2010 Cardinal Cross Country

Cards Get MUDDY!!!

2010-08-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, members of the Soda Springs XC Teams took on the mud, sand, and heat of Sandy Downs in Idaho Falls for the Mud Run Jamboree. No individual results were kept, but there were team results which saw the Girls' Team win and the Boys' Team finish 5th. This was a great and fun way to kick off thte 2010 season. The Cards will be back in action for the Pocatello Invite on the ISU Cross Country Course. Pictures to come soon...they will be muddy!!!

Pre-mud Team.

Preparing for take-off.

Blast-off..

Mid-flight...

Putting out the landing gear!

Sue...taping shoes...

Linda taping shoes.

Girls...mud monsters!!!

Boys pre-race.

Skylined Runners.

Caden taking a mud bath.

OUCH!!!

Girls...MUD RUN CHAMPS!!!

Summit View High Altitiude Running Camp

2010-08-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Summit View High Altitude Running Camp was another HUGE SUCCESS. 52 runners from Soda, Star Valley, WY, Idaho Falls, and Lyman, WY, made Caribou National Forest their home for the weekend. So what do you do at running camp??? Well...RUN...A LOT...with a little FUN thrown in there as well!!!

2010 Camp Participants and Staff

The trails were a little crowded with 52 participants!

Wes and Jesse before "The Test of Time"

"The Test of Time"

Teammates helping teammates!!!

2010 Cardinal Classic and State XC Course

2010-06-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Course Map - Cardinal Classic/2010 State Cross Country Meet

CARDINAL BOYS and GIRLS 2009 STATE CHAMPS!!!

2009-11-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

The Cardinal Cross Country Teams made the long trip up to Coeur d'Alene for the 2009 State Cross Country Meet @ Circling Raven Golf Course in Worley, ID. The Panhandle of Idaho would treat the Cardinal well once again as both the boys and girls teams would bring home a State Championship trophy and banner. For the girls, it was their 4 consecutive State Championship and for the boys, it was their first one since 2006.

Bailee Siepert led the Lady Cardinals finishing in 3rd with a time of 20:31. Quincie Clark ran a gutsy race finishing in 10th place with a time of 21:14. Danyka Deno finished in 11th with a time of 21:27. Cathryn Smith finished in 13th place with a time of 21:36. Carlie Olson rounded out the All-State runners for the Lady Cardinals finishing in 18th place with a time of 22:05. Just out of the medals was sophomore Dominique Froehlich in 22nd place with a time of 22:23. Vanessa Vranes finished in 34th place with a time of 23:18 to round out the State Championship run. Cheyanne Williams also ran well finishing in 27th place with a time of 22:34. GREAT JOB LADIES...it has been so fun working with you these last few months...and it will be tough to see you seniors go, but it has been a pleasure being your coach...THANKS!!!

The boys side was full of upsets starting with senior Kasey Meyers. Kasey led the young group of Cardinal Harriers with an individual State Championship to go along with his three third place finishes in previous years. A pack of "Red and Black" would follow with Coby Young earning the 20th place medal with a time of 18:11.07 followed by Micah Bowman in 21st place in 18:11.65 and Cody Moore in 22nd place with a time of 18:12. Aaron Petersen finished in 38th place with a time of 18:45. J.D. Bailey broke 19 minutes finishing in 42nd place and running a time of 18:53, and Caden Steele rounded out the State Championship TEAM effort finishing in 50th place with a time of 19:13. AMAZING JOB fellas...everyone of you did YOUR job to help US win. You should be proud of your efforts to sacrifice for the good of the TEAM...I'm so happy for you guys...you picked a good day for your first win of the season!!!

Also, a BIG THANK YOU to the Parents and everyone that made the trip to cheer us on, your support was AMAZING!!! And another BIG THANK YOU to the COACHING STAFF, Linda, Sue, and Coach Dad, for all your help throughout the season...your efforts are appreciated!!!

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PICS:

One is great, but two is even better...girls and boys State Champions!!

2009 Boys 2A State Champs!!!

2009 Girls 2A State Champs!!!

So long SENIORS...it has been fun!!!

