Sections

It was a great day for the Nighthawks at our very first Section cross country meet. There were a few "Who?" comments, but all seemed positive. The course was cold, wet, and slow; but over half our boys' team came home with PR's, both boys' and girls' teams outscored a few other teams (gotta start somewhere), and our top girl qualified for State! So...it turns out the season has been extended while she makes a little more history for us, representing a homeschool cooperative team at a State Championship. Congrats to all of our Nighthawks for a great season, and we'll be cheering for you next week, Erika!

Final

This event was a big "grade level" meet where runners were grouped by age and not varsity, JV, etc. A Nighthawk highlight was our representative senior girl, a first-year runner, in her final high school cross country race. She went to the line singly, but not alone. Her teammates looked out for her, warmed up with her, and stood with her until it was time to take the line. She found her pace, responded to her coaches at critical points along the way, and truly competed, finishing strong as family and friends cheered with all their hearts. She took 58 seconds off her personal record! And once she caught her breath, she said it was really fun. This is cross country.

Burned

Cold days are also good for building fires. After our run, we talked about the lies that come into our minds when we're tired or hurting--especially in a race--but also the lies about who we are. We wrote them on notecards and burned them. Maybe next time I'll think to bring marshmallows. This week we head into the post season--the Section meet!

Chilly

What do you do for end-of-season morale when it's cold and raining? Go for a run, play a game, and come back to the barn for hot cider and popcorn. Of course you do. ;)

Fall Bliss

Once a week we meet for practice at the location of the co-op where many of the kids take classes. The road/traffic situation is limiting, so we plan workouts that can be managed on a one-mile stretch of gravel road. In principle it sounds pretty boring; but practically it does work out, the kids don't complain, and dirt roads are nice for the legs.

This was one of those perfect fall days when you feel like you can run forever and wish the season would never end.

Breakthrough: Flat and Fast

 Amidst all the fun, we've had some tough weeks. Very challenging race courses, training through, and lots of coaching/teaching on form and breathing. Pre-race day, the kids were a little low on "oomph" and not super excited about competing. We arrived at the meet to be greeted by cold (50s) and wind. But the consensus was that it was better than the heat, and in walking the course they discovered it to be crazy flat and promised to be fast.

The junior highers were up first, taking 1st place individuals in both boys' and girls' races and PR's by everyone else. That set the tone for some excitement. Girls' high schoolers were next, with our first runner breaking the 20-minute barrier and most of the rest smashing their PR's as well. They sent the boys out to ride the wave, and they too crushed their previous records. [Pictured: much needed and well deserved breakthrough performances for these runners!]

Meets are not the end all. We strive to create a balance of fun and competition (with themselves and others), and we've been proud of these kids all season. Although times and places aren't the only determination of progress, today they just *looked* different: strong, confident, athletic. Things came together for them, and our hope is that they will see races as a place to find what's inside them and show themselves how far they've come.

Team Moms

Shout-out to our team-moms! Most of them are full-time teachers of multiple ages and grade levels. They juggle schedules, field emails, shop for shoes, and sign enough paperwork to fell a tree. They coerce their kids out of bed for early-practice days, help watch coaches' kids (and even run "CC Jr." sibling-practices for fun), organize carpools that smell like locker rooms, and do a ton of laundry. They check the lists, criss-cross town for meets (often with younger children in tow), take lots of photos, and cheer with pride and often tears for their precious Nighthawks. We'd be sunk without your support. Thanks, moms.<3

Cross Country Junior Fun Run

Team siblings come watch and cheer for so many meets, so this was their chance at a race of their own--and this time, the Nighthawks were out there cheering for *them*! Cutest thing ever (e.g., "I have to take off my warmups"). Several of these kids have been working out with a few of the team moms at a local park during regular CC practice on Mondays, so there were some pretty impressive performances out there.

 It was also an opportunity for a few of our high school student-athletes to take on a service project of organizing an event: plan the races (various distances depending on age group, up to one mile), promote the event, take registrations, purchase awards and post-race snacks, enlist their teammates as race-day volunteers...and make sure the course was mowed and marked, the horses in, and the electric fences OFF. ;)

Overall, lots of smiles from kids and spectators alike. Looking forward to having these "juniors" on the team in the future!

Poker Run

In our continual pursuit of running gimmicks, we've introduced our newest game: Cross Country Poker. We sent the runners out with maps of the neighborhood, showing them where to find cards. Teams had to report back to Home Base after retrieving each card. Five card draw, best hand wins.