Manson Invite - 9.27.14

Liberty Bell XC

Location: Mill Bay Casino - Manson, WA               Date: 9.27.14

Distance: 1.4mi/2.75mi     Conditions: NICE! 60-65 degrees. Sunny. A fast first mile — we think!

Comments: Every course is different… and the “5k” course at Manson’s Mill Bay Casio was different enough that we’ll actually call it 2.75 miles. By that same measure, the middle school ran closer to their intended distance in logging a single 1.4mi loop. In either case, it was a fun and challenging course with several nice hills and a variety of twists and turns. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS/BOYS  - 1.4mi. Middle school runners raced together. Official results and therefore official places were not available, but all of our girls and five of our boys placed in the top ten by gender.

Craig captured the finish times above that should be very close. While the original 1mi mark seemed wrong enough that we didn’t bother recording times, Liberty Bell once again showed great poise and promise throughout the distance. Logan Hall, as our 5th runner over all and 4th boy gets special notice for upping his game in a major way. Last week he went out faster than ever before, and this week his did it again! In rising to this personal challenge, he not only kept Peter in sight, but ended up just 3 seconds behind (28 seconds closer than last week!) and NOT because Peter was having a bad race or has been slowing down. Emerson, Novie, Walker and Peter, with Logan close behind took the top five spots in this inaugural Manson Invitational and each raced with patience and grit worthy of their enthusiasm for the sport. Walker, good job in overcoming the pre-race nerves, and a great first race back from being sick. Lazo, in a more solo effort running between packs of teammates, was also impressive. His 6:43 pace is his quickest XC pace in any effort of the last two years, and he raced well against the field as our 5th runner in the top 10 of the boys competition and the 11th runner over all. Icel, Zach, Sam and Ian, worked impressively as a group through the entire race and, led by Icel’s kick, were a wall of green at the finish line with only 2 seconds difference shared amongst the four. In this scenario as well, Zach and Ian both overcame the intimidation of a faster start, and used that early momentum (AND the company of the group) to notch season-best paces of their own. At 8:04 for her own pacing efforts, Sage Borgias was rolling as well. She dropped nearly 25 seconds per mile from the race in Wenatchee, and will no doubt be dropping below the 8 min threshold very soon. In their second and third races respectively, Larkin and Shay duked it out over the last 400m of the race. Shay’s extra race experience and final kick gave him the nod at the line, but Larkin did the lion’s share of pace work and her kick will develop with another race or two of practice. Watch out!

Larkin, Sage, Icel, and Novie take the podium at the inaugural Manson Invite!

VARSITY / JV GIRLS - 2.75mi.

After missing Wenatchee last weekend, both Koharu and McKenzie improved upon earlier efforts with their Manson performances as well. Koharu - nice work in breaking up the Tonasket pack and in getting yourself a little closer to Letty from Bridgeport. Stronger on the hills today for sure and keep thinking about a good tempo on the flatter sections of the course. Your form held together better today with less heat, and you had a good and decisive kick off of that final turn to the finish. McKenzie, another race and another lesson in the “sometimes” painful longer distances. Good form as well at the finish - especially with your lower legs hurting. It was not apparent in your stride and you drove well with your arms to the line. The lungs will get their soon and you will see your times drop even further in the next several races. 

With four runners in the top 10 and some great tactical running throughout, it was a trophy-style Manson debut by the Liberty Bell high school harriers.

VARSITY / JV BOYS - 2.75mi. 1st place team 38pts.

Lots of blue at the front to start, but those tables would turn in the second mile. A great early pack of lions.

