Sunday, October 31, 2010

Season ends on high note

The SJA cross country team's season finally came to an end on Oct 30, but not without a fight! With a 12th place finish at the Tiffin Regional, the team failed to qualify to the state meet for a second consecutive year, but a few of the runners served notice that they will be back and better than ever next year.

Once again the first runner for the Jaguars was senior Erin Gaffney, who despite taking a nasty down hill fall during the first mile of the race bounced back up to run a lifetime best of 19:44 - putting her 16th on the all-time SJA list. Not too far back was junior Mary Kate Chambers who knocked over 30 seconds off her lifetime best with a time of 20:10. Junior Jessica Sirchen saved her best for last with a season's best 20:19. The fourth finisher for the Jags was freshman Rachel McGuire who knocked off over 40 seconds from her personal best to finish in 20:30. Rounding out the scoring for the Jags was Celine Mangan who rebounded from a couple of rough weeks with a 20:39. Both Rose Urankar and Helen Steve ran close to their season best times and gained valuable experience running in their first regional race ever (as did McGuire and Chambers).

Both Coach Stephanie McHenry and myself would like to thank all the athletes for a very rewarding season. Regardless of state place or not, THIS is exactly what high school athletics and competition is all about.

thanks! Coach Kieser

Monday, October 25, 2010

Moving On

The SJA Cross Country team qualified for the regional level of competition for the 11th straight year by finishing 5th last week at the Edgewater District. The top 5 scoring runners for SJA were Erin Gaffney, Mary Kate Chambers, Jessica Sirchen, Celine Mangan, and Rachel McGuire. Rose Urankar and Helen Steve rounded out the varsity squad.
Next weekend the Jags will be running at the Tiffin Regional Meet in which the top 4 teams qualify for the state competition.
The JV team finishes their season Monday at the Walsh Warrior Classic. Good luck to all!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Districts and Walsh

SJA @ Edgewater District and Walsh Warrior Classic
Saturday, Oct 23 and Monday, Oct 25

Saturday, Oct 23

12:00 – meet in room 331 for movie time. Not mandatory but more fun when there’s more people. This is bring your own food.
2:15 – bus leaves SJA to take team to Edgewater Park for District Meet. LOWER campus just like Wednesday’s meet (and pretty much the same course).
If athletes cannot be at the movie time but are going to the meet please be there by 2:30 to make sure you’re ready to do the team run. We are expecting full and LOUD support the entire race. We have the biggest team, let’s use it. But remember, you’re NOT allowed to run along people who are racing. That is considered pacing, which is illegal. Spread out along the course, don’t stand in clumps because all you’re doing is over-shouting each other.
2:45 – JV runners run 4 miles on the course, but please do NOT interfere with other races going on!
3:10 – varsity plus alternate begin warm up.
3:45 – spikes on and head to start line in sweats
3:50 – check in at start line with official
4:05 – Girls Division I district race.
Warm-down, vote for Jag of the Race

Monday, Oct 25

Warrior Classic (last chance)
Walsh Jesuit High School
4550 Wyoga Lake Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44224

2009 time schedule is what I’m working off of
4:00 - Girl’s Freshmen & Sophomore Race
4:30 - Boy’s Freshmen & Sophomore Race
5:00 - Girl’s Junior & Senior Race
5:30 - Boy’s Junior & Senior Race

Dismissed from class at 2:00pm
Bus leaves at 2:15
Arrive at 3:00
3:10 – frosh/soph warm up
4:00 – frosh/soph race
4:10 – junior/senior warm up
5:00 – junior/senior race

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

JV team defeats Mentor at Edgewater Park

The JV cross country runners took on the JV team from Mentor today at a very windy Edgewater Park in a meet hosted by St. Ignatius. This meet was the tie-breaker between the two teams at Mentor got the best of SJA at McDonough, but SJA got revenge at Gilmour. The Jags took 11 of the top 17 spots to dominate the meet by a score of 24-35. Leading the way for the squad was freshman Alesha Vovk who ran a personal record of 21:45, which earned 2nd place overall in the race. She was followed to the line by Jessica Bresnahan, Emily Bauer, Grace Harter, and Maggie Boyer who finished 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th respectively to round out the top 5 scoring.

Also earning PR's on a tough day were freshmen Molly Moore, Annie Grove, and Courtney Catherine plus sophomore Regina Russo. Senior Lauren Peplin chipped in a season best and Julia Swit completed her first race marking all 51 girls on the team competing this year.

Next up for SJA is the district meet this Saturday at Edgewater park at 4:05. The JV wrap up their season next Monday at Walsh Jesuit.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Ohio Independent Schools Championships

In just its second year of existence, the Ohio Independent Schools Championships is a meet designed to give schools that aren't in a conference or league a chance to compete against each other when conference meets are being held all over the state. In their first trip to this meet, the SJA cross country team finished 2nd to Laurel and ahead of schools like Beaumont.
SJA ran a little short-handed due to the PSAT and injuries, but had some runners step up to the varsity level. Erin Gaffney led the way again with a 3rd place finish and was followed to the line by Mary Kate Chambers, Celine Mangan, Rachel McGuire, Helen Steve, and Rose Urankar. Those 6 girls plus Jessica Sirchen will be the varsity team at the District Meet this coming weekend at Edgewater Park - 4:05pm.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Week of Monday, Oct 18

Things are starting to come to an end folks...lets really do this right!!!! And check the website for your sweat pants number! You are responsible for your number!!! Its on the roster link.

Monday, Oct 18 - at Mastick. mileage run and senior led striders! 3:40-5:20
Tuesday, Oct 19 - at SJA. Meeting then ice cream run. Bring a buck and we'll get the rest! But you're RUNNING to East Coast.
Wednesday, Oct 20 - JV meet at Edgewater. 4:30 start. Bus will take us to the meet. Varsity will do a workout. Everyone please bring/wear team sweats!
Thursday, Oct 21 - regular Thursday. Done by 5:00.
Friday, Oct 22 - regular Friday. meeting first then pre-meet for all.
Saturday, Oct 23 - Districts at Edgewater. Race at 4:05. Schedule to be determined later on what we'll do. JV expected to run the district course for their workout.
Sunday, Oct 24 - nothing...JV eat right and get ready!
Monday, Oct 25 - last JV meet at Walsh. Time schedule TBA.

