Wenatchee Invite (MS) - 9/16/2023

 Wenatchee Invite – 9/16/2023

 

Course Length – 1.55 miles

 

General Notes – The course features lots of rolling inclines with only one significant hill right at the finish. With the exception of some brief pavement crossings, the course runs on grass from start to finish. All middle school athletes completed one lap of the 2500m course. Athletes had lots of chances to be cheered on while running, particularly in the last mile of the race. The weather during the middle school races wasn’t too warm, but it did heat up over the day. This meet was a bit larger, particularly for the 7th and 8th grade races. In general, Liberty Bell did a great job of not going out too fast and was able to use the saved energy to move up through the field during the second half of the race.

   

The Liberty Bell 6th Grade Girls did not have a scoring team. Pioneer was the only scoring team and won. There were 15 athletes in the race.

 

Liberty Bell 6th Grade Boys won with a score of 18. Walter Strom was 2nd with a score of 45. There were 24 athletes and 3 scoring teams in the race.

 

The Liberty Bell 7th Grade Girls did not have a scoring team. Harrison was the only scoring team and won. There were 33 athletes in the race.

 

The Liberty Bell 7th Grade Boys did not have a scoring team. Pioneer won with 35 points. There were 51 athletes and 6 scoring teams in the race.

 

Liberty Bell 8th Grade Girls won with a score of 23. Housel was 2nd with a score of 43. There were 32 athletes and 3 scoring teams in the race.

 

Liberty Bell 8th Grade Boys were 2nd with a score of 56. Pioneer won with a score of 35. There were 56 athletes and 6 scoring teams in the race.

Karen – One mile: 6:48. Finish: 10:36, 3rd place. Average: 6:50.

You look so smooth when you run. It is just a pleasure to watch. You kept almost a

perfectly even pace over each part of the course. That is hard to do and was quite

impressive. And of course, you came in the top 3!

Lena – One mile: 6:14. Finish: 10:16, 1st place. Average: 6:37.

Woah, what a gutsy race. It was impressive to see your confidence to take the race out so hard. I know it might not have been the end result you wanted but use it as a learning experience. I have no doubt with more races you will get your pacing strategy locked in. And, congrats on winning your race!

Elliot V – One mile: 8:35. Finish: 13:26, 19th place. Average: 8:40.

A fantastic first race effort. At the one mile I saw you struggle a bit but then you

made up your mind and kept almost the same pace for the last half mile. If you keep

up the good work in practice you will just get better.

Hudson – One mile: 6:14. Finish: 9:54, 1st place. Average: 6:23.

Great job! You won your first race, very impressive. I enjoyed seeing the teamwork between you, Thorsen, and Lina throughout the race. You had a very strong finish. I’m excited to see you progress throughout the season! 

Tova – One mile: 7:30. Finish: 11:58, 6th place. Average: 7:43.

Great first xc race! I thought you looked very composed and like an experienced racer out there. You had such a strong finish and finished in the top 10! Keep up the hard work.

Zoe – One mile: 8:15. Finish: 12:50, 14th place. Average: 8:17.

Wow! You ran this course almost 41 seconds faster this year than last. You kept a

perfectly even pace and looked strong at the finish. You have truly turned into a

racer.

Crispin – One mile: 6:44. Finish: 10:43, 5th place. Average: 6:55.

Nice racing!  I think you ran a very smart race. You started conservative and then were able to work your way up throughout the race.  You looked very relaxed and liked you were enjoying yourself. It was so great to see how excited you were after the race! That’s the joy of racing. 

 

Enzo – One mile: 9:02. Finish: 14:07, 37th place. Average: 9:06.

Great first cross-country race. You ran the entire course and you were able to keep

the same pace throughout. You looked especially strong at the finish. Keep working

on the overall fitness and you will be able to increase your pace in future faces.

Madie – One mile: 7:21. Finish: 11:30, 11th place. Average: 7:25.

Great racing out there. It was awesome to see you work with Elsa and Maren through the first mile. Your goal was to run a steady race and you definitely succeeded at that. Awesome finish up the hill!

