pm. Most of these races will have upwards of 240 runners, making it a pretty intense and unique experience for each participant. This also happens to be the same course on which the Regional meet is run, giving us an opportunity to preview the course without making a special trip in late October. The course is challenging to be sure, but also ripe for some very fast times so it’s a great opportunity all around for the Viking runners.
Tiffin is about 90 minutes from EHS, so give yourself plenty of time
Parking can be challenging. Plan to enter on Summit Street (the “bottom” of the park) and walk to the upper area. You can enter off Coe Street, but you have to pass through several areas that are blocked off during races, making it very difficult to get through. Again, give yourself plenty of time.
They run a VERY tight schedule. If they say the boys’ open race is at 11:25 AM, that gun will go off at 11:25 AM.
The side of the start area near the finish is typically very crowded, as are several other areas on that side of the course. There’s a lot of people here, so bring a dose of patience 🙂
Cell coverage is really bad. Calling, texting, tweeting, etc. is a gamble at any given time.
The t-shirts for this meet are usually pretty cool, and you’ll often see runners wearing them at other meets throughout the year. This meet is somewhat legendary among the high school cross country community.
We are planning on stopping for lunch during the drive back. We welcome anyone to join us, just be advised it may be crowded with 23 runners plus coaches and parents. We’ll let everyone know Saturday where we decided to stop.
This meet has always been held the same day as the Archbold Invitational, and so Evergreen has always graciously declined the invitation to attend the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival. We are very excited to make our debut this year and give our runners a taste of a meet like no other in the area. They’ve worked hard, and they deserve it!
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these AFTER competing.
8:00am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 8:45am)
10:00am – HS Varsity girls race
10:40am – HS Open girls race
11:20pm – HS Varsity boys race
12:00pm – HS Open boys race
12:40pm – Adult Run (open to anyone for $5 entry)
2:00pm – Expected return to Evergreen
Parking – Parking is limited at Mary Jane. Overflow parking will be located at the Marina located ½ mile west of Mary Jane. A shuttle bus will shuttle spectators to the park and back. Spectators are also welcome to park in Historic Downtown Grand Rapids and walk the scenic tow path to Mary Jane. You can enter the tow path behind Rita’s Dairy Bar, just west of LaRoe’s Restaurant or at the town park. To park in town you will continue straight at the Marathon station instead of traveling left to stay on Rt. 65.
Meet Notes – This is our second time running this course, and hopefully the experience will help! This course can be very confusing; we had one runner get lost and have to back track, and others watch multiple runners go outside the (somewhat poorly) marked course. Still, it’s another traditional cross country course with grass flats, wooded trails, a steep hill, and even a water hazard. This race marked a turning point for a few new runners last year, and hopefully will provide the same opportunity again this year.
This meet does have both a varsity and open race, meaning for the boys team the top 7 from Defiance will run in the varsity race and the rest will run the open race. They also provide an adult open race at the end of the meet where any adult can register for $5 and run the course for time, so it’s a great opportunity for spectator-parents who always wondered what the courses our athletes run are really like.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
The 2017 Varsity Girls XC team pays tribute to late Athletic Director TJ Rupp at the Defiance Early Bird Open
Recap: You really never know what to expect in the first meet of the year, and this kickoff to the 2017 season was no exception. The Viking Cross Country program came into Defiance with the largest team in recent memory: 35 runners between high school and middle school, including an impressive 16 high school boys. This first meet is always a mixed bag, not only because it’s a challenging course but because it’s so often the first race many of these athletes have ever run. Some runners do surprisingly well, while others turn in times that don’t really reflect their current abilities. Factors behind this can vary from the type of course, to how much they’ve been running over the summer, to just simple inexperience. At the end of the day, it’s just a single race; a benchmark at the start of a long season.
