This Past Week 

Cinnaminson Batch.  "It was the best of times and the worst of times."

Let's start with the bad news.  We ended our nearly three year win streak at 41 straight head-head wins when Cinnaminson beat us 26-29.  They were clearly shooting for this, while we were a bit dismissive about their chances and did not realize what was happening to us during the race.  The good news is this helps us practice one of our 4 guiding principles - "We Learn".  We learned two things.  First, never dismiss competitors.  Second, pay attention during a race.  I am convinced if our guys knew what the stakes were in matching up we would have won.  This loss is on the coaches and runners.  Let's learn from it and move on.
There was a lot of good news from this meet.  Starting with 51 PR's (personal records).  This is a bit misleading since we have so many new runners.  However, we had 10 guys improve their PR's by over 1 minute - Beckett, Mejia, Webb, Cody, Regan, Ruetsch, Rothenberger (almost 3 minutes!), Samocki (over 2 minutes!), Weintraub, Robinson and Ems.
Those last three deserve special mention - Ems, Robinson and Weintraub.  They have made a major transformation between the beginning of their sophomore year and their junior year.  None of them did any real miles before 10th grade, and all of them did 30+ miles per week all this past summer.  Weintraub even sunburned "MXC" onto his thighs while sitting on the lifeguard stand "down the shore".  All of them were at 19 minutes last year and dropped in their first meet to the 17:45 range - a serious varsity runner.  For guys that want to be good and compete at the Varsity level - talk with these guys and understand what flipped the switch for them, and see if it might apply to you.
Cherokee Challenge
For me there was one highlight above all else at this meet.  Coming up the final hill, Gavin Lentz (a Freshman) turned around to his teammate Vince Renzi and encouraged him to stick.  Wow!  To be that aware of your teammate and focused on the whole team is exactly what we as coaches are striving for.  To see this in our incoming Freshman class says we are in good hands over the next 4 years. The Freshman were definitely the highlight of the day.  They took two medals home (Nece and Inglis), and 5 of them were under 12 minutes (also Sheehan, Renzi and Lentz).  We had one frosh under 12 last year and none the year before.  Wow (again)!  And it is not just that top 5, but the whole freshman class comes in with a sense of purpose - working hard and a very competitive spirit.

The team on a whole had a very good day.  A number of the new guys are learning how to race, and we really liked some of the aggressiveness.  To name a few - Shipley went out very strong and paid a bit of a price later on - but that experience showed him the talent that is there and ready to be developed with more miles and experience.  Schwartz made a big move from his race on Tuesday.  And some of the senior newcomers (how we wish they had come out a year or two ago) like Shelley and Thomas are finding their rhythm running the longer distance than between goals on the soccer field or regatta water.

For returning runners, Paul Rothenberger takes the gold medal for improvement, dropping a full 2 minutes from last year.  Robinson dropped 1:20, and Regan dropped a full minute from last year's race.  The other improvements of over 30 seconds (which is considerable for a 3200 meter course) are Ems, Weintraub, Josephson, Minnick, Fitzsimmons, Ruetsch, and Carlino.
Special shout-outs up top have to go to Ringwood and Matteson.  Ringwood finished 10th in a very competitive Senior race, and look very strong.  He was about 60th at the 600 meter mark and did not get stuck behind people and lulled into a slower rhythm.  Matteson was 38th with 400 meters to go.  He powered like a madman possessed to get the final medal in 30th place.  This is a lesson that we all need to learn - there are a LOT of spots available at the end of these big races.  This will become especially important when your teammates are counting on your lowest place to earn team glory.  It brings to mind the final quote on our Race Day Guide - "Why run fast?  For yourself.  For your Team."
This coming week
Sunday - Trail work starts at 8AM.  We need runners and parents!  There is a ton (actually many multiples of tons) of mulch to spread on the new and old trails.  So we need as many people as possible.  Also, thank you to those that have sent in your donations.  We are doing very well, but if you have not sent your money in, please do so as soon as possible - see the donation form at http://www.moorestownxc.org/mdrc/NatureTrail.html. Thank You!

Tuesday - Batch meet at Westhampton (BCIT).  We will be holding out our top 5 from last Tuesday's batch meet and leaving it up to the rest of the team to start a new winning streak.  This will be great practice for the younger runners to step into the leading role on the team.  Bus at 2:15 and race at 3:45.
Saturday - South Jersey Shootout at GCC.  Up top, this is an interesting format with a separate race for the 1-2 runners, one for the 3-4 runners and one for the 5-6-7 runners.  The top 5 spots are set based on last Tuesday's meet, but the final 2 spots will be determined by this Tuesday and results from Cherokee.  There will be a JV meet and  Frosh (2 mile) meet.  More info at http://www.sjtca.org/SJ_XC_Shootout_2008_Entry1.html.  Frosh at 9:15, JV at 10, 5-6-7 at 11, 3-4 at noon and Stud (1-2) race at 1PM.  Bus time will be announced this week.

