Sunday, October 12, 2008

Chagrin Valley Championships

I believe Mr Mueller said it best at the meet when he said "Those kids gave me goose bumps!" How right he is. You kids take our breaths away when you run like you do and send chills down our spines. Each of you had the time of your lives this weekend, and you defended your prominent place in the Chagrin Valley Conference by usurping 1st place in both the guys and ladies varsity division. Every single one of you should be proud, because without everyone on the team, from the fastest to the slowest, you would be nothing and you all add to the dimensions and class and character of your team.

At the end, there were a few of you who were disappointed in yourselves that you didn't do as well as you wanted. That can be heart wrenching at times, but you did your best on Saturday, and that is what matters. Some of you may have been coming off of injuries, and some of you were suffering with some. What matters is you fought the pain, the fear, and the suffering and gave it your all and did your best.

No matter what, you will look back at these times many years from now, and wish you could relive them all over again. Cherish these times, and relish the glory of what you have achieved.

Next week is fast approaching and we will see you again at the Districts at Lakeland Community College.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”
– Steve Prefontain

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Legends Invitationl 2008

Holy Pirate Popping PR's Batman, did our beloved Harriers have a great week this week! Many of them had personal records set again. Are these kids on fire or what!?

After a brutal race last week at CVNP, this race was a pleasant relief. The temps were in the 60's, the sky was blue with little puffy clouds, not much wind, and a nice and level course.

The day started off with the men's varsity running. Dean "the face" Light took 1st place overall, but the rest of the team really kicked some tail. Having Dan back was great because he filled in the slight gap between Dean and whomever is in the 2nd spot. This help tighten the pack up, and all the guys did outstanding work keeping that pack together and allowing the guys to take 1st place overall! Four of the guys got medals, and all of them got an outstanding trophy for the school and a Legends Champions T-Shirt.

Next up were the Ladies Varsity team. Ally again ran with the varsity team. Abbie Clifford took the race with a 1st place, and all the girls formed a tight pack. The team took 2nd place overall, and they too received a fantastic trophy fr the school.

The Men's and Ladies open class then ran and some outstanding performances were seen their. For the men's, Adam took 1st place over all, and many guys and gals hit all new PR's for themselves.

All I can say team is outstanding job this week!! You worked hard and it shows! Keep up that attitude because next up is the CVC Championship run at our home turf, the Perry OFC. Since you know this course, I hope to see us sweep 1st places their.

For next week, I'm going to ask again that you pick the song that you want for the slide show. Please make sure you vote.

Any idiot can run …
It takes a special kind of idiot to run cross country.





Sunday, September 28, 2008

CVNP - Do we love hills or what!!

Wow... Do we love hills or what!!?? Man, I can't even imagine running the CVNP course, you ALL are my heroes! It seemed like 4.9 kilometers of all up hill! For the difficulty of that course, you all did wonderful! With Abbie out 38.5 seconds from the second place girl and Meredith setting an all new PR. Way to go team.

I tell you one thing, when I watched you all finish down that hill, I could see ALL of you reaching deep down inside and pulling it from the gut. That's the way to do it.

I will tell you one other thing. I saw a friend of mine out there who's son runs for Lake Catholic (Go Cougars... sorry, I graduated from there). He said they were totally unprepared for the amount and difficulty of the hills that CVNP has. He also commented about Perry and how strong they looked. You know what? You need to thank your coaches for that. They train you hard, and I am sure there are time you resent Mr Sarvis or Mr Thomas for making you do hill repeats, and all of that stuff, but it makes you all the more better. Anyone can run on a flat piece of land. It takes a special team to train on insane hills and grow from it.

Also, please take a look at the web site. On the right hand side I have a poll asking for what song you want to see for the legends meet. I will take the number 1 song that wins (and maybe the number 2 song if I need an extra one). If you have any other suggestions, please send them my way.

Next up, the Legends meet. From what I understand, this is a flat course, but that doesn't mean to let up on the intensity of your training.

Running.
No timeouts, no substitutions,
no excuses. The only real sport!



Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Ideas for music

I am starting to run out of ideas for song choices for the slide shows. If you wouldn't mind commenting to this post with some ideas I would greatly appreciate it. Either that or you may e-mail me at johnvnelson@gmail.com

Thanks everyone!