Maren – One mile: 7:22. Finish: 11:42, 13th place. Average: 7:33.

I loved the way you tucked in with Maddie and Elsa and helped each other out. You

looked strong through the first mile and then right at the finish. Keep working hard in

practice and you will get stronger and stronger.

Kimball – One mile: 7:07. Finish: 11:15, 37th place. Average: 7:15.

Great run with a 30 second improvement over the same race last year! You looked

strong throughout the race and especially at the finish. Your hard work in practice

certainly shows.

Elliot P – One mile: 8:09. Finish: 12:45, 48th place. Average: 8:14.

Wow, what a great start to your season! Over a minute faster than the same race last year and you kept a fairly consistent pace. You looked like you were enjoying yourself out there. I’m excited to see what all you accomplish this season. Keep up the hard work!

6th Grade Boys

 

Eldon – One mile: 7:22. Finish: 11:30, 8th place. Average: 7:25.

 

Preston – One mile: 6:35. Finish: 10:20, 4th place. Average: 6:40.

 

Finnbarr – One mile: 7:08. Finish: 11:25, 7th place. Average: 7:22.

 

Liam – One mile: 6:42. Finish: 10:33, 5th place. Average: 6:48.

 

Thorsen – One mile: 6:12. Finish: 9:54, 2nd place. Average: 6:23.

 

7th Grade Girls

 

Sutherland – One mile: 7:43. Finish: 12:02, 7th place. Average: 7:46.

8th Grade Girls

 

Posey – One mile: 6:55. Finish: 11:04, 5th place. Average: 7:08.

Sammy – One mile: 6:29. Finish: 10:17, 1st place. Average: 6:38.

 

Anja – One mile: 7:06. Finish: 11:08, 6th place. Average: 7:11.

 

Elsa – One mile: 7:23. Finish: 11:48, 15th place. Average: 7:37.

 

Nina – One mile: 7:04. Finish: 11:08, 7th place. Average: 7:11.

 

Bhavana – One mile: 9:03. Finish: 14:13, 29th place. Average: 9:10.

 

8th Grade Boys

Dylan – One mile: 9:03. Finish: 14:31, 53rd place. Average: 9:22.

 

Cassius – One mile: 6:40. Finish: 10:31, 25th place. Average: 6:47.

 

Landon – One mile: 6:32. Finish: 10:17, 22nd place. Average: 6:38.

 

River – One mile: 5:47. Finish: 9:18, 4th place. Average: 6:00.

 

Soren – One mile: 5:29. Finish: 8:40, 2nd place. Average: 5:35.

 

Luke – One mile: 6:22. Finish: 10:12, 18th place. Average: 6:35.

 

Wenatchee Invitational @ Walla Walla Point Park - 9/16/23

RACE COURSE: Walla Walla Point Park, 5km. A course we’ve run many times before, with a long out-n’-back section and a few tight turns in the second half of the loop. Mostly grass with just a few quick sidewalk crossings. A firmer and shorter ground/grass than some other times, but still soft. Hot, with a slight haze and temps near 90 and just enough breeze to keep it from being oppressive.

OVERALL: On a warm afternoon with a lot of racers brand new to 5k XC and a very crowded total field of 41 teams and almost 1700 runners (6th-12th) grade, Liberty Bell XC had a pretty excellent day :) There are certainly things to fix, a few minor injuries to heal, and a series of other races, practices, and school/event schedules to navigate, but the season is rolling and we are right in the mix. Keep coming to practice. Keep working hard. Keep talking to us and each other about how things are feeling, and keep the good vibes coming.

 

JV BOYS (9/10): 240 Finishers - 9th place as a team. 80 more boys in this race than there were in 2021

Kyler: 20:29, 37th place, 1st mile: 5:53, Overall: 6:36
GRRR! Not what you wanted for your first race, but thank you especially for taking the lead with the 9th grade group. I hope that running further didn’t make things worse. Super positive that you felt good with a sub-six opening mile, but we might have to take a step back here for a bit to get that calf better before we push too much again.

