South Middle School Cross Country

September 21-September 26: Week 6

September 21, Monday: NO SCHOOL ***OPTIONAL*** Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 22, Tuesday:Meet vs Lincoln & Thomas @South 3:30 -- 5:00pm

• Varsity Boys -- 1.5 Mile @3:30pm
• Varsity Girls -- 1.5 Mile @3:45pm
• JV Boys (All boys not in the Varsity Race) -- 1.5 Mile @4:00pm
• JV Girls (All girls not in the Varsity Race) -- 1.5 Mile @4:15pm

September 23, Wednesday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 24, Thursday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 25, Friday: Meet of Champions @Deer Grove East (Palatine) 4:15 PM start

• Boys Junior Varsity -- 1.5 Miles @4:15 PM
• Girls Junior Varsity -- 1.5 Miles @4:35 PM
• Boys Varsity -- 2.0 Miles @4:55 PM
• Girls Varsity -- 2.0 Miles @5:20 PM
• Co-Ed Beginners -- 1.0 Miles @5:45 PM
• Awards after conclusion of last race

September 28-October 3: Week 7

September 28, Monday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 29, Tuesday: Meet vs Plum Grove @South 3:30 -- 5:00pm

• 6/7th Girls -- 1.5 Mile @3:30pm
• 6/7th Boys -- 1.5 Mile (following the conclusion of the girls' race)
• 8th Girls -- 2 Mile (following the conclusion of the boys' race)
• 8 Boys -- 2 Mile (following the conclusion of the girls' race)

***6th & 7th graders can move up to the 8th grade 2 mile race if they wish***

September 30, Wednesday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

October 1, Thursday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

October 2, Friday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

October 3, Saturday: Fox Trot Invite @Yorkville (last regular season meet)

• Bus Leaves South @7:00am
• JV Girls @ 9AM
• JV Boys @ 9:30AM
• Varsity Girls @ 10AM
• Varsity Boys @ 10:30AM
• Open Girls @ 11AM
• Open Boys @ 11:30AM

Physicals: Students need an active physical on file with the Nurse's Office BEFORE they are allowed to participate in Cross Country. To be current and active, the Physical must be from 9/2025 or after (physicals are considered current & active for 13 months and must be current for the entire season). Parents can turn in physical forms to the Front Office/Health Office, have students turn them in to the coaches, or email them in. If a student does not have an active physical on file, they will NOT be allowed to participate until they have an active physical on file in the Nurses' Office.

Last week was a busy and exciting week for our runners, with a great mix of endurance, speed work, recovery, and racing. We started with a long run and strides on Monday, followed by a VO₂ Max build-up workout on Tuesday. On Thursday, select athletes competed extremely well at the Crusader Fall Flite Classic, where we saw a ton of PRs!

The entire team then competed at the Troy Invitational on Saturday, and despite the extremely wet, rainy, and muddy conditions, we saw even more PRs. Saturday was especially fun because everyone got to experience a real muddy & messy cross-country race! It was great seeing our runners embrace the conditions, compete hard, and have fun with it. Athletes completed approximately 15–30 miles for the week.

Here is the weekly mileage and workout plan (subject to change).

This meet will be one of our only home meets of the season. With the meet starting promptly at 3:30, we ask that athletes stay at school until their race, instead of going home. This helps prevent athletes from missing their race. We would love to have everyone stay and cheer on their teammates, but athletes are allowed to leave after they have done their cool-down and stretches after their race. At this time, the meeting will have the following rolling schedule:

• Varsity Boys -- 1.5 Mile @3:30pm
• Varsity Girls -- 1.5 Mile @3:45pm
• JV Boys (All boys not in the Varsity Race) -- 1.5 Mile @4:00pm
• JV Girls (All girls not in the Varsity Race) -- 1.5 Mile @4:15pm

On Friday, we will be at Deer Grove East Forest Preserve for the first annual Palatine Pack Meet of Champions. This should be a fun meet on a great and historic course.