We will have a "Uniform Turn in Party" the Wednesday after the last varsity meet during activity blocks.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Massillon Itinerary

Massillon Community Park
Directions
2200 Finefrock Road SW in Massillon 44647

I-77 South to Rt 21 south (near Fairlawn)
Follow Rt 21 South to Massillon
Turn right on Finerock Road and follow for about a mile or so
Park will be on the right.

7:15 – bus leaves SJA
8:30 – bus arrives at Massillon Community Park
Learn the course!!! Know the finish!!!
9:20 – Begin warm up
10:15 – girls varsity race (full team all at once)
For fun we have separated an A team and B team

Good warm down, team stretch, team meeting to follow

12:00 – leave for SJA
1:15 – ETA at SJA

Varsity A
Gaffney
Mangan
Chambers
Bauer
McGuire
Steve

Varsity B
Urankar
Vovk
Ward
Nagy
Bresnahan, Jess
Harter
Boyer

Bresnahan, Jill Krasienko
Schwind Roddy
Timmons Catherine
Moore Bello
Petersen Saul
Kramer Nagy
Miller Lanning
Dunn Simone
Grove Strasser
Zimmerman Williams
Miranda Reminder
Roberts Hurley, K
Armstrong Russo
Gatian Hurley, S
Peplin

Monday, October 11, 2010

Back to Work

After two great weeks of PR's and improvements, the running Jaguars came back to reality a little bit this past weekend. The varsity team, competing for the 5th straight year at the prestigious Portage Invitational finished a disappointing 19th of 38 teams. Temperatures snuck up to the high 80's by race time and this took a toll on the Jags. Erin Gaffney, Mary Kate Chambers, and Rose Urankar all ran solid races on the day, but it wasn't enough as the Jags fell short of their top 10 goal.

The JV and open runners stayed in Ohio to participate at the competitive Stow Invitational. The JV squad moved up to varsity status for the weekend and experienced how competitive running in Northeast Ohio can be finishing 12th of 18 teams. Leading the Stow Varsity were freshman Rachel McGuire and Sophomore Emily Bauer. The JV team, which was actually the "C" for SJA, competed well finishing 3rd of 8 JV teams. Leading the way was a motivated Helen Steve who finished 4th overall. A small fact many would over look is that our "C" team beat Chardon's "B" team at Stow. This is significant because earlier in the season Chardon's "B" beat our "B". This means our whole team has made much better improvements than at least one of our competitors. The leading runner in the open race was freshman Maddie Miller.

Next week the team competes at the Independent Schools Championship in Massillon.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

practices week of Monday, October 11

Monday, Oct 11 - Run at mastick - 3:40-5:15. Vote on Jaguar Award
Tuesday, Oct 12 - meeting room 331, then regular Tuesday practice done by 5:15
Wednesday, Oct 13 - weird schedule test day. I cannot shake free until regular hours. Workout at Memorial Field. Begin warm up at 3:15 (please EAT intelligently). Done by 5:15
Thursday, Oct 14 - regular Thursday at SJA - done by 5:00
Friday, Oct 15 - regular pre-meet day at SJA - done by 5:00
Saturday, Oct 16 - meet at Massillon. ONE RACE at 10:15. Bus leaves at 7:15. Expected return 1:00 or 1:30? Due to injuries and improved performances by some JV, the district line-up will have to be determined by the performances in this race. Erin, Celine, Mary Kate, and Jessica are set as varsity. The rest is open. The order of finish at Massillon will be a big deciding factor, but we also have to look at who has been running well lately, who ran aggressively (and not sat back). Regardless of who is varsity at districts, it is our hope that ALL the girls 100% all the other runners so that they know it is about putting the best 7 runners on the line at the district meet. That is what matters.
Sunday, Oct 17 - nothing planned

Future reminders
Wed, Oct 20 - JV at Edgewater vs. Mentor and Solon (JV only - meaning anyone not running at Districts). 4:30 start?
Sat, Oct 23 - varsity at districts - Edgewater Park - 4:15 start? will confirm later
Mon, Oct 25 - JV at Walsh last chance meet. Times TBA
Sat, Oct 30 - varsity at regionals - Tiffin, OH

Lastly, there will be a day set aside after school in which all uniforms, including the new sweats will be turned in. Please have them washed (cold water) and ready to be stored for the winter. More on this later, but we need our inventory!!!!

I'm not accepting pictures for the slideshow after districts, so if you've got 'em, give 'em.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Stow and Portage Itineraries

Stow Itinerary - Sat Oct 9

6:45 – bus leaves SJA w/Coach McHenry (parents may take kids separately to the meet but please let Coach McHenry know!!!
7:40 – bus arrives at Silver Springs Park, Stow (see website for directions)
8:10 – varsity warm up
8:50 – varsity check in at start
9:00 – varsity girls BIG SCHOOL race
9:10 – JV warm up
9:50 – JV check in at start
10:00 – JV girls race
10:20 – open girls warm up
11:00 – open girls check in at start
11:10 – open girls race
12:30 – estimated leave time
1:30 – estimated return to SJA

Jaguar award presented Monday at Practice

Varsity 9:00am
Bauer
Bres, Jess
McGuire
Harter
Vovk
Riley
Ward

JV 10:00am
Schwind (1st alt)
Steve
Zimmerman
Bres, Jill
Dunn
Nagy
Petersen

Open 11:10am
Roddy Bello
Catherine Saul
Moore Kramer
Miller Semidey
Hurley, S Konys
Grove Strasser
Krasienko Williams
Lanning Reminder
Armstrong Hurley, K
Miranda Russo
Roberts Gatian
Waters, K Peplin (2 miles)

Portage Information given to athletes on Thursday...

Friday, Oct 8
12:01 – team leaves for Michigan
4:00 – arrive at the course, do pre-meet workout
5:30 – leave course, pick up dinner on the way back – eat at hotel
Jo-Ann Fabrics run??? Movie??

