TMS Pride of the Wolfpack
July 10, 2026
Dear Timberwolf Parents:
We are happy to invite your child to participate in the 2026 Thomas Cross Country season starting this August.
Cross Country is a non-cut sport open to 6th- 8th graders. We practice daily, and except for a couple of Invitationals and the postseason, everyone participates in most of the meets. Cross Country is a great opportunity to enjoy a healthy, outdoor activity, meet new people, and represent your school as part of a team. We are extremely proud of our athletes and of this program. Our program has placed in the top 5 at the IESA State Finals repeatedly including our girls championship teams in 2023 & 2024, and our boys 2nd place team in 2023.
Please read this letter carefully as it contains everything you need to know for your child to successfully participate on the TMS Cross Country team.
High School Summer Camps
- AHYAA Cross Country Summer Camp
- Buffalo Grove HS Summer Athletic Camp Info
REGISTRATION
- Please complete this form to register your child.
- Student login is d25(first name)(4 digit number)@student.sd25.org (this is the same as it was for your elementary school). Example: d25annabel1685@student.sd25.org
- This form MUST be completed before participating in practices.
PHYSICALS
- Athletes must have a current physical BEFORE they can participate in ANY practices.
- Physicals are good for 13 months, so “current” for the cross-country season means a physical dated after 9/15/25.
- A school nurse will be on hand to accept physicals from 7:00-7:15 AM on the first day of practice on Monday, August 10th, 2026 at Hasbrook Park.
- Physicals can be submitted to the TMS office before Monday, August 4th, or uploaded to the TMS Health Office form linked here.
SUMMER RUNNING
The goal of summer running is to build a strong aerobic base, stay healthy, and arrive at the start of the season ready to train and compete. Follow these tips and workouts to get started.
PRACTICE
- In order to best prepare for our season, all athletes are invited (but NOT required) to attend practices before school starts beginning Monday, August 10, 2026 (see calendar below).
- Please note: our preseason practices will be at Hasbrook Park. Athletes should meet on the North side at the tennis courts. If an athlete cannot attend practices before school begins, that’s okay as we understand there may be scheduling conflicts.
CALENDAR
- 2026 Thomas XC calendar
- Please note that this calendar is currently a work in progress. Dates and times are subject to slight modifications, so we recommend checking back regularly for the latest updates.
JERSEY FEE
- Athletes new to the team should be prepared to purchase a $25 jersey.
- If you have one from XC 2025 or Track 2026- YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY A NEW ONE.
- If your family needs financial assistance, please let one of the coaches know. We will have these available to purchase during the week of August 10.
COMMUNICATION (Via the REMIND APP)
- We’ve started a NEW Remind group, and this is the primary method of communication with parents, so please sign up ASAP.
- Please download the Remind App and join the ThomasXC2026 (class code: 37d9h97).
- Students under 13 have restricted accounts and cannot send messages or receive direct messages; they can only receive class-wide/group-wide announcements.
HYDRATION
- Summer and Fall are warm and humid times and it is critical to hydrate before, during, and after running. Runners should bring plenty of water with them to every practice and meet.
- A 16-oz. water bottle is NOT enough on those hot and humid days.
- If we need to cancel practice during the school day, we will send an announcement on Remind, at lunch, and over the school PA at the end of the day.
Conflicting Sports for Girls
- SOFTBALL: Unfortunately, it will not be possible for girls to compete in both softball and cross country.
- BASKETBALL: For 7th and 8th grade girls, while the girls basketball season conflicts with cross country, IT IS POSSIBLE to do both as basketball starts later in our season. If you are interested in trying out for basketball, we would recommend joining cross country and then tryout for bball (September 15th-16th). If you make the team, you can then play basketball. A select few athletes may choose to continue with cross country and basketball. This will require some coordination with the coaches, but we are willing to make this work. We’ve had several athletes in the past do this with much success.
Thank you! We look forward to another successful cross-country season!
Todd Slowinski tslowinski@sd25.org
Becky Fahnoe rfahnoe@sd25.org
Sarah Dunn sdunn@sd25.org