What a difference a year makes. Last summer we were in the midst of Zoom meetings, solo runs, and no real clarity to what kind of season – if any – we would have. This summer we’ve had fantastic turnouts for both the local practices as well as our “off island trail adventures” and we absolutely know, or are at least very confident, that we will have a robust, full-length season!
If you’ve not yet joined us for summer practices, now is the time to jump on board. Per WIAA rules, captains – not coaches - will lead practices beginning Aug 2. Having been integral to our successful summer thus far I have no doubt our captains will be great at continuing to lead the charge. Practices will be held at Island Crest Park 9:00-10:30 on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays up until our season begins on August 23.
Several things to note regarding our upcoming season:
Fall sports registration is open: https://www.mercerislandschools.org/Domain/92. Complete paperwork must be submitted to Becky LeMaster before August 23 in order to attend official practices.
Practices are mandatory beginning August 23 even though it is ~1 ½ weeks before school starts. Not only are they critical for building fitness and the team bonds that make XC so rewarding, they are also used for PE/JV/ Varsity credit purposes. It is very difficult to dig out of the hole if you miss these days.
Practice schedule/locations before school year starts. All practices are 9:00 – 11:00 unless otherwise noted:
Monday, August 23 – Island Crest Park (ICP)
Tuesday, August 24 - Squawk Mountain (replaces Tiger Mtn this year) 8:30 – 12:00. Meet at MIHS for bus transport. T-shirts for all finishers – thanks Boosters! (Sophomores will want to attend their Fee & Photo session either that afternoon or the following day.)
Wednesday, August 25 – ICP
Thursday, August 26 – ICP. 3k Time Trial.
Friday, August 27 – Luther Burbank (Picnic Area B)
Sat/ Sun Aug 28-29 – Team Retreat. Waiting on approval from MISD for the overnight retreat at Fort Worden. If given approval there is space for 50 athletes and priority will be given to kids who trained over the summer. If MISD does not allow an overnight field trip we have back-up plans for each day.
Monday, August 30 – ICP
Tuesday, August 31 – Luther Burbank
** Please note – the KingCo Class Jamboree is Sept 2. In order to compete athletes need to attend a minimum of 8 official practices….. which means 100% of the Aug 23 – Sept 1 Mon-Fri practices. Aug 28- 29 runs would also count towards that total.
4. Practice schedule/ location once school starts, Sept 1 3:15 – 5:15 – meet at either the JV field or the wrestling room (TBD) Tuesday mornings @ ICP, 7:00am – 30 min shakeout (purely optional) Saturday @ 9:00 – locations vary (optional but strongly encouraged)
5. Meet schedule: www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/School.aspx?SchoolID=410
6. Parent’s Mandatory Meeting: August 30 6:00 – 8:00 @ MIHS
Communication
Newsletters like the one you’re reading now will be sent weekly by our Booster Communications liaison. If you’re not on this list, please email mixcinfo@gmail.com to be added. It is critical for athletes, and encouraged for parents, to download the Band app and join the MIXC page for more frequent, timely communication. The chat function is the preferred way for athletes to reach out to coaches, and arranging carpools, practice updates etc. happen on the main page. https://band.us/n/aca15en77eBbm
Strava (www.strava.com), a social media website for athletes, is something we started using during Covid, and will continue to use going forward. We have a private team page and it’s an excellent way
to track progress AND support each other. It is not mandatory to join, but if athletes choose not to use it, it would be very helpful to the coaches to provide us with some other log (pencil and paper works!).
Equipment needs are minimal with cross country, but it is essential to have proper running shoes, ideally those you purchase at a specialty running store after staff has had a chance to watch your runner run. Once you know the brand/ model that works for your feet feel free to purchase them anywhere. Running on old(er), flatter shoes is a great way to sustain injuries and at least one easier way to avoid them is to have good shoes. It is also hugely helpful to have a watch. And lastly, for girls, a great fitting running bra can make a world of difference.
Stay tuned for more as we get the start of the season nailed down. But in terms of immediate action items, getting your runners out there running would be AWESOME and signing up ASAP would help. There are currently 3 coaches, but if we have similar sized teams as we’ve had in non-Covid years, we will need at least one more coach and it would be fantastic to start moving in that direction now. Thank you!
Go MIXC!
Susan Empey, Danny Naylor and Gavin Cree