Saturday, Oct 9
8:30 – team jog, stretch, then breakfast
12:00 – leave hotel for the meet
1:35 – begin warm up
2:20 – check in at start (box 35)
2:30 – Girls Div I race
4:00 – leave for home with quick stop at Subway on the way out
8:00 – ETA at SJA

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Week of Monday, October 4

Monday, October 4 – Practice at Mastick 3:40-5:20. Regular run with one 2 minute pick up in the middle. Abs, stretch, and pick ups when done.

Tuesday, October 5 – Practice at SJA. Team meeting first in 331 then easy run, lift, barefoot drills, etc…3:20-5:10

Wednesday, October 6 – ITS YOU NEED TO HAVE A STOPWATCH Practice at SJA. Will do repeat 400’s on Tyler field in the valley behind school. 3:30-5:20. Please everybody have a watch!

Thursday, October 7 – Practice at SJA. Typical Thursday of cross train, etc…done by 5:00.

Friday, October 8 – varsity leaves for Michigan AFTER 2nd activity block. JV has practice with Coach McHenry after school as normal. Meeting in Room 331 for goal setting then pre-meet day. Pasta Dinner????

Saturday, October 9 – varsity at Portage – 2:30 start time. www.portageinvite.com

Stow Invitational at Silver Lake Park.
Varsity – 9:00am
JV – 10:00am
Open – 11:10am

Stow varsity – Bauer (1st alt for Mich), Jess Bres, Ward, McGuire, Harter, Vovk, Riley
Stow JV – Schwind (1st alt for Stow varsity), Steve, Zimmerman, Jill Bres, Dunn, Nagy, Petersen
Stow open – Moore (1st alt for Stow JV), Miller, Roberts, Konys, Bello, Grove, S. Hurley, Catherine, Saul, Strasser, Miranda, K. Hurley, Roddy, Reminder, Lanning, Williams, Simone, Kramer, Russo, Gatian, Semidey, Peplin*, MB Waters*, K Waters*, Armstrong*, Fibbi*, Timmons*, Krasienko*

Not running* Swit, Hennings
* subject to change.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Another solid day at Gilmour!!

After a festive day for Freshmen Welcome, the SJA cross country welcomed themselves to some fast times at the Gilmour Invitational on Friday, October 1st.
The day started with the varsity using their race as a workout running as a group of 7 for over a mile before picking up the pace on the second half of the race. Even with that strategy 2 runners, Jessica Sirchen and Maggie Boyer still ran season bests - just 2 of 7 season bests on the day. The team still managed a 5th place finish in a competitive 15 team field. Next week the varsity will be racing in the prestigious Portage Invitational in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The JV team continued their dominance from last week with a 1st place team finish and a low score of just 23 points. 12 of the first 24 finishers in the race were Jaguars! In all, there were 19 PR's set in this race. Finishing first overall in the race was Sophomore Emily Bauer who ran a personal record by 30 seconds. For her effort Emily earned the Jaguar of the Week award in a close vote over junior Kayley Dunn who finished 15th overall with a 2 minute PR of 22:22. Also in the top ten were freshman Rachel McGuire (PR, 3rd), Sr. Grace Harter (SB, 4th), frosh Alesha Vovk (PR, 7th), soph Jess Bresnahan (8th), and soph Helen Steve (9th)
Team results are posted to the right and full results can be found on www.baumspage.com

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gilmour Itinerary

SJA @ Gilmour Invitational
October 31, 2010

3:15 – bus leaves SJA
3:55 – bus arrives at GA campus
4:35 – Girls varsity GRAY begins warm-up
5:30 – Girls varsity GRAY race
5:40 – Girls open begin warm up
6:30 – girls open race
Girls open must warm down quickly before it gets dark!
7:45 – leave for SJA
8:25 or so arrive at SJA

We will do team meeting and Jaguar award at Saturday morning’s practice. It will get too dark too quickly to do this after the meet.

Varsity 5:30
Gaffney
Mangan
Chambers
Sirchen
Urankar
Ward
Boyer

Open – 6:30
Harter
Bresnahan, Jill
Bresnahan, Jess
McGuire
Schwind
Roddy
Bauer
Catherine
Moore
Bello
Petersen
Saul
Vovk
Kramer
Miller
Semidey
Dunn
Simone
Grove
Strasser
Steve
Williams
Nagy
Reminder
Lanning
Hurley, K
Zimmerman
Armstrong
Miranda
Russo
Roberts
Gatian
Hurley, S

Not running:
Peplin – shin
J. Swit – shin
Krasienko – shin
Egan – shin
Riley – shin
Waters, K - shin
Timmons – calf
Hennings - ankle
Fibbi – hip
Waters, Mary Bridget – hip
Konys - hip

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Week of September 27

Two things to remember!!!!
1. Just 4 weeks until districts/Walsh last chance meet. Now is not the time to get complacent after our first good meet. Now is the time to really turn the screws and get the most out of ourselves!
2. The weather has turned colder - BRING PROPER CLOTHING to keep your body/legs warm!

Monday, Sept 27 - practice at SJA. Team meeting in 331, run, practice finishes on track, lift. 5:20 finish
Tuesday, Sept 28 - workout at Memorial Field. 4 x mile for top group. 5:15 finish
Wednesday, Sept 29 - practice at mastick after school...start at 2:45. easy mileage run, drills, frisbee. done by 4:45.
Thursday, Sept 30 - practice at SJA - typical Thursday - pre-meet goal setting in room 331 then circuit day. Pasta dinner at Chambers House (hosted by Gatian, Chambers, and Boyer).
Friday, Oct 1 - meet at Gilmour. We are "Gray" Division 1. Varsity (same as All-Catholic) runs at 5:30, all JV runs at 6:30.
Saturday, Oct 2 - practice at 9:00am at towpath. This time we will meet at the Visitor's Center (it has a bathroom). To get to the visitor's center it is just like going to the Rockside Rd location - just add 5 minutes tops. Travel east on Rockside Road from I-77, pass the towpath parking lot and turn right on Canal Road. Follow Canal for about 2 miles. Turn right on Hillside Rd then turn left into the parking lot.
Sunday, Oct 3 - nothing

