Turkey Trot 2011

Thanks again to everyone that came out and enjoyed the fun run. It was a great success with over 250 entries. This event has grown every year so far and has helped not only support the Cheney Food Bank with food and cash donations, but also has given some great opportunities for athletes on the Cheney Cross Country Team. These include getting new uniforms (can be seen in pictures throughout this blog), helping athletes to post-season events and helping out with summer running camp fees.

Congratulations to Sanne Holland and Camille Moseley crossing the line together in 18:24  as well as Evan Sims running a very impressive 14:48 (both pictured below). Hopefully your name was called during the drawing and you took home a cool surprise be it food a shirt or something else. If you did not get called...there is always next year! Below are some pictures for this year's event:

 
 

 

 

2011 Girls 2A STATE CHAMPIONS!!!!

The Cheney Blackhawks girls team won the state championship on Saturday at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, WA for the first girls XC title in CHS history. They did it by each having their best race of the year to knock off the 5-time defending champions Sehome by only a margin of 7 points; 71-78.

The team includes:
4. Sanne -- 18:25
18. Kelsey -- 19:21
19. Amie -- 19:25
22. Kendall -- 19:32
35. Mariah -- 19:52
48. Kinsey -- 20:12
69. Kali -- 20:45
Alternate: Mattie

On the boys side, running very well themselves, 6 of the 7 ran personal bests and as a team they finished 8th place overall, an improvement from last year's 11th place finish:

The team includes:
26. Devon -- 16:31
32. Corey -- 16:38
46. Nick -- 16:50
63. Dakota -- 17:04
88. Matt -- 17:21
103. Regan -- 17:29
108. Kameron -- 17:31

More to come later.

Articles:

Sehome individual champion Pittis

Sehome gets 2nd Place

Spokesman Recap

Some pictures

More Pictures

Regionals @ Plantes Ferry Saturday Oct. 29

Here is the handout for families with information regarding Saturday's regional meet:

2011 CWAC/GNL Regional Cross Country Meet Info

We have schedule 3 post season events: Awards, Bowling Night and Hoe Down

Here is the handout will more info for those

Halfway through the season

The Blackhawks are halfway through the 2011 XC season and have had much success up to this point with much more to strive toward. In their first GNL meet of the year last week with Deer Park at Medical Lake the girls showed their strength and depth taking the top six spots overall and scoring wins against Deer Park (15-49) and Medical Lake (15-49) to start the season 2-0 in league meets. On the boys side last week they raced the top team in the GNL in Deer Park and came very close to beating them, only loosing by three points (26-29). The team scored a win against Medical Lake (23-36) to start the season off 1-1 in league meets.

In their second league meet of the year, for the only home meet, the Blackhawks went against Clarkston on Wednesday at Salnave Park. Continuing their dominance the girls raced first and took the top 12 spots overall and improving to 3-0 in league meets by winning 15-50. On the boys side they showed a good pack mentality to have the top nine spots within 55 seconds of each other and taking 12 of the top 13 spots, with a Clarkston runner in 5th place overall. The final score for the boys was 16-47 to improve to 2-1 in league meets. There were a couple first time racers including Claire, Kit and Alex as well as some effort awards for Tanner, Bradley, Kali, Amanda, Mattie and Shyann for strong races and great improvements over prior races. After the races the team welcomed Clarkston for the second annual potato feed which was a great success thanks to all the parents for their organization as well as bringing all the food. 

Up next for the Hawks is the prestigious Sunfair meet on Saturday in Yakima. In this special meet the runners run in flights which places them against other similar ability athletes. For example all the # 7 runners run against each other and so on. This will be a great opportunity for the varsity teams to see how they stack up against some of the best teams in the Northwest. Information can be found here. Races start at noon (for our runners). 

