State Meet Final Instructions

 Hi Everyone.

We made it to States!  This has certainly been a season to remember and hopefully, we will all look back at this one day and maybe smile at the craziness.

I announced the other day that Killen's Pond is CLOSED to the public on Saturday.  Most of the team will be traveling to the park on the bus.  For those who are arriving separately, they will allow you to drop off athletes to the staging area and then exit the park.  Make sure you tell them you are Division 2. You should drop off near start/finish.  All Division One traffic will be directed to Water Park.

The meet is being Live Streamed through NFHS.  I'm not sure how they live stream 3.1 miles, but I'm guessing you will be able to see the Start and Finish.  Click HERE for the link.  There is a fee to watch the live stream.   I'm hoping to take lots of pics and will share them with you as well.

In true 2020 fashion, we are looking at a possibly wet and windy day.  Please, please, please come prepared.  See below for my suggestions:

1.  At least TWO pairs of running shoes.  You should not be warming up in the shoes that you will wear for the race.  You may even want to pack a third pair of slippers/slides for the bus ride home

2.  EXTRA socks!!!!  A pair to warm-up in/ A pair to RACE in (preferably our mismatched ones)/ A pair to put on after

3.  Layers:  One of them must be water resistant.  My suggestions:  Uniform Top. Long Sleeved BHSXC tee. Sweatshirt.  BHSXC windbreaker.  Tights. Sweatpants.  Another pair of sweatpants or pajama pants for ride home. Blanket.  Umbrella.  

4.  Food:  There will be NO CONCESSIONS.  We will bring a case of Gatorade, the same granola bars I've been bringing all season, and bananas.  Please pack anything else you may need.

5.  MASKS.  Bring at least TWO.  Three is better.  You must wear a mask at all times except while racing.  And since your mask will most likely get wet, you will definitely want a dry one for the ride home.

6.  Towels:  Bring at least TWO.

7.  Garbage bag:  to put all your wet gear in after the race.

**And perhaps if we come thoroughly prepared for All Kinds of Weather and Circumstances, The SUN WILL SHINE instead.

Please arrive at BHS no later than 7:20 for Covid Screening.  Bus will depart at 7:30 sharp.

Our Wave Assignments are below:

The Division 2 Girls race goes off at 10:30.  Our Boys run at 12:00.

We are hoping to be back on the bus and headed home by 1:15 at the latest.  

That's All for Now!  Rest up today.  Fuel your bodies.  Hydrate.  Visualize your BEST RACE.

See you all in the morning!!!!  Any questions or concerns, please message me through the Remind App.

Go Bulldogs!!!!!

The Homestretch!

 Hi Everyone!

We are in the Homestretch!  One meet to go!  A HUGE thanks to everyone who helped at the Conference meet yesterday.  Teamwork makes the Dream Work!  At the beginning of the season, the Conference had decided NOT to host a championship this year.  I convinced them that we could make it work safely, and as a result, BHS was put in charge of the meet.  Funny how that works ;)  As a result, we couldn't really get out on the course to cheer everyone on, so we appreciate all the parents who did...Cowbells and All!  We had great performances from everyone!  A few shout outs:

*  The Girls' Team won the Flight B title!  That makes 18 Conference titles for the Lady Bulldogs!

*  Maisie Donohue finished 8th overall and made her Third straight All Conference Team

*  Thomas Baer was our top boy finisher running a PR of 20:44

*  Andrew Warrington was the 1st WAVE 3 finisher running a PR of 22:02

*  Gloria Corona finished 3rd in WAVE 5 ending her season with a bang!

*  Tyra Watson finished her final race of her BHSXC career shoe-less and with a big smile on her face!

Click HERE for the results of the Blue Hen Conference Meet.

Thanks to Izzy and Ginger for taking pictures the last two meets.  Click HERE to view them.

For the next two weeks, only those running States will be practicing.  In non-pandemic years, we would make practices optional for JV, but out of an abundance of caution, we are keeping our numbers smaller as we head in to our final meet.  We are so proud of all our JV runners for all your accomplishments this season.  You made it!  