All-Catholic Review

It was a big weekend in many ways for the SJA cross country team as they traveled to Kettering, Ohio for the Midwest All-Catholic Championships. A classy, well-behaved, and focused group represented the school well both during the travels and in the race. An amazing 42 of 45 SJA runners earned a season's best (SB) or personal record (PR) at the meet. Those efforts earned the Jags a 6th place out of 14 in the varsity race and a 1st out of 12 in the reserve.
Pacing the Jags in the varsity race was senior captain Erin Gaffney, who ran a PR, finished 13th overall, and broke the 20 minute barrier for the first time ever with a 19:53. All of the varsity earned PR's or SB's...including Celine Mangan, Mary Kate Chambers, Jessica Sirchen, Maggie Boyer, Bridget Egan, and Rose Urankar.
In the reserve race Jaguars dominated the front scoring a low 27 points in the team race (63 for second) and taking 8 of the top 15 places overall. The top finisher in the reserve race for SJA was sophomore Melanie Ward, who ran a PR of 21:36 - good for 3rd overall.
SJA results and splits can be found at the link on the right. Overall results can be found at the host school's website - www.carrollcrosscountry.org

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Week of September 20th

Monday, Sept 20 - practice at mastick park, 3:40-5:15
Tuesday, Sept 21 - practice at SJA, meeting in 331, run, lift, video, done at 5:15
Wednesday, Sept 22 - time trial at mastick, 3:40-5:15
Thursday, Sept 23 - practice at SJA, done by 5:15
Friday, Sept 24 - leave for Dayton at noon. More information to be posted soon.
Saturday, Sept 25 - All-Catholic meet...www.carrollcrosscountry.org
Varsity "Gold" - 10:00am - our top 7 runners - Gaffney, Mangan, Chambers, Egan, Sirchen, Urankar, Boyer
Reserve Women - 11:30am - all non-varsity runners
Plan to return to SJA by 6pm
Sunday, Sept 26 - no planned arrangements.

Notice to those who work - the following week we will be off our normal workout schedule due to a Friday meet. We will workout on TUESDAY, Sept 28. Please change work schedule accordingly!!!!

McDonough Review

JD Rockefeller's estate in Cleveland Hts was given over to the city park's system and is now Forest Hills Park. It has been the sight of cross country meets for decades. On Saturday, September 18th SJA ran in the McDonough Invitational hosted by VASJ at Forest Hills Park.
Participating in the medium-sized division, SJA finished 2nd out of 8 teams just 11 points behind first. It was a rough day for the Jags, but junior Mary Kate Chambers, showed a spark finishing as the first runner for the Jaguars.
The JV team also finished a narrow second to Mentor with junior Maggie Boyer leading the way with a 3rd place run. The open race was not scored but was cleared dominated by SJA runners led to the wire by freshman Alesha Vovk's 5th place run.
The cross country team is nearing the halfway point and will be traveling to Dayton next week for the Midwest All-Catholic meet.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Important Info!!!

There are a few important notes below - read carefully! Share this info with your teammates, parents, and daughters.

There will be NO practice on Thursday. The Sharks and Jets workout went great, so as a reward for the effort (and to rest some of the beat up legs) we are giving you the day off from coaching. You may use that time to lift, stretch, or cross train on your own. You may also choose to get your homework done early, so you can get to bed earlier.

Parents - t-shirts should be in Friday. If you haven't passed along $12.00 yet then please do so soon.

McDonough Itinerary

9:00 – bus leaves SJA

10:20 – Girls varsity begin warm up
11:15 – Girls varsity WHITE (medium schools)

11:35 – Girls JV begin warm up
12:25 - Girls JV race (all 3 divisions race each other)

12:45 – girls open begin warm up
1:35 - Girls open race (all 3 divisions race each other)

2:15 – warm down
2:30 – food
2:45 – team stretch and Jaguar Award
3:00 – leave for SJA
3:25 – arrive at SJA

Varsity 11:15
Gaffney
Mangan
Chambers
Sirchen
Riley
Egan
Boyer

JV 12:25
Urankar (1st alt)
Ward
Harter
Bresnahan, Jess
McGuire
Bresnahan, Jill
Schwind

Open – 1:35
Steve
Bauer Catherine
Moore Bello
Petersen Saul
Vovk Kramer
Miller Semidey
Dunn Simone
Grove Strasser
Konys
Nagy Reminder
Krasienko Hurley, K
Russo
Zimmerman Waters, K
Miranda
Roberts Gatian
Hurley, S
Williams

Not running:
Peplin – shin(s)
J. Swit – shin
Roddy – out of town
Armstrong – ankle
Timmons – calf
Lanning – Achilles
Hennings - ankle
Fibbi – kidneys
Waters, Mary Bridget - hip

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Week of Monday Sept 13

Monday, Sept 13 - LT day at Mastick - 3:40-5:15
Tuesday, Sept 14 - typical Tuesday at SJA, meeting first - 3:20-5:10
Wednesday, Sept 15 - Sharks v. Jets at Memorial Field - early dismissal day. Begin warm up at 3:00pm
Thursday, Sept 16 - typical Thursday at SJA - 3:25-5:10
Friday, Sept 17 - PICTURE DAY! You need to bring your uniform. We may consider wearing team t-shirt as well. Team meeting/goal setting after. Team dinner at SJA cafeteria after. Hosted by Lannings. They may be looking for assistance???
Saturday, Sept 18 - McDonough Invite at Forest Hills Park (Cleveland Hts). Fruit, bagels, chocolate milk - Simone/Nemet, Konys.
Time schedule unknown at this point. Will post and advise ASAP
Sunday, Sept 19 - Heroe's Run at SJA. Our team members are asked to help at registration, finish line, and mile marks.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Walsh Recap

On the 11th of September the SJA cross country team visited Walsh Jesuit High School for the Tomahawk Invitational. The Jags varsity team finished 3rd of 12 teams. The first Jaguar across the line was Celine Mangan, who broke 21 for the first time this season. She was followed across by Mary Kate Chambers, Jessica Sirchen, Sam Riley, Rose Urankar, Mel Ward, and Jessica Bresnahan.
The JV was split into two teams which finished 1st and 4th out of 9 teams in their race. Maggie Boyer finished 1st overall in the JV race. SJA had 3 other top 10 finishers in the race including: Grace Harter 3rd, Rachel McGuire 6th, and Jill Bresnahan 10th.
This week's "Jaguar Award" was given to Sam Riley for running a PR and moving up to the Jags' 4th runner. Sam has never been varsity before at any point in her career before.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Walsh Itinerary

9:30 – bus leaves for Walsh Jesuit High School – Let’s try TIE-DYE this time.

