South Middle School Cross Country

September 14-20: Week Five

September 14, Monday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 15, Tuesday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 16, Wednesday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 17, Thursday: Fall Flite Classic @Jane Addams Junior High School, 700 S Springinsguth Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60193 -- 3:30pm Start

*Students in this meet will be missing 10th period and should let their teachers know in advance. Students will go to the locker rooms to change right after 9th period (bus will leave at 2:05PM)

September 18, Friday: Practice -- 3:00-4:00pm

September 19, Saturday: Troy Invitational @Troy Cronin Elementary School: 210 WEST BLACK ROAD, SHOREWOOD, IL 60404-- 8:00am

*Buses will leave South at 6:30AM for those who need to take the bus

September 21-September 26: Week six

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

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

• Varsity Boys -- 1.5 Mile @3:30pm
• Varsity Girls -- 1.5 Mile @3:45pm
• JV Boys -- 1.5 Mile @4:00pm
• JV Girls -- 1.5 Mile @4:15pm
• Coed 6th Grade -- 1.5 Mile @4:30pm

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

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 productive week of training as we continued building endurance while also working on speed and pacing. With no practice on Monday for Labor Day, athletes returned Tuesday with a long run before completing a 1-mile time trial on Wednesday to measure their progress. Thursday was a recovery day with strides, followed by a tempo run on Friday focused on maintaining a strong, controlled pace. Athletes finished the week with an easy run on Saturday and an easy or optional rest day on Sunday. Overall, athletes completed approximately 13–25 miles for the week.

This week will be a busy and exciting week for our runners, with a mix of endurance, speed work, recovery, and two opportunities to race. We will start Monday with a long run and strides, followed by a VO₂ Max build-up workout on Tuesday designed to get athletes running fast while improving their aerobic fitness. Wednesday will be a recovery day before select athletes compete at the Crusader Fall Flite Classic on Thursday. Athletes not competing Thursday will complete a ladder workout instead. Friday will be another recovery run as we prepare for Saturday’s Troy Invitational, where the entire team is invited to compete. Sunday will be an easy or optional rest day. Athletes will complete approximately 15–30 miles throughout the week.

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

Unfortunately, we are only allowed 40 entries to this meet, meaning we are only allowed to bring 40 athletes to this meet. We will be releasing the list of the athletes who have been entered into this meet at some point this week. We will send out an email when the roster has been finalized. At that point, if your child has been entered into this meet, but you know they cannot attend, please let us know ASAP so we can fill that spot and allow another athlete the opportunity to compete.

We will have a bus to and from this meet. Due to the early start time, athletes in this meet will be leaving school early after 9th period. We ask them to reach out and let their 10th-period teachers know they will be gone and get any missed work from them. While we will have a bus back to South, students will be allowed to leave with their parents from the meet instead of taking the bus back if they wish. Parents MUST first sign out their child (sign-out paper will be located at our team tent) before leaving with said child. IF you would like your child to leave with a different parent/adult who is not their legal guardian, please send us an email with who you are authorizing your child to leave with.

This meet is unlike any other we attend and will use the following time schedule. Please note the flite your child is in (we will post this later this week) and the estimated start time for that flite.

• Open Race – Seventh and Eighth grade girls and boys @3:30
• Seventh flite – Seventh and Eighth grade girls and boys @3:55
• Sixth flite – Seventh and Eighth grade girls and boys @4:15
• Fifth flite – Seventh and Eighth grade girls and boys @4:35
• Fourth flite – Seventh and Eighth grade girls and boys @4:55
• Third flite – Seventh and Eighth grade girls and boys @5:15
• Second flite – Seventh and Eighth grade girls and boys @5:35
• Championship (first) flite – Seventh and Eighth girls and boys @5:55
• Awards Ceremony @6:15

This is the largest invitational we will be attending this year, with over 67 teams and 2000 runners competing, and it's also one of the most exciting! We are allowed unlimited entries into this meet, so WE CAN BRING EVERYONE!!! We are entering everyone into the meet, but if you know your athlete can't attend, no worries; just send us an email.

We will have a bus going to and from this meet, and while students are encouraged to take the bus, parents are allowed to drive athletes if they desire. Students who take the bus to the meet will be allowed to leave with their parents from the meet instead of taking the bus back if they wish. Parents MUST first sign out their child (sign-out paper will be located at our team tent) before leaving with said child. IF you would like your child to leave with a different parent/adult who is not their legal guardian, please send us an email with who you are authorizing your child to leave with.

THE BUS WILL LEAVE SOUTH AT @6:30AM. IF YOU ARE TAKING THE BUS, BE AT SOUTH NO LATER THAN 6:25AM.

All athletes will run in their Grade level race, so please see the schedule below for when your athlete will be competing:

• Course Walk – 8:00 am - 8:45am
• 5th/6th Grade Girls – 9:00am
• 5th/6th Grade Boys – 9:15am
• 7th Grade Girls – 9:30am
• 7th Grade Boys – 9:50am
• 8th Grade Girls – 10:20am
• 8th Grade Boys – 10:50am
• Awards – 11:30 am

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