The following Bulldogs will be running States:  Thomas, Drew, Leo, Bobby, Maisie, Izzy, EJ, Hannah, Morgan, Juliane, and Abbey.

See below for this week's schedule:

Monday 11/23:  Bellevue  10:30-12:00

Tuesday 11/24:  Killens Pond  Bus leaves BHS at 10:15

Wednesday 11/25:  OFF

Thursday 11/26:  Happy Thanksgiving

Friday 11/27:  BHS Track 10:30-12:00

Saturday 11/28-Sunday 11/29:  OFF

 A few pics from our meets last week:

 Tuesday was COLD!!!!! Made me thankful we are not starting our season in February!

Our One and Only Senior, Tyra!! We will miss you next year!

                                              

A great shot of Thomas finishing on Tuesday. 

Teyton embracing his race on Saturday :)

           Izzy looking strong approaching two miles

             

     Gloria looking great in Wave 5

Week of November 16-23

 Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the late posting. Busy weekend.  

Saturday was our first "Big Meet" and our Bulldogs ran great on a wet, muddy course!  Click HERE for full results.

 The Blue Hen Conference meet will be run in a similar fashion but will have half the number of runners.  I am helping with meet management, so I may need some parent volunteers to help as Marshalls on the course.  I will let you know as we get closer.  Just like Saturday, there are no spectators allowed inside the track area.  There are loads of other places to watch the kids.  And since there will be half the number of runners, we won't have the same crowds as Saturday so it will be easy to socially distance from others.

We have less than three weeks to go!  Keep working hard and remember our Covid protocols so we can all stay healthy in the upcoming weeks.  You need to make sure you are getting enough sleep.  Put those phones away at night and shoot for 8 hours of sleep.  Hydrate.  Drink water throughout the day.  Not just at practice.  And finally, make sure you are eating enough to keep you fueled throughout the day.  

See below for this week's schedule.  Note the time change!  

Monday 11/16:  Bellevue 3:00-4:30

Tuesday 11/17:  Meet with Wilmington Christian/Odessa.  At  Bellevue.   Start time is approximately 3:30. There is another race scheduled for the same time.  It will be similar to last week.  Whatever teams arrive first will go first.  Latest start time would be 3:45.  Please arrive at the park by 2:30.  We will meet in pavilion near start.  

Wednesday 11/18:  Bellevue 3:00-4:30

Thursday 11/19:  Bellevue 3:00-4:30

Friday 11/20:  NO PRACTICE  Run an easy 20 minutes on your own and stretch.

Saturday 11/21:  Blue Hen Conference Championships

2020 Blue Hen Conference Cross Country Championships

Bellevue State Park

Wilmington, DE

Saturday, November 21st, 2020

Meet Info:  High School Cross Country Meet -Meet is Open to Blue Hen Conference Schools Only

                             Due toCovid-19 Mandates there will be a No Spectators Allowed Inside the Track Area.

                     Races will be started in Waves of 25 Runners per Wave at 2 minute Intervals 

Meet Schedule:     Boys Varsity 5K - 10:00 AM - Boys JV 5K - Starts 2 Minutes after last Boys Varsity Wave

                                Girls Varsity 5K - 11:30 AM - Girls JV 5k - Starts 2 Minutes after last Girls Varsity Wave

Boys arrive to the park by 8:45.  We will try to set up in our usual spot.  Girls, arrive by 9:45.  This will allow you to enter the park before the races begin.  Once the boys' races start, traffic will be backed up along Carr Road as they block road to let the runners go past.

Sunday 11/22: No practice.  Please run an easy recovery run on your own.  30-40 minutes.

Looking ahead to the following week:

11/23 and 11/24:  We will be practicing at Killens on ONE of these days.  The other day will be at Bellevue.  We have a few people who have conflicts on the 23rd.  Want to survey the team and see which day works best.  

