10/1 update

Braves,

The time has finally come, after months of anticipation and preparation. On Friday we will head back to the weber county fairgrounds for the region championships. We have been building up and working to be at our best for this part of the season since we first met as a team back in May, then beginning our summer training in June, culminating with our camp in Huntsville in August. This team has been through a lot this season together: 20x800m repeats, miles at the rec center field, running to Lewis park for 400s, countless laps around the facility, 800s at north canyon park, to Friday team runs around town or up Elephant Rock trail with chocolate milk after. How many times did you hear, “this is your life now…” after doing repeat 400s, 800s, or miles? Now is the time to enjoy the fruit of your labor, and really show how much you have improved over the course of the past few months. You’ve had good days and bad days, good workouts where you felt great and bad ones where for some reason it just wasn’t your day; each of you have had great races, tough races, and perhaps some bad races. All of these experiences will serve to help you in these final few races of the season. Each experience has made you a better runner, whether by making you explicitly faster/stronger or by making you stronger mentally.

We have a special team and group this season, one that works to get better each day, has fun, supports, and runs for each other. If we just keep doing that, the same thing we have done all year long, then good things will happen. Our team goals are within reach. This week leading up to region will be the same as all the others: let’s have fun and keep getting better every day, the rest will take care of itself.

The region meet is Friday, and everyone on the team is eligible to race. JV girls begin the day at 3:30, followed by JV boys at 4, Varsity girls at 4:30, Varsity boys at 5. Awards will be given at the end of the meet. Top 10 finishers in the JV and Varsity races will get a medal. If you have any questions, please let me know.

We have an awesome and exciting week ahead. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Braves.

Coach Jacobson

9/24 update

Braves,

We have less than two weeks to go until region, and 4 until state. With only one race left before region, and only 8 practices, we have few opportunities to get better, so we need to take advantage of each opportunity. We are extremely pleased with the work you have been putting in. Our energy level, commitment, and attitude has been outstanding over the past month of the season, so we are excited to see you reap the benefits of all the work that you have been putting in. In general, our team has been improving with each race, and that is seen quite clearly in the breakdown of your paces in each race. You can see your season pace breakdown for each of your races on our team website by following the “season pace breakdown” link on the right side of the page. Based on this trend of improvement and the last few weeks of practice, we can confidently say that, for each of you, the best is yet to come.  

With these final few weeks of the season let’s continue to improve as athletes, teammates, and as a team. Continue to run for each other, be positive, and work hard. We need to be assertive and make good things happen each day, as opposed to hoping good things just happen to us. If we can do that then we will put ourselves in position to reach our team goals, which are absolutely achievable.

This week we will race on Wednesday at the “Bountiful Pond.” Girls at 3:30 and boys at 4. We were not allotted a bus for this meet, so you will need to transport yourself to the meet, preferably with a parent. We would like to meet as a team at Bountiful pond at 2:30 so we have time to set up, understand the course, and warm up. You will be excused at 2 PM.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, looking forward to a great day tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions.

Coach Jacobson

9/17 update

Braves,

I can’t believe that we are moving into late September already. I’m always surprised how quickly the season goes once we get in to the thick of racing season. With the majority of the races behind us, we only have two meets left before the region meet on Oct. 6^th – just under three weeks from now.

We know that the homecoming dance/game is coming up this weekend. Those of you who are going, make sure to plan your activities for Friday evening, after practice has concluded. With only a few races/practices left, we cannot afford to take unneeded days off. We have a fun few weeks ahead of us. We have done a good job of taking advantage of each day, but there is always room for improvement.

At this point in the season each team deals with its own set of challenges. Each team faces injury, illness, etc., and we are not immune from such tests. Over the final three weeks our focus of having fun and getting better each day needs to remain the same, but we also need to run for each other, not just in races, but in practices as well. If we run for each other and support each other every day then we can make up the difference of what is lost due to injury/illness. Ideally we will all get healthier over these final three weeks – and that is something we will focus on – but inevitably something will come up to test our team. We truly believe that we can successfully overcome these tests and challenges by working for each other, and ultimately reach our team goals. Working/running for each other means each individual is giving a bit more each set, running harder, with more determination, and doing more than they otherwise would so that they help their team and teammates have a better chance of being successful. Being hurt or sick can be extremely discouraging. Support your teammates who are dealing with such challenges both in word and in action each day.

We will race this coming Wednesday at Box Elder, and the following Wednesday at Viewmont. The week after that is the region meet. It is an exciting time in the season. We are really enjoying this team and feel lucky to have such a good group. We have a fun mix of personalities and we are lucky to be part of such a great group of kids. We hope you are enjoying it too. Take advantage of each day, not only to get better for yourselves and team, but also enjoy it, because before long the season will be finished. Enjoy your time together, work for each other, and let’s keep getting better.

If you have questions or concerns feel free to come talk to us. See you tomorrow for a great workout.