Pre-race girls team.

B. Siepert...3rd place.

Q. Clark...10th place.

D. Deno...11th place.

C. Smith...13th place.

C. Olson...18th place.

D. Froehlich...22nd place.

V. Vranes...34 place.

C. Williams...27th place.

A focused boys team...pre-race.

K. Meyers...1st place...STATE CHAMPION!!!

No individual photo here...the pack helped us win...M. Bowman (21st), C. Young (20th), and C. Moore (22nd).

A. Petersen...38th place.

J. Bailey...42nd place.

C. Steele...50th place.

LADY CARDS WIN 7th CONSECUTIVE DISTRICT TITLE

2009-10-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

The 2009 District Cross Country Meet was held at Bear Lake High School on Thursday the 22nd of October. By the end of the meet the Cardinal Cross Country Teams would confirm their standing as a powerhouse of 2A Cross Country.

The Lady Cards would win their 7th consecutive District Championship and qualified for the 2009 State Cross Country meet. State Qualifiers for the Lady Cardinals include: B. Siepert, Q. Clark, D, Deno, D. Froehlich, C. Smith, C. Olson, V. Vranes, and J. Berg alternate. C. Williams from North Gem will also make the trip with the Cardinals, as she has trained with them all year, and qualified as an individual finishing in 5th place overall.
Girl's Team Scores:
1. Soda Springs 19
2. Malad 52
3. West Side 64

The Boy's Team finished as District Runner-ups behind West Side, but a hard fought battle would send them to State as well for their 21st consecutive year. Both teams will be in action at the 2009 State Cross Country Meet in Coeur d' Alene Idaho on the 31st of October. Boy's State Team: K. Meyers, C. Moore, C. Young, M. Bowman, C. Steele, J. Bailey, A. Petersen, and S. Torgesen alternate.
Boy's Team Scores:
1. West Side 27
2. Soda Springs 31
3. Malad 76
4. Aberdeen 120

2009 Lady Cardinal Cross Country District Champs

Individual Champions Bailee Siepert (3 Time District Champ) and Kasey Meyers (1st District Championship) lead the Cardinals to another great District Meet.

Start of the 2009 Girls District Meet.

Senior Bailee Siepert on her way to winning her 3rd District Title.

Senior Danyka Deno earns All District Honors with her 3rd place finish.

Senior Cathryn Smith finishes in 8th place for the Lady Cardinals.

Senior Vanessa Vranes takes the 11th spot in the District Meet.

Senior Acacia Camptell runs her last race as a Lady Cardinal and posted a season best time of 25:44 at the Cardinal Classic.

Senior Chantal Nelson pushes to the finish. Nelson posted a season best of 32:44 at the Preston Invitational.

Senior Tiffany Gritton finishing at the District Meet. Gritton posted a season best of 34:50 at the Bob Conley Invitational.

Senior K. Meyers pushes the pace enroute to his 1st Individual District Title.

Sophomores C. Moore and C. Young run strong in the 2009 District Meet.

M. Bowman earns All-District Honors with a 9th place finish.

Soph C. Steele has an incredible run for the Cardinals finishing as the 5th Cardinal.

J. Bailey battles a W.S. runner to the finish.

2009 Preston Invite

2009-10-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Cardinal Cross Country Teams used the Preston Invitational as a tune-up for the 2009 District Cross Country meet, and if the outcome was any indication, they are ready to roll.

Once again the Middle School runners dominated the field in both the boys and girls races. Unfortunately the Preston Middle School coach took the results before they could be recorded, so exact team scores, times, and places are unknown, we are working on getting these. I am happy with the effort of these young runners and look forward to the time when they become members of the CARDINAL CROSS COUNTRY TEAM!!! GREAT SEASON!!!

Middle School Pics:

A pack of red up front...for most of the race 8 Lady Eagles led the charge.