The high school boys kicked off the day with a strong showing, improving on last year’s 16th place team finish out of 17 teams with a 15th place finish out of 20 teams. These results are more impressive when considering the field was much faster and more competitive this year, and the Viking men dropped their top five average from 21:00 to 19:50. The Vikings were led this year by newcomer sophomore Kyle Bowser, followed closely by returning freshman record holder Ben Schwan. Continuing the youth movement on this team were sophomores Alex Majewski and Chandler Ruetz, with new runner Kevin Crisp and veterans Augie Tipping and team captain Tom Pollard rounding out the top seven. Of the nine other runners in the boys race, five were running their first ever high school 5k and six set personal bests.
The high school girls followed up with a very impressive effort, improving from ninth out of 18 teams to eighth out of 19 teams. Junior Sarah Schwan led the Lady Vikes with an eigth place finish in 20:13, taking a remarkable 1:08 off her previous personal best and school record set at last year’s district meet. Kennedy Keller turned in a new freshman record of 21:09 with her 22nd place finish. After missing all of last season with a knee injury, senior Grace Bryson returned to the course already showing the form from late in her 2015 season. Trinity Welch, team captain Katie Fritsch, and Ashley Garlick…all seniors…worked with junior Alexis McCormick to bring the Lady Vikes to within just a few points of rival Archbold, giving a preview of some exciting competition in the coming weeks.
Here are the results for the High School:
Last Name
First Name
Finish
Place
Bowser
Kyle
18:45
56
Schwan
Ben
18:58
67
Majewski
Alex
20:13
125
Ruetz
Chandler
20:22
137
Crisp
Kevin
20:52
150
Tipping
Augie
20:55
153
Pollard
Thomas
21:14
165
Smith
Kyle
21:15
167
Donnald
Drew
21:24
171
Pennington
Evan
21:33
180
Hartzell
Chris
23:27
215
Rhodus
Gavin
23:25
216
Peete
Kyle
23:52
220
Hassen
Nick
23:56
222
Utz
Ashton
25:07
235
Simon
Pete
DQ
Schwan
Sarah
20:13
8
Keller
Kennedy
21:09
22
Bryson
Grace
23:25
64
Welch
Trinity
24:53:00
99
Fritsch
Katie
25:54:00
129
Garlick
Ashley
26:00:00
133
McCormick
Alexis
30:15:00
175
For the middle school runners, this meet was a whole new experience. They had their first meet at the Lake Invitational just two days before on a very flat course that provided a great introduction to competitive running, but only three of the twelve (Owen, Jolie and Kayla) had run at Defiance before and experienced the hills and trails common to cross country. Kayla’s experience served her well as she moved up from tenth place at the mile to pass two runners in the final 200 meters on her way to winning the middle school girls race. Newcomers Jocelyn Schuster and Emma Majewski ran well as a duo, coming in close together. Lindy, Jolie, Izzy and Trinity combined to bring the Viking girls an impressive ninth place team finish (ahead of both the Archbold and Wauseon teams).
The middle school boys were led by seventh grader Anderson Tipping with a solid performance. Isaac Overfield and Owen Bryson again worked together to come in in close succession, followed by Carson LeRoux and Brayden Bull. Again, this was a short turnaround and a very challenging course compared to the Lake meet just two days prior. The boys ran better than their 15th place finish would seem to indicate, and we look forward to seeing them compete at Archbold.
Jolie is all smiles coming up “The Hill” at the 2017 meet
Here are the results for the Middle School:
Last Name
First Name
Finish
Place
Gleckler
Kayla
14:08
1
Schuster
Jocelyn
16:22
36
Majewski
Emma
16:29
43
Williamson
Lindy
18:21
77
Huffman
Jolie
19:20
90
Barkhimer
Izzy
20:20
98
Clampet
Trinity
20:49
102
Tipping
Anderson
14:47
67
Overfield
Isaac
16:58
124
Bryson
Owen
17:05
125
LeRoux
Carson
18:07
133
Bull
Brayden
26:43
151
There were a lot of great object lessons in this meet. A few important points can be seen in the finishes of Sarah and Kayla in particular. First, Kayla’s time was nearly minute slower than the Thursday race, a reminder that it’s not always about the time, especially on difficult courses. You run the same course as your competition, and the competitive outcome depends ultimately on place not time. There were actually relatively few PRs set at this meet by experienced runners because it’s not a traditionally fast course. Sarah was an exception to this though; she did focus on place over time, but in so doing actually took an incredible amount of time off her PR. Again, each runner responds differently to each race based on the type of course, where they are in their training cycle, what type of training they’ve done, and several other factors. We train to peak in October, so each race up until that point simply provides lessons and cumulative fitness in support of that plan. This was an excellent first step, and the coaches are excited to see where this season takes us.