Approaching Saturday’s race like a long workout with a hard second mile, the high school boys executed well. Pacing and then racing - they still came away with 4 runners in the top 10, 6 in the top 14, and 38pts for the team victory and some additional hardware for the trophy case. Everyone moved well from the 1st mile to the 2nd, and with rare exception we either held position or continued to move up over the final mile of the race. Eli Nielsen gets a nod here for his gutsy mid-race push to bridge the gap from Garrett-Emmet up to nearly catching Willy at the finish. Admittedly a little uncertain about his move — but not wanting to be caught again after making it - he locked his sights on Willy and pulled well within striking distance in the final kick. This is commendable for both the challenge and the success of his experiment. These mid-season races are a good time to test your limits and to learn valuable lessons (good and bad) for the championship part of the season. In concert with Eli’s effort, the group running by Garret-Emmet-Eli, Willy-Joe — and on this weekend - Carter-Tim, continues to impress. Whether we help to hold each other in check or assist with pushing the pace at crucial times in the race, our connectivity as teammates this year is a definite asset. Tim, for example, helped Carter to a much stronger second mile, Joe and Willy pushed each other to a much stronger 2nd mile than might have been possible on their own, and Garrett-Emmet not only helped each other, but also set a good stage for Eli’s successful experiment by keeping things under control at the start. Geza and Ben each ran excellent, if slightly more individual races of their own. For Ben, things looked fresher and lighter. Good for a strong acceleration in that tougher 2nd mile with hills and also noticeable in pulling away from Oren over the final climb and finish. And Geza nailed it with his pacing and toughness over the last 2 miles to record his first ever sub-seven minute average. 

Thanks again to all of the parents who made their way down to Manson. Its always great to have a few fans lining the finish area, and we look forward to seeing new faces on both the starting line and the cheering section at the meet this week in Kettle Falls!

Somewhere in the first 400m, Ben sits patiently per the plan.

Photo Collage - Asotin & Wenatchee

Wenatchee Race Report - 9.20.14

Gretta kicks it in!

Liberty Bell XC
Location: Walla Walla Point Park - Wenatchee, WA               Date: 9.20.14
Distance: 1.5mi/3mi Conditions: HOT AGAIN! 80-88+ degrees. Sunny. Light breeze. 

Comments: Another warm one, and our third race in eight days. At 3 miles this was also our longest race so far on the high school side, so we would expect to see the average pace at least a little slower than our Bridgeport efforts from Tuesday afternoon. Down in numbers as well, due to a rash of colds and few prior family commitments, we faced a variety of top notch programs (from 4As Wenatchee and Central Valley to defending 1A State Champions, Medical Lake) and had yet another solid effort that will translate to even better things against league and district competition later in the fall.

Of special note was out first ever 6th grade participation by Liv Aspholm and Lindsay Worrell of Methow Valley Elementary. Liv cruised patiently in second place of the combined 6th grade boys/girls race until sensing the finish and putting on a surge for first. The surge played out just a little early, but she still managed to secure a first place finish in a time of 6:41. Lindsay had an excellent and instructive xc debut as well, but a fast (adrenaline infused!) first 800m may have cost her a bit of wind on the final stretch. Even still she finished 7th over all and 5th among the girls in a time of 7 minutes 58 seconds.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS - 1.5mi. Still rockin’ it even without a full team this week!

Novie and Gretta once again led a solid field of middle school girls, and looked impressive in taking over first and second position at about 800m. A strong finishing kick from both runners is also good to see even without any immediate competition for the line. Icel again, still relatively new to the sport, had an easy stride and makes good use of her arms to drive the pace. Our reigning middle school athlete of the week, she is an excellent teammate and her enthusiasm is contagious. And finally, Sage Borgias, running through the aches and pains (shin splints!) of the early racing season, had her most competitive race to date with a strong and intentional acceleration in the first half. Her opening 8:15 mile is 30 seconds faster than her race last weekend, and soon enough she will hold that and faster to the finish. 

A colorful start to the middle school boys race.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS - 1.5mi. 2nd place team

Emerson is confident but patient, Peter is cruising on relaxed strength, and Logan floats loose and limber as he moves through the field. Three different styles, but each working well for these middle school runners. With a faster field from larger schools, Emerson did well to run at the front and not go too hard too early. Peter caught the tail end of Emerson’s chase pack and stayed tough until a final surge at the finish moved him one place higher in the over all standings. Also working well, and notable for Logan as well as Sam and Ian, is the learning curve of “pace”. Each of these runners has a better sense of their ability to race than they did a 8 days ago in Asotin — and each of them rose to that challenge by starting at least 20-60 seconds faster in the opening mile.To a runner, they each finished with average paces 20-25 seconds faster per mile and in many ways these were some of our most impressive races of the day!

