Cross Country

You will see very quickly that we live and breathe an active lifestyle, and we are always looking for more opportunities to get kids involved. With that in mind, we believe the following:  the purpose of the athletic program is to promote and develop all athletes in a comprehensive and meaningful educational experience. We strive to teach wholesome attitudes in regards to sportsmanship, responsibility, teamwork and loyalty. Therefore, positive sportsmanship is REQUIRED at all times. Athletes and parents represent MRMS, and good sportsmanship is the best reward. Most of all, we want to have fun, form lasting friendships, and help every athlete reach his or her potential!
 

See calendar below. Note: some dates are TBD. Practices are Monday through Friday from 2:45-4:30. Athletes need to provide their own way home at 4:30 and must not linger. Consistent participation in daily practice or daily workouts is essential to the development of all athletes on the team. Runners will be expected to attend all practices unless prior arrangements have been made with the coaches (i.e. other sports/activities). To participate in any meet, athletes must attend practice before that meet, unless the coaches have prior notification. For safety purposes and clear communication, the coaching staff will not consider a student email as an excused absence. Email communication must come from parent/guardian prior to the missed practice. Please email ALL Coaches each time you communicate with the team. One of us will respond as quickly as possible, but this keeps all of us in the loop! 

Athletes will participate in four meets throughout the season, two at home, and two away. Athletes must provide their own transportation to and from all competitions. Carpools are encouraged, and parents are asked to enter the parking lot for pickup at 3:00 to avoid after school traffic congestion. 

Meet format: Meets will begin at 4:00. Seventh and 8th graders of the same gender will race together. After one race finishes, the second race will begin as soon as all runners have completed the course and the athletes, timers, and coaches are ready for the next event. Spectators are welcome and are encouraged to spread out on the course to offer encouragement throughout the entire race. We cheer for all runners--just a LOT more loudly for MOUNTAIN RIDGE! 

The District Championship is Saturday, September 13 at Cresthill Middle School. If you have another athletic commitment that day, hopefully you can make both work. For this meet, we are able to take our top fourteen runners for each division (total of 28 runners). These teams will be determined the week of September 8, and will be based on times, finishes, and coaches’ discretion. Our open runners (everyone else) will have the opportunity to compete at the Slavens School Invitational at Harvard Gulch Park in Denver on Friday, September 12th.

NOTE: all athletes are responsible for finding transportation to and from all away meets.  We highly encourage a neighborhood carpool! 

• For  meets: All students must provide transportation to the meet and home. Carpools are at family discretion.
• When athletes complete their races, they must report their time to their coach before heading out to cheer for the rest of the team.
• Please stay until the end of every meet if you can! We love to gather after the event and celebrate the team! 

Volunteers: We will need parents to help with course marshaling, help and timing at away meets, and taking pictures at meets. 
 

Athletes will need to carry their gear with them each day. Most pods have a classroom or location for athletes to drop a bag. Just ask. We will dress out quickly in the locker rooms and then store our bags in the Challenger Point pod. At meets, athletes should leave personal belongings in their parents' cars. MRMS is not responsible for any personal items.

Eligibility is based on the athlete’s behavior/work habits grade. An athlete will be ineligible if they receive a U in ANY of their classes for the week. Athletes will also not be allowed to participate if good sportsmanship is not shown during practice or meet. A coach will inform students and parents of eligibility issues as they arise. 

In order to get our athletes in the best shape possible for the cross-country season, we believe it is important to run a range of courses and vary the terrain. The greatest way to accomplish this involves periodically taking our kids off campus. We will ask students to always run with at least one buddy, and remind them of procedures such as crossing streets safely, staying away from wildlife, and avoiding strangers. Additionally, there will always be two coaches with the athletes; however, if an athlete has a medical concern, he or she must carry any necessary supplies (inhalers, epi pens, etc.). 

We do not allow athletes to carry phones or listen to music at practice as they need to be aware at all times. Coaches do carry phones. If at any time there is an emergency and you need to contact us while we are off campus, you may call or text (303) 808-5974 Sprafke; (817) 564-2325 Klinkerman, or (303) 387-1800 MRMS Main Office. 

Bring your inhaler if required. Bring a good pair of running shoes (see any of the coaches if you have questions). We highly recommend you wear a watch while we run as we run for minutes, not miles. A simple digital watch will suffice ($10-$40 at Walmart, Amazon, etc.). Runners who are looking to step up to a Garmin-type device may want to set a mileage goal or put it on a wish list for a major holiday. Ex: “Hey Mom or Dad, if I can run 100 miles, will you pay for half of a GPS watch for me?”

Next, DRINK! Hydration is essential for performance and general health. Eat a well-balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bring a protein-based snack to eat right after races and practices. Bring sunscreen--we will be out battling the elements. Staying healthy is key for a productive season.  

Inclement Weather: In the case of lightning or severe weather, we will return to MRMS for an indoor practice. Unless you receive a communication from the school about a cancellation, please assume we are meeting! We are very creative about using our indoor spaces!

Parents, please educate yourselves on the signs and symptoms of concussions/brain injuries. If you have any reason to suspect that your child may have sustained even the mildest head injury, please let us know! These do not usually occur in cross country, but stranger things have happened!

If athletes are absent from school for more than a half-day of learning, they may not participate in practice or meets scheduled for that day.
 

Throughout the season, please keep your ears open for communication about these awesome options! We will also send frequent email communications, typically through the noreply-ic email feature. 
MRMS XC T-Shirts and GEAR! Information coming soon! Show your RAM pride! Great for athletes and families. Look for an email–the window for orders will be small, but we will announce it! 

Extra Running Opportunities TBD:

• Saturday, August 23 rd, OPTIONAL Q-Man Classic 5k, Highlands Ranch High School, 9 am. Register on your own. Link. 
• Friday, September 31, OPTIONAL Practice at the Arapahoe Warriors Invite. Come spectate for the high school team! 
• Friday, September 12, OPTIONAL Slavens Invitational (Open runners; Varsity optional). More info in September. Coaches will enter athletes.

Running Club and Colorado Middle School State Championships

• When the regular season ends, we will start again as MRMS Running Club and train for various invitationals leading to the Colorado Middle School State Championships on Saturday, October 25th (this is the last weekend of Fall Break).