Up Next: The high school travels to Otsego this weekend, while the middle school has the weekend off. It’s also Fulton County Fair weekend, so good luck to the many Viking runners participating in the fair!
The 8th grade race gets under way at the Lake Invitational
Recap: As mentioned in the meet preview, the Lake Invite is a great first meet for middle school runners. It’s a flat, open course and it separates the 7th and 8th graders out instead of running everyone in one race (the only meet on our schedule that does so). Because it also lacks the intimidation of experienced high school runners and intense high school coaches roaming about the course, it’s a relatively safe environment for the new runner as well as a change for returning 8th graders to be the “big shots” at a meet. This meet is not without its challenges though: the course has changed every single year we’ve participated so we never know exactly what the route is, and the field has gotten more competitive with new schools showing up.
Our middle school team was a green bunch this year, with eight of the twelve runners competing for the very first time in a cross country meet. Three of the four veterans were on the girls team, with Kayla Gleckler matching last year’s fourth place finish with a 13:11…just seven seconds shy of her middle school record time from last year’s NWOAL Championship meet and with almost perfectly even splits. Jocelyn and Emma showed similar patience in posting near even splits for their races. Jolie took advantage of the confidence built during last season to run almost six minutes faster than her previous Lake meet. Lindy performed well in her first race with very consistent split times, and Izzy came across the line as the only returning runner to post a personal record in the first meet of the season. One effort worth calling out belongs to Trinity Clampet, who ran the entire race start to finish. For many new runners, cross country is the first time they’ve done any sustained aerobic activity and it can be a real challenge adjusting to that type of effort. Trinity showed great effort and determination in going wire-to-wire for her very first race.
For the boys, Anderson put forth a really solid run at 13:20, showing similar consistency to Kayla in running almost even splits. Inexperienced runners tend to go out much faster than they can sustain, leaving their second mile much slower, so it’s great to see middle school runners with even splits in their first meet. Isaac and Carson both put in great efforts for their first race, slowing some in the second mile but hanging on for a strong finish. Owen showed the poise of a veteran runner in overcoming an early fall in the beginning of the race and run negative splits on the way to finishing over a minute faster than last year’s time. Finishing up for the Vikings in the 7th grade race was Brayden whose enthusiasm, though it tends to make pacing a challenge early on, will in the long term likely serve to make him a relentless competitor.
Here are the results for the Middle School:
Last Name
First Name
Finish
Place
Gleckler
Kayla
13:11
4
Schuster
Jocelyn
14:43
16
Majewski
Emma
14:57
23
Huffman
Jolie
16:56
42
Williamson
Lindy
17:17
20
Barkhimer
Izzy
17:49
52
Clampet
Trinity
21:56
26
Tipping
Anderson
13:20
26
Overfield
Isaac
15:28
35
LeRoux
Carson
16:02
44
Bryson
Owen
17:01
61
Bull
Brayden
17:51
49
Middle school cross country is about learning basics, just like any other sport. You have to learn the fundamentals before you can move on to the advanced concepts, and our middle school runners showed us that they’re off to a great start. The foundations they are building now will carry them through the rest of their running careers at Evergreen, and we’re very proud of the work they’ve put in and the well-deserved results they saw in this first meet.