10:15 – arrive at Walsh, set up camp, etc…
11:10 – Girls Gold Reserve begin warm-up
11:45 – spikes on
11:50 – go to start line (no jewelry!!!)
12:00 – Gold Reserve race – see who is on what team below.
12:05 – Girls Varsity Gold begin warm-up.
12:45 – spikes on
12:50 – go to start line (no jewelry for you guys either)
1:00 – Girls Varsity Gold race.

Directions to Walsh (from SJA)
I-90 East to Jennings or I-77 south
I-77 South to turnpike (I-80) exit
Turnpike East one exit to Boston/Rt 8 exit 146
Rt 8 South for a few miles to Rt 303 exit 180
At Rt 303 exit go STRAIGHT on Old Rt 8.
Follow Old 8 for a couple of mile. Veer left on Wyoga Lake Road for less than a mile Walsh Jesuit on the right.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Week of Monday, Sept 6

Monday, Sept 6 – Labor Day Long Run at Rockside Road towpath. Directions below. 9:00am-11:00. Coach will bring some bananas. Parents and athletes should feel free to bring other food for after the run.
Tuesday, Sept 7 – practice at SJA. Meeting in 331 when dressed for practice. Typical Tuesday – done by 5:15.
Wednesday, Sept 8 – practice at Memorial Field. Hard workout – please be there! We’ll start as close to 3:30 as possible. Done by 5:30.
Thursday, Sept 9 – practice at SJA. Typical Thursday. Done by 5:00.
Friday, Sept 10 – practice at SJA – typical pre-meet day. Pasta dinner hosted at Williams house.
Saturday, Sept 11 – meet at Walsh – directions and times to be posted later. Fruit, etc…Roberts, Hurley, Swit
Sleep in day!!!! Be sure to time up your breakfast properly.
9:30 - bus leaves SJA
12:00 - Girls Reserve Gold - We will have an "A" and "B"
1:00 - Girls Varsity Gold (Gaffney, Chambers, Egan, Riley, Ward, Urankar, Sirchen)
Sunday, Sept 12 – no planned events

Directions to Labor Day Long Run
Independence, Ohio
Take I-77 South To Rockside Road
Left on Rockside (east) and follow for about a mile and a half.
go past Rt 21 and down the big hill to the valley.
The Parking Lot is on the right just before Canal Rd across the street from Lockkeeper's Tavern
About 20 min from SJA.

In the near future…Wednesday, Sept 15th - Sharks/Jets w.o. Friday September 17th – picture day after school. Order forms passed out this week. Sunday, September 19th – Heroe’s Run. This is a 5 mile road race held at SJA in honor of the Cleveland Police officers killed in the line of duty. Our athletes work this event every year for service hours. The general time frame is 7-11am.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Ashland Invite Review

The Running Jags finished 6th of 19 teams at the Ashland Invitational. St. Joe's had a record 43 runners finish, of which 35 set personal records or season best times. In this, the second meet of the season, the Jaguars saw some new faces in the top 7 varsity. Senior Captain Erin Gaffney led the way with a 7th place finish in 20:11. Her time moves Erin into the SJA Top 20 all-time. Next to cross the line was junior Mary Kate Chambers. Sophomore Bridget Egan set a big personal record to finish as the 3rd SJA runner. Jessica Sirchen was 4th for SJA followed by Sam Riley, Rose Urankar, and Mel Ward to round out the varsity positions.
While not scored, the SJA second team was the best in the field as runners like Jessica Bresnahan, Rachel McGuire, Grace Harter, Helen Steve, and Maggie Boyer ran well enough to beat most team's varsities.
Next weekend the Jaguars go to Walsh Jesuit High School to battle against some of the better Division I teams in North East Ohio.

results for SJA can be found on the link to the right or by visiting www.baumspage.com and searching the the cross country results

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Itinerary for Ashland

SJA @ Ashland Invitational
Ashland High School
August 4th, 2010

6:45 – bus leaves SJA…seriously, we cannot and will not wait this time. We’ll be cutting it too close!
Remember, all your bags, etc… have to go UNDER. We don’t have room for people AND things. No flip-flops. Grey team shirts on.

8:00 – arrive at meet site. Look like a team and scare the others when we get off.
Bus parks at King Road Alliance Church. Parents can park on campus or Grace Brethren Church
Set up camp (tent, tarps, team sign)
Bathroom AFTER camp set up then learn the 2 loop course – especially the finish!
9:05 – warm up begins. Only drink water from here on – no Gatorade, etc…
4 – 1.5 miles
2, 3 – 1.0 mile
1 - .5 mile
Jog followed by full warm up routine with Coach Kieser AS A TEAM.
9:15 – spikes on (have them already prepared from Friday) Jewelry check.
9:20 – go to start line for striders and prayer (2 striders out, 1 strider back, pray, then 1 more jog/strider back to line)
9:30 – girls high school race – all compete except those listed below (you’ll be helping!)

10:30 – warm down whatever you warmed up
11:00 – Groves and McGuires – fruits and bagels

11:30 – leave for SJA but stop at Lodi Crossing for an hour of shopping, etc…
1:45-2:00 – return to SJA unless you hear sooner.

Results will be linked from
our website and found directly
on www.baumspage.com

Not running:
Nagy- mono
Mangan – shin
Bauer – shin/calf
Peplin – shin(s)
Gatian – calf
K. Hurley?
J. Swit?

