Starting a "new" XC program at a low income, rural school - tips?

High School Running Distance

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9 years ago 08/31/2014 2:21pm EDT

re: J.R.

Make a course that loops around the baseball field, the road, and the football field. Have a specific convenient place in the middle where you direct the workouts and where everyone can regroup between segments. However, it would be better to be away from other activities and distractions.

This could work- it doesn't have to be long since they're racing 2 miles.

Our modified, in NY State, race 1.5 and our kids rarely go further than 2.5 in practice. That's by design- in 9th grade they move up to varsity, start at 2.5-3.0 and by the 2nd week of practice are up to 4-5.

No way to run on roads? I don't know the lay out but maybe parental pressure on the AD/school board/superintendent can accomplish that.

9 years ago 08/31/2014 3:18pm EDT

re: 50 Years Old

Just do a 3 hour forest run (5:40 pace)

9 years ago 08/31/2014 9:15pm EDT

re: Mtn Dew

Do some scouting through the woods. Until you look at it, you don't know what you have -- building a trail can be a lot of work or pretty straight forward depending on terrain, the amount of growth, and how extensive you want to make the trail. Get some plastic trail marking tape and start tying it to branches/trees. You may need to trim branches, cut some down wood out of the way, etc., but it could be a team-building exercise. Lay out the trail, then get 30 kids and parents going on the project, and I bet you could get a rudimentary half-mile trail laid in on a Saturday morning. If it goes well, lay in another loop...

9 years ago 09/01/2014 8:05am EDT

re: build your own portsea

Look at it as a long term project- if you were successful somewhere else, some of the things that worked before will carry over- you will have ah-ha moments with the kids you have now- file it away and build on it. Remember you are only limited by your imagination. No trail? Build one. Don't know how? Ask some Boy Scouts. Or if you are in the sticks, the school's vo-ag program. Find allies. But it takes time. Keep building

Don't forget the reason most of the kids are there is because they want to be with their friends. Incorporate that into the things you decide to do.

9 years ago 09/01/2014 8:29am EDT

re: Mtn Dew

Mtn Dew wrote:
My guess is I'll have 22 or so actually make it to the first meet of the year - the rest won't pay or turn in the proper forms.

Why do people have to pay to run xc? Is that common these days?

9 years ago 09/01/2014 9:09am EDT

re: build your own portsea

build your own portsea wrote:
Do some scouting through the woods. Until you look at it, you don't know what you have -- building a trail can be a lot of work or pretty straight forward depending on terrain, the amount of growth, and how extensive you want to make the trail. Get some plastic trail marking tape and start tying it to branches/trees. You may need to trim branches, cut some down wood out of the way, etc., but it could be a team-building exercise. Lay out the trail, then get 30 kids and parents going on the project, and I bet you could get a rudimentary half-mile trail laid in on a Saturday morning. If it goes well, lay in another loop...

OP, does the school own the woodland that surrounds the campus? Building a trail could be a good idea (and there could be some free labor or public funding sources available for the purpose), but obviously it's only feasible if you actually have permission from the entity with site control.

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