2010 Cross Country Schedule
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Palatine XC Partners

We opened up the season in impressive fashion with big wins at both levels Tuesday evening in the debut of our new course at Deer Grove against Buffalo Grove. On a hot and humid day we packed up well in the early stages and pulled to easy victories to start our season off on the right foot. 

Overall individual performances are tough to judge at this point since this was the first meet ever run on our new route, but we can say we walked away with two new course records in Cassidy’s 16:18 for 2.5 miles and Courtney’s 18:28 for 3.0 miles…and yes the new route is 3.0 miles, not 2.95.

While the wins came easy, some of you struggled to stick to the exact game plan laid out for you.  The varsity group went out faster than planned and paid the price late.  Either way, we got in a good workout in and will be better prepared come Saturday.

With this being our first race we now have a solid starting point.  Each of you should be looking to get better each week.  Look at the paces you run and work to improve. Every meet from here on out will have much tougher completion.  Be competitive, push yourselves, and set goals to improve.  Go Pirates!

Overall Team Results - MSL Dual vs. BG  /  Lady Pirate XC Splits - MSL Dual vs. BG

New Course Concerns

With the changes to our new course layout many were uncertain of the route, where to see most of the race and what areas to stay clear of.  I've loaded maps of both the Varsity and JV routes for you to view and print out if needed.  Most of you will find that after the races start you will see much more of the race if you venture further east of the start/finish area.  Very little of the race actually goes on near the start/area of the course.  By steering clear of the pavilion at the top of the hill this will also help us keep the keep the running path clear for the athletes.  Thanks.

Deer Grove East - 2.5 mile JV & 3.0 mile Varsity Course Maps  

This first time trial of the year has been a great season kickoff for Palatine girls cross country for almost 20 years.  It’s always a time for all of us to start seeing what kind of team we have developing.   A chance for the girls who trained all summer to finally test their fitness, a chance for returning sophomore girls to see how much they’ve grown as runners with one year of high school experience, and a chance for us to get a glimpse of the next and newest Pirates coming into the program.  But most important, this is simply a starting point.  A chance for us to push ourselves very hard for the first time in a long time and see what king a shape we are in and how much work we have to do. 

Overall, we are looking very strong up front with 11 girls breaking 6:00, and three more around or under 6:10. This ranks us right with some of the best teams this program has ever seen.   Times were very good considering we have done little-to-no running under 6:00 pace.  This shows just how strong you all are from your summer training.  Along with our top seven returnees, we added four girls under 6:00, with Liz C.(5:49) and Cassidy(5:44) running two of the best times ever for freshman, Jacqui showing she is in great shape, and Steph B. already reaping the benefits of her summer dedication.

It was great to see so many of you with large improvements over where you started last year.  Hopefully this will raise your expectations this year as to what you can accomplish.   Laura, Ellen, Jacqui, Steph, Kirsten, Erin, Carly, Kristen, Harpreet, “Monet” all saw improvements from last year of over :10 seconds.  Great job to all.

Again, this is just a starting point.  We all should be looking to get better and better.  This will take much time and much hard work and perseverance.  You all have the potential for great things this season.  Support one another.  Push one another.  Be disciplined.  Believe in yourself and your teammates.  Make each and every day count.  The season will go fast.  Have no regrets.  I believe in you all and I believe we will do great things this season. 

Banana Split Relays w/ Boys Team - August 21st, 2010

Click for Banana Split Relay results         All-Time Banana Split Relay Records

Our 9th Annual Banana Split was another success with a number of girls hitting All-time top marks.  It was a lot warmer than last years workout and we had to adjust to a new route due to changes on the course.  Overall tremendous job and another sign we are heading in the right direction.

 3k Time Trial at Deer Grove - August 27th, 2010

Click for 3k Time Trial results                  All-Time 3K Time Trial Records

We ended our first week of school with our annual 3k Time Trial at Deer Grove East on our new course.  I thought the unfamiliarity with the new route, a rough section cut just hours before and some warm temps would slow us down as a whole, but you girls ran phenomenal.  We had more girls under 12:00 minutes than any previous team, highlighted by Courtney and Sarah running All-time top 5 performances, and Cassidy and Liz both topping Amy Laskowske's top freshman mark.  Some big improvements for many of you.   Great things can happen this season if we continue to work together, run with desire, and are enthusiastic about what we are doing. 

The Grey team came out on top, as the closely matched team race was a battle to the finish.  We had to go to the 6th runner of the Red and Grey teams to break a 51-51 tie.  Harpreet's 20th place finish sealed the victory for the Grey's.  Just goes to show that every person counts.

All-Time 3k Time Trials and Banana Split Records updated in the HISTORY section