A. Stewart works the through the middle of the race.

C. Gronning runs well in her last race of the year.

B. Long pushes the pace in the Preston Invite.

D. Leatherman works to pass an A.F. runner.

S. Stoor gets in a rhythm during the Preston Invite.

C. Walker and J. Balls negotiate other runners after the start of the M.S. Boys race.

W. Smith pushes to the finish.

J. Gibbs cruising to the finish in the Preston Invite.

E. Campbell looks to move up in the Preston Invite.

B. Poulsen works to pass a BLMS runner.

A. Petersen cruising in the middle of the race.

In the High School races B. Siepert and K. Meyers again led the charge, but in the girls race, there was more shuffling in the top 8. The Lady Cards put 5 in the top 15 to earn the team win: B. Siepert 4th, Q. Clark 5th, C. Olson 6th, D. Deno 8th, C. Smith 13th, and D. Froehlich 15th. Great Job Ladies! M. Stein also had a break through performance finishing in 23rd place running her fastest time of the year by far.

H.S. Girls Pics:

Start of High School Girls Race.

C. Williams leads C. Olson and D. Froehlich early in the race.

C. Smith, V. Vranes, and D. Deno get read to roll the 2nd half of the race.

M. Stein and J. Berg rolling through the first mile.

J. Harris pushes to the finish of the Preston Invite.

The boys had three runners earn medals and two just miss: K. Meyers 5th, C. Young 12th, C. Moore 14th, were the medalist and M. Bowman 16th, and A. Petersen 18th just missed. J. Bailey and C. Steele helped round out an impressive top 7 performance. The boys finished in 3rd place, just 9 points from 1st. Great Job Fellas.

H.S. Boys Pics:

C. Young leads C. Moore and M. Bowman, the trio would run well for the Cards.

A. Petersen breaks through for the Cardinals.

J. Bailey has a great race for the Cardinals.

C. Steele sets his sights ahead as he makes a push the last 600 meters.

S. Stoor and J. James passing mile one.

Both teams look to continue their season for another week by qualifying for the State Meet at the 2009 District Meet at Bear Lake High School...the first 2A race will start at 12:30 pm.

Bob Conley Invite...Race Recap

2009-10-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Although it was cold, running conditions were a little more favorable than they have been for the last two years of the Bob Conley Invite. This year, you didn't have to dodge quarter sized snow flakes you only had to run through your own fog every time you exhaled...GREAT DAY for running!

Again I was happy with the overall performance for Soda Springs Cross Country, our tradition and reputation of a great program continues to grow week in and week out. Believe in the impossible and who knows how far we can go!!!

Complete results from the meet can be found at www.idahoxc.com

SODA XC FANS...The Cunningham's showed up ready to cheer on Soda Springs XC sporting their Soda XC Team Shirts.

Middle School Races:

Middle School Girls...are you kidding me...YOU GUYS or GALS ROCK...3 in the top 5, 5 in the top 10, and 10 in the top 20. If you keep working hard you will be ready to make the move to the next level. K. Yamauchi 2nd, D. Siepert 3rd, and J. Nielsen 4th, you made the Sugar gal earn the "W"...she knew she was in a race today. G. McCullough second week in a row, you have some talent at this. I could go on and on here, but an overall GREAT JOB goes out to all you young ladies. Team Scores: 1. Soda 21, 2. Sugar 49, 3. Jackson 74, 4. Star Valley 92. I think that I also heard that C. Gronning lost some breakfast at the end of the race...AWESOME EFFORT!!!

J. Nielsen leads K. Yamauchi, and D. Siepert early in the M.S. Girls race.

H. Farnes, C. Rasmussen, and H. Call work the uphill.

M. Martin and S. Woods work to pass a SVMS runner.

Middle School Boys, you guys continue to improve and compete each week...great job!!! S. Campbell 6th place, just missed a medal at a competitive meet. You are still figuring things out and with another year under your belt, who knows what is possible. J. Balls 12th and L. Young 13th ran solid as well, with J. James and J. Gibbs rounding out the top 5. Great Job fellas, you will be welcome additions to the High School ranks. Team Scores: 1. Irving J.H. 22, 2. Soda 52, 3. Star Valley 76, 4. Madison 99.

Start of Middle School Boys Race.