Sam: 49th place, 20:52, PR, first mile: 6:37; overall pace: 6:43
An impressive debut 5k, and showing some real potential for you to drop a lot more time as the season unfolds. You ran smart and composed – never looking like you got dragged out too hard or were unable to navigate the longer distance. Likewise, your 6:37 opening mile to 6:43 average is IMPRESSIVELY well-paced and probably means that somewhere down the road you will be able to get out even a little quicker but still hold one. A very nice job in keeping it loose and not getting sucked along too quickly in your first-ever HS race!

Sorry, Liam, my focal point was WAY off when I tried to get your photo. Next time, I promise!

Liam: 63rd place, 21:18, PR, first mile: 6:49; overall pace: 6:51
An excellent first 5k, Liam! Super well-paced as well - in that your average time was very much similar to your mile. You found the sweet spot early for what seemed like a doable pace and you raced well with those around you - also seeming to move up well through the pack! Sometimes running even like this means that you will pass tons of people - especially in the middle part of the race. Don’t be surprised if your workout times get a little quicker after this excellent benchmark performance. Your race shows that you can run quicker on the intervals and still handle it :)

Orlo: 137th place, 23:44, PR, first mile: 7:47; overall pace: 7:38
Congrats on the first HS 5k, Orlo, and also on your approach to keeping it loose and fun. You also had TONS of speed and really opened up that stride in impressive fashion of the final stretch from the volleyball courts to the hill. As Dexter pointed out – and as the current difference between your opening 7:47 mile and your 7:38 average shows – you can probably try to get out a little more quickly the next race. We’ll plan to target something like 23 minutes for the goal and see what that kind of pace/split will feel like in the next one. Great work overall and hopefully the stage managing was equally successful!

 


Finn: 187th place, 25:33, first mile: 7:49; overall pace: 8:13
45 seconds faster than your first 5k race of the season here at Wenatchee in 2022, and you just rolled with a lot more confidence and comfort level for the distance! You found people to race and you could tell in your face that you were competing the whole way through – which was further evidenced by your post-race annoyance with the runner from Hanford or Wenatchee :) Getting a little fierce or mad about a good back’n’fourth is a good thing. It means that you care and that you are striving. Keep up the great work; keep using those arms like you did at the finish, and the seconds are going to drop away race-by-race!

JV BOYS (11/12): 177 Finishers



Omar: 28:20, 165th place, 1st Mile: 8:32, Overall: 9:08
Great job, Omar. We talked about this a little already, but with a one-minute thirty-second improvement from your time here last year, you just know this distance better now and you know how to fight through the suck when it hurts! Also, an awesome example of you adapting and getting more used to the feel of racing. Your average split of 9:08 here was over 40 seconds faster than your time trial mile at Big Valley, and you kicked your 5k season off in excellent fashion. Keep using those arms to set the rhythm of the legs!

GIRL’S VARSITY: 141 finishers, 18 complete teams.
A super hot day of running and lots of tenacious efforts out there. We finished 13th as a team, just 5 points out of 11th, against some very big high school teams. It was a good season-opener…we all learned a lot!

Leki: 15th place, 20:35, first mile: 6:20; overall pace: 6:38
Such a well-executed first 5K of the season. You got out in the perfect spot, just inside the top 25, and then as you realized you were feeling strong and good, you moved up patiently. You ran a super impressive last mile, pushing up by the tennis courts and then using that gradual down to really open up. And, the best part was that after the race you felt good and excited. Take this one as a real confidence booster — it’s ok to say you are feeling good again and you’re setting the table for a great senior season.



Sandra: 74th place, 22:49, first mile: 6:59; overall pace: 7:24
Excellent job staying in it even when you weren’t feeling your best. It looked to me like somewhere after the mile you just didn’t feel great but you did an awesome job of rallying when Samra joined you and it was terrific to see Liberty Bell running together there for a bit. You’ve been putting in really hard work at these first few weeks of practice, so while I know this race was frustrating for you, trust that racing will start to feel better soon. It will. You are a fierce competitor (as evidenced by your huge kick up the hill) and soon enough your legs and lungs will feel more refreshed and ready to go.