11/25:  OFF

11/26:  OFF Happy Thanksgiving!  

11/27:  Practice at BHS

11/28:  OFF

11/29:  OFF

BHSXC Week of November 9-14

 Hi Everyone.

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather.  Certainly not typical for November.  We have four weeks left of our season.  Keep working hard and remember our Covid protocols so we can all stay healthy in the upcoming weeks.

Our days are getting shorter.  This will the last week for 3:15-4:45 practices.  Next week we will be moving to 3:00-4:30.

Thanks to Margie Peters for taking pics for me at Friday's meet.  Click HERE to see the Google Album.

See below for this week's schedule:

Monday 11/9:  Meet with Newark and Dickinson at Bellevue

We will be meeting in the same spot as Friday.  You have permission to leave your last class by 2PM so you can arrive at the park by 2:30PM.  Boys race will go off at 3:30.....Girls will follow a few minutes later

Tuesday  11/10:  Bellevue  3:15-4:45

Wednesday 11/11: BRANDYWINE TRACK  12:00-1:30 (This is a CHANGE)

Thursday 11/12:  Bellevue  3:15-4:45

Friday 11/13:  No Practice:  Run an easy 30 minutes on your own followed by some stretching

Saturday 11/14:  Delaware Sports Club Invitational at Bellevue

Girls arrive at the park no later than 9 AM.  Please give time for traffic entering the park.

Boys arrive at the park no later than 9:45 AM.  This will allow you to enter the park before traffic is stopped for the races.

I will text the Remind App in the morning to let you know where our team is setting up.  Please bring a towel or Yoga mat to sit on as we may not have access to a pavilion.

For parents:  the meet director says No Spectators.  That said, the park is not closing to the general public.  If you do decide to stay after dropping off, please do NOT congregate near the staging area of the races and don't wear any BHS gear.  The park is big enough that you could see your athletes at several spots during the race and still socially distance from others.

Meet Info:   High School Cross Country Meet - Meet is Open to Delaware High Schools Only

                     Due to Covid-19 Mandates there will be 

                        No Spectators Allowed.

                     - Races will be started in Waves of 25 Runners per Wave at 2 minute Intervals

                      - Non-Scoring Meet (No Team Scores)

Meet Schedule:       Girls 5K 10:00 AM -          

Girls Teams Must Leave the Immediate STAGING Area after their race finishes.

                                   Boys 5K 11:30 AM

Sunday 11/15:  NO PRACTICE..RELAX! And take a day off. 😄

Week of November 2-7, 2020

 Hi Everyone!

Thanks for all your support for the B+ Foundation.  We were so lucky to have Joe McDonough speak to us about the foundation he started after losing his son Andrew to Leukemia.  It's a fantastic organization and I'm glad we were able to join in the fight against childhood cancer by joining Team Teyton.  

I took a lot of pics during the run.  Click HERE if you didn't receive the link on Remind.

A huge thanks to Annie Duch (Hannah's Mom) for leading the team through a fabulous Core Routine!  

With the clocks changing this weekend, our practice time will change as well.  For this week, we will be practicing from 3:15-4:45.  The park closes at Sunset which is close to 5pm this week.  We will have to make adjustments each week as we lose daylight.  Thanks for your understanding.

Our practice/meet schedule for this week is below:

Monday 11/2:  Bellevue 3:15-4:45

Tuesday 11/3:  We will NOT be meeting for practice.  Distance on your Own.  See guidelines below:

Group 1:  50-60 minutes

Group 2:   40-50 minutes

Group 3: 30-40 minutes

Wednesday 11/4:  Brandywine High School.  3:15-4:45  

 We are practicing on the track. I spoke to the AD and we will have minimal exposure to other teams.  

Thursday 11/5:  Bellevue 3:15-4:45

Friday 11/6:  Meet with Howard, McKean, and Padua  at Bellevue

 Race time 3:30 boys    3:40 girls.    Please arrive at the park by 2:30.  