S. Campbell pushes to a 6th place finish.

L. Young sneaks a peek as J. Balls closes the gap.

M. Daniel and H. Brown get ready for the last 400 meter push.

C. Olson holds a little motivation for the runners.

High School Races:
J.V. Girls, great start to the high school races. D. Froehlich, if you needed a confidence building race, you got one. Excellent effort today, 2nd, and you looked so controlled. You are ready to be back in the Varsity races, we will need you. J. Berg, you ran tough, I was impressed with your ability to run through the pain and earn a top 10 medal. S. Lloyd, you keep closing the gap on the runners ahead of you. You are giving it everything each time out and I appreciate that. M. Stein, 22nd, and S. Taylor, 50th, rounded out the top 5 for the Lady Card J.V. team.
J.V. Team Scores: 1. Twin Falls 52, 2. Hillcrest 64, 3. Soda 75.

D. Froehlich and J. Berg lead the J.V. Lady Cards.

S. Lloyd makes a mid-race surge.

M. Stein looks ahead to the next group of runners.

J.V. Boys, you guys continue to grow and some of you just need a few more years of experience and mileage. S. Torgesen, you are on the verge of a breakthrough...keep working, it will come...I promise. L. Franson, keep closing the gap, let your teammates pull you along. W. Clark, you are still green, but you continue to improve. D. Camptell, injuries have hampered you a bit...be smart, and be positive, you will get better. J. James rounded out the J.V. team effort.

W. Clark pushes the downhill in the Bob Conley Invitational.

D. Camptell in the J.V. Boys race.

J. James kicks up a little dust in the Conley Invite.

Varsity Girls, the thing I'm most impressed with this week is the way you ladies rose to the challenge. Even though we finished 6th, we were only 14 pts from being in 3rd. B. Siepert, 11th, and Q. Clark 14th earned medals and again led the Varsity team. D. Deno and C. Smith ran solid again, and V. Vranes keeps moving toward the pack, you will be there by State!!! C. Williams, a little off today, but you still ran solid, you will be pushing of one of the State spots! Great Job Ladies, keep working on closing the gap and tightening up that pack time...we only have two meets until STATE!!! Where did the season go?

A Flock of Cardinals? Lady Cardinals get a good start in the Varsity race.

Up and over the top, Lady Cardinals attacking the hills in the Conley Invite.

V. Vranes blows off a little steam in the last 400 meters.

Varsity Boys, some real bright spots today. K. Meyers you continue to improve, this was your first week of solid running for the season, you will be ready to roll at State. C. Moore, great race today, but remember the battles at the end are important also...keep up the hard work. M. Bowman, you had a better performance this week you are moving in the right direction. C. Young, tough day today, but that is part of racing, how you respond to it will determine your success. A. Petersen...keep charging, I'm looking for that "where did that come from" race! J. Bailey and C. Steele, rounded out the Varsity team effort...good pit stop C. Steele.

C. Young attacks the hill in a mass of runners.

J. Bailey rolls on the downhill closing the gap on a Rock Springs runner.

C. Steele with his pit crew.

Bear Lake Invite

2009-10-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

I goofed!!! Last weekend, our family went on a little get-away and I deleted the pics from the Bear Lake Invite. (I thought that I downloaded the pictures before we left.) There were some great pics of the snowy and wet conditions that the runners faced last Wednesday.

There were still many highlights for the meet and I'm happy with where we are now (not that there's not room for improvement) and I'm also excited about the future of Soda Springs Cross Country. Soda was the second smallest school at the meet and we came away with two first place team finishes in the Middle School Boys and Girls, and two second place finishes in the High School Boys and Girls.

The Middle School girls continue to dominate winning with 18 points. The Middle School boys are also getting hungry to win finishing in a dog fight with American Falls. The boys won 33 - 35. Great Job middle school boys and girls!

The High School teams continue to improve as they make their final push for State. Both the boys and girls teams have a great chance for making the State meet and doing well at the State level. Keep working hard and keep pushing to the next level. We are ready for big time breakthroughs.

*A big Thank You to the Franson's for hosting a breakfast club run on Saturday. Great breakfast and a great course.

