WEEK 9 UPDATE

I cannot believe tomorrow is our last meet and the end of our season. It has been fun watching the kids grow and gain confidence in their ability. It has been an honor and privilege to coach this amazing team this year. They have inspired me with their grit and determination. What a great group of kids, I do hope to see many, if not all of you again next year :)

Uniforms:

I will be collecting clean uniforms in a designated box in the MS office. If you could return them this week sometime that would be awesome!! (Zealand Christian families: if you drop off your uniform in the ZC office I will come get them on Thursday)

Meets this week:

Holland Christian Middle School Invitational- Monday, October 10

Varsity/JV team assignments will be sent out via email soon. See start times below. The reason this MS race is divided into four races is due to the number of participants in the event.

After the 5:30 meet, there will be awards to the top JV/Varsity teams and the top runners. If you have time, I would love to close our season by cheering for one another at all events. 

Mens Races
3,200 Meters Junior Varsity	4:15 PM
3,200 Meters Middle School Varsity	5:05 PM

Womens Races
3,200 Miles Junior Varsity	4:40 PM
3,200 Meters Middle School Varsity	5:30 PM

Portage Information

Please click on and visit the Portage Meet website for detailed information on everything Portage.  Listed below is the most important information for you to know!

Transportation:

 All students must be ready to leave HC Middle at 9:30am SHARP. We will be taking school vans and coach carpool :) So sorry, but there will not be a Zeeland pick up for this meet.

Directions:

Turn by turn directions to Portage West Middle School (this route avoids road closure due to meet)

Parking: 

I have included a map below. Spectator parking at Portage West Middle School is $10 and very limited. Other options include, street parking in surrounding neighborhoods, Amberly Elementary, and a shuttle from Crossroads mall to the meet. Please see Portage website for details on this.

Race times:

 We have been assigned starting box 6. Boys will report to our box at 11:50am for their 12pm race. Girls will report at 12:10pm for their race at 12:20pm.

Course map:

Spectator/Parking Map:

Week 8 Update

It is hard to believe this is our final week of practice and our last few meets! It has been a joy and privilege to run beside these kids this season. I am so proud off their hard work and dedication. 

Final Meets of the Season:

October 6 MS meet @ Holland Christian Middle School

4:15 Boys

4:45 Girls

October 8 Portage Invitational  @ Portage West MS, Portage MI

**this is a very large, full day event, we are still working out transportation. Info coming soon**

9:30ish? Leave HCMS 

12:00pm MS Boys Race

12:20pm MS Girls Race

October 10 Holland Christian MKO Invitational @ HCMS

4:15 Meet begins

**Due to the large number of runners at this meet, there will be multiple races. JV/Varsity groups will be determined later this week**

Practices this week:

Monday- Timed Mile

Tuesday- Tempo run on course

Wednesday- Game day

Week 6 Update

We only have one meet this week! We will be taking this opportunity to work on strength, speed, and endurance as we skillfully prepare for our last few weeks of XC. This season has flown by, I can't believe it!

MEETS THIS WEEK:

TUESDAY September 27 @ South Christian Sports Complex (7979 Kalamazoo Ave)

2:55pm Bus leaves MS
3:10pm Zeeland pick up (carpool lot near McDonalds)
4:15pm Meet begins (boys race first)6:30pm (approx.) arrival back in Holland

You are welcome to take your child home directly from any meet, please check in with me or Coach Johnson for the sign out sheet. The bus cannot leave until everyone is accounted for!

Weekly Training Schedule:

Monday: 

Agility Drills

15-20 minute easy run on home course

Core

Game or Obstacle course

Wednesday 
Speedwork on course
Core

Thursday:
Tempo

Strength

Week 4 Update

REMINDERS:

• Please pick up your child as promptly as possible after practice. School policy states that an adult MUST wait with your child until they are picked up. If you have made arrangements with a sibling's coach or other adult, please let me know so I can mark it down.

MEETS THIS WEEK:

Wednesday Sept. 14 @ Mona Shores Middle School 
Parking Note from Mona Shores: cross country buses, parents and fans need to use the south and/or east side of the building for parking (main entrance side). This parking lot is located off of Woodside. 

