Welcome to Bountiful High Cross Country

For those interested in doing cross country this year, we will begin summer practice one week from today, on Monday, June 10th. The first day of practice will be held at Lewis Park, but meeting places each day can be found on the "Training Calendar" link found at the top of the blog. The "Calendar" link will also contain any relevant information, such as team events or parent meetings, etc. Parents are encouraged to subscribe to the Google calendar. Of course, this blog may also be utilized periodically for updates and additional information.

Team Goals

Ultimately, we want to see Bountiful High have successful and competitive cross country teams. This can only be achieved through developing a team culture. This means that every single individual, regardless of ability, is valuable and instrumental. Creating a positive, encouraging environment where we all cheer for each other's success is what this sport is all about, and what will allow us to raise our level of performance on the course. Developing lifelong virtues such as discipline, grit, and consistency will help us in all avenues of life. 

Summer Practice Starts:

Monday, June 10th, 7 AM @ Lewis Park

Summer Training

Summer practices will be held daily at 7 AM. We will also lift weights at the school on most Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 AM. Those days are provided on the "Training Calendar" Tab as well. The purpose of summer is to build a base and develop team bonding & relationships. We will steadily build up weekly mileage in preparation for the fall racing season. Mileage needs will vary widely between groups and individuals depending on your current fitness and experience level.

PLEASE BEGIN TRAINING THIS WEEK

• Complete Beginners will be utilizing the "Run/Walk" method for the first few weeks in order to safely ease them into the sport. This is done by alternating between a jog and a walk, usually each minute or two. It's a great way to allow the body to adapt without risking injury. These sessions will be in the 15-25 minute range to start out.
• Returners/Moderately experienced runners will be doing easy runs in the 25-35 minute range for the first couple weeks, with slightly longer Saturday runs.
• Varsity/Senior level runners will take a similar approach, with slightly more volume.

Our priority during this training phase is to develop the endurance and strength necessary to be able to safely handle the demands of the fall training and racing season, which means we will focus on consistent easy running rather than intense or difficult running. A key aspect of the summer base phase is the weekly long run. Most weeks, this will be held on Saturday mornings, and it is easily the most important run of the week. In order to keep motivation and engagement up, we would like to hold team breakfasts after our runs 2-3 times per week, hosted by willing parents at their home, or any park of their choosing. 

XC Official Season

Eligibility

Before you can compete you need to make sure that you are eligible through academics, completing the registration. View the link below for details on that.

• Each student must have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA from the previous term.
• Each student must have fewer than 2 failing (F) grades, meaning you may have 1 as long as your GPA is still above 2.0.
• All Us (citizenship) must be made up and paid for before you can compete.
• Register My Athlete must be completed, which includes passing a physical within the last year.
• All participation fees must be paid before a student is allowed to compete

Cross country class

BHS offers cross country course that takes place during 4th period on each A day. This is when practice will be held on A days. Enrolling in this course allows student athletes to optimize their time and have more freedom after school hours. While it is not mandatory, I strongly encourage everybody that can to enroll in this course, as it really helps the team feel unified and purposeful throughout the season. Those that are not enrolled in the course will still be able to come to practice as a group immediately after school ends each day.

Races - Varsity/JV

For those of you who are new to the sport, XC scoring is done by adding the places of the first 5 runners of each team. The place you get is the score you contribute to your team's total. A team finishing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 would score 15 points. The lowest score wins.

Varsity races are generally done with 7 runners, but sometimes we are allowed more, like 10-14 runners. When you have more, the additional runners beyond the first 7 no longer contribute to the overall places of other teams' runners - meaning if the 8th runner on our team finishes ahead of a 1-5 runner on an opponent's team, the scoring will be done as if our 8th runner was not in the race. JV races are scored the same, and because there are generally way more than 7 runners per team, runners after 7 are likewise not scored nor contribute to the opponents' scores.

To determine those 7 we look at a variety of things, namely the latest race results,  past race results, best paces, and consistency. We also consider practice attendance and overall consistency. Ultimately, the coach will have the final say in who is entered into the varsity races. Having run in a varsity race multiple times does not guarantee future participation in a varsity race.

With all this talk about varsity it's easy to think that is the most important element of the team, but the fact is that the greatest indicator of a good team is how good the JV team is. The varsity group is just the tip of the iceberg. The JV group challenging and vying for varsity spots is what raises the level of our team. Any success the varsity group has at a meet is a credit to the entire team, not just the varsity 7.