First race of season:
Simone
Katie Waters
Mary Bridget Waters
Alesha Vovk
Fibbi

"He ran because it grounded him in basics. There was both life and death in it; it was unadulterated by media hype, trivial cares, political meddling.... It was all joy and woe, hard as a diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension, but it also made him free.”
Once a Runner – “Breaking Down” Chapter by John L. Parker

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Week of Monday, Aug 30

Monday, Aug 30 - 3:30-5:15 - AT run at Mastick
Tuesday, Aug 31 - 3:25-5:10 - post-meet review meeting then practice at SJA
Wednesday, Sept 1 - 3:40-5:20 - Workout at Westlake Rec
Thursday, Sept 2 - 3:30-5:00 - standard circuit training day at SJA
Friday, Sept 3 - 3:25-5:00 - pre-meet meeting and practice at SJA
pasta dinner AT THE SCHOOL after practice
Saturday, Sept 4
Bus leaves - 6:45 (mapquest says 67 minute drive)
warm up - 8:30
race - 9:30 (full team at once again!)
Sunday, Sept 5 - nothing
Monday, Sept 6 - Labor Day. No canoe this year, but long run at towpath ROCKSIDE ROAD at 9am. PLEASE be there - these long runs are IMPORTANT.

Early Bird Review

SJA opened the 2010 CC season on a perfect day at the Berkshire Early Bird Invitational. The team finished 3rd out of 15 and experienced many personal records. In all, an SJA record 42 runners finished the race, of which 20 were first time racers!

The top 5 scorers for SJA were senior Erin Gaffney (7th place), junior Celine Mangan (14th place), junior Mary Kate Chambers (18th), sophomore Bridget Egan (35th), and junior Sam Riley (43rd). This is a remarkable feat considering none of these girls were top 4 for SJA at this meet last year.

The new runners, including transfers, new upperclassmen, and freshmen, did a phenomenal job. We now have great depth and more runners breaking 25 than ever before. Results for our team can be found on a link on the blogspot as well as at www.baumspage.com.

Next week the team runs at the Ashland Invitational.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Meet Itinerary Early Bird

SJA @ Early Bird Invitational
Hosted by Berkshire High School
At Kent State Geauga Branch
August 28th, 2010

7:15 – bus LEAVES for meet…this means show up beforehand. We really don’t wait for anybody – seriously. Directions online and on separate paper.
Remember, all your bags, etc… have to go UNDER. We don’t have room for people AND things. No flip-flops. Grey team shirts on.

8:10 – arrive at meet site. Look like a team and scare the others when we get off.
Bus parks at Fairgrounds. Parents can park on campus until it fills.
Set up camp (tent, tarps, team sign)
Bathroom AFTER camp set up
8:30 – learn/view the course – especially front and back runners that get spread out
9:05 – warm up begins. Only drink water from here on – no Gatorade, etc…
4 – 1.5 miles
2, 3 – 1.0 mile
1 - .5 mile
Jog followed by full warm up routine with Coach Kieser AS A TEAM.
9:45 – spikes on (have them already prepared from Friday) Jewelry check.
9:50 – go to start line for striders and prayer (2 striders out, 1 strider back, pray, then 1 more jog/strider back to line)
10:00 – girls high school race – all compete except those listed below (you’ll be helping!)

11:00 – warm down whatever you warmed up – (boys race starting at 11 – watch out!)
11:30 – Timmons and Hurleys – fruits and bagels

12:00 – leave for SJA
12:50-1:00 – arrive at SJA

Results will be linked from
our website and found directly
on www.baumspage.com

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Week of Monday, August 23rd

50% is great if that is your pay raise.
50% is bad if its your test score.
50% is great if that is a sale on a car or house.
50% is bad if its the number that comes to practice...

That's exactly what we had today. Technically we were one person over half - we had 27 out of 52 show up for today's long run. I understand that there are extraordinary circumstances that prevent us from making practice occasionally, but not HALF of us. Teams with a winning culture - a culture with a desire to improve - do better than 50%. I know practice was far away today, but we have the nation's most used National Park - we'd be foolish not to go there, especially for the soft surface of a long run.

This is it - this is the week of the first meet and classes. Its time to buckle down and prove whether we are true believers in a new culture or not.

Monday, Aug 23 - Memorial Field 1600 LT then repeat 400s BRING SPIKES! 3:30-5:30
Tuesday, Aug 24 - SJA - Hill workout film review (rm 331)then core, regular run, lift. 1:40-3:30
Wednesday, Aug 25 - Mastick cut-down run 3:30-5:20
Thursday, Aug 26 - SJA - circuit day
Friday, Aug 27 - SJA - pre-meet meeting (rm 331) then pre-meet run. We are NOT tapering for this meet, especially group 4. Plan on going to Mastick for easy mileage. 3:30-5:15 (group 4 later). First pre-meet dinner at Bresnahan's. More info to come!
Saturday, Aug 28 - GO TIME! Early Bird Invite at Kent State Geauga Campus. Bus leaves 7:15 - All runners run in same race at 10am! We will need some parents to take their daughters to the meet due to team being too big.
Sunday - no organized SJA CC activities. Cross train, recover, rejoice in great first meet.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Friday and Saturday

Friday's run will be a breakfast run at First Watch in Rocky River (Detroit Road across from Second Sole). 9:00am
Bring money for breakfast (and maybe a dry shirt!) after.
Group 4 - 40 min
Group 3 - 35 min
Group 2 - 30 min
Group 1 - 25 min

If you are a "shin person" and need a soft surface you can try Rocky River's track just up the street, go to Memorial Field, or run at mastick before (or after) the breakfast. Take care to do the right thing!

Saturday - 8:30 am at Station Road Bridge parking lot of the Brecksville Reservation. See the post below with directions, etc..

This is official practice. We're doing a long run on the Towpath heading south from Station Road. All parents and families are welcome to join along for a run or bike. Give about 30-35 minutes of travel time from SJA (more if you live further away).
Roughly the distances are: (with exceptions of course)
Group 4 - 10 miles
Group 3 - 8 miles
Group 2 - 6 miles
Group 1 - 4 miles.

You'll have 15 minutes to get loose - the run will begin at promptly 8:45.

I-77 South to Rt 82 exit
Rt 82 EAST - past Rt 21
Turn right on Riverview Road and go down the hill
Turn left at bottom of the hill into the Station Road parking lot driveway. Look for our cars.

I'll be out running already, so calling/texting me will be futile.