JV BOYS - 3mi.

At just about any point in a race, Tim is looking strong. In another week or two, the 6:08 opening mile is going to average closer to 6:20 for the race rather than the 6:50 for today, and things are headed in an excellent direction. Trent and Geza as well continue to run well-intentioned and strategic races. Yes, overall paces slipped a bit as they did for everyone else, but Trent’s steady rise of nearly 20 spots is a HUGE positive, and Geza ran a gutsy race until the final 800m or so where be was unable to accelerate with much gusto to the finish.

VARSITY BOYS - 3mi. 8th place

With both JV and Varsity races, the biggest positive was our move up through the field from the first mile to the last. We ran within our current abilities and did not crash n’ burn. A big week of racing and the longest race of the year thus far took an expected toll for some in that final kick to the finish, but even still we had some gutsy efforts down the stretch. Ben, be patient with yourself. Your legs will catch up to your innate ability to compete in the next few weeks, and you are running tactically smart which is great to see. Joe, this was a solid effort on your part and you are still strides ahead of your standing at this point last season. Remember to KICK hard at that finish even if it feels like you are relatively by yourself. You are always racing the clock and no doubt there is always someone behind you who is going to try and make a late move. Very good to see you back in front of Sam Thomas from Manson though. Curious to know if you were conscious of him on the course? Willy, an even bigger phase of adapting to racing/training stress for you with the lingering head cold. You are getting better and your times will drop accordingly. Even still, you summoned an excellent kick on the final hill. Emmett, another great race for you being so new to the distances and the near 20 minute race pace efforts! A great job pacing Carter through the early part of the race and a gutsy finish as well. And Carter, these races can hurt. Fact of life. The gazelle in you sprang back to life in the final hill so we know it can run a little more freely through that hardest 2-2.75mi. Good as well to see you a little ahead of your time on this course from last season and you clearly worked hard to stay with Emmett over that final mile.

Emerson, Strong to the finish!

Bridgeport Race Report - 9.16.14

Liberty Bell XC

Location: Bridgeport State Park — Golf Course. Date: 9.16.14

Distance: 2.25mi/1500m Conditions: HOT! 80-85+ degrees. Sunny. Dry. A few rolling hills. Fast and firm, but fairly challenging. 

Comments: Following Asotin with a somewhat flatter and faster Bridgeport course, our results were consistent to form - with a few recognized adjustments - and offered a good preview of important district/regional HS competition for later in the season. It was INDEED a little warm — and while we did a decent job of hydrating - this is an important consideration as we transition over to true fall XC temperatures in Oct. and Nov. It will be warmer again this weekend, but perhaps not quite as hot. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS/GIRLS - No team scores announced - but we scored 17! Boys and girls ran together. 1500m.

ATHLETE 1500 PACE PLACE OVERALL

Emerson Worrell 5:35         5:59* 1

Walker Hall 5:41 6:06* 2

Novie McCabe         5:42         6:07* 3

Peter Aspholm 5:44         6:09* 4

Gretta Shultz 6:02         6:28* 7

Logan Hall 6:18         6:46* 8

Icel Sukavoty 6:53         7:23* 14

Lucy Cole 7:04         7:35* 16

Zach Strong 7:06         7:36* 18

Sam Neitlich 7:09         7:40* 22

Ian Dornfeld 7:48    8:22* 25

Sage Borgias 8:16         8:52** 26

Larkin Lucy 8:25         9:02         27

Shay Crandall 8:45         9:23* 29

No matter how flat and fast the golf course, XC miles are never quite as quick as running on the track. Even so, mile paces in this race were close (and in some cases faster) than our track time trial three weeks earlier. The team is adapting to race pace efforts. Peter Aspholm and Larkin Lucy in particular, are seeing notable improvements with more relaxed form and active arms setting the rhythm for their stride — and everyone is getting good practice at parsing their efforts out over the entire course. Sage Borgias, holding back a bit due to dental work on Monday, did a great job of pacing Shay to his faster goals for the day. Shay started a bit harder than last week and stayed strong to the end. After leading Shay out the gates, Sage finished with more snap in her stride and will be ready to run at fuller effort again this weekend in Wenatchee. Emerson, more patient with his first 500m, finished strong with Walker and Novie both closing hard in the final meters of the race. Stay tall to the finish, Emerson, even when you’re tired. Walker’s leadership with sprint drills/excels at the start line has been very helpful and it is great to see the whole team going through this routine like a bunch of pros! 