*Here are some pics that were saved with the help of Paul Gritton...Thanks Paul! We were only able to save a few of the High School Girls photos...sorry!!!

D. Deno

C. Smith

C. Williams

C. Olson

V. Vranes

M. Stein

A. Camptell

S. Taylor

C. Nelson

T. Gritton

Missoula, MT - BIG SKY COUNTRY

2009-09-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Outstanding performances were the norm at the Mountain West Classic in Missoula Montana. From the sidelines it was awesome to see all of you "fighting your individual battles" and pushing to that next level.

Congrats to C. Moore and M. Stein for winning the weekly team motivation award. We need to keep pushing and never settle for where we are at...we can always do better, but I am proud of each of you and the effort you are giving...KEEP WORKING HARD and SET THE BAR HIGH!!!

To the parents: THANK YOU for the amazing spread of food that we had for the trip. It was nice to eat something healthy instead of fast food, your support is greatly appreciated!!!

Complete results can be found at the following website: www.mwtc.com/classic/

Here are a few pics from the meet and our stop in Barrett for a little something to eat:

Lunch time at Barrett.

Eating on the river side.

SSHS Lady Cards

SSHS Cardinal Harriers

A little rock climbing after lunch...making the coaches nervous!!!

J.V. Girls Race:

Start of the J.V. Girls Race: 337 Participants.

M. Stein crests the only "hill" to lead the Lady Cards.

T. Gritton (l) and C. Nelson (r) enjoy the runner friendly course.

J.V. Boys Race:

Start of the J.V. Boys Race: 434 Participants!!!

D. Camptell, W. Clark, and L. Franson negotiate the largest field of the day in the J.V. Boys Race.

J. James starts the downhill.

Varsity Boys Race:

Start of the Varsity Boys Race: 363 Participants.

K. Meyers continues to improve each week.

C. Moore getting ready for the last mile.

Varsity Girls:

Start of the Varsity Girls Race: 320 Participants.

C. Smith and B. Siepert running through the crowd.

D. Froehlich tries not to agitate the spectators in the MWC.

Breakfast with the Bowman's

2009-09-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the Bowman's hosted a Breakfast Club Run. 20 plus runners participated in an awesome run in the mountains of 90%. After our run an incredible breakfast would follow...a great big THANKS Mrs. Bowman.

With no meets scheduled for the week we kicked up the miles and intensity, great job, we made it through the week. Your commitment to do the "little" things will pay off big down the road.

On deck is the Mountain West Classic...this will be a great test for you guys/gals as there will be a lot of quality teams at this meet. Dare to DREAM and EXPECT BIG THINGS...we don't have anything to lose...RUN YOUR GUTS OUT!!!

A few pics from the Breakfast Club Run...

And they're off...a little asphalt before we hit the trails of 90%.

Good Group...for a morning run...20 plus!

Can I have a little lactic acid with my eggs...one of the many climbs on the morning run.

A.P. and J.D. run past an old homestead.

Great morning for a run.

Is the water really THAT bad?

Leaves are changing...getting closer to STATE!!!

CARDS RUN WELL AT TIGER/GRIZZ

2009-09-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

This was a busy week for the Cardinal Cross Country Teams. The J.V. Teams ran in Star Valley and then again for the Tiger/Grizz. The Middle School teams also looked dominant at the Star Valley meet. Not only did they have to battle the 142 other runners, they were battling upset wasps as well. K. Yamauchi won on the girls side despite being stung within the first 500 meters of the race...she later went to the hospital as she reacted to the sting...a few other Soda runners had to dodge the angry wasps as well.

STAR VALLEY:
J. Berg led the Lady Cardinals with A. Camptell following not too far behind. In the boys race, S. Torgesen led the charge, but less than a second away was teammate D. Camptell. These runners will be battling for a top spot and a chance to qualify for the 2009 State Meet.

In the Middle School Races, the Soda runners continued to dominate and serve warning that Soda Cross Country will be strong for many years to come. Meet results were not available after the race, but will hopefully come early in the week...updates to follow along with some pics...GREAT JOB TMS and SSHS RUNNERS your HARD WORK is paying off!!!