See you there!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Directions to Saturday's practice

This Saturday's practice is moved up to 8:30 am and will be held at Station Road bridge. This is due to a bridge out on the north part of the path.

From SJA it takes about 30-35 minutes to get to this location. We are practicing on the towpath for:
1. a change of scenery
2. flat surface for long run
3. softer surface for long run

Directions to Station Road Bridge (Brecksville)
From SJA
I-90 East to downtown.
Jennings or I-490 to I-77 south (whatever you prefer).
I-77 south to Brecksville exit 148A (Rt 21 East)
Follow Rt 21 East through downtown Brecksville to Riverview Road (this is about 3 miles from I-77 and has a stoplight)
Turn Right on Riverview, go down hill, and turn LEFT into the park. This is Station Road picnic area. You will cross a train track - park anywhere. Click on link below to see a map of the last few miles.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3968821

Friday, August 13, 2010

Next week

Hi all

First the paperwork issue. This should have all been turned in last Monday. Below is the most up-to-date list I have. It is also on our website under the link for "roster and medical forms". www.sjaxc.blogspot.com These athletes are not allowed to practice unless this paperwork is turned in, so please bring it Monday! Physicals can be done at the Rocky River Urgent Care on Detroit across from Mitchell's ice cream for $20

Chambers – physical
Dunn – physical, EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Egan – physical, EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Grove – physical, EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Kramer – EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Nagy – physical, EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Saul – page 3 and 4 of physical
Semidey – EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Simone - EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Simpson – physical, EMA, Fairview, Handbook
Steve – Fairview
Williams - EMA, Fairview, Handbook


Today's time trial was pretty darn good. The results were pretty favorable and here's an example of why - our 13th finisher (Schwind) ran over a minute faster than our 13th finisher when we did this last year at this time. That is significant! Stay healthy and keep progressing! Help each other.

Currently our roster is at 51 athletes. There is hope for an assistant coach soon, but I won't make any official announcements until all the paperwork is in.

Next week marks the last week of summer (for me). I have some teacher days at the end of the week, but we will keep practices in the morning all week.

If possible, make sure you get some cross country spikes soon. We will do part of next Wednesday's practice in them. These can be purchased at a running shoe store like Second Sole in Rocky River (on Detroit across from Rockport plaza) or if you know what you want you can try Dick's. They should not be as expensive as regular running shoes but definitely help performance. Make sure they are NOT sprinter spikes (there is a big difference in the heal). You can get cross country spikes or distance spikes for track - either is fine.

Next week's schedule:
Monday, August 16th - 9-11am - Mastick - tempo run
Tuesday, August 17th - 9-11am - SJA - regular run and lift
Wednesday, August 18th - 9-11 or noon??? Edgewater Upper Park - pavilion closest to the hill
Thursday, August 19th - 9-11am - SJA - circuit day
Friday, August 20th - no organized practice...meet and run on your own.
Saturday, August 21st - 9-11am - towpath for long run. Plan is Independence parking lot unless towpath is still closed at that end. Stay tuned.
Sunday, August 22nd - no practice - Fall Sports Picnic backyard of SJA at 3:00pm

First meet is coming up soon!!!! August 28th - see you soon!

Coach Fred Kieser

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Week of Monday, August 9th

Woohoo First Week of Practice! You MUST have an up-to-date OHSAA physical on file to participate. Bring it Monday!

But don't forget MANDATORY PARENTS MEETING SUNDAY AUGUST 8TH AT 7:00PM! One parent has to attend.

Below is the weekly schedule of practices. All practice times are 9-11am.

Big Sisters - please bring your Lil Sis gift bag this week if you haven't already.

Monday - practice at SJA. Team meeting then simple run behind school.
Tuesday - practice at Memorial Field - repeat 400's as before, just a little less rest.
Wednesday - practice at South Mastick picnic area - regular run
Thursday - practice at SJA - circuit day
Fruday- practice at South Mastick picnic area - 2000m time trial

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Week of Monday July 19th

Youth Camp Week!

Hi gang. This week is our Youth CC camp, or Kiddie Camp as some call it. All athletes are asked to be counselors. You get service hour credits, great knowledge, and excellent fitness for your efforts. This will not be stressful for you even if you yourself are a new runner. Please wear SJA clothes, interact with the campers, and follow my lead.

Time Schedule for the camp.
Mon-Thurs (NO FRI)...The camp runs from 9:00am - noon for the campers. Athletes please be at SJA at 8:30 on Monday and 8:45 the rest of the week for organizational purposes. Let me know in advance if you have to miss a day or two - a few of you have already done so - thanks! If you do miss camp, please run on your own.

New to add to the calendar - MANDATORY parents meeting. This will be at SJA 7pm Sunday, August 8th - the day before the first official practice. At least one parent has to attend. If that is not possible please call the A.D. at (216) 251-5495.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Week of July 12th

Okay - here it is already - the last week of regular conditioning. Please pay attention to the calendar/schedule the rest of the time so you don't get lost or confused. Our record is 33 athletes at one summer conditioning. Let's get 40 this Monday!!!!!

Reminders:
You HAVE to have an up-to-date physical on file when official practices start on August 9th. You may have one from last year, but it will run out soon (likely). I will try to find an updated list of what everyone has. Please schedule your physical with your doctors NOW!!! There are always long waits for this. The OHSAA has a mandatory form - 4 pages that you can find linked on this website to the far right.

Big sis's...if you haven't already done so, bring your lil sis her welcome card/gift.

"Kiddie Camp" is next week. All of you can/should show up as many of the days as possible. It runs from Mon-Thurs 9:00am-noon. Show up about 8:45 and you should be dressed to run. Remember - you get service hour credit for your time.

Monday - July 12th - 9-10:30am South Mastick Park.

Wednesday - July 14th - 9-10:30am Westlake Rec Center
28955 Hilliard Boulevard

Directions: I-90 to Crocker Rd (exit 156)
Follow Crocker SOUTH past Crocker Park.
LEFT on Hilliard. The driveway to the Westlake Rec will be about 1/4 mile down on the right. We will meet near the man-made hill.

Friday - July 16th - 9-10:30am South Mastick Park

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Week of July 5th

Greetings again!!!