Novie, Gretta, and Icel, all picked up right where they left off on Saturday - confident and strong throughout. Impressive for three runners new to the xc format, and exciting to see. In a longer race again this weekend their strengths will pay dividends at the end. And Logan as well - with solid, patient starts - will have even more room to move up in the later stages of the race. 

Zach, Sam and Ian rounded out our middle school boys - each with improved efforts of their own. Zach and Sam have some good potential for pacing each other and it will be good to try that soon. Sam gets out strong and Zach finishes well. By running together, they can push and pull a little bit to urge each other on though the middle of the race - and Ian, once he gets the ankle/arches feeling good and loose, should not be far behind.

Lucy’s knees will be getting a break from competition this weekend. Smooth and easy at the start, the hilly middle took its toll, and we’ll look forward to having her back rested and ready when they feel a little better. 

Cross Country is FUN!

VARSITY GIRLS

ATHLETE       MILE      2 MILE FINISH PACE PLACE

Koharu Yonebayashi 7:13  16:27 18:35 8:16 3 > 8

A hard first mile and a sore knee caught Koharu just a bit off guard. Coach Erik takes some “credit” (with apologies) for the hard start after pointing out the Tonasket team as a good mark for Koharu’s efforts on the day. While this WILL hold true over the course of the season, the strong Tonasket pack will need to be broken down into individual athletes to give Koharu a better sense of progress as the season move forward. The girls from Entiat and Pateros very nicely introduced themselves to Koharu at the start. Lots of small varsity girls teams in the league, and its pretty cool to see the kids reaching out to say hello. 

Even when it hurts... Koharu striding out. Pushing the pace at the mile. 

VARSITY BOYS - 1st place. 37pts

Ben Klemmeck 5:12     11:06 12:31 5:33* 1 > 1

Josiah Klemmeck 5:35     12:04 13:27 5:59         5 > 6

Willy Duguay 5:54     12:10 13:33 6:01* 10 > 7

Garrett Palm 6:11     12:44 13:58 6:12* 15 > 10 

Eli Nielsen 6:11     12:43 13:58 6:12* 16 > 11

Emmet Fink 6:11     12:44 14:14 6:20         17 > 12

Carter Dornfeld 5:58     13:10 14:39 6:31* 15 > 14

Tim Haley 6:12     13:35 14:51 6:36* 18 > 16

Trent Skelton 6:50     14:32 16:06 7:09          31 > 29

Geza Sukavoty 6:50     14:32 16:11 7:12          32 > 30

With just two days between races we wouldn’t expect dramatic changes to pace etc. but hotter temps and a generally faster first mile were notable factors for sure. Overall pace improvements are marked* above, but the changes were small and relative consistency is great while we work on fitness, racing form, and tactics. 

Emmett Fink logged his first race of the season and was a strong teammate for Garrett and Eli in a trio that will turn heads in the later part of the season. Strong pack running this early is excellent. Moving 3 kids up 5 total places from mile one to the finish means 15 fewer points in your team score. Great, patient work by all. It will be a challenge that pays big dividends if these kids can keep track of each other again in the larger Wenatchee field this weekend. Talk. Keep yours heads up, and continue to help each other out. 

Running from the front relatively early, Ben recovered well from a 5:13 opening mile. While unexpectedly chasing Oats from Lake Roosevelt, he made good adjustments to the pre-race plan and finished strong.  A very well-paced race for Willy, with Joe getting out perhaps a little strong but holding very tough to both his efforts and his ethics. Notable for all are the solid performances of Oats, Cox, Thomas, and Swanson. A little more strength to the field will only serve us well at the end of the season, and competing with these kids will be important measures for Joe and Willy in the next few races with similar teams.

