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!

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!

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!

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!

Nighthawks

This was SO COOL! At least a dozen nighthawks were flying over our fields (the CC "home course") this evening. They fly fast and change directions quickly. Not an easy photo session but very exciting. They're probably migrating (to South America), but we hope they stick around for practice tomorrow night...!

MFD III

Mega Fun Day: The early-season tradition of running, food, work, more food, and a movie (keep eating). This year's installment was postponed a week due to the weather, but even so we ended up plenty wet. Still, the crew kept smiling and we made good progress on brush clearing and tree planting. Each year the "home course" looks a little better, and these young men and women have much to be proud of.

Hills

They said that was tough. ;) Some of these athletes really stepped up their game, particularly those assigned as group leaders for the day. YES. Or maybe it was the all mosquitoes at the bottom of the hill... :D

Bloom

The CC trail on the back side of the pond is in bloom!

Nature is good for you. Join cross country.

A New Take on Hill Training

Making good on a promise today! They do seem to enjoy sliding down it in the winter more than running up it in the fall. :)

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!

Candyland

New and improved Cross Country Candyland this year, after putting our daughter in charge of the redesign. Of course that meant running for *real* candy...but only in certain buckets, and they had to *work* for it. ;)

Mega Fun Day II

Cross country, Nighthawk style! Practice at 8:00 A.M. followed by breakfast, trail/farm work crews (cleared & hauled brush, pulled posts, planted trees, and built a bridge!), lunch, and a movie in the barn. Done by 2:30 P.M. Impressed?

This is what we call "empowerment." :)

Rain

What cross country practice looks like when it's pouring rain and your team is based at a farm... And of course you go out and run anyway! I was pretty impressed by the enthusiastic attitudes out there, I must say.

Blazin'

I've been thinking of writing and posting here once in a while to make the site a little more dynamic, so here goes: First post.

It's finally dry enough to cross the marsh with the "tractor" (riding lawn mower), so the course is complete and fully operational for the season! This is yet another object lesson for me this year as we make a new path towards membership in the state high school league. It's been a long wait, but the timing is right. Any earlier and we could have found ourselves spinning our wheels, stuck in the mud, waiting for the pickup truck and/or winch to pull us out. Not that that's ever happened...

When I arrived back at the house, this crew showed up, highly interested in whatever might have been stuck to the mower. Yum.

Happy trails. :)
Coach Jennifer