Future candidates for Governor of California???

Over the river and through the woods...ok, not really a river, but I couldn't resist.

L. Worthington cools off at the creek crossing, did G. Cunningham help her???

K. Brown makes it through the 1st creek crossing, H.S. runners cheer him on.

C. Nelson and T. Gritton negotiate the Cedar Creek.

J. Berg and A. Camptell...on the back 9.

J. James making a splash.

S. Stoor walks on water across Cedar Creek.

TIGER/GRIZZ @ IDAHO FALLS:

Tough competition would be easy to find at the 2009 Tiger/Grizz Invite, but the Cardinals would not back down. In the J.V. Girls race, V. Vranes would lead a very dominant effort by earning an individual title and leading a team title as well. (Ness looks like you are on the mend, now just get through the next two weeks and WATCH OUT!!!) 5 runners would finish in the top 10 to secure the team victory. Following Vranes, J. Berg 4th, M. Stein 5th, A. Camptell 6th, and S. Lloyd 7th. Great Job Ladies...it was nice to see all that red at the front of the pack, the battles for those top spots are going to be tight!!!

The J.V. boys did not have a full team, but the battle for the top spot was as tough as ever. S. Torgesen (27th) got the nod over D. Camptell (30th) with L. Franson and J. James running tough as well.

She's back...V. Vranes leads the J.V. Girls race to an easy win and looks to reclaim a spot on the varsity.

M. Stein gets encouragement from "Coach Dad" on one of the rollers @ Freeman Park.

S. Lloyd pushes to help in the J.V. Girls Team Victory.

S. Torgesen leads the J.V. Boys Team in the Tiger/Grizz.

Varsity:
B. Siepert (5th) had another great race to lead the Lady Cardinals to victory in the "small" school division. In combined scoring, the girls finished 5th behind Mountain View, Bozeman, Bishop Kelly, and Hillcrest. Great Job Ladies...
The rest of you "shuffled" again...making it hard for anyone to relax and think that their spot is a lock...that will make us better in the long run and once one of you came in the others were not too far behind. I love the pack mentality. Q. Clark 15th, D. Froehlich 16th, C. Smith 18th, C. Olson 19th, and D. Deno 20th. C. Williams not too far back in 23rd.

Fellas...we are starting to move in the right direction. Welcome back K. Meyers!!! I'm so stoked that you are feeling better...your 9th place finish is evidence that you are coming back. M. Bowman 17th, another solid performance. C. Moore and A. Petersen 30th and 31st...not too bad, but I think there is more there, you have done the work, now expect the results!!! C. Young 35th. See comments for Moore and Petersen...you guys HAVE TO BELIEVE! J. Bailey and C. Steele, I'm happy with your progression, put the Bulls eye on the guys ahead of you and run them down.

B. Siepert leads the Lady Cardinal Varsity Team for the 3rd consecutive race.

C. Olson and C. Williams work together in the Varsity Girls race.

"Quick around the corner" Q. Clark gets ready for the downhill after one of the many turns on the challenging Tiger/Grizz course.

C. Moore rolling downhill.

C. Steele continues to improve each week.

Another GREAT JOB and GREAT EFFORT you guys/gals make me proud to be a CARDINAL!!!

Reflections of the 2009 Cardinal Classic

2009-09-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

At the conclusion of the 2009 Cardinal Classic, my beliefs were further strengthened...Cross Country is truly an amazing sport!! One might say "it's just running, how hard can it be?" and on the surface, they are right, but if you look deeper, you can see individual battles that every runner is going through as they work toward their individual and team goals. You see them fighting that little voice that is telling them to "quit" or "take a break" and you also see the satisfaction when they beat that voice and do things they never thought possible. These battles happen with everyone and not just the top runners. These battles teach life lessons that can be applied long after a Cardinal Harrier laces up their shoes to run that last race.

On Saturday, I saw many of our runners prepare for and fight those very battles. I heard of one young lady with tears of happiness because she ran the entire race without walking. I also watched one young man battle not only the voice inside his head, but battle an injured body that was not quite up to the challenge of racing at the top level he is accustomed to; I know he will be alright and today was just a stepping stone to bigger and better days.