GO HARRIERS!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Strongsville Invitational

Pain, fear, struggle, "God please let me do it this time", excitement! When I look through my lens every weekend, I see the faces of hundreds of kids and that is what I see on their faces. And you know what? They are all heroes! How many of us can do those things that they do? The practice, the schooling, the homework, the race and everything in between!

This week, I saw so many kids give it their all! Look at the faces, look at the expressions. I know it was warm out, and I know it was a new course, but these kids all looked outstanding today. They all gave it their all. Some did outstanding, some came back from being injured, some were injured, and some were sad. The fact of the matter is, NONE OF YOU should be ashamed of how you did because you made all of us proud. You are AWESOME!!!

And as you are reaching that finish line, and you are saying to yourself "I can't do it! I don't have anything more in me!", reach down deep inside. Look for that fire within and give it more than your all. Cross that finish line in a blaze of glory and let the stands gasp and say you are animals!

Next up, CVNP.... let's run for the hills! See you there!

Pain is Temporary, Pride is forever!!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Boardman Invitational

Holy mud butt's Batman!!  Wow, was it WET and MUDDY today, but our Harriers did awesome given the circumstances.  There were a few slips and wipe outs, but they all hung in there even during the torrential rain.

This was the type of race that the kids love to have (well, some of them).  Do you remember wanting to go play out in the rain when you were a little kid?  Well, that's what they got to do today.

The course was tight, packed with teams, and almost impossible to navigate due to the muddy conditions.  As each race progressed, the course got worse.  The last Harrier group to race was the girls varsity group and they by far had the worst conditions.  Extremely heavy rains, and a field of mud to run on.  Not the ideal situation to do a PR.  That doesn't matter though, because all the teams had the same circumstances to deal with.

This was a huge race too.  In the boys varsity, there were 39 teams competing.

All in all, you can be proud of your Perry Pirate Harriers.  They did an OUTSTANDING job!!

Next up, Strongsville on Sept. 20th.  I better see you there!

Don’t worry, you’ll pass out before you die






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Monday, September 8, 2008

Walsh Tomahawk Run

Wow! The times just keep on coming down. BJ, Nick and Ally set three new PR's this week, as did a number of the kids on the Perry team. Abbie Clifford had an amazing race for the girls varsity and finished 1st overall and she was a whole minute and one second faster than the 2nd place girl with a time of 18:31.

Ally stepped it up this week too and finished 18th overall with a time of 23:08 in the Open/JV class. Nick broke the 20 minute barrier and finished at 19:46. BJ came so close to breaking the 20 minute barrier but finished at 20:06. We are confident he will achieve his goal at the next meet as he keeps shaving time off each week. C'mon BJ... run like a rabid Pit Bull with AIDS is chasing you. We know you can do it.

It was great to see this week so many kids break out and achieve such great results. Time & time again we saw on these athletes’ faces that they had pushed beyond physical & emotional limits, endured knee-buckling pain and emerged better for having made the effort. Way to go Perry! We are so proud of ALL OF YOU!

Next week the team will be at Boardman.

Trample the dead, hurdle the weak!


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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Mentor Cardinal Classic

Good morning Harrier fans! The Cross team did an outstanding job this past weekend. The Ladies teams took 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd in the Varsity, JV and Open classes respectively. The guys took 6th, 5th and 8th.

Ally had a great race and shaved 22.58 seconds off of the Berkshire race for a race time of 24:12.47. She was 26th overall and got a ribbon accordingly.

Nick and BJ did good too. Nick drafted off of BJ for almost the entire race, and then the two of them decided to have a sprint for it at the very end. I think because BJ was leading the entire race, Nick had saved up some energy at the end and was able to overtake him. Nick's time was 20:39.04 and BJ's was 20:41.31. The irony of the whole this is last year, BJ and Nick also finished just as close, but BJ came in before Nick. Regardless, they both improved their times considerably this year over last, by reducing their time by 2 1/2 minutes each!! This just goes to show the determination that all these kids have!

At the next meet I think BJ is going to hit his goal of sub 20 minutes!! Let's see you do it BJ... we know you have it in you. Just remember, that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Keep those nice smooth long strides and work your ladder and you will do it.



Way to go Perry!! Next stop, Walsh Jesuit which is down near Stow Ohio. I hope to see you there!

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Friday, August 29, 2008

2008 Berkshire Early Bird

Are these kids incredible or what!!?? Wow, our beloved Pirates outdid themselves again.