Samra: 75th place, 22:49, first mile: 7:07; overall pace: 7:24
We learned that you are a smart and savvy racer! You did a terrific job of getting out in the pack well, right where we talked about, and then you just looked stronger and stronger as the race progressed. You were patient and consistent and competitive. You looked so focused and like you were racing in each phase of the course. Don’t spend a moment comparing times this year to last year — every course and race are different (that’s what makes XC fun!). This was a terrific opener and with the hard work you are putting in at practice, you’ll see the times drop steadily through the season.

Alida: 102nd place, 24:51, PR, first mile: 7:22; overall pace: 8:00
Terrific first high school varsity 5K — and in the heat, which you said is not your favorite! That second mile in Wenatchee is a tough one — lots of gradual up and long stretches there — and you did a great job of digging in and sticking right with it. We learned that you have tremendous focus and a motor that just keeps going. This is a strong high school opener and a mark we can use to just get faster as the season goes.

Ingrid: 103rd place, 24:52, first mile: 7:22; overall pace: 8:00
A 15-second PR on this course over last year — and this was a much tougher day of conditions with the heat. Congrats! You did a great job of getting out well but not being tempted to get out too hard — you were out about 10 seconds faster than last year, which is totally reasonable. Excellent to see you running with a teammate. One thing I noticed that we can work on: it looked like in the middle of the race you shortened your stride and your arms got tighter—whereas that day last week when we did the 400 workout on the grass, you kept your stride open. We’ll focus on some cues to remind you that even when you are tired, you can use your leg stride and arms to keep the rhythm going.

Sorry, Yasmin, like Liam, my photos of you were all totally out of focus. Next time, I promise!

Yasmin: 140th place, 31:58, first mile: 8:27; overall pace: 10:17
That heat was a beast today and that made for a tough go for you out there. It’s been an exhausting week with Outward Bound and everything just sort of combined to make for a really hard day. We’re sorry the racing experience was not good — and we hope that you will stick with it. You are so very determined and you know from last year that racing can feel better. Let’s get a few more good consistent weeks of running and workouts in and we know you will be able to find some joy in it again. Thanks for talking with us afterwards and please know we do trust you to call it a day if a race is ever feeling really terrible again.

*****

VARSITY BOYS: 179 Finishers. 12th place out of 26 teams!

Some positives and negatives for sure, but overall a great way to start the season. True to form, our races on Saturday put us right in the mix of the top four teams in the state, and we will be working all season to be the best team that we can be when it matters at the end. Thanks for your great efforts out there on Saturday!

 

Dexter: 16:20, PR, 6th place, 1st Mile: 5:14, Overall Pace: 5:15
Congrats on the new PR and on almost breaking the 16:00 barrier! You were probably wise to not chase Ephrata hard from the start, but at the same time you also never lost ground in massive chunks. It was a really steady and strong-looking race and a good solid indication, I think, of where your fitness is at plus where we can go from here. One little note about running a course with cones and the line – cut those tangents as much as you can! It’s super easy to get locked on that line, but make the course as short as you possibly can to squeeze out those extra seconds :)

Will: 16:16, PR, 5th place, 1st Mile: 4:57, Overall: 5:14
An overall excellent race and an auspicious start to the season! Great to see you getting out maybe a little farther back than you’d imagined, but also still be able to sift through the field and find your sweet spot. You attached to a really good group in that first mile and just continued to race with a lot of poise and patience. The arms were working well for you at key moments of acceleration, and it was an awesome mental battle that you got to practice with racing Brayden from Cascade across the whole second lap of the course. Our hard week likely left your legs a little wanting in that final kick, but that’s the kind of thing that will come on nicely at the end of the season.

Sorry, Aksel, like Liam and Yasmin, my photos of you were all totally out of focus :( Next time!