This Past Week   
Westhampton Batch. We came out of the Cinnaminson meet learning we need to work hard and pay attention to our competition - and that is just what we did at Westhampton.  We had 32 PR's - Pica, Mejia, George, DerHagopian (by 2:30!), Armstrong (by 1:30!), Cody, Butler, O'Dea, Fowler, Regan, Possenriede, Klawunn, Hendrisckson, Thomas, Lavery, Cain, Sexton, Fitzsimmons, Shipley, Schwartz, Renzi, Minnick, Lentz, Inglis, Rothernberger, Szumski, Josephson (Varsity qualifying sub-19!), Wilson, Robinson, Ems, Balch and Weintraub.

In our Varsity race, we asked runners to step up and take responsibility for the team by holding our top 5 (based on previous races) out.  And they delivered - we took the first 8 positions against our competition, with Sam Weintraub getting his first race victory, with Robinson right on his heals, and Ems, Balch and Wilson not too far behind.
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South Jersey Shootout
Only 3 PR's (Van Deerlin, George, Carlino), but those were not expected on this very difficult course (it runs 20-40 seconds slower than the other courses we have run on so far this year - similar to Holmdel) on a humid day.  In fact, it was our best race of the year.
The Frosh again were very impressive with 8 medals coming home - Nece, Sheehan, Inglis, Lentz, Lavery, Renzi, Cain, and Hendrickson.  By far the best showing a MXC Frosh class had ever had - and the times were impressive.  The best part of this class is how they help each other out.  They pack up in groups and visibly encourage each other.  They have also caught on to how to run an MXC style race - go out solid but not too fast, and then push during the race picking up spots the whole way thru.
Our JV team was solid and deep (34 of the 216 competitors).  Ems and Balch ran great races up front.  Very patient, coming by the mile in about 12th place, they worked their way up and finished 3rd and 6th respectively.  Also winning medals were Wilson (a few problems holding in breakfast beforehand), Josephson and a fast emerging Rotherberger.  Ems, Balch and Wilson are all making a good push for being in the top 7, and it will be a difficult year for the coaches to decide on the final varsity spots at the end of the season.
I have to say the highlight for me was seeing Sam Weintraub emerge from the woods with 800 meters to go with the lead in the 5-6-7 race.  While the guy from Eastern out kicked him in the final 100 meters, Sam's performance was simply awesome.  It shows how hard work and commitment can make a real difference - he dropped over 2 minutes from last year!  Guys, if you don't get the correlation that success in life comes with hard work and commitment, then go ask Sam. 
And Sam does not have a lock on hard work and commitment.  Robinson and Wolff finished in 5th and 7th place- just 6-7 seconds behind Sam.  They ran together as a team the whole way - helping to push each other.  These three guys along with the top 3 form the JV race are just the epitome of what MXC is all about.  Hard work, learning, team and having fun.  That special combination of finishing a race being absolutely tired and happy is tough to beat.
Matteson and Greenwood carried on the smart racing in the 3-4 race.  They ran side-by-side for much of the race, moving steadily up during the course of the race.  These two guys also had fantastic finishes with a 4th and 7th place.  Matteson is just a tough, smart racer who will not let people beat him in the final 400 meters.  It was good to see Greenwood back in uniform.  He had rested his groin injury the past week and a half, and while he is not fully recovered, it is obvious he has not lost that determination that makes him a great runner.
Ringwood and Freidman took on the rest of the "studs" in the 1-2 race.  The competition up top is very tough, and they finished 9th and 14th.  Ringwood had the first sub-17 minute time on that course since Leonberg and Rinehart in 2005, which bodes well for the season.  They led the team to a 2nd place finish to a very tough Toms River North team, and beating teams that are ranked ahead of us like Red Bank Catholic and Haddon Heights.  Overall a very good day, indeed.
 
This coming week

Wednesday - Our first Home Meet!  We will have our first home meet in many, many years on our brand new cross country course!  A course record will surely be set!  We need parent volunteers to help marshal  the race and handle the finish line.  There will be a meeting in the Athletic Director's office in the MAC at 2:30 on Monday to plan stations and so forth.  Eagles will be there, as I will be visiting colleges with my daughter Mollie.  If you can not make it, then please come on Wednesday around 3:15 and see Bickel or Eagles for assignments.  The race starts at 4PM, JV at 4:05 and Girls at 4:30.

This Past Week    
Moorestown Batch. We had our first home meet in many years on our brand new course.  The Philadelphia Inquirer did a nice article -  that captured the essence of our program's guidelines - team, work hard, learn, have fun. 
 
It was a soggy day, and only Ryan Walsh had a PR, but there were some very solid performances.  Dave Ringwood walked away with the new course record of 17:14 (about 15 minutes faster than my course record I had set measuring the course earlier in the day).  We took the first 11 places against Palmyra, Burlington and Willingboro, demonstrating both the hard work and strength of the pack mentality we have.
 