Coach Jacobson

9/10 update

Braves,

Another successful week is in the books. It was our first time at the Murray invitational and we loved how well the team did. It seemed like nearly everyone had their best race of the year. We compared the paces from the races at Utah State last week to the paces at the Murray invitational. Of the people who ran both races (20 people), they were a combined 6 minutes and 7 seconds faster per mile, which averages out to a 18.7 second per mile improvement, per person. Utah state is a fast course, being run mostly on packed gravel, and Murray is also very fast with a lot of the race being on sidewalks, but with some more hills and grass than Utah state. The two courses are fairly comparable which is why it is incredible to see how much faster the team ran. Naomi Campbell lead the way with 58 seconds per mile faster, and Cole Steenblik was next with a 39s/mile improvement. Our girls varsity team, which came away with the win last week, actually ran better as a team this week than last.

I am in the process of compiling a list of paces from each race, and those will be up on the website sometime later this week. Those stats are great because it shows how much we are improving over the course of the season. The good news is, the best is yet to come. Stay positive, determined, and enjoy each practice and race and good things will happen. We have loved seeing the support you have for your teammates during the race. Many of you were running around the park cheering for teammates shortly after finishing your own race. That is the kind of stuff that makes teams successful: enjoying the success of your teammates. Let’s keep it going.

For the coming week we will be racing Wednesday at Layton City Park against all the high schools in Davis County. The meet beings with the JV races followed by Varsity. There is also a “fun run” after the varsity races, before the awards, so if any parents or siblings want to run, feel free (and it is free).

We will not be going to BYU on Saturday. We were very interested in racing there this year, but made the decision that we needed the training rather than another race. The training over the next few weeks is going to be fast and fun. We are really looking forward to it. See you tomorrow for a great workout!

Coach Jacobson

9/3 update

Braves,

What a week we just had. We had some tough workouts that culminated in some tough races and we ended the week as better runners, and a better team than when we began the week. The practices this week and the races on Friday were probably the most fun of the year. Let’s keep having fun, working hard, and getting better each day. If we can do that then the results will take care of themselves.

Friday afternoon we drove up to Utah State for the Aggie invitational. Once again the effort from each one of you was outstanding. There wasn’t a single runner who looked like they were taking it easy. There were a lot of highlights on the day so I won’t be able to mention them all, but I will talk about a few. Our freshman had an outstanding day: Olivia Harrison improved by over three minutes from the pre-region race, Naomi improved by nearly a minute, and both Ethan and Trisha were the 3^rd overall fastest freshmen at the meet. After the varsity boys race one of the kids simply said “Nate is a beast.” That is one way to describe a kid who started the race 20 seconds behind everyone due to a bib mishap, but was still able to pass nearly 30 kids, in a varsity race. He showed a lot of heart that will be crucial for our team down the stretch of the season.

The girls varsity race was one of the best races we have seen since coming to Bountiful High. Our top two girls, Anna Sophia and Laurie, both medaled by finishing in the top 15. Anna Sophia was in 15^th through the first mile, and continued to run consistently the rest of the way and just kept passing people and ended up in 5^th place, after finishing in 29^th the year before, and ran almost 1:30 faster as well. Laurie showed the same persistence that we have gotten used to seeing every day and made some good things happen in the race. She had a goal going in and was able to reach that goal of being top 15, which isn’t easy in a field of nearly 150 girls. In Sophia’s first full-length (3+ miles) cross country race, she had a monster finish after a great race to finish 21^st. Belle mentioned that she had a bad race on this course last season, but on Friday she had an awesome race, and showed some great determination and resiliency. Trisha just keeps impressing us and running great races. Finishing as the 3^rd freshman at the meet is a huge accomplishment and 31^st overall in the varsity race (143 runners) is extremely impressive. Each runner finished high enough that the team was 2^nd overall, and the 1^st Utah team of all classifications. In a field of 21 teams that is an enormous accomplishment. Though it was 5 girls who scored points for the team, it is a TEAM accomplishment, and every member of the team plays a vital role in every team accomplishment. Contributions made in practice and to our team culture cannot be measured, but truly pave the way for a successful team. Friday was another step down that path, and it was an extremely fun day/trip, but there is much work yet to be done.

We are excited about how the team performed Friday because it comes as a result of great team work and some hard running that we have put in all summer. The bulk of the season is still ahead, so let’s use the momentum of this past week to get better this week and continue to see improvements. I commend each of you for making this week of practice fun for each other, having a positive attitude each day, and running hard. This sport is fun when we are working hard, staying positive, and enjoying the process. Doing that leads to great team results. Let’s just keep it rolling.

For the coming week, we will not be holding an official practice on Monday (Labor day) but we will be practicing hard when we resume to school on Tuesday. We recommend getting together with your teammates and going for a 60 minute run together. If you are out of town, do that run on your own. On Wednesday we will be hosting a meet at Mueller Park JH. We will be racing, but won’t be going 100%, and will go for a longer run after the race. We will need all of your help to set up and manage the meet. Because of the difficulty in hosting a meet we expect each athlete to be there until they are dismissed. With all your help we won’t be there beyond 6 PM, but plan accordingly. We could use some parent volunteers to be at a few spots on the course to direct traffic. We would only need you from 3-4:45. Let me know if you are available to help.

On Friday we will be heading to the Murray Invitational, which is one of the biggest races of the year. It is a great opportunity to race against elite competition and get ourselves better as a result.

We appreciate your hard work. The season is beginning to go really fast, so enjoy each moment; it will be over before we know it. Enjoy your day off of school and we will see you Tuesday. If you have any questions or need anything, please let me know.

Coach Jacobson