- Athletics
- Boys Cross Country
GCC Update - District Week!
Thank you to all of the members of the cross country village who pitched in last week. Our final pasta party at the middle school was a success! Special shoutouts to Jackie Miotto and Erin Pickus who have made sure pasta parties happen each week, on time, with enough volunteers to help out. That is only one of the many tasks Jackie and Erin have readily taken on this season. Thank you so much! We would not be the team we are today without you.
Congratulations to all of the Comets on a fabulous season. I am so proud of the growth that we acheived this season. Every single week (and counting...) the average varsity time has gotten faster and faster. Of the fifty-eight members of our team, forty-nine of you ran lifetime personal record times this fall. There also was never a Comet to finish in last place in any race this season, one of our team goals from July. Great work.
Our goal entering this season was to win the conference from a varsity and JV standpoint. We fell short of both of those goals on Saturday. The varsity finished second overall to Medina (40-51) and the JV's finished third overall behind Medina and Mentor. Losing is never something we accept, but it is something that will always happen at some point in our lives and we learn how to deal with it. Despite our losses, there were still a lot of signs of growth. Moving into the post season there is a lot to be excited about from a varsity standpoint based on Saturday's results. Including Comet of the Week and more importantly, Greater Cleveland Conference Champion, Logan Esper. Congratulations Logan! Our goal for this weekend's district championship is a top two finish. Let's get after it.
Although everyone is welcome to continue practing with us through the end of the season, our official roster of competitors and alternates will be capped at ten. Seven athletes will race each week. Three athletes will continue to train as alternates.
Congratulations to the following athletes for earning positions on the post season roster:
Chantz Visse, Logan Esper, Brian Finnerty, Aman Jain, Ben Shafron, Nathan Close, Aden Pickus, Kareem Yousef, Joseph Feng, and David Howell.
*This afternoon, as a varsity team, we will discuss the line-up of the top seven athletes who will compete at the district championship next Saturday before that list is posted online. Excluding injury or illness, the competing roster will not change during the post season.
Practice this week:
*Entire team (Monday - Tuesday)
**Playoff roster (Monday - Friday)
*Monday at Shelter House in South Chagrin Metroparks Reservation. Practice will begin at 3:28 pm and dismiss at 5:30 pm.
*Tuesday meet at the Solon High School visiting bleachers at 3:15 pm we will dismiss from the high school track at 5:30 pm.
**Wednesday - Thursday at Shelter House in South Chagrin Metroparks Reservation. Practice will begin at 3:28 pm and dismiss at 5:30 pm.
**Friday at Shelter House in South Chagrin Metroparks Reservation. Practice will begin at 3:28 pm and dismiss from Coach Seifert's house (35027 Quartermane Circle) after the pasta party.
Reminders:
- Uniforms- Are due at the beginning of Tuesday's practice at the high school. Please bring your clean uniform and warm up with you to practice tomorrow. Athletes who submit their uniform and warm ups at practice will be given a snack and gatorade following the five mile time trial.
- OHSAA practice- All members of our team are invited to practice with the team into the post season, whether you are on the post season roster or not. Two conditions that must be upheld in order to continue practicing with the team: 1. Athletes must attend practice every day. 2. Athletes must complete every part of practice in the correct manner. If you are done racing you are welcome to take time off and rest, but focus and intensity is going to increase during the next three weeks not decrease. Athletes that are not on the playoff roster but wish to continue practicing with the team, must tell Coach Seifert or myself today that they intend on practing. So far I have heard from three athletes that they wish to continue practicing.
- Pasta party: Will be hosted by Coach Seifert at 30527 Quartermane Circle, Solon, Ohio 44139. We will meet at the Shelter House at 3:28 pm for practice and then drive to Coach Seifert's house for the pasta party around 4:45 pm. *Band members please be aware of this schedule and make accomodations for yourself as necessary.
Next weekend: OHSAA District Championship at Trumbull County Fairgrounds
DEPART: 12:30 pm
RETURN: 5:00 pm
RACE: 3:00 pm
*If an athlete is not on the post season roster but wishes to ride the team bus to and from the district championship, he must let Coach Seifert or myself know at today's practice. We will do our best to carry as many members of our team that wish to go as possible, but we only reserved one bus for next weekend. We will let members of the team know if there is room for them on our bus at the beginning of Tuesday's practice.
From this point forward we are not guarenteed anymore races. Every race, may be your last race. Compete like it! Very much looking forward to racing at Districts next weekend.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Go Comets!