Carter and Tim are running close at the end, but have entirely different races. Still a little fast at the start for Carter and it hurts the most at 1.5-2mi. A better finish with less early push. Solid again from Tim with a GREAT extended kick at the end. Spread that effort a little more throughout the race. Would like to see you try running with a teammate. Maybe Carter? Garrett? this weekend. 

And finally, Trent and Geza cont. to impress with another solid race around the 7min pacing mark. Both will dip below that line in the coming weeks. Trent, a good job staying loose and fast at the end. And Geza, your acceleration into the finish was noted as well. Dig deep and start that kick a little earlier in Wenatchee.

And keeping it loose is key. Good to see smiles at the Bridgeport start.

Asotin Race Report - 9.13.14

Sam Neitlich charges past the mile!

Liberty Bell XC

Location: Chief Timothy Park — 8 mi west of Clarkston, WA Date: 9.13.14 Distance: 2.6/1.6mi Conditions: 60-70+ degrees. Sunny. Dry. “Bugger” Hill(s)!

Comments: Our first race of the year and the newly HUGE Liberty Bell XC team had a fine showing all around. “Patience” guided the contest on the shores of Chief Timothy Island, and by that measure - and many others - it was a successful campaign and an excellent start to the racing season. With a flat 1/2 mile on pavement and lots of wide open dirt trails, faster overall speeds were tempered by a large hill a just before the 1mi mark for middle school and 2mi for the high school runners.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS - 2nd place. 56pts

ATHLETE         MILE  FINISH  PACE  PLACE
Novie McCabe  6:41  10:24  6:30 1
Gretta Shultz 6:52    10:46  6:44   2
Icel Sukavoty 8:23  12:46  7:59  14
Sage Borgias 8:42  13:28  8:25  23
Lucy Cole 8:06  13:36    8:30  24

With debut jr. high runs for Novie, Gretta, and Icel the Liberty Bell middle school girls have a scoring team this year - and will be a force throughout the season. Sage’s leadership, enthusiasm, and pacing were evident from the start and she and Icel both provided some important late-race encouragement to teammate Lucy Cole. After an excellent start, knee problems for Lucy put a damper on her mid-race abilities. A determined mindset and the company of teammates carried her to the finish and gave the team 5 runners and a scoring result. Only 3 points separated 1st-3rd place in this race, with the Liberty Bell girls finishing just behind Clarkston and just ahead of Lewiston. Its VERY exciting to have a full compliment of middle school girls in the mix this year, and we look forward to Larkin Lucy joining this group for her first race of the season in Bridgeport!

Great form Shay!

  

   Driving knees and strong arms lead
    Zach past a crowd on the final hill.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS - 3rd place. 84pts

Walker Hall 6:33  10:19 6:27 4
Peter Aspholm 6:49  10:36 6:38 9
Emerson Worrell 6:33  10:48 6:45 12
Logan Hall 7:38   11:49 7:23 28
Lazo Gitchos 7:55   12:10 7:36 40
Zach Strong 8:10   12:53 8:03 52
Sam Neitlich 8:34   13:19 8:19 60
Ian Dornfeld 9:15   14:16 8:55 75
Shay Crandall 10:17 15:40 9:48 90

Seven more middle school debuts in this event, with a strong mix of 7th & 8th grade performances leading to a season-opening 3rd place finish against some tough competition. Excitement sometimes trumps the plan, and Emerson Worrell’s 200+ mile summer might  have taken him out the first 800m a little faster than desired. The “bugger” hill did some damage, but a subtle slip from 5th to 12th in the last half mile is something to build upon. Walker and Peter, in admirable debuts, stayed within themselves early and closed hard from the hill top to the finish. Logan floats with ease, and along with Lazo and Zach was right in the thick of it with the competition. For comparison sake - because we can - Lazo and Zach’s first races last year averaged 7:45 and 8:15 pace respectively. In this year’s opener they each ran nearly 12 sec. faster per mile on a much hillier and harder course. Sam, Ian, and Shay, new as well to XC this fall, stayed loose and ran tough. Shay’s goal to run a faster second half was totally on the mark, and those times for everyone are only going to fall as the season unfolds. We’ll welcome Jude Klemmeck to his first competition of the year on 9/20 in Wenatchee.