Farragut Invite

The Blackhawks followed up last week's great opening meet with races yesterday at Farragut State Park against some more tough competition. The course is arguably one of the hardest in the area with a lot of rolling hills plus a goat hill right before a long climb. Even though it was difficult the majority of the kids loved the course for its challenges throughout. To start the day off the JV girls raced first and improved on last weeks performance by fielding a complete team to finish 4th out of 7 teams. Led by Johanna, who followed up her top 15 from last week, she finished 10th place overall. Closely behind her was Anika in 12th and Mattie in 13th with Breeann and Signe completing the top 5 scoring runners. It was Mattie and Signe's first xc race ever and they performed very well.

The second race of the day featured a rematch from last week with Lakeside in the JV boys race. Led with strong top 10 finishes by Regan, Derek and Mark the boys finished with 45 points, but in the end came up 3 points shy of a victory. With their second straight second place team finish the boys showed their strength in running in a pack and working through the field racing very smart. Up next for the JV boys will be a hard matchup with Deer Park on Wednesday at Medical Lake.

Moving on to the varsity races where all schools raced against each other, but with two scoring classifications, in which the Blackhawks were in the big school division. On the girls side, with strong schools including Riverside, Timberlake, Coeur d'Alene and Lakeside, the Blackhawk harriers won their second invite of the year, edging out CDA by only one point. The top five scoring included Sanne (2nd) Amie (3rd) Kendall (7th) Kelsey (11th) and Kali (12th) with Amanda (17th) and Kinsey (24th) rounding out the varsity squad.

In the last race of the day the varsity boys, similar to the JV, showed their pack mentality with 6 runners together until the 2-mile mark. Leading the Blackhawks was Devon who ran a very strategic race, just like last week, moving through the field to finish 7th overall with a time of 17:38. Over the final mile the rest of the runners battled it out to the finish with Nick, Dakota, Corey and Jesse rounding out the scoring five for the Hawks. In the end they placed 4th overall just 13 points behind GNL rival East Valley. Come Wednesday they will start league competition against Deer Park and Medical Lake.

Links:

• Full Results
• Team Results
• Spokesman Article
• CDAPress Article

Notes:

• Check out our Facebook group page (Blackhawks XC) for more pictures from the meet
• GNL #1 Deer Park, Medical Lake meet will be at Medical Lake High School on Wednesday. Times for races are 4:30pm JV Boys, 5:00 All Girls, 5:45pm Varsity Boys (note change)
• No meet on Saturday Sept 24

Silverwood Invite

For the first meet of the year the Blackhawk runners brought home hardware for both the boy's and girl's teams. To start off the day the JV boys ran very strong against tough competition from mostly Idaho and Montana. They ran smart and worked their way through the field during the second half of the race to capture second place overall, only behind powerhouse Rocky Mountain HS from Idaho. Leading the way 14th overall was Jesse who had a huge PR thanks to the hard work that he put in over the summer. Following him was DJ, Derek, Mark and Kyle as the scoring five. The top four teams where:

1. Rocky MT -- 15
2. Cheney -- 103
3. Hazen -- 110
4. Capital -- 127

The next race was the JV girls who ran very well for being young and not having too much experience. Coming in first for the team was Johanna in 15th place earning her a medal and a t-shirt in a big PR over last year. Next Breeann and Linsay, two freshman, crossed the line for their first 5k ever followed by Katelyn rounding out the JV team. Because of some injuries and ineligible athletes the JV girls did not have a complete team, but look forward to Farragut and getting back on track.