Please see below for the meet schedule:

• Boys Junior Varsity -- 1.5 Miles @4:15 PM
• Girls Junior Varsity -- 1.5 Miles @4:35 PM
• Boys Varsity -- 2.0 Miles @4:55 PM
• Girls Varsity -- 2.0 Miles @5:20 PM
• Co-Ed Beginners -- 1.0 Miles @5:45 PM
• Awards after conclusion of last race

The Varsity race is only allowed 10 runners per team, but we are allowed unlimited entries for the JV & Open races. This means that we will be able to enter everyone in this meet. We will send out the finalized roster for who will be in the Varsity Race later in the week once it is finalized.

We are working on getting bus transportation to this meet, but as of right now, there is NOT a bus to and from this meet. Meaning athletes will need to arrange their own transportation to and from the meet. IF THIS CHANGES, AND WE CAN SECURE A BUS, WE WILL SEND OUT AN EMAIL UPDATE.

Layers of clothing, running watch, water bottle(s), and GOOD RUNNING SHOES (from a store like Dick Pond Athletics or Fleet Feet). Fall in Northern Illinois is all over the place (sometimes extremely hot, sometimes extremely cold), so ALWAYS BRING LAYERS and DRESS FOR THE WEATHER. We cannot stress enough how important it is to bring all types of clothes in case we are practicing in hotter/colder/inclement/wet weather. We suggest always bringing a second pair of socks and other clothes to change into after a meet, especially when it may rain. It is extremely important to watch the weather throughout the week, and dress for the weather.

In the beginning of the season, when it is hotter out, make sure you are drinking enough water. You need to drink more water when it's hot and sunny, so be sure to have plenty of water throughout the day at school, not just at practice.

Make sure to wear a nice pair of gym or running shoes. Running shoes from a running store are best. Shoes must be replaced every 300-400 miles for distance runners, so new shoes must be purchased every season for injury prevention. Please make sure you label all items with the athlete’s name.

Cross Country Spikes are OPTIONAL, but we do recommend them as they help prevent slips and falls on cross country courses. XC Spikes can also be purchased at a running shoe store or online.

We follow all district and IESA safety guidelines in regards to inclement weather (SEE HERE).

All practice and meet cancellations will be posted on Schoology by 2:00pm at the LATEST. Until there is a post announcing that we are canceling practice or a meet, we are still having practice or meet. We do not cancel for light/moderate rain or snow, but may for moderate to heavy rain, extreme heat/cold, unhealthy air quality, and we will certainly delay and/or cancel due to lightning*.

While we do try to get meets in when possible, as they are difficult to reschedule and most meets/invites do not have rain dates, safety is our top priority. We monitor the radar and forecast continuously throughout the day, as the weather can change radically and rapidly, to make a determination on what the safest course of action is, based on the most up-to-date information and forecast.

*For lightning that appears during meets & practices, we abide by the 30-minute delay rule. We shelter and delay for 30 minutes after every strike within 10 miles. We can only start again 30 minutes after the last strike. For every strike, the 30 minute timer restarts.

When a bus we take busses to meets, all athletes are expected to ride the bus to and from that meet or have a form signed saying who will be bring them to and from meets. There will be a few meets where athletes will need to arrange their own transportation to and from said meets. We will be communicating to athletes and parents during the week if a meet will have bus transportation or not.

Athletes represent our school and our community in all things we say and do. Good sportsmanship is expected on and off the Track. Explicit/disrespectful language and behavior is UNACCEPTABLE. It is not who we are as Cardinals, and can get individuals and/or the team disqualified from races and meets if overheard by an official.

Cardinals are expected to follow the Cardinal Way (Being Mindful, Safe and Ready) inside and OUTSIDE of the classroom. This means on the on the track at meets, talking to officials at meets, at practice, in the locker rooms, on the bus, and out in the community.

When we visit other schools for meets, it is expected that we leave our team camp area cleaner than when we got there.

When leaving campus for distance runs, it is expected that athletes are responsible, safe, and respectful, and mindful of our neighbors and their yards/property.

Athletes must use caution when communicating with others through social media—what they do and say online is also a reflection of themselves and the program.

Cardinals, lead by example and if you see something, say something; to a fellow teammate, a parent, or coach. Don't let your teammates bring you and the team down.

Website: https://www.sd25.org/domain/574
Location: South Middle School, South Highland Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL, USA
Phone: (847) 398-4250
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AHSD25
Twitter: @AHSD25South