LetterToNewRunners

=Highland Park Cross Country=

Hello prospective Cross Country Runner:

We are excited that you are interested in joining our team. Joining a fall sport is a great way to get to know the school, students, and teachers before the school year kicks off.

[|A look at a day of practice].


 * The Sport:** For those of you new to the sport – Cross Country is a team running sport. Girls and boys both race 5 KM (3.1 miles). Courses are run mostly on grass (golf courses and parks), and the terrain varies from hilly to flat. Top five runners score.


 * The Team:** Our team consists of about 50 runners, from grades 7 to 12. We have runners that are quite competitive and we have runners that out for the first time just to get in shape. We run, we lift weights, we’ll get your abs toned up, and we play a little Ultimate. The team is coached by Brad Moening (Engineering and Computer Science Teacher) and Mr. Paul Johnson. We try to be competitive (Conference Champions 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) while having a good time.


 * Summer Training:** New runners want to get in shape before the first day of practice. Keep it simple – 3 to 4 days a week, 20 to 40 minutes at a time. If you can’t run 20 minutes straight, just mix in a little walking until you can. If you want more training information check out our [|Summer Training Programs].

First day of practice for the fall 2016 season is Monday August 14 at 9:00 am. Meet at the track.
 * Important Dates:**

Starting with the upcoming fall sports season HP athletes must have EVERYTHING turned in before they can start to practice. This includes: Legal physical, MSHSL form signed, and fee. Physical forms and MSHSL forms are on the wall outside of the Athletic Director's office and on the athletics page of the school website.
 * CC Run Forms and Fees**

If you don't have a pair of Cross Country racing spikes, they aren't essential but nice to have. try [|Run N Fun] in Saint Paul for spikes or training shoes - ask for high school runner discount.


 * Attendance Policy** - runners that need to miss practice (good reason - family event, illness, doctor, ....) need to email both coaches and their parents prior to the missed practice. Runners with three unexcused practices will be cut from the team.

If you have any questions, please contact me at brad.moening@spps.org

See you at practice!

Coach Moening