6:30am – Bus leaves from High School (est. arrival 7:45am)
9:00am – HS boys race
9:45am – HS girls race
10:30pm – MS boys race
11:00am – MS girls race
1:00pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – This is a fairly challenging course, but a great example of what cross country is all about. The high school runners get a fairly flat first mile before running down “The Hill” and into the trail portion (the Middle School just goes right down the hill). The second mile of the course is different this year; there is still the moderate second hill, but instead of looping all the way around the lake in the woods, it turns back and runs along the front side. The benefit is primarily for spectators in that you don’t have to go all the way back to the far side of the lake for the 2-mile mark (it should be roughly near the boathouse). The course loops back to head up “The Hill” before turning to the finish. From a spectator standpoint, the start, mile mark and finish are all right in the same area, with “The Hill” being only a short walk away.
*There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy breakfast that morning and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these after competing.
3:00pm – Bus leaves from Middle School (est. arrival 4:00pm)
5:00pm – First race (assume a race kicking off every 30 minutes or so)
8:00pm – Estimated return time
Meet Notes – This is a unique one for the Middle School runners as they run 7th grade and 8th grade separately, so the new 7th grade runners are a little more relaxed not having to compete directly against the 8th graders. It’s a moderately fast course that starts just outside the track and ends at the start/finish line on the track. The map provided is an approximation of the route, which has changed slightly over the years. The mile mark is on the south side of the school, and they hit the mile as they’re coming back across it. If you walk fast, you can get from the start line by the field house across the parking lots to the mile mark before the runners, and get back across the parking lot to see them finish on the track (although you may question who’s getting the better workout if you’re trying to beat the frontrunners).
**There will be concessions available. However, we ask that athletes have a healthy lunch and NOT eat concession food until after they have competed. We will have healthy snacks provided by parents; athletes are strongly encouraged to partake of these before and after competing.
*We will not be having practice after school tomorrow (Friday, August 18). Instead, we will be having a team bonding movie night from 6-8:30. We will meet in the music room at Evergreen Elementary (meet at front doors). Pizza and drinks will be provided; please bring a snack/dessert to share. We will be watching the movie Tracktown (http://tracktownmovie.com). Everyone is welcome 🙂
Here we are, ready for the start of the school year! If anything, our runners should have a little easier transition this year as those who went to camp have already been up and running by 7am for three weeks now
Just a reminder that as of the start of school all athletes should change in the locker rooms (not the restrooms), and your stuff can be stored in Coach Cymbolin’s room during practice. If this changes going forward we will be sure to let you know.
Here’s the schedule for this week (all runs at the high school):
Monday 8/14 7:00 am – Long run (nine miles for the longest group)
Tuesday 8/15 7:00am – Easy recovery run
Wednesday 8/16 3:00pm – Moderate run
Thursday 8/17 3:00pm – Speed work on the track
Friday 8/18 TBD – Team fun day. Will either be games after school or a team movie night in the evening. Details to come soon.
Possibility we may swap Wed/Thu workouts depending on schedules. Don’t forget to hydrate well this week, especially since we’re shifting to afternoon workouts where it promises to be a little warmer than our morning runs!
The last couple of days have been incredible as our first cross country camp was a huge success! We were blessed with beautiful weather, great food, challenging workouts, supportive friends, and positive attitudes. I am so proud of these runners for their dedication in bettering themselves stride for stride. Thank you parents for your continual support; we plan to continue hosting a cross country camp as a tradition that will strengthen our team each year.
Looking ahead to this week…
Sunday, July 30– Long run meeting at 7 pm at Lyons Park
Tuesday, August 1st– 1st day of mandatory practice for high schoolers. We will be meeting at 7 am at Evergreen HS. Practice will be 7am Tue-Fri this week. If transportation is a concern, please let Coach Schwan or Coach Hesson know so transportation arrangements can be made.
Thursday, August 3rd – Fall sports parent meeting at 6pm in the HS gym. This will be a great chance to meet the new Athletic Director, Eric Simon, and to get information on athlete expectations, required forms, etc.
Saturday, August 5th– Team pictures for high schoolers at 1 pm at Evergreen HS. *Uniforms will be passed out at practice on Friday, August 4th.
Monday, August 7th– 1st day of mandatory practice for middle schoolers- 7 am at Evergreen HS. If transportation is a concern, please let a coach know.
Evergreen Cross Country 