2:45pm Bus leaves MS (Students should be dressed in uniform, and on the bus with all their belongings. Bring a healthy snack and full water bottle.)
3:10pm Pick up at PNC Bank (James/ US 31 in Holland) for ZC kids
4:15pm - Boys Race
4:45pm - Girls Race
6:30pm? Back to HC Middle
***I will send a "Remind App" message when we are on the bus leaving Mona Shores***

Saturday Sept.17 @ West Ottawa High School (parking lot located at 3600 152nd near the pool and tennis courts)
***Parents are responsible for transportation TO and FROM WO***
7:50am Student drop off at WO for warm-up and course preview
9am Boys race
9:45 Girls race
10:30 Awards

You are welcome to take your child home directly from any meet, please check in with me or Coach Johnson for the sign out sheet. The bus cannot leave until everyone is accounted for!

Weekly Training Schedule (not a "set" schedule, I may move things around if needed)

Monday
Speedwork

Tuesday
Agility drills
Obstacle Course

Thursday
3 - 4 mile easy run
Game if time

Good Form Running

We will be talking about form this week. We will work on mid foot drills, and "resetting" ourselves when we become fatigued during a run. I will leave this up on the blog for reference!

Week 3 Update

Tuesday Sept.6 Unity Meet@ Unity HS *this meet will just be us and Unity

3:05pm Bus leaves MS (student should be dressed in uniform, and on the bus with all their belongings, bring a healthy snack and full water bottle)

3:20pm Bus makes stop at Ridgepoint Church (front entrance) to pick up ZC students

4:30pm Girls Race

5:00pm Boys Race

6:30-7:30pm? Arrival back at school

***I will send a "Remind app" message when we are on the bus leaving Unity. The bus will make a stop at Ridgepoint Church and at HCMS to drop off kids***

Saturday Sept. 10 Christian School Invite @ Sports Park 7979 Kalamazoo Ave, Kentwood, MI ($5 parking fee)

7am Bus leaves MS (students can pack a small bag with snacks, water, and whatever else they might need)

7:15am Bus makes stop at Zeeland McDonalds for ZC kids

9am MS races

9:30am HS races

2:30pm? Bus arrives back in Holland/Zeeland

We will be watching and waiting for the HS to be done and then driving back together. We will stop for lunch on the way home so please send $$ if your child will be riding back with us.

You are welcome to take your child home directly from any meet, please check in with me or Coach Johnson for the sign out sheet. The bus cannot leave until everyone is accounted for!

Weekly Training Schedule: 

Wednesday 
Discussion on meet/questions
Recovery run
Game

Thursday 
3 mile easy run
Agility drills
Game if time

Week 2 Update

Thank you to everyone for making our first week as a team a success. We worked hard, ran TONS and had fun along the way! Remind your child that they need to be "ALL IN", encouraging each other and learning together. We will work to practice encouraging each other and learning from each other. We ALL have strengths to share with our team mates.

Weekly Training Schedule: 

Monday (Hills/Strength)
Discussion on proper hill technique
Running loop with hills and/or hill repeats

Tuesday (Endurance)
Discussion on staying relaxed when you're working hard :)
3-mile relaxed run (kids are divided into four group for the run or run/walk)

Wednesday (Surging/Speed)
Discussion on surging (during a race)
50-100 meter repeats (at level)

Thursday (Starts/Game day)
Discussion on starts (race starting)
Rainbow game!

Reminders:

• Pick up time for practice is at 4:30pm sharp, thank you for your help with this.

• Uniform: due to the many issues in sizing we will NOT be using the issued shorts in our uniform. (I think I heard cheers from my house :)) Please make sure your child has black running shorts for meets.

• This Wednesday, August 31 = pictures for Cross Country --near HCMS soccer field on west side of school  {3:00pm individuals, 3:15pm team} (Bring Uniform)

Middle School XC Team Apparel  

Your Online Apparel Stores for Holland Christian are now open until August 30 and can be found by going to:

http://teamchaser.com/    *go to team sales page

And putting in the sales code:

HCXCOUNTRY16

2016 Meet Schedule

All of our meets are in the google calendar, but here they are again for quick reference :)

September 6 

Unity Invite @ Unity HS 4:30 Girls/5:00 Boys

September 10 

Christian School Cross Country Invite 9AM @ Sports Park (7979 Kalamazoo Ave)

September 14 

East Rockford, Grandville & HC @ Mona Shores

September 17

West Ottawa Invitational @ WO Stadium

September 21

Holland, Spring Lake & HC @ Hamilton

September 24

Cougar/Falcon Invitational @ Gainey

September 28

Mona Shores, West Ottawa & HC @ Hudsonville

October 6

Fruitport, Jenison, Hudsonville & East Rockford @ HCMS

October 8

Portage Invitational 12pm Boys/ 12:20pm Girls

October 10

Holland Christian Invitational!!!! WHOO HOO!!!