Saturday 11/7:  No practice  Recovery run on your own.  Easy 30 minutes

Sunday 11/8: NO PRACTICE...Long Run on your own

Group 1:     55-70 minutes

Group 2:     50-60 minutes

Group 3:     35-45 minutes

Week of 10/26-10/31

 Hi Everyone!

What a great day we had at St. Marks on Saturday.  Near perfect XC conditions!  I'm so proud of everyone.  Your hard work is definitely showing as everyone raced hard and left everything on the course.  

They are all smiles behind their masks :)

                                                  On the Hill cheering on their teammates!

A few announcements before I post next week's schedule:

*   Spirit Wear:   Thanks to everyone who already sent in payment for items.  For those who still need to pay, please do so this week.  See Spirit Wear post for prices and payment options.

*  Don't forget to sign up for the B+ Virtual 5K to fight Childhood Cancer.  We are running to support Teyton.  See previous post for link to sign up.  We will be practicing at the Creek on 10/31 and Teyton's mom has arranged for Joe McDonough to come and speak to our team (and their families) before we run.  After the talk, we will log our Miles in the fight against Childhood cancer!  Go Team Teyton!

*  I'm sure you all noticed on your long run today that the temperature has dropped!  Please dress for the weather when coming to practices.  Sweatshirts and sweatpants.  It's better to be prepared and have multiple layers than shivering from the cold. 

See Below for this week's practice schedule:

Monday 10/26, Tuesday 10/27, Wednesday 10/28:  BELLEVUE  3:30-5:15

Thursday 10/29:  Meet with A.I. duPont at Bellevue  

The race is scheduled to start at 3:45.  We would like everyone to arrive no later than 3:00.  I suggest that athletes wear their uniform for their last virtual class and have their XC bags packed and their water bottles filled. We will be on the other side of the bridge close to the start/finish area.  A.I. has a small team so we will not have to have a Wave start.  Boys' meet will go off at 3:45.  The girls' meet will follow at 3:50.  Currently, there are no restrictions at the State Park when it comes to spectators.  We ask that if parents do come to watch the race that they spread out and socially distance from people not in your household.

Friday 10/30: Bellevue 3:30-5:15

Saturday 10/31:  Brandywine Creek State Park  8:30-10:30

We hope parents and siblings will be able to join us to hear Joe McDonough speak.  Bring a towel or chair to sit on.  There's plenty of space at the Creek for us to socially distance.

Sunday 11/1:  NO PRACTICE...Long Run on your own

Group 1:  50-70 minutes

Group 2: 45-60 minutes

Group 3: 30-45 minutes

BHSXC Week of 10/19-10/24

 Hi Everyone.

I hope everyone got out and enjoyed this BEAUTIFUL day today!  We are heading into our fourth week of XC with our first competition on Saturday!  We are excited to see how all your hard work is paying off.

A few announcements before I get to this week's schedule:

*  The Spirit Wear order has been placed.  Thanks to everyone who already sent in payment for items.  For those who still need to pay, please do so this week.  See Spirit Wear post for prices and payment options.

*  Don't forget to sign up for the B+ Virtual 5K to fight Childhood Cancer.  We are running to support Teyton.  See previous post for link to sign up.  We will be practicing at the Creek on 10/31 and Teyton's mom has arranged for Joe McDonough to come and speak to our team (and their families) before we run.  More details will follow next week.

*  Everyone will need a solid black pair of  running shorts to wear in our competitions.  We will be handing out jerseys this week.

See below for this week's schedule:

Monday 10/19:  BRANDYWINE CREEK State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Use the main entrance off of Adams Dam Road.   Make the first right after passing toll booth (Hawk Watch parking lot).  We will meet near the picnic tables.

Tuesday 10/20:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Wednesday 10/21:  BRANDYWINE CREEK State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Thursday 10/22:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Friday 10/23:  NO PRACTICE :)  Run an easy 20 minutes on your own and stretch after.