As the day began to heat up the Varsity races were up next. With large fields and a tight course in places the boys ran smart and moved through the field well, shown by Devon moving from 65th at the mile to finishing 35th overall leading the team. Showing his athletic ability and speed Dakota just edged out freshman Kameron for 2nd place on the team and 51st overall in the race. Rounding out the varsity was Nick, Corey, Regan and Matt. With some very strong teams from Idaho and Montana the boys claimed 9th place overall with 292 points as a team out of 27 teams. Here are the top four team finishes:

1. Timberline 53
2. Rocky Mountain 59
3. Meridian 126
4. Lakeside 192

The last race of the day was the girls varsity race which went out fast and had our girls in good positions early. At the mile the Blackhawks were 1-2 with Sanne and Kendall, followed closely by Amie and Mariah. The harriers showed their strength finishing with four in the top 21 overall; Sanne took the individual title with Amie 11th, Kendall 14th and Mariah 21st. Rounding out the top five scoring runners was senior Kali racing well after missing the past two XC seasons with injuries. The team title was very close and a delay with results the Blackhawks learned they took the top spot over last year's Idaho 3A state champs Timberlake. Here are the top four spots:

1. Cheney -- 81
2. Timberlake -- 84
3. Rocky Mountain -- 87
4. Timberline -- 92

Here is an article in the CDA Press. 

Here are the full team results.

Here are the full meet results.

(Pictures to come at a later time)

New Facebook Group

For those on facebook we are just starting a new group to connect current runners with past alumni who ran for the program. Please request to join the group, it is titled Blackhawk XC.

Start of the Season

Almost two weeks are already complete to the 2011 XC season for the Blackhawk runners. Last week 45 runners went to Twin Lakes for our annual retreat and had a great time. Activities there included singing, dancing, doing team skits, running, eating, fox and hounds, swimming, team relays, and much more. (Picture to right shows most of the team having some fun after doing team relays) The veterans had a lot of input and helped share many of our motivational stories including CLIMB, the rock story, pull the rope, the second mile, and the robot story. Have your child explain these to you and their meaning.

Here are a couple of the team skits from the retreat. First is Kung Fu Fighting which placed second overall followed by the winner with Lady and the Tramp: This is the Night.

Then on Tuesday the team time trial was held at our home course at Salnave Park. For the first time the distance was 3.0 miles for all runners in a time trial. The girls started first and ran very well with 5 of last years state team running within the top 7. There experienced showed through as well as their determination to improve on last years placing. It will be a battle all season to reach the top 7, but they will push each other all the way and work together to accomplish what they have set out to achieve. 

To finish off the day the boys raced next. With last year's state team loosing 4 seniors everyone knew there are spots open for the taking. And those who put in the work this past summer showed through strongly. This team's goal is to get back to state and Tuesday showed that even though they are not too experienced they are willing to take a risk, step up, and work together to get to Pasco. Full results can be found here: Time Trial.

Here are some reminders for the next week or so:

• Practice is at 8am to 9:30am Saturday 9/3
• No Practice on Monday 9/5 for Labor Day, but get in a 30-40' run on your own
• First meet is 9/10 at Silverwood with the first race at 8:30 (JV Boys) more info to come next week for this meet. Here is the meet website.

Summer's End

With only two weeks left until practice begins the summer is almost over and school is close to starting. But, with that in mind it is not a summer to be forgotten because the kids took full advantage of all the fun activities.
In June, right after school released, 15 runners we to Flathead Lake Distance Camp and had a blast meeting new people and having their minds opened to just how diverse high school running can be. July was followed by some local road races where they did particularly well. First the Let's Climb A Mountain team including Corey, Dakota, Mariah, Sanne, Amie, and Devon won their division (pictured to the right). Results can be found here.

Next up was the famous Toaster Splash which starts by the toast popping up from the toaster. First off alum Aaron won the first to the mile race while on the girls side Sanne and Amie 'split' that award. In the end the boys won the team award and received lunch at Qdoba with Devon finishing 5th overall and Matt finishing 9th. On the girls side Sanne and Amie continued together to the finish with Sanne finishing 10 seconds in front of Amie for a 1-2 finish. Both teams are pictured to the left near the stream that they have to cross within the race.  Results can be found here.