Aksel: 17:34, PR, 37th place, 1st Mile: 5:33, Overall Pace: 5:39
I said as much already in my reply to your email, but this was an excellent opener and it has me excited to see what the rest of the season will bring. Its always hard to find the pace or to sort things out in the first race or two, but you found that top 30-35 position really well and you raced really tough from start to finish. Yes, the second mile was slower – it was for everyone - but you closed like a beast! Mentally hanging tough and then using your strength at the end was a perfect way to do this, and faster races

 


George: 20:17, 127th place, 1st Mile: 6:11, Overall Pace: 6:32
One of the standout races on the day! Wrapping up last year with a PR of 20:04 and rolling out a 20:17 in slower grass on a hot day is super impressive. You love running the 100m in track, but you are a distance runner for sure :) The 5:23 miles show it, and your smooth progression through the field on Saturday shows it as well. We need to keep building up your endurance, but I truly believe that a sub-19 5k is possible for you by the season’s end. It was also noted and much appreciated seeing you cheer on Tristan when you caught him on the second lap. Great racing and great sportsmanship!

And finally, Tristan. I'm very sorry, but Wenatchee was apparently my worst day EVER for getting the focal point attached to the correct athlete. Like Aksel, Liam, and Yasmin before you, I had no photos worth posting :( Next time!

Tristan: 20:38, 140th place, 1st mile: 6:03, Overall: 6:38
You are very much capable of more, but whatever was off, you were still a minute faster on this course than you were two years ago. That is progress, and the 6:03 first mile is a good sign of things to come. You’ve taken on a lot in these last four weeks and after track I know that you are probably putting a little pressure on yourself to make a huge leap. Worry not. It will happen. Excited to put you in the mix with the Berry brothers at Okanogan on Wednesday. You know how they race. You are definitely in their ballpark, and with Kyler maybe not racing on Wednesday, you can make the Berry twins part of a concrete goal.



Brodi: 20:55, PR, 148th place, 1st Mile: 6:17, Overall Pace: 6:44
Brodi Barber – the runner! Such a great job out there Brodi in your first 5k effort. You had a really nice instinct for what seemed like a doable pace, and you really never let George or Tristan get too far out of reach. I’m sure that there were lots of question marks about what the distance or the big crowd of varsity runners would feel like, but you handled it all with a ton of poise and patience – hopefully adding a nice dose of confidence and “I can do this” to your next racing efforts down the road. Each race is a little different and there will certainly be highs and lows, but this was a terrific start!

Hunter, Calvin, Birch, and Ben: The boys on the bench – or in Alaska or what have you – but we are glad to have you back at practice this week and to get the team ready again for our race in Okanogan. Birch, you might just keep healing and adding runs slowly but you are welcome to run, practice, or accompany us to races any time that you like. Hunter, we had no idea that you were going to be gone this week so try to tighten up the communication a little bit… and Calvin, let’s talk about maybe trying a little bit of racing this week. We’ll chat at practice. You are ready :) And finally, Ben, thanks for coming down on Saturday to support your team. I hope that your ankle keeps getting better and that we can get you back to running soon!

Ellensburg Relay Invitational -- 9/9/23

RACE COURSE: 1.5mi. A relay format - five runners to a team - for most and also an individual race that followed the same course. A mix of narrow grass corridors with a few tight turns, pavement, hard-packed gravel, three hay bales to jump, and maybe 30m+ of water 2-3 deep that runners had to ford in the final 1/4mi. It was never meant to be fast, but it's certainly unique :)

GENERAL: XC is back. Thank you all for a terrific first weekend of traveling, camping, racing, and sleeping on the bus ride home. You were excellent teammates and super easy to coach and chaperone. For that, we are truly grateful and it was a fun first weekend all around! The race reports this week were admittedly hard to fathom. We saw most of you (as evidenced by the many photos below) but given the shape of the course and the constant motion aspect of 3 relay teams with 5 runners each (plus the spectator trail that cut through the middle of the ponds) there were a couple of you that we amazingly never saw. Very sorry about that! Next week is a little more normal down in Wenatchee. 