To me, this is what Cross Country is all about and I'm continually impressed by the efforts of our runners here in Soda Springs. I am also grateful to have the opportunity to work with such great young people...Keep up the HARD work, your efforts are appreciated!!!

Thanks...Coach H

RACE RECAPS:
Middle School:
The Middle School runners definitely didn't give the new uniforms a bad start. A perfect score for the girls and a second place for the boys was a great way to start the 2009 season. K. Yamauchi 2nd, D. Siepert 3rd, J. Nielsen 5th, G. Plakke 6th, H. Call 7th, H. Farnes 8th, and S. Clark 10th made it 7 in the top 10...trying to live up the the High School girls at the 2007 State Meet. J. Bowman 8th, J. Balls 12th, J. James 13th, and L. Young 15th gave the boys 4 in the top 15. GREAT JOB MIDDLE SCHOOL RUNNERS...YOU ARE THE FUTURE OF CARDINAL CROSS COUNTRY!!!

Strength in Numbers. The middle school currently has 41 athletes participating in cross country! WOW!!!

Middle School girls sporting their new uniforms. Nice Pack!!!

Middle School runners at the lower pond.

J. Bowman leading the TMS boys!

A trio of TMS runners.

Another great pack!

A very determined J. James pushed to the finish.

High School Races:
J.V. Girls:
C. Olson...you are a stud or studette...but what ever you are, you ran awesome today...way to rise to the challenge 4th place overall you will be pushing for a varsity spot if you keep this up. M. Stein, A. Camptell, J. Berg (1st XC race) and S. Lloyd...WOW...you ladies ran awesome and helped lead the J.V. girls to a second place finish...great job. 5 in the top 21!!!

A little prerace instruction from Coach Siepert.

C. Olson leading the way for the Lady Cards...4th place in J.V. Girls Race.

A time to reflect...J. Berg and A. Camptell chase their reflections in the lower pond.

J.V. Boys:
D. Camptell great job leading the J.V. Boys today...S. Torgesen, you are starting to figure things out...keep it up, we are a little green, but if you guys keep working hard you will see the results as the season progresses.

D. Camptell leads a group up Heartbreak Hill!!!

L. Franson in another lower pond picture...great photo op.

Is that Buddha? No just J. James relaxing after a great run!

Varsity Girls:
You guys continue to impress me...we finally earned a little "bling" from our own meet...2nd place! Great job, Bay...way to work the second half, you moved up a ton. C. Williams...way to dig down the entire race, you were the tie breaker today and you won the tie by 3 spots and 11 seconds, a lesson to us all...EVERY RUNNER COUNTS and EVERY SECOND COUNTS!!!

Start of the Varsity Girls race...Soda 2nd place behind a very tough Bingham, UT team.

Varsity Boys:
We still have some "kinks" to work out, but keep working hard and I'm confident that you guys will have success. M. Bowman...another great race...those summer miles are paying off. K. Meyers hang in there...we'll be alright. You guys met the goal that we talked about on Wednesday...now we need to improve on it...KEEP UP THE HARD WORK!!!

K. Meyers races in his first XC race of the season.

Coaches L. Siepert (left) and S. Clark (right) get a few miles in cheering for the teams. Thanks to all the parents and community members that helped pull this meet off, another great meet!!!

POCATELLO MEET @ ISU COURSE

2009-09-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the Cardinal Cross Country teams ran in their first meet of the season at the Pocatello Meet held on the ISU Cross Country Course. Both the boys and girls teams ran well and I was happy with the effort of everyone. It was a TOUGH course on a HOT DRY DAY. Despite these tough conditions, I didn't hear one bit of negativity only excitement to take on the tough course and conquer it...GREAT JOB!!!

Meet Highlights:

Girls team finished in 1st place ahead of 5A Idaho Falls and Madison and 4A Pocatello, Blackfoot, and Rigby.