Saturday 10/24:  Mini Invitational @ St. Marks High School

 

Depart Time: 12:30pm

Depart Location: BHS Gym
Return Time: 4:30pm
Return Location: St. Marks Gym
Est Return to School: 5:00pm

See below for Meet information.  There are NO SPECTATORS allowed at the event.  

The races may be LiveStreamed on Facebook.  I'll send info when I receive it from the meet director:

Spartans XC Mini Meet

Saturday, October 24th 2:30PM

Participants:  Saint Mark’s, Tatnall, Padua, Brandywine, Salesianum, Ursuline

Entry Fee:   $120 per school. Checks made to Saint Mark’s High School. 

Total entry fee will be paid to John Amery at USP Timing

Race format - Coed races

2:30 Freshmen A 

2:32 Freshmen B

3:00 Sophomore A

3:02 Sophomore B

3:30 Junior A

3:32 Junior B

4:00 Senior A

4:02 Senior B

4:30 5th Race- overflow race 

Race breakdown:  Freshmen 51, Sophomores 54, Juniors 63, seniors 60. 

Covid Protocol

Temp Checks and Screenings

• All athletes must have temperature checks and covid screenings completed upon arrival by their head coach. 

• Athletes that do NOT pass the screening should be sent home.

• DO NOT ALLOW YOUR ATHLETES TO THE TEAM AREA UNTIL AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN SCREENED. 

Mask Policy

• All athletes must arrive on campus with a mask on. Masks must be worn at ALL TIMES, except when warming up and racing. Warmup groups should be limited to 10 runners per group.  

• Masks will be removed at the starting line and CARRIED with them to the finish. Athletes must put on the masks immediately after they finish the race.

Starting Area

• Athletes will be called to the starting line by heats (waves) (Heats A and B will start 2 minutes apart) Athletes in Heat B will be called to the starting line from their designated team areas.

• Athletes will be spaced a minimum of 3 feet apart, separated by cones. Masks may only come off when designated by the starter.

Finish area

• Athletes will finish on the track, by the start of the 300M hurdles. 

• Athletes will exit the track to the infield, and must make their way off the track and return safely back to their team area. Athletes may not congregate at the finish line after their races.

3000M Course

Link to the 3000M Course (slight change in the first 200M. I’ll explain.)

Spectators

Because we have 220 athletes + coaches, we are not going to allow spectators on campus for the event. Saint Mark’s is going to provide parent volunteers for crossing areas and for safety.

We will be live streaming the event on facebook for each race.

Bulldogs working hard during Thursday's Hill Workout at the Creek

Join the Fight Against Childhood Cancer

 Hi Everyone.

Please join us in the Fight Against Childhood Cancer by registering for the B+ Virtual 5K race being held this October 31st-November1st. Our very own Teyton Pressley is a B+ Hero!

Because of Covid, the event is Virtual this year.  We will log more than 3.1 miles at our practice on 10/31!

Click HERE to Join Team Teyton.

If you want to read more about the B+ Foundation, Click HERE.

Team Teyton is joining The B+ Foundation to fight childhood cancer because 46 kids are told they have cancer every school day. Teyton heard those words one month shy of his 12th birthday. He spent the next year receiving chemo and radiation treatments, dealing with the side effects of those treatments and undergoing multiple brain surgeries.

Please help us spread the word and collect donations to beat our Team Goal and to beat childhood cancer.

BHSXC Week of 10/12/20

 Hi Everyone!

A few reminders:

*  Please fill out the order form for Spirit wear by tonight (10/11)  I'd like to place the order on Monday morning.  See previous post for details.

*  All athletes will need a pair of Solid Black running shorts for our competitions.  The school will issue a jersey but we ask athletes to provide their own black shorts.  Thanks.

*  New running shoes:  If your athlete is in need of a new pair of running shoes, I highly recommend Delaware Running Company in Greenville.  They offer a discount to all high runners.  Just tell them that you run for Brandywine.

See below for this week's practice schedule:

Monday 10/12: Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

We meet at the picnic tables next to the bathrooms on the side of the track

We are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Delta.  We will make a decision on practice no later than 2:30. Message will be sent through the Remind App.

