Team Philosophy Statement
SMILE. THINK. RUN. (FLOW)
SMILE
FIRST and FORMOST the main focus of our organization is to provide a rewarding experience for all of our athletes. As a Cross Country program we are not here to just WIN or send athletes to State. We are here to be a part of something special and help our student athletes achieve , so special that we all SMILE when we think about our time spent with our XC family.
THINK
Everything we do as a Cross Country Team will be done with a purpose. From Warm-Ups to Practice to Competition…there will be a plan set forth for our entire organization (Coaches, Students, and Parents) to follow. We all need to THINK in order to improve as a team and as individual athletes.
RUN
Cross Country is a unique sport in which everyone is on the starting team, no one sits on the bench, and we are all RUN the same course trying to get to the finish line a bit faster than the last time we tried.
(FLOW)
Yep “Flow” the ultimate achievement for athletes and humans...this is beyond the “runners high” & happens when our entire team (the fam) is Smiling, Thinking, and Running in unison helping and challenging each to dig deeper and finding a new level of performance and personal accomplishment. Note: Another word for for flow...BAM! As a parent, coach, athlete for fan...when you see something happening thats great or find yourself a part of something that is great...well then say BAM! Say it loud and proud..BAM
Why should I Join XC?
1) Opportunity to run/workout/get into shape with 150 other Waconia kids...daily!
2) Make new “Distance Friends”...a chance to join a new Family!
3) Our Family (Team) does not make “Cuts”...everyone is welcome
4) No prior experience is necessary
5) A great chance to earn a Varsity Athlete Letter in Waconia School District
6) You will get into shape...live a longer and feel better
7) Sick of...Elite, AAU, JO, Traveling Team...ya not in this sport! (just run over the hills and through the woods when the gun goes off with a few hundred other kids just like you, but in different colored uniforms)
Who should I (and or my Parents) contact if I have a Question or Concern?
Head Coach – Christian Gilbert 612-483-6799 cgilbert@isd110.org
XC FAQ
1) What is XC? “XC” is short for Cross Country.
2) Who is welcome to join? Any Waconia Area Student in grades 7 to 12
3) Do we run 5 miles everyday at practice? HAHA...nope, daily workouts will be varied throughout the week and all students are given a choice as to how hard they want to work daily! (you get what you put in)
4) How far are the races? Varsity and Junior Varsiy race distance is 5 kilometers, which equals 3.1 miles...Middle School XC does not have an “official” distance, but it is usually 1 to 2 miles in length!
5) If I’m a Middle School Kid, can I earn a Varsity Letter in XC? OF COURSE...all you need to do is complete at the Varsity or JV race distance and get 2 qualifying times throughout the season in races.
6) When is practice and do I always need to attend? Practice is every day after school and attendance is required to be on the team. Of course if you are sick, at a doctor appointment or need to stay after school or help...you will be excused, but just inform your coaches! (we take attendance daily)
7) Who is Varsity and who is on Junior Varsity...our Varsity consists of the top 7 fastest runners on the team...we constantly re-evaluate our Varsity Squad and it does tend to change throughout the season! JV is EVERYONE else who wants to get in a race...again our sport is for all!
8) How long are XC meets? Each season our team travels to about 10 events/meets. Meets usually have 6 separate races...Varsity Gals, Varsity Guys, JV Gals, JV Guys, Middle School Gals, Middle School Guys. XC meets last between 21/2 and 3 hours...ALL meets/events are a bit different, but athletes/parents will be made aware of specifics each week.
9)OFF-Season Training...should I be doing this?...uuuuummmm YES! If you, as an athlete, want to "get the most out of your abilities" it is important and wise to get out and PUT IN YOUR MILES to prep you body for the rigors of the season! Please see the Winter Training and Summer Training pages within this website for a detailed description of off-season training.
10) Does XC have Captains Practices? We sure do and they are run by our Seniors throughout the summer...best way to “find” these events is to join our Facebook group “Waconia Distance Runners”...our seniors use this to post updates throughout the summer months!
WHAT YOU GET BY ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU BECOME BY ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS - Henry David Thoreau