Banquet

Celebrating another CC season! We value each runner who participates, so we strive to recognize each one with words of affirmation and appreciation for their unique part of the team. It may take a while to acknowledge them all, but it brings near-perfect attendance at banquets. :) Thanks to everyone who helped make this a great night--we have the best banquet team, and we appreciate all of your work and creativity. Thanks to our captains for serving the team and to the coaches for investing so much in these student-athletes. Congratulations to those who earned volunteer service awards, varsity letters, athlete of the meet, and other fun awards. And we sure will miss you, seniors! Thanks also to all who supported us this season in various ways.

Huskies Hill Thrill

This was another new meet for us this year. It was basically our Conference competition, minus the bigger varsity teams, which meant our team was more prominent in the results. Having that many Nighthawks up front was a new and slightly awkward experience, but hopefully it gave everyone a little appreciation for those who run alone. It also was fun for those who otherwise don't have a chance at a medal. The hills were memorable, the hosts were gracious and welcoming, and chocolate milk was served after the race!

CC Candyland

Anyone else play that board game when you were a kid? In this variation, we make maps and send them out looking for treats: some healthy, some not so much. The group who was sent first to the bucket with raisins asked if the whole thing were a joke. :D Each bucket also has a colored marker in it so the group can prove they were there. Fun!

CC Junior Championships

 "CC Junior" is an annual tradition where Nighthawk team members host younger siblings for a cross country meet of their own. Nighthawks are assigned jobs such as race directors, "golf carts" (run as fast as you can ahead of the racers), "sag wagons" (make sure no one gets lost), timers, chute organizers, snack wranglers, award presenters, and more. Races include the 400m (ages 3-5 only), 800m (anyone age 8 or younger), and the 1600m (anyone age 11 or younger). This year, we had over 25 siblings participating, accompanied by dozens and dozens of cheering fans. Cutest thing ever.

Picture Day

As much as we'd like a tight ship, it's always more like a crazy train... But once again, we pulled it off!

CC Poker

Because sometimes long runs need a little distraction...

Rocket Run

Beautiful day for our first official cross country meet of the season! We're very excited to see more of our runners working together out there on the race course, but don't get me wrong: they'll battle it out for the finish. Congrats to many who ran their first CC 5K ever! And thanks so much to Rockford High School for hosting a great invitational.

Mega Fun Day

What began in our very first season as a way to clear the original cross country trail, has now become a great team builder with different work projects each year (although brush clearing is standard). Morning practice, breakfast, a couple hours of work, lunch, and movie in the barn. Mega fun!

Team Community Service Week

This week, we had a couple of opportunities to give back to the community that has been so supportive of us. The Corcoran Night to Unite brought hundreds of neighbors together to celebrate community, crime prevention, and strong police/community partnerships. We helped with food and games there. The Hanover Harvest Festival is a big, one-day event that begins with a 5K run and continues with a parade, games, vendors, bands, and lots of other activities. We set up several large tents, tables, etc. in preparation for the action. Everyone were all super appreciative of our help as we had solid crews working at different times over the course of the week. Great work, everyone!

Season Finale

Congratulations to Erika Swanson for a great Section meet, and thanks to the team for coming to cheer her on! Erika represented the Nighthawks well as she improved her standings over last year's event, taking 7th in the 1600m (5:30.71) and 4th in the 3200m (12:05.41).

Being the only competitor from your team at a big meet like this is tough. But you couldn't ask for a better support crew--several carpools made the trek out to St. John's--which says a lot about the team. We're hoping to develop more Section qualifiers by next year, which will make the experience that much better for everyone. (The enthusiasm for summer running and cross country will certainly help!) We've had a great season of improvement in many ways and are pleased with all that these student-athletes have accomplished on both personal and performance levels.

One of the best things about this sport is how generous the other teams' coaches and athletes have been in helping us in these program-building seasons. Rockford has been especially supportive of our bringing more participants to the sport, and our athletes have made new friends through regular competition. It's been a lot of fun.

Steeple

Rockford's Last Chance Meet is an annual favorite (do it twice and it becomes a tradition, right?)--an opportunity for one more try at that PR or to enter something new and different. This time the hosts kicked up the fun a notch by introducing the steeplechase. It was supposed to be 2000m; but official lap counting was a bit lost in the fun, so some ran 2400-ish meters when it was all said and done. A great memory for our seniors as they finish their Nighthawk careers, too. Congrats to all who gave it a try!

Early-season Meets

Just a few of the favorite pics from last week's meets. Team records and PR's continue to fall! So proud of our Nighthawks for all the new events they're trying this season. Love this crew and the great people we get to work with. (BTW holding a competitor's blocks is high-class sportsmanship...)

Bagging for Tips

Grocery bagging fundraiser at Cub Foods in Rogers. Two shifts of three hours each, and a great success. Thanks to all student-athletes and parents for serving, and thanks to the shoppers who were so generous with us!

2017 Track & Field: First Day!

Ahh, Minnesota in March. The first day of the 2017 Track & Field season was mentally tough running indoors, but this crew was on it. I have to say how impressed I was with the overall positivity out there! Of course I was too busy to think about taking pictures during the run, so you'll have to take my word for it. What does the t-shirt say, "Our sport is your sport's punishment"--or is it "Your sport is our sport's cool down"? :D O.K., we do have a few basketball players and other sharp-shooters on the team, and the rest were good sports about picking up a lively game of Lightning at the tail-end of practice. And first-day juice boxes for all. :) Thanks to everyone for being patient and flexible with these early day-to-day changes!

2016 Nighthawk Cross Country Banquet

That's a wrap! The End-of-Season Banquet is a sweet time of celebration for a season well done. Many thanks to the team-moms who made it all so beautiful. This is a family event (130 in attendance, wow) designed to recognize, encourage, and honor each athlete's unique character and contribution to the team. Thanks to all runners for giving us your hearts for a season and to all of the parents, grandparents, and siblings who supported us each step of the way. And best wishes to our seniors--we will miss you!

Box Buddies

A favorite moment at the State meet: the Section 5A representatives in a "team huddle"--all worthy competitors and a beautiful demonstration of the sport of cross country.

Candyland

Last official day of practice: CC Candyland! We normally do this *much* earlier in the season, but we had a very wet year for the course, and it never quite fit into the schedule. Better late than never! It's always amazing how hard runners will work for treats. ;)

Burn

This has become a bit of a tradition (because we've done it two years in a row ;) )--recognizing, praying over, and burning our fears and lies. We're into the last days of the season now. Finish well, Nighthawks!

Games

"Whipemsockoff" is a new game in development, for which we need to work out a few quirks. :D But overall everyone was a good sport about it, and we'll see if it survives the end-of-season popularity poll!

2nd Annual CC Jr.

The 2nd Annual CC Jr. run was a success! This family event is our way of thanking the younger team-siblings for being our biggest fans. The sibs (20+ of them) enter races of various distances (up to 1 mile) while the Nighthawk runners serve as meet directors, race starters, timers, chute helpers, awards presenters, and more. Thanks to all who participated!