As for the coaches, they have not missed out on summers travel with Coach Martin spending two weeks in the beautiful Colorado Rockies with his wife visiting their son Reese. Coach Hisaw also got away to Alaska for a week and will spend part of August in Yellowstone amid plenty of relaxation time at the lake. While Coach Portwood rafted in Oregon, Climbed Mt. Rainier and is looking forward to more outdoor adventures in August and September.

A couple of reminders for runners and parents:

• Physicals are on August 10 at 5:30pm at the Cheney Clinic for $20
• First day of practice is August 22 at 3:10pm in Coach Martins room (218)
• We leave for our retreat at Twin Lakes on Tuesday August 23 at 8:00am from CHS. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR PURPLE CARD, PERMISSION SLIP, AND $20 OR ELSE YOU CAN NOT GO!! (Parent letter for retreat is here)
• Tentative Team Time Trial is scheduled for Tuesday August 30 at Salnave Park which will be followed by the parent meeting. So come out to watch your kids race and stay for hot dogs and season information afterwards. 
• First day of school is August 31, get excited!
• First XC meet is September 10
• If you have any questions, comments, concerns please feel free to contact us.

Summer Running

With the start of the fourth week of summer running we have had some good times and many kids have been very dedicated to putting in the miles for the upcoming cross country season. Two days after school got out the team took 16 athletes to the Flathead Distance Running Camp just outside of Big Fork, Montana. They enjoyed meeting other runners from around the United States, running at elevation on some sweet trails, setting some team goals for the fall, and learning from some of the best coaches in the nation.

Up next for the Blackhawks are a few summer races. This coming weekend is Let's Climb A Mountain in which 6 athletes are going to participate in the relay with legs from 3 to 8 miles long from the Clock Tower in downtown Spokane to the top of Mt. Spokane; 34 miles total and nearly 4000 feet of vertical gain. Also this weekend is Happy Hoofers from City Park in Cheney in conjunction with Rodeo weekend. Later in July the Toaster Splash in Deer Park is on the 16th and Cherry Pickers Trot is on the 21st. Information on both of these races can be found at Bloomsday Road Runners Club website.

Important information to keep in mind:

• Keep track of your summer mileage and work toward the 250 mile club which will receive a shirt and possibly a kayak trip...
• First day of practice is August 22nd starting with a meeting in Coach Martin's room.
• Retreat this year is on August 23rd, the second day of practice, make sure you have all of your paperwork in order so you don't miss out on this great experience. 

Ezra Gordon and Ram Relays

This week the team was split up into two parts one going to Colville on Thursday and the other going to Yakima to race at the Ram Relays hosted by West Valley of Yakima for their last competition until after spring break. But, don't worry Knut, our team mascot went to both places and stayed plenty warm on Saturday (on right).

First in Colville we had some very good performances highlighted by Matt, Jesse, Derek and Charlie in the 3200m all racing that distance for the first time and running respectable times of 11:21, 11:22, 11:22 and 12:06 which will drop easily with more experience at that distance. They all worked well together through the first 5-6 laps and then started to move, passing multiple runners from other teams finishing in 7, 8, 9, and 12 respectfully. Other competitors at Colville include Regan who had a very good double in the 800/1600, PRing in both races with times of 2:24 and 5:10, both being his first official races at those distances. Spence and Tom also ran doubles of the 800/1600 and competed well, both just starting to get used to track meets and racing on the track compared to cross country. Running the 1600 for the first time officially Chris PRed running 5:35 well on his way to a great season.

As for Saturday's meet in Yakima the day started out with sunshine in Cheney and by the time we arrived it was rainy, but with no wind and temperatures in the 40s. Good racing weather. The first race of the meet was the rarely run 4x800m in which Ashlyn, Jewel, Corey, and Mark competed in running very well for their first relay experiences of the year. Since this was a 'relay' meet the open races were limited by numbers of entries and by events, only including the 1600m and 3200m distance races. In the 1600m coming back from injuries both Amie and Kali ran very well coming with 10sec of their PRs from last season already running 5:47 and 5:55. While freshman Mariah continued toward her goal of breaking 6 minutes by coming closer than last week with a 6:05. On the guys side, Nash took a chance going out fast trying to break 4:30 for the first time before running 4:36 for second place overall. Also in the guys 1600m, Mark doubled back from his earlier 800m relay leg to run a very strong 5:09.