VARSITY GIRLS

Koharu Yonebayashi 7:24  16:10 21:10 8:08 24

Retuning to Liberty Bell after running here in 8th grade, Koharu was nervous but composed in her opening race of the new season. With some tough competition in the girls varsity field, Koharu settled in at the mile and finished well in the middle of the pack. Good form pays dividends late in the race, and Koharu is strong and on top of her stride. A few more weeks of racing and a good look at our regional competition in the coming weeks will give Koharu a solid set of goals to chase for the rest of the season. 

VARSITY BOYS - 3rd place. 81pts

Ben Klemmeck 5:32    11:28 14:40 5:38 8

Josiah Klemmeck 5:47    11:56 15:23 5:55 11

Willy Duguay 6:07    12:39 16:11 6:13 19

Garrett Palm 6:11    12:54 16:31 6:21 22

Eli Nielsen 6:10     12:55 16:33 6:22 24

Carter Dornfeld 6:20     13:10 17:50 6:52 37

With four varsity returnees, we wanted to give this group an early-season look at last year’s State runner up - Asotin - and individual champion, Chandler Teigen. As it turns out, the 20pt separation between these teams at State proved similar here, with Idaho 5A Lewiston leading the way (41pts) followed by Asotin (60pts) and LBHS (81). And this is EXCELLENT! Ben was wisely patient with the first hilly mile, suffered perhaps a bit on the “bugger” at mile 2, but was right back on form and opening his stride to start the downhill to the finish. Josiah kicks things off with an average pace nearly 30 sec. faster per mile than his first race from 2013, and after a solid summer of triathlon training, is going to ROCK IT! Willy, Garrett and Eli round out a top five that is currently much tighter than our scoring 5 from last year, and we are only just getting started with honing our team tactics and racing savvy for the season ahead. Garrett and Eli -brand new to varsity XC - with Eli building upon his 8th grade experience and DOUBLING the distance that he has to cover - are solid! Teammates make a huge difference out there, and it was great to see these two running strong together throughout the race. Carter starts his 10th grade year with some renewed vigor, and we can’t wait to get his training just a little further along so that his finishing kick keeps up with his ambition. Like Ben and Willy, Carter’s 1st race of the season was quite comparable to last year’s debut and that is an excellent place to begin. Ben, Joe and Willy — maybe others as well — also passed at least a racer or two in the final surge to the finish. Tough running all around and a great start to the season. 

JV BOYS

Tim Haley 6:30    13:30 17:22 6:41 5

Trent Skelton 7:00    14:24 18:31 7:07 11

Geza Sukavoty 7:00    14:20 18:32 7:08 12

Summer miles are good for you! And so it goes for Tim’s high school XC debut. His 6:41 pace per mile is actually 3 sec faster per mile than his first 1.5 mile race from 8th grade. With continued commitment and dedication to the sport, he will be challenging for a spot on the varsity roster in the weeks ahead. Trent Skelton - a state champion wrestler who we are very grateful to have joining us as a fall “get my butt into killer shape” alternative to football - got his first taste of XC and has seriously untapped potential. In our 1mi time trial two weeks back, Trent ran 7:30 pace. On Saturday, he average 7:07 for 2.6mi. Good stuff, and we are looking forward to wrestling/XC teammate Emmet’s Fink’s debut on Tuesday in Bridgeport. Not to be outdone by the likes of Josiah Klemmeck, Geza Sukavoty improved upon his 2013 debut by 44 sec. per mile. After averaging 7:51 in a 2.8mi race last year, Geza is running strong already with a 7:07 average mile. With persistence and patience, it will be a pleasure to see how low he can go with each coming week. 

JV GIRLS

McKenzie W. 9:00 19:19   25:07 9:49 7

And McKenzie gets some serious props for completing her first race longer than 400m! New to track in her 8th grade spring, we are excited to have McKenzie out with our high school crew. Great form and effort on the hill may have sapped some strength for the last 1/2 mile, but pacing will come and with it she is going to see dramatic drops in her time as the season unfolds.