The Berkshire run is an interesting run because we only have our JV teams there and not the varsity team, BUT the other schools have their varsity teams present, so it really puts the JV teams to the test.

This course was tough this year because of all the dips and holes in the course. BJ was hit hard by this in the very beginning where he actually fell because of an unseen hole. He never really was able to recover from this and didn't do as well as he would have liked to. He didn't give up though and toughed it out.

On the right of the screen you will see a list of the 2008 Perry CC Meet Schedule & Results. Follow this and you can see all the kids results. For our kids, Ally finished in 24.25.05 and in 4th place for Perry and 87th overall (out of 215 ladies).

Nick finished in 20:59.32 and in 5th place for Perry and 107 overall (out of 269 guys). And BJ finished with 21:29.82 and 8th for Perry and 137th overall.

For those of you who have never been to one of these races, take a look at the kids faces to see the story that it tells. Imagine running 5k as hard as you can! That's a long way, and the story their faces tell is amazing. These kids all have guts, determination, and the I WILL NOT QUIT attitude that we all should be proud of!

Next up, the Mentor Cardinal Classic at Garfield Park in Mentor. I hope to see you there! Just remember, Cross Country is the only real fall sport!


Wednesday, August 20, 2008

2008 Time Trials

Wow!! Where are we runnin'? I'll tell you where. To the state finals!

On August 16th, BJ, Nick, Ally and the rest of the Perry Cross team had their time trials. This was the first time the team actually ran in race conditions on a measured 5km (3.1 miles) course. All the kids did fantastic!

Ally had an all time great with a time of 24 minutes 12 seconds and landed herself the 5th position (out of seven) on the girls JV team. Nick came in with a time of 20 minutes and 35 seconds , which is a new PR (personal record) for him, and the 6th position on the boys JV team. BJ topped them all with a time of 20 minutes and 30 seconds and either the 4th or 5th position on the boys JV team. I'm not sure which position BJ received because he tied with another boy.

Just so you all understand, the teams are designed as follows. There is a varsity team of the 7 fastest runners. Then there is a JV team, with the next 7 fastest. Lastly, there is the open class where all the others run.

As you can tell, Raquel and I are very proud of our three Pirates, and the entire team as well. These kids are all AWESOME and we wish them all the best of luck this season!!

This coming Saturday the varsity teams will be running in Salem, and the JV and Open class will be running at Berkshire. Why not come out and cheer these kids on their way! C'mon.. what are you waiting for? This isn't like anything you have seen before. What these kids do is punishment for the football players.


Tuesday, August 12, 2008

10 Mile fundraiser (Part 2)

I wanted to share with everyone a slide show of all the kids running the 10 mile run. These kids are incredible! Click on the video below to play it (turn up the sound).


Monday, August 11, 2008

10 Mile fundraiser

Holy running shoes Batman, they all did it!! Wow, talk about determination, but BJ, Nick and Ally all made the 10 mile run. Raquel and I are so proud of them.

The day was perfect for running too. Low 70's, hardly any humidity, little blue puffy clouds, and the rush of adrenaline in the air. This day is not about how fast you can run 10 miles, or even if you can run the entire course. It is about the journey, and proving to yourself that you can run, as a team, in a race.

Many of the first year runners I'm sure were a little scared, and that is okay. The reason the coaches have this run is more about the kids proving to themselves that they CAN run at least 3.1 miles (5k, the length of an official HS meet).

So what goes into preparing for something like this? Intense training six days a week. On Saturday's, they have a fun run through Indian Point down by the Grand River. There, they will run all kinds of hills, do Indian Run's and other team building and character building things. This involves more than running through. During the week, they also have to watch their diet. Carbonated beverages are strictly prohibited, and eating healthy is something they try and do.

Next up, time trials at Perry's official course, the YMCA Outdoor Family Center on August 16th.


Saturday, August 9, 2008

The season has begun

Well, the season has officially begun. How do I know? Well, the TP'ing of cross runners homes is the tell tale sign of the year officially beginning. Each year, the boys sneak out, and armed with a couple of hundred rolls of TP (and various other items... Cheerios, Ravioli, um and now Toilet's.) and TP the girls homes. Likewise, the girls do the same to the boys. Well, with having one girl and two boys in the family, this get's interesting to say the least. You can see some of the artwork below.



Next up, the 10 mile fundraiser on Sunday August 10th!