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!