There was LOTS of determination and grit on display with the water crossing especially, and our little 1B/2B program of 23 kids showed quite well in the overall results, especially when you start to realize that schools like Ellensburg have 120 runners and put together 15 relay teams! There were 75 teams in total.

Dexter, Sandra, Will, Leki, and Aksel finished 6th overall in 46:37 (less than 30 seconds out of 2nd).
Tristan, Brodi, Samra, Ingrid, and George finished 40th in 54:18.
Orlo, Yasmin, Liam, Alida, and Hunter finished 57th in 59:52.

Great work one and all!

A little glitch in the timing system means that overall times and places are still a work in progress. The Ellensburg coaches are working on it and we will let you know when there is more information. Enjoy the photos below and the many excellent efforts matter far more than clock times in such a unique event!

Omar, back at it around the halfway point in the 1.5mi individual race!

Finn, smiling just a bit at the start of the water crossing...

... and then getting the arms to work through the deeper middle section!

Orlo (leg one), with some sort of directional hand gesture.

Dexter (leg one), also nearing the mile and stretching things out on the flatter gravel...

...before winning the prize as the only LBHS runner to fully submerge (moments earlier).

Tristan (leg one), out of the water and finding his stride for the final turns to the finish. 

Brodi (leg two) rippin' it from the start in his first-ever HS XC race!

Sandra (leg two), poised and running tall and strong on the gravel mid-point of the race...

...and then showing every bit of what that water felt like in the final few feet of crossing!

Brodi, still churning those legs and feeling the burn in the middle of the water as well.

Will (leg three), getting out smooth and quick!

And Samra (leg three), doing the same!

And also at the water crossing, where running next to others is a little wetter than normal!

Liam (leg three), and there were also hay bales just before the water!

Leki (leg four) lifting those legs and striding for home!

Aksel (leg five), getting into a good groove to start the final leg.

George (leg five) doing the same.

Aksel... and again the demonstrable agony of the water-logged legs. So much fun!

Alida (leg four), cruising the home stretch and doing a great job of using her arms!

And George, like all before him, getting through those final challenging depths of the water.

And finally, Hunter (leg five) who moved through the water better than almost any other runner that we watched all day!

Congrats again to all, and apologies to Ingrid and Yasmin who ran great as well but somehow avoided having their photos taken. 

Ben, Calvin and Birch, super glad that you all could join us as well and you'll all be racing soon enough!

The schedule for next week in Wenatchee is:

11:40am Boys Frosh/Soph JV 5k 

12:20pm Boys Junior/Senior JV 5k 

1:00pm Girls Varsity 5k 

1:30pm Boys Varsity 5k 

2:00 Community Race 5k 

2:30 Awards

The HS bus will leave LBHS at 8am. We should return around 5:30-5:45pm.

HS XC Practices thru the start of classes!

Here is the HS XC practice plan as distributed on Wednesday morning. Still possibly subject to change, so if it looks smokey at 4pm double check your email on TH and FRI for possible retreats to the school:

WED 8/23 - 5pm at LBHS - Easy run or light speed work + strength
+TH 8/24 - 5pm at Chickadee Trailhead (Sun Mountain) - Easy distance.
FRI 8/25 - 5pm at Big Valley Ranch - Warmup and 1-1.5mi time trial.
**SAT 8/26 - 7:30am easy distance with Erik 45-60+min at... TBD and disclosed on Friday.
SUN 8/27 - OFF

 
MON 8/28 - Easy distance. Time/Place TBD but ideally off-campus and n the morning unless smokey.
TUE 8/29 - First day of school! Practice at 3:35!
WED 8/30 - ALL of our WED practices will be at 3:35.

+ A logical rest day for many of you - or bring a bike to practice and take a ride to give your legs a running break. This is totally OK and encouraged if it sounds appealing.

** Only an option if you have done summer runs in that 45-60min range and don't feel too tired from the start of the week.