Last week was better! We had some decent turn-outs (a record 33 on Friday!!) and some good runs - thanks in large part to the cooler weather. However things are about to get hot, so refocus on your hydration!

This weekend there are a couple of road races on Sunday, July 4th that you may want to run (or not). I will be going to Bay to WATCH, but not race.

Bay Days 5 miler - http://www.cwrrc.org/cwrrcraces.htm

Smiles for Sophie 5k - http://www.hermescleveland.com/roadracing/events/sophie.asp


For the next week practices are pretty much the same.
Monday, Mastick - 9:00-10:30
Wednesday, Wendy Park on Whiskey Island - 9:00-noon...post practice picnic and volleyball (gotta get ready for camp!) Wendy Park is on Whiskey Island. It is off Rt 2 and shares and exit with Edgewater Park at the Marina (NOT up in Lakewood). Upon exiting Route 2 simply follow the signs to Whiskey Island. It is literally a FULL MILE EAST of the exit on a narrow road. You'll feel like you're lost, but you're not.
Friday, Mastick - 9:00-10:30
Saturday, Downtown Cleveland for the Winking Lizard 4 mile race and 2 person x 2 mile relay. I am running the full 4 mile race while we have about 5 teams that have committed to running. The cheaper entry deadline is on July 5th, so get it done now!

http://www.hermescleveland.com/roadracing/winking_lizard/index.html

There's less than 2 months until our first official RACE! Are YOU ready??

Friday, June 25, 2010

Week of Monday, June 28th

Week of June 21st review
We had an all-time high turnout for the first day - 32 runners!! Sadly the numbers went down and down after. If you have to miss practice, please send me a note so I know.

The focus has been on shorter runs at a better pace than last year. The pace isn't meant to be threatening by any means, but simply more in tune to our ability levels. We've let that slip away over the past year or two.

Wednesday we did a nice repeat 400 workout that was meant to be sub-maximal with big rest, and abs in between. It seemed to go well. This week we will NOT be running at Memorial Field on Wednesday, instead we'll do some hills. We will meet at Cedar Point parking lot (directions below), then jog to the hill from there.

Lastly, since the shirts aren't in yet, you will have one more week to get the $10 special on the 2 t-shirts. After that the cost is $15 (which is still a bargain). Bring your money in please!

Reminders - get good shoes on your feet, run on your own, hydrate, lift/push-ups, do abs, and get your physical scheduled!

Monday, June 28th - South Mastick park 9:00-10:30am. same as last week except Groups 1 and 2 add a half mile, groups 3, 4, and 5 add a mile.

Wednesday, June 30th - hills at Cedar Point Parking lot (directions below)

Friday, July 2nd - same as Monday.

Cedar Point Parking lot - is a little gravel lot off Cedar Point Road in the Rocky River Metroparks. From South Mastick, keep driving down Valley Parkway (south) past the nature center to the stop light (Cedar Point Road). Turn right on Cedar Point, immediately go over the bridge/river. Parking lot will be on the right.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Week of Monday, June 21st

This week's plan...

Get your OHSAA physical form filled out!
Bring $10 for t-shirts. It goes to $15 next week!
Have good shoes on your feet for running.
Get a wristwatch that has a timer on it.
Bring a water bottle.

Monday, June 21st - 1st summer run had 32 show up - great turnout!!!!
Wednesday, June 23rd - 9-10:30am at Memorial Field in the Rocky River Metroparks.
Directions from SJA - north on Rocky River Drive 1 mile, turn left on Old Hogsback Lane and proceed down hill. Turn right on Valley Parkway. Memorial field will be one half mile down on the left. Park toward north end near bathroom.

Directions from Lakewood/Rocky River - Valley Parkway begins at Detroit Road just east of the bridge over the Rocky River. Follow Parkway 1.5 miles down to Memorial Field on the right.

OR go down the Rockport Steakhouse road from Wooster. Turn right at the bottom and follow for 1/4 mile. Field on the right.

Friday - South Mastick Park - same as Monday...9:00-10:30.

Friday, June 11, 2010

summer training plan now up

Hi all!

Summer is here! Everybody should be ready to start their summer build up for cross country. To the right there is a summer mileage plan for you to follow. You can pick and choose what days you want to run.

Pick a group 1-5 and stick to the plan. Perhaps you can copy and paste your plan to a word document and print it.

So you know what to expect, our first 2 weeks of practices will look like this.
Monday, June 21 (from 9:00am-11:00am)
Group 1 and 2 - 4 miles at new average pace
Group 3 and 4 - 3 miles at new average pace
Group 5 - 2 miles

Wednesday, June 23 - 8 x 400 at memorial field - lots of rest!

Friday, June 25 same as Monday

Monday, June 28
Group 1 and 2 - 5 miles at new average pace
Group 3 and 4 - 4 miles at new average pace
Group 5 - 2 or 3 miles

Wednesday, June 30 - some hill repeats (location of practice will likely change)

Friday, July 2 - same as Monday, June 28th

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Updates - Week of June 8

Hi!

There are a few things you need to do...an email was sent to all of you with this information, so if you didn't get the email send me one so I can update your address.

1. T-shirts are ordered. Bring $10 to one of the practices during the first week.

2. Send me your parents email (or parents send me an email if you know I don't have it)...email to fkieser@sja1890.org

3. Email or text your phone number to the captains - Nicki Gatian and Erin Gaffney.

4. Check this website soon for updated summer training plans.

5. If your email is wrong on the team roster (or not listed) please send it to me! again, fkieser@sja1890.org

Good luck on finals!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Updated summer and fall schedule is UP!

Its early, but its never TOO early...the summer practice and event schedule is up and linked to the right.

Things of note:

We will be conditioning 3x a week this summer instead of 2.

The SJA Youth CC camp (service hours!!!) is a week earlier this summer.

There are 2 weeks of overnight camp (NEO CC Camp) - our group should go week 1! Please sign up ASAP - it is already filling up! visit http://www.gopherarun.com/camp/ - a permanent link to the site is on the right

There are 2 new meets toward the end of the year replacing old ones.

The dates for ACT and SAT's are on this calendar. Please do your best to wait until December or finish it up this spring. Get a good score the first time so you don't need to take it again!