Tuesday 10/13:  BRANDYWINE CREEK State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Use the main entrance off of Adams Dam Road.   Make the first right after passing toll booth (Hawk Watch parking lot).  We will meet near the picnic tables.

Wednesday 10/14:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Thursday 10/15:  BRANDYWINE CREEK State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Use the main entrance off of Adams Dam Road.   Make the first right after passing toll booth (Hawk Watch parking lot).  We will meet near the picnic tables.

Friday 10/16:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Saturday 10/17:  Bellevue State Park  8:30-10:15

Sunday 10/18:  NO PRACTICE  Distance on your own.
See below for Sunday guidelines:

For my brand new beginners: try to run/walk for 20-35 minutes. 

For everyone else: Sunday is a great day to get in a LONGER run.  A nice relaxed pace. 
45-70 minutes.  

BHSXC Spiritwear

 Hi Everyone.

I created a Google Form for Spirit Wear.  Please take a look and make your decisions by this Sunday 10/11/20.  

Click HERE for form

BHSXC Boosters will be purchasing Long Sleeved shirts for ALL athletes.  We will also be purchasing Zip-up Windbreakers for athletes who do not already have one.

In addition to the shirts and windbreakers, we will be ordering crewneck sweatshirts and hoodies.  See prices below:

Royal Blue Long Sleeved Shirts:  FREE for runners/ $15 for parents

Royal Blue Windbreakers:  FREE for runners who don't have one/ $30 for parents

Grey Crewneck sweatshirts: $20

Grey Hoodies:  $25

T-shirts will have LAST names on the back.

Windbreakers will have your choice of First or Last name in the left front of jacket.  Please indicate your choice in the comment sections at the bottom of the form.

Crewnecks and Hoodies will have LAST names stitched on hood or back of crewneck for identification purposes. (stitching will be small)

If parents would like to purchase an item for themselves, please use a separate form.  I'm not very tech savvy and could not figure out a way to allow multiple responses to each question.

Payment:

Checks payable to Brandywine Cross Country

CASH

Venmo: @Michelle-Flanagan-6  (see my Venmo pic below)

Thanks and let me know if you have any questions!

Michelle Flanagan

Week of October 5th

 Hi Everyone!

We had a great first week of practice despite our very soggy start on Tuesday.  I noticed that not everyone is a member of our Remind class.  Please download the App so you will receive team announcements.  It came in handy yesterday when we arrived at Brandywine Creek and found out there was a Middle School XC race taking place.  We were able to send out an announcement directing the team to meet in the Upper parking lot.  See directions below on how to join our Remind class.

See below for this week's practice schedule:

Monday 10/5: Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

We meet at the picnic tables next to the bathrooms on the side of the track

Tuesday 10/6:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Wednesday 10/7:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Thursday 10/8:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Friday 10/9:  Bellevue State Park 3:30PM-5:15PM

Saturday 10/10:  BRANDYWINE CREEK STATE PARK  8:30AM-10:15 AM

Use the main entrance off of Adams Dam Road.   Make the first right after passing toll booth (Hawk Watch parking lot).  We will meet near the picnic tables.  I checked the Middle School XC schedule.  There is NO meet there this Saturday.

Please be prompt when picking up athletes from practice.  

We will be practicing at State Parks several days a week during the season.  There is a daily $4 charge for cars entering the park.  I highly recommend all parents or student drivers to purchase an annual pass.  Click HERE for more info on where to purchase.

We have been taking Athletes' temperatures daily and completing the district's Covid screening.  Please stay home if you are experiencing any symptoms.

All athletes must wear a mask to practice,  bring a towel and their own water bottle. 

The XC boosters purchased masks for the team. We will also be buying the athletes long sleeved t-shirts.  Crewneck sweatshirts and hoodies will be available for purchase.  I will post the link here once I hear back from our vendor.

That's all for now!

Coach Flanagan