Check-in with Erik at practice if you have questions about these options. Let us know what you'd like to do.

Thanks for a great first two days of practice and for your patience!

HS XC - First Week Practice Plans!

SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK... The original plan was to be at school on MON and WED but to meet in a few other spots throughout the week. At this point, we will take it day-by-day, but at least through WED the most likely scenario appears to be school. Maybe TUES night will work at the Winthrop Park...? but I will email by 3pm that day with confirmation.

Mon 8/21 - 5-6:16pm at school.
        Welcome. Cardio work likely inside. Stretching.
Tues 8/22 - 5-6:15pm at the Winthrop Park... but likely at school??
        Easy run or rolling tempo work + strength.
Wed 8/23 - 5-6:15pm at school.
        Easy run + strides.
Thur 8/24 - 5pm at TBD
Fri 8/25 - 5pm at TBD (Maybe Big Valley Ranch Time Trial)
Sat 8/26 - TBD but a possible early morning longer run w/ Erik. Not required and not recommended unless you have maintained 4+ days of running for much of the summer.

HS XC: Register before the first day of practice!

The XC season starts on Monday, August 21st, and you must be registered before that first practice. Visit the Methow Valley School District page at Arbiter Sports (formerly FamilyID) and sign up today!

ALL HS PRACTICES THIS FIRST WEEK WILL START AT 5:00PM!

The Monday practice will be at LBHS. A detailed list of other locations will be posted shortly.

2023 Parents Letter

Greetings Liberty Bell parents and interested HS XC runners!

Cross country is a terrific sport for building fitness, confidence in yourself, and for getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is very much a “team” sport composed of individual performances and as ‘18 graduate Eden Davis once remarked, “it is also very much like a family – in all of the best ways possible” :)

With rare exceptions, we practice and travel as a combined squad of girls and boys. Everyone races. Everyone gets a chance to run. There are varsity and junior varsity competitions – with the scoring varsity team being your top seven runners – but there is no bench. Everyone plays. Right up until the championship meets at the end of the season, each and every student-athlete gets a chance to toe the line and test themselves against the clock and the course... and we celebrate those efforts at the finish line!

As coaches, my wife Sarah Brooks and I do our very best to see each athlete as individuals but also very much try to foster a team perspective. We create team workouts with common goals and ideas, but also adapt to paces and distances and combinations of intensity and rest that are thoughtfully suited to each runner's recent training and/or race performance.

The upcoming 2023 season will be my 11th (I think) as a XC coach here at LBHS and my 5th as the head coach. I also teach art and coach track here at LBHS and have previous experience as a DIII collegiate XC and distance coach at Carleton College (Northfield, MN). Sarah has been coaching since 2016 and spends her working days as the Executive Director at the Methow Conservancy. We love sharing our own enjoyment for this sport and were fortunate enough to share the “family” side of this sport through coaching our own relatively recent graduate, Keeley Brooks - now starting her junior year in college.

Team communications throughout the season take place via email, but you can also find our weekly schedule, important “postable” information, photos, and our weekly race reports on the team blog: https://libertybellxc.blogspot.com/ 

If you are new to the Valley, are curious about trying XC for the first time, or just want to ask us any additional questions about the fall 2023 season, feel free to reach out using the contact information listed below.

We look forward to hearing from you! GRRR!!!

Erik & Sarah Brooks

Summer XC Week #1: 6/26-7/2

We're back! A quick trip to the east coast and it's nice to be back in the drier air of the Valley.

TUES 6/27 - Meeting at the Twisp Park @ 8am. A short 30-45min run followed by some stretching and core. 

SAT 7/1 - Meeting at the Chickadee Trailhead (Sun Mountain) @ 8am. A run on some trails. Some will go farther with some hills. Others will stick to lower trails but keep the time reasonable and shorter. It's a slow build. Come if you can. We will figure out the right thing for anyone who can make it!

Try running two days this week if you haven't already. Add an extra day or add a little extra time. Find a partner to get you out the door.

See you soon!