St. Gregory Cross Country
Cross country, sometimes abbreviated XC or CC, is an exciting competitive team running sport offered for students in grades 1-8. Races or meets involve running a set distance over a varying terrain against one or more teams. A team consists of 5 runners for scoring purposes but can be composed of as many athletes as want to participate. This makes XC one of the few sports where everyone participates. There are no cuts, no substitutes, and no bench.
What are the divisions and distances?
There are three divisions – Novice, JV, and Varsity. Races are run separately for each division. Classification is based on grade. Varsity is grades 7 and 8, while JV is officially grades 5 and 6. However, any student who can complete the JV distance is encouraged to run at that level. The Novice division is offered for our youngest runners or those new to the sport. JV and Varsity run the same distance, which is 1.86 miles on our home course but may vary slightly on other courses. The Novice distance is approximately 1.3 miles.
What are the courses like?
Courses typically have changing surfaces (i.e. asphalt, grass, trail, etc.), and may run through woods, fields, or roads. There are often significant uphill and downhill portions to challenge the runners. All courses are closely monitored and kept safe for our athletes.
What is the coaching philosophy?
It is hoped that all our athletes can be inspired to find an appreciation for their God given abilities and talents to compete and encourage one another. Whether our students are running for top places, training for other sports, or simply trying to get outdoors; we want them to find joy in what they do. No matter the level of experience, athletes should strive for personal success and are encouraged to set goals and achieve personal bests. Cross country helps to build self-confidence, learn about accomplishment, and discover how to support one another through challenges.
What does it take to be successful?
Success is defined by the athlete. Goals of finishing the home course without stopping to walk or placing in Diocesan Championships are equally worthy and require the same things: Dedication, Commitment, and Communication. Dedication comes by devoting time to school and running. Commitment is found in attendance at practices to build strength and endurance but also develop team unity. Communication between coaches, athletes, and parents helps to set goals and understand the needs of the program and the athletes.
Where and when are practices and meets held?
Practices begin in summer a few weeks before school starts and are held at St. Stephen's Academy, which is part of Glade Run Services across Beaver Street from St. Gregory. These practices are typically three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and last about an hour. The schedule of times is distributed closer to the season but training typically occurs in the evenings when the weather is cooler.
The team usually participates in one meet after school during the week starting in late August. There are opportunities during the season to participate in additional larger invitational meets on Saturdays. Our school usually runs at 2 or 3 of these each season. Home meets are held on the St. Gregory Wolves’ Course at Glade Run. Like other sports, successful home events require parent volunteers. Our course is popular among athletes due to the “nature trail” feel and varying terrain. However, this requires significant monitoring to be safe. At least 12 parent volunteers are required for each home meet. Away meets are held at various locations throughout the northern region of our diocese. Directions will be provided.
The Diocesan Championship Meet is held on a Saturday in mid/late October and closes our season. This large event is held at Youthtowne in Clinton, PA (near the airport).
How are meets scored?
A cross country meet is scored by each team adding up the overall places of its top 5 finishers. As in golf, the low score wins. For example, a team that scores 26 points places ahead of a team that scores 29 points, as follows:
| St. Gregory | School X | |
|---|---|---|
| Wolves Win!! | ||
| Place of runner 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Place of runner 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Place of runner 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Place of runner 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Place of runner 5 | 10 | 9 |
| Total Score | 26 | 29 |
Cross Country Lingo
Like any sport, XC has its own language. Here is a quick guide.
- DUAL MEET – a meet with one or two other teams
- INVITATIONAL MEET - a multi-team meet
- COURSE - the marked and measured route of the race
- STARTING BOX - designated area to which a team is assigned on the starting line
- FALSE START - leaving the starting line before the gun sounds
- FINISH CHUTE - a rope bordered funnel past the finish line that moves runners into their single file order of finish.
- PACE - running speed over a particular distance
- SURGE - a tactical increase in pace during the race
- KICK - a burst of speed at the finish of the race
- PACK - a group of runners in close proximity
- PERSONAL RECORD (PR) - best ever performance on a given course.
- WARM-UP - a running and stretching routine that gradually warms up the body for intense running. Both static and dynamic stretching are encouraged.
- COOL-DOWN - a jogging/walking routine that allows recovery after a hard race.