In between the two distance races was the Millard relay which included coed runners with legs of 200m, 400m, 600m, and 1200m. Two distance kids were on the team, Ashlyn and Corey who both ran strong and competed well running 2:05 and 3:47 for their respected distances. To conclude the distances kids day was the 3200m which feature some of our strongest runners. On the guys side Devon and Aaron both PRed running very strong and negative splitting both of their racings finishing in 3rd and 5th with times of 10:20 and 10:25 to position themselves in the top two spots in the region at the conclusion of the weekend. For the girls Sanne continued her dominance running away from the field  coming within one second of her state time from last year with a 11:22, placing her second in the state for right now. Also in the race was Sydney who came back with a strong performance of 13:00 after a big break through last week.

Next up for a select few Blackhawks is the Birger Invite in Bellingham on the second weekend of spring break to meet some good competition from the west side of the state. And don't forget to check out the new documents on the right side of the page, which includes CHS top 10 lists as well as the most recent regional rankings in the distance events.

Start of Track...

After a winter of running, eating, Frostbite 5k, watching movies, our 'trip to Alaska,' Partners in Pain, hill sprints, and many many more adventures the Cheney Distance kids just finished up their third week of practice and the first Invite of the year. Hosted by West Valley (Spokane), yesterday marked the start of the racing season and a good start it turned out to be for the Blackhawks. Led by Sanne and Nash there were many good performances.

The day started with the girls 3200m in which Sydney placed 12th with a PR of 12:49, a 39 second improvement, just seconds away from the district auto qualifying mark. Also in the race Savannah finished 16th with a time of 13:16, a great effort. The boys 3200m featured returner Corey plus 3 new comers to the event; Mark, Spencer, and Regan. Running a fairly even paced race Mark finished up first out of the quartet in 14th overall and 11:00, with Corey 21st in 11:10, Spencer 25th in 11:14 and Regan 27th in 11:20. This is a tough event and a good start for all four.

In the boys 1600m race, including many strong GSL teams, Nash finished 5th overall in 4:32 followed closely by Aaron with a PR of 13 seconds in 4:38, good for 7th place. Devon coming off a winter injury finished strong with a PR of 6 seconds in 4:47. Heat 2 included 3 of our up and coming underclassmen. Jesse kicking home the last lap finished in a PR of 5:11 bring his time down from Wednesday's Jamboree, as well as Matt running 5:14 and Derek a strong 5:17. All six of these guys put in a very good winter of running and they are seeing the benefits early this track season. On the girls side of the 1600m, Sanne won with a time of 5:25 to start her season a full 10 seconds faster than last year's debut race. While Mariah ran 6:08, a very fast time for a freshman, which will only be lowered throughout the season. Running together near the finish Jewel finished in 6:33 and Ashlyn finished in 6:34; a good start for those two as well.

The last distance race included the 800m. On the girls side Sanne doubled back to win her second event, running a PR of 2:24, while Mariah and Ashlyn both PRed running 2:44 and 2:57 respectfully. Also in the race for the girls was Jewel who finished in 2:53. As for the guys, Nash doubled back to run a very impressive 2:03 for 2nd place overall while Aaron ran 2:08 for 4th place. Others in the 800 included Jesse, Derek, and Matt PRing in 2:19, 2:20, and 2:30 respectfully.


Up next for the Blackhawks this week are the Ezra Gordon Invite at Colville on Thursday at 3pm and the Ram Relays in Yakima on Saturday starting at noon. Check with your athlete for an info sheet on the meet that they will be attending which will include what to brings, meet schedule, and directions to the meet.