Blog page communication:
Please take time to familiarize yourself with our Blog page as this will be the main form of communication. Click on the Cross Country icon at bottom of Harmony Elementary home page.
Meet schedules, directions, rain cancellations (which are rare), and other related information will be posted as it becomes available.
Philosophy:
We believe an elementary program should be a building block to future running success. Our overall goal is to build a strong foundation for life-long enjoyment of running. Of course running develops physical fitness but it also instills strong characteristics such as confidence, concentration, motivation, and personal satisfaction, which serve us well in our personal, family, and professional adult lives.
General Information:
There is no bench in Cross Country so all runners compete no matter if an athlete is new or experienced.
Although we emphasize improvements through participation and encourage each child to never give up, running is not for everyone. Many of the young kids have not tried distance running before and it may not be for them; therefore, we have a 2-week “trial period”. During this period it is important to discuss with your child if they are having fun and enjoy running, if they are not having fun please do not force your child as they may become interested in running at a later age. Please encourage your child to complete both weeks before they make a decision and then honor that decision.
We plan on teaching more than running. We will instill the values of teamwork, dedication, and loyalty. Distance running can be a grueling sport, and although many of the kids are involved in other sports, they can find cross-country to be very challenging. We expect runners to cheer on their teammates, as well as other teams, and support them in whatever level of success they achieve. We will be singling out runners who show the type of behavior that exemplifies good teamwork.
Practice
Practices will be on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays from 5:00 pm to 6:15 pm at Creasy Mahan Nature Preserve. The first practice will be on Tuesday, August 5th at Creasy Mahan Nature Preserve. Please arrive 10 minutes early to prepare for our warm-up, as this is a very important part of our routine. Meets are typically on Saturdays with a select few on Thursdays. Once the meets begin we will discontinue practices on Mondays.
We will be running in ability groups and will continually move kids around as they develop. We will stress to the runners that they need to measure their success on individual improvement and depending on each runner’s capability we will offer training techniques to help them set their goals.
The target weekly mileage for this age group is 6-7 miles per week and increasing to 9 miles per week later in the season. The mileage includes races.
***** Parking at Creasy Mahan ****Please park in the east gravel parking lot near the playground.
Preparation
We will be spending time talking to the kids about nutrition and healthy eating habits, please support this with your grocery shopping. The diet should include lots of fresh fruits and veggies, carbohydrates, and lean protein and should limit junk food and sodas. It is very important that runners drink plenty of water all the time, not just on race and practice days. Start off the school year by sending a water bottle everyday, they can refill if necessary.
***For practice each runner should have their own water bottle with their name on it. Stretching on an everyday basis is also a good habit, but please do not overstretch pulled or injured muscles.
Parent Runners and Helpers
We had a great turn out of helpers in this area last year and would love to have you again.
For those of you interested in running with your child or just being outdoors with them, this is a great opportunity to gain time with your child and stay in shape. We are in need of both parent runners as well as course monitors to read times.
Summer Workouts
We don’t believe in a set summer training program for this age group, although we do recommend maintaining some sort of physical activity through the summer that would be the equivalent to 3-4 miles per week. This may include any sport that increases your heart rate for 20-30 minutes at least 3 times per week.
Equipment
The most important equipment is your child’s running shoes. Something with good support and cushion. Improper shoes, such as basketball shoes or cross training shoes, can affect running form and cause injury.
Second is clothing. Nothing fancy is required but non-cotton, wicking fabrics are the best and are available in most stores. The lighter the clothes the better, but later in the season warmth becomes very important.
Dress code requires no rolled down pants or shorts and no exposed bellies. Also during meets officials will not allow jewelry of any kind.
Third is an individual water bottle labeled with their name on it.
Fees
A fee of approximately $60 will be collected from each runner by the end of the second week of practice. We are looking at getting new uniforms, and this may raise the fee. This fee covers all of our meet entries, team shirts, awards, and equipment/supplies.
Forms
Runners cannot participate until they have an updated “Sports Physical” and “Permission slip” on file with the team manager. You can bring this to the first practice or mail to Margaret Hare over the summer. Your child cannot practice without the High school "sports physical" form from your doctors office.