Shore Coaches Invitational.
What a great day!  With nearly 4,000 runners from over 150 teams in over 25 races, it was a carnival setting with the colors of the tents and uniforms highlighting the beautiful park setting.  The weather was perfect - sunny and cool and great for fast times.  And we took advantage of it all.
 
The Freshmen got us off to a great start collecting 4 medals and continuing the strong start to the season.  Inglis led the pack this time, with Nece not too far behind.  Renzi and Lentz continue to emulate the Siamese twins of cross country running side by side the entire race.  They were in about 38th place at the 1.2 mile point of the 2.1 mile course, and ended up in 28th and 30th - just earning their medals.  The highlight of the race to me though was watching Hendrickson come chugging down the final straightaway to the finish like a runaway train.  As he passed Cain, Cain held out his hand for a quick slap of hands between the teammates to encourage each other.  This is a GREAT freshman team - embracing all of our fundamentals.  It will be fun to watch them grow.
 
Not to be outdone, the JV brought home 9 out of the 30 medals awarded in their race.  It was exciting to see Ems and Wilson finish 2-3 in the race.  They ran a typical Moorestown race, having been in about 12th place at the mile point and moving up on the West Windsor North and Kingsway guys as the race went on.  Balch and Samocki also moved into the Top 10 by the finish as well.  Rounding out our medal winners were Monaghan, Josephson, Rothenberger, Shipley and  Minnick.  The last two both set PR's on this very difficult course, clearly having their best races ever.  Also setting PR's were Thomas, Fowler and George - a course that is about 30 seconds tougher than a flat course.  The JV team finished a close 2nd to probably the best team in the state - West Windsor North losing by only 36-40.  They beat the Kingsway team, who scored 48 points.  A really tremendous race for the whole team.
 
There were a couple of hours between the JV race and the Varsity race.  The coaches pondered whether the last race of the day would measure up to the previous races while a huge game of ultimate Frisbie broke out among the runners who had finished.  Well, the Varsity did not disappoint.
 
Ringwood again led the way with a PR of 16:44.  Friedman followed closely with a 16:55.  It was a break-out race for each.  The first time they had gone sub-17 on Holmdel (Ringwood missed our school record held by Kenny Thomson by 1 second), grabbing the 2nd and 8th fastest times ever by Moorestown runners on the fabled course.  Greenwood was our third man on this day, looking a lot healthier than he has earlier in the season.  Matteson took a grueling SAT test earlier in the day and jogged up to our tent less than an hour before start time.  He ran a great, tough race, making the sacrifice of a very long and difficult day for the sake of his team.  Weintraub wound up being our 5th man this day again, edging out Wolff and a recovering from sickness Robinson.
 
The team finished 2nd to a strong Millburn team 72-91, with Ocean City at 138.  We had a team average time of 17:19, which is the 6th best team average we have ever had at Holmdel and best ever at a Shore Coaches race.  As well as we did, there is clearly upside for every runner on our team to improve at the State meet.  We will need to if we want to have a shot at making Meet of Champs.  Overall, we were the 11th fastest team out of the 157 teams that were in the Varsity races:
WWPNorth - 16:27
CBA - 16:42
Haddonfield - 16:53
WWP South - 16:54
Millburn - 16:56
Toms River North - 17:07
Kingsway - 17:09
Southern - 17:15
Ridge - 17:17
Cherokee - 17:18
Moorestown - 17:19
Ocean City - 17:22 - but might have had one or two of their top 7 missing.
 
The one negative of the day were the runners that were missing.  A number of you were taking the SAT, and did not have the opportunity to run in this great race, which is a shame.  A number of you however seem to have other priorities that are higher than the team.  And that is even more of a shame.
 
This Coming Week
Northern Burlington Batch.  Tuesday at 3:45, Bus is at 2:15.  We will be running against our primary Divisional opponents Northern Burlington and Rancocas Valley.  NB has a very competitive team that we need to be very aware of.  Bowden and Ramirez finished right behind Ringwood and Friedman, and Kurowsky finished right behind Matteson, and Andrade finished right in front of Robinson.  So if we lose a couple of places here or there, the winner could easily flip in a dual meet like this - and you know they will be gunning for us.
 
South Jersey Open.  Saturday.  This is typically the fastest course we run on, and is a precursor for the Sectional Championships in November - so it is a big race.  A chance to get a PR, and chance to make the Varsity Qualifying time of 19 minutes, or a chance to position for the Sectional Championships.  JV run at 10AM, Varsity at 11AM and Frosh at noon.  Plan on leaving early, exact bus times to be announced later this week at practice.
 
Volunteers Needed!  Get a free T-Shirt if you volunteer for helping at one of the water stations at the Bridge Run on Sunday Nov. 2.  Send an email to tj@runningco.com to volunteer and show up at the Haddonfield Running Company at 7AM that morning.  It is a lot of fun, and you can get community service hours if you bring the form and have TJ sign it.  And a FREE T-SHIRT!