Please read this post all the way to the end. I know it will be long but there is much information to send out.
Championships are 10-30-22.
Any athlete who has completed two races is eligible to compete. Top 15 in each age group will receive medals at the end of the day. Top three teams in each age group will receive a team award. Top team overall will receive an award. Championship shirts will be for sale. They are long sleeve tech shirts for $20. The red CYO travel shirts will also be available for $15. (Sorry for the increase in prices but everything has gone up and we are affected too.) Subnovices will race by year but awards will be for male and female separate. The subs will race 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 in that order. Then it will be the normal order of races.
Post Season Competition.
Qualifying meet is Sunday, November 6 at Sandhill Park near Georgetown, DE. First race is at 10 AM. It is about a two hour drive.
Who is eligible?
Any athlete who is listed on a CYO cross country roster is eligible to compete for Philadelphia CYO cross country. There is no time or place requirement.
How to enter?
Each child should fill out the entry form, the YES card application and the national wavier form. At the champs next week, please submit these forms plus a copy of the child’s birth certificate with $20 (payable to Philadelphia CYO Cross country) to me by the end of the races. Do NOT send the form to the meet director of the regional meet. Do NOT make checks payable to anyone else.
How are teams formed?
Teams are based on the best time at Belmont from the season. The top 8 who want to go will be on the best team. The second 8 will be on the second team and so on. We can form as many teams as we would like.
What is the team uniform?
The team uniform is the short sleeve red shirt with the winged foot and the stars. It is the same shirt we have been using for years so if there is one in the family already, you are good. The athlete should wear black shirts or tights. The red shirts will be available for sale at champs. If we run out, I will have more at the regional meet.
What if an athlete wants to run at the regional but is not willing to go to nationals?
No problem. On the entry form, write regional only on the bottom. No questions asked.
How to qualify for nationals?
At the race on the 6th, the top three teams in each age group will advance to nationals. That means we could advance an A, B and C teams if we race well. In addition, the next 20 individuals who are not members of those top 3 teams will advance. If we have a D team that down not finish in the top 3 teams, those athletes become individuals and could still finish in the top individual qualifiers. If we have five individuals qualify, they can form up as a team in scoring again at the national meet.
What is the advantage of having the top kids on one team?
At the national meet in all races 14 and under, whatever place our team gets, ALL of our athletes in that age group get the same team award. If we have a team win, all athletes in that age group will receive a gold medal. At the national meet, individual medals will be given to the top 20 by birth year.
What is the entry fee for nationals?
The CYO will pay the $25 entry fee for each athlete that is competing at the national championships.
Where does the team stay?
The team will be staying at the Sheraton Downtown in Indianapolis this here. Here is the link:
Book your group rate for Philadelphia Cross Country Team
The link will be open until November 8. Book early and, if need be, cancel later. It is so much nicer to stay in one hotel with the whole group. It is a chance to make friends and meet people.
What happens if my athlete can not make the meet on November 6?
This could be a potential problem. In the past, there has been one or two kids each year who cannot make the regional meet for one reason or another. In that event, the child entered the meet but did not run. Their fate was determined by the fate of the team. If the team advanced, they advanced to nationals. This year, I have had no fewer than a dozen requests about kids who can not come. If they are all one one team, the team can not advance to nationals. I can not give an exact answer until I see who is entered to go from our group. The second option is to advance by time: If, during the course of our season, an athlete has run the following time, they can go to nationals. If we get a full team of time advancers, they can compete as a team at nationals.
Time qualifications are:
6-8 year old girls: 12:45
6-8 year old boys: 12:45
9-10 girls: 15:30
9-10 boys: 14:30
11-12 girls: 14:45
11-12 boys: 13:45
13-14 girls: 17:45
13-14 boys: 15:45
I will need age group coaches to lead the age groups at both regionals and nationals. So far, I have St. Kevin’s handling novice boys and St. Mary Magdalen handling cadet girls. The other age groups need to be filled. I am looking for volunteers.
I am fairly certain that I missed a vital piece of information. If you figure out what I am missing, please let me know.
Thanks. See everyone on Sunday.