Bourbon Co Colonel Opener Aug 26

The season opener welcomed a large Ryle Men's Cross Country team and an equally well represented family contingency. Continue to show your support for the runners and socialize with parents. The tent experience provided water, gatorades, snacks, and shelter. Thank you parents for your support.

A few observations from the meet:
Arrival time: Parents I know coordinating departure can be very difficult with siblings and reluctant family members. Thank you for getting the boys to the location early. It makes a big difference to the runner when he is able to get his bearings, visit the toilet, and socialize before warmups. If the runner is the reason for the later arrival please send me a message and I'll see if we can motivate him.

Warm up in groups of HS/MS/Elem. A soft jog for a varsity guy will differ greatly in pace to that of a MS. The division also gives the boys a chance to be leaders. Encourage the runners to remain grouped around the tent area and to always actively rest (sitting/stretching/relaxing) and actively warming up. I'd rather they not stand around idle or alone. If you see a runner alone, please ask your son to invite the runner to the group. Inclusion is everyone's responsibility and it will make us better on and off the course.

Course map: There are no usual courses. Meet managers change courses for many good reasons and it is the runners' responsibility to know the course. The team jogged the course on Saturday and although they took a wrong turn in the warmup, the exercise provided a great point of reference for the actual race. I'd like to see the team walk-jog-walk-dynamic stretch on the course to get moving. A few runners missed the entire experience due to arrival time. Let's remind them to find the team and join in the course mapping.

Numbers/Bibs: Parents helped distributed numbers and that helps a lot. I'll invite parents to jump into the assistant role at the tent experience.

Spectator Role: Your cheering on the course is very important both as morale boost and for motivation. Perhaps decide and coordinate where we can spread ourselves around the course so that our boys have a constant and persistent cheering section. Wear your Ryle gear. The runners should be fast enough that everything is a blur. Our gear should give them that point of reference needed for extra comfort. Cheer every runner. Unlike team sports, running recognizes the dedication of the individual and of sheer will-power. Cheer for all the runners and let's make the entire field faster, your sons will have to run faster too.

Race Reflections: It is always nice and worth acknowledging when we medal and win a trophy. Our boys, everyone of them ran well. We earned medals and even won the meet at the varsity level and got 3rd in the MS level. I was not as happy with the lack of pack running, but that is something we'll rehearse, practice, and plan for during the season. August is not the month to win or lose seasons. Cross Country is more about place in the race than about time. I'll speak with the boys about the finish. Did they pass runners? Or, were they passed? For today we celebrate that everyone ran with pride and ambition, that no one got hurt, and that we all want another chance to improve!