The Bleachers

. "We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."   - Will Rogers

Important Tips from Coach Danan's wife Marti:

In the spirit of David Letterman’s “Top 10 Lists”, we thought the following items would be beneficial for all GCP High School Cross Country Boosters and Supporters to be made aware of before and during the season.

#10     Shoes are critical.  Both your athlete’s and yours as a spectator.  Don’t wear your favorite heels, sandals, or dress shoes after work. Racing flats are special shoes worn on race day only for about 25 minutes or so.

#9    Bring a chair.  You will spend much of your time at the YLHS X Ctry encampment and will enjoy sitting in your own chair before and after your child’s race.

#8  Time frame.  Don’t ask your student how long an event will take.  No one seems to know for sure how long these events go.  Some may finish quickly, while others are day long events.

#7    Bring your own snack/coffee/water.  Snacks provided by the parents are for the team only.  This also includes younger siblings, sorry.  Some events have snack bars available, but many do not.  A small cooler is encouraged.

#6  Fees to some events.  Some events charge entrance fees and parking.  Cash in hand is always a good idea.  Some events also sell race t-shirts and running equipment.

#5  Race websites.  It’s always a good idea to visit the race website prior to the event.  Maps, course information, previous year’s times, parking, and a variety of important information can be learned from a few minutes at the computer the day prior.  We hope to link all available sites from ours.

#4  Team scoring.  The top 5 finishers from each school compete for a lowest score.  (This area is still a little confusing, so just trust the coaches and athletes to know.)  Stay away from the results table.  That’s coach’s job.

#3  The elements.  We are outdoors, in hilly, rough, muddy, wet, rocky, sandy, hot, foggy weather.  Wear sunblock, a hat, sunglasses, bring a sweatshirt, and maybe even binoculars to best enjoy the sport. 

#2    Bodily functions.  Things don’t always wait until the end of the race to happen.  Try not to be too unnerved if such an event happens to your runner during a race.  Encourage an early routine trip to the facilities before race time.  It is always good to be prepared with an extra change of dry clothes just in case.

And finally, the #1 Cross Country Tip…

#1  DO NOT CROSS THE COURSE DURING A RACE!  Keep your eyes open as you travel the course and only cross at the designated zones/times.  Our athletes train very hard and should not be dodging parents on the course.