B. Siepert earned the individual first place honors nearly a minute ahead of 2nd place. D. Deno finished as Soda #2 and ran a gutsy race as did XC newcomer D. Froehlich who finished in 9th. Both helped give the Lady Cards some added depth for the 2009 season. For her efforts, D. Deno earned the weekly team motivation award.

In the boys race junior M. Bowman finished as the top Soda runner passing several runners on the 2000 meter second loop. Bowman finished in 12th place overall and showed the benefit of his hard work over the summer. Bowman earned the weekly team motivation award for the boys. A. Petersen finished as Soda #3 and moved up from where he has been running in practice.

Both teams welcome 20 plus teams to the Kelly Park Nordic Ski Trails for the 2009 Cardinal Classic. Races start at 9:00 am for the Citizens Race, 10:00 for the Middle School, 11:00 for the J.V., and 12:20 for the Varsity.

2009 Lady Cardinals

B. Siepert pushes the pace en route to a 1st place finish at the Pocatello Invite.

D. Deno attacking the final "big" hill.

D. Froehlich runs well in her first ever XC race.

2009 Cardinals...who is the kid in blue?

M. Bowman leads the Cards with a 12th place finish.

A. Petersen is focused as he attacks the up hill.

2009-08-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

2009 "S" Hill Challenge

On Saturday the Football and Cross Country Teams participated in the annual "S" Hill Challenge. This yearly event is an opportunity for the two programs to share in a little friendly competition, as well as develop camaraderie between the two teams. Following the climb, both teams did a little community service with each team cleaning up a 2 mile section of roadway for the Adopt a Highway/Roadside Litter program.

K. Meyers pushes the pace with the days best time of 3:37!

M. Bowman leads the chase group.

B. Siepert posts the best girls time with a 4:47!

D. Deno leads a wave of Lady Cards to the "S"

Running the Gauntlet...runners receive encouragement along the way!

Coaches and athletes from the football and cross country teams pose for a picture on the "S"...over 100 participants made it to the "S"!

(Photos in this post were provided by Paul Gritton of Gritton Photography...thanks Paul!!!)

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

2009-08-14T00:46:00.000-07:00

MIDNIGHT MADNESS CREW!!!

The 2009 Cross Country Season officially got underway with the 4th Annual Midnight Madness Run. This year 30 runners plus coaches participated in the event. Armed with headlamps and running shoes, the runners hit the roads of our sleepy little town. Great run guys and gals...looking forward to another great season. - Coach

A little early out of the gates!

12:01 am...Start of the 2009 XC Season!!!

Hopefully we'll be nothing but a blur to the competition as well!

Summit View High Altitude Running Camp

2009-07-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Summit View High Altitude Running Camp was started in the summer of 2005 by coaches Dan Grimes, Ty Draney, and Jeff Horsley. In its 5th year, the camp is designed to increase an awareness and appreciation of running with runners attending half hour "mini-clinics." The topics for the "mini-clinics" include a variety of motivational exercises, goal setting, nutrition, racing strategies and tactics, team building activities, proper running form and assessment through video analysis as well as other running related topics. The clinics and camp are designed to develop a more well rounded XC runner. In addition to the clinics, athletes participate in 4 group runs on the myriad of trails branching out from camp and complete various running drills. The camp takes place in the picturesque Caribou National Forest at an elevation of 7,200 feet. The 2009 Camp featured 35 Athletes: 14 from Soda Springs High School, 12 from Idaho Falls High School, 8 from Star Valley, WY High School, and 1 from Madison High School.

D. Grimes (left) and T. Draney (right) lead a group of runners on the Saturday morning run.

B. Siepert having fun or at least pretending she is having fun.

I.F. Coach A. McMurtrey (left) leads a group of IFHS runners.

Q. Clark heads downhill...with a crash looming below.

Notice the road rash on left shoulder and knee? C. Smith (right) helps keep the pace. (Click on picture to enlarge so you can see the results of the crash)

A.P. burns up the downhill.

Summit View participants heading down the canyon.

2009 Summit View Camp Participants and Staff. Camp director J. Horsley gives a big thanks to all the volunteers that helped make this year's camp a huge success...already looking forward to next year!!!

Camp participants and staff trying their best to look "normal."