Race to the Finish Line!

The boys are coming off a good week where they finished 3rd in the league championship meet and had a glorious run to the Franklin Cider Mill. Thank you to the booster parents who put the cider mill event together.

Our final week of the season opens with the Bloomer 9/10 Invitational at Bloomer Park in Rochester on Monday, Oct. 24.  In a surprise twist, we actually have a bus that will transport athletes to the park.  Runners should dismiss from their 5th period classes at 1:50 PM to make the 2:00 one-way bus.  All 9th and 10th grade runners will race together at 4:45.

Next, runners should meet after school in Coach Inloes's room on Wednesday, Oct. 26, to vote on team awards.  

This year, Berkley HS is hosting a JV meet on Thursday, Oct. 27, for runners who won't be in the varsity-only (top 7) regional race the following day.  Interested runners should arrive at Memorial Park in Royal Oak by 3:30 PM for a 4:30 race start.

Finally, our top 7 runners will compete in the Region 7-1 Championship race @ Kensignton Metropark (Possum Hollow Picnic Area for the third time this year) on Friday, Oct. 28.  Atheletes should dismiss from school at 1:20 PM to catch a 1:30 one-way bus. The gun for the men's race goes off at 4:00 PM.

Our team banquet will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6:00 PM at Andiamo's in Bloomfield.

Winding Down

Our second-to-last week of the season begins with a cold, wet (snowy?), windy OAA Blue Jamboree #3 at Hess-Hathaway Park in Waterford on Tuesday, October 18.  The varsity boys (top 8) race at 4:30 PM; the JV, at 5:30. Athletes should dismiss from their 5th period classes at 2:30 and make arrangements to get to the park (about a 35 minute drive from Groves) by 3:30.  The predicted weather seems very ugly (40 degrees, 15 mph winds, rain/snow), so dress appropriately.

The weather should become much more pleasant for our annual run to the Franklin Cider Mill on Friday, Oct. 21.  Athletes will run (about 4 miles) to the cider mill where they will be greeted with cider and donuts provided by the booster parents. We will leave the school at around 3:20, so even athletes with marching band duties should be able to participate.  Afterwards, drivers will shuttle athletes back to Groves.

Entering the Home Stretch

We enter the final three weeks of the season preparing for the Gabriel Richard Invitational at Hudson Mills Metropark on Saturday, October 15.  The varsity boys (top 7) will race at 8:45 AM; the JV, at 9:50.  Athletes should make transportation arrangements and arrive at the park no later than 8:00 AM.  Dress for chilly weather.

October Running

Our final month of the season begins with a return to Kensington Metropark for the Oakland County Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 8.  The varsity boys (top 7) will race at 10:00 AM; the JV (next 7), at 11:00.  Athletes should make arrangements to arrive at the Possum Hollow Picnic Area by 9:00 AM.  As with the Averill Invitational, most will have to park at the adjacent Maple Beach parking area.

Back At It!

The boys return to racing this week on Wednesday, Sept. 28, with the OAA Blue Jamboree #2 at Bloomer Park in Rochester.  The varsity boys (top 10) will race at 4:30 PM; the JV, at 5:30. I had hoped to acquire a one-way bus for the meet, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.  Athletes should make transportation arrangements and leave their 5th period classes a little early (2:35 PM) so that they can arrive at the park by 3:30 PM.

Great Progress!

The boys capped off a busy racing week with another solid performance at the Autumn Classic Invitational at Stony Creek Metropark on Saturday, finishing 7th out of 28 teams. Our top six runners all earned medals for their efforts, and for the third meet in a row, over 90% of the boys posted season-best times. Although we don't have any races this week, our steady progress thus far sets us up nicely when we resume competition next Wednesday with the second OAA Blue Jamboree at Bloomer Park in Rochester.  Stay tuned for more details.

Solid Improvement

11 of 14 runners posted season-best times on Saturday's challenging Kensington course, setting us up nicely for this week's less hilly terrain.

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, we'll compete in the first OAA Blue Jamboree at Memorial Park in Royal Oak.  Runners don't need to leave school early, but they should make arrangements to arrive at the park no later than 4:00.  Varsity (top 10) will race at 5:00 PM; JV, at 6:00. Drivers might want to plan on parking at the golf center across Coolidge Highway.

On Saturday, Sept. 17, we run the Autumn Classic Invitational at Stony Creek Metropark (Bay Point Beach).  Our top boys (approximately 21:30 or faster) will race at 9:45 AM, with the remaining boys racing at 10:15. Athletes should make arrangements to arrive at the park by 8:45.

Following Saturday's races, the girls' and boys' teams will enjoy a picnic by the beach (check your Remind for details).

Off and Running

The second week of school begins with our team pictures.  Athletes should bring their uniforms to practice on Tuesday, Sept. 6, for team pictures on the Groves football field at 3:30 PM.

Our competitive season resumes this coming weekend with the Averill Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Kensington Metropark (Possum Hollow Picnic Area).  The varsity boys (top 10) will race in the silver division (medium-sized schools) at 10:00 AM, with the JV (remaining boys) racing in the bronze division at 11:00 AM. The top 25 runners in each division earn medals.  Athletes should plan on arriving at the park no later than 9:00 AM  

The following week we have two more competitions: the OAA Blue Jamboree #1 at Memorial Park (4:30 and 5:30 PM race times) in Royal Oak on Tuesday, Sept. 13, and the Autumn Classic at Stony Creek Metropark (Bay Point Beach -- 9:45 and 10:15 race times) on Saturday, Sept. 17.  More information to follow.

So It Begins...

Important Upcoming Dates (Updated):

Monday, August 29: first (half) day of school; practice @ 3:15 PM -- uniforms distributed after

Tuesday, August 30: first official competition (Mustang Invitational @ Cass Benton Park in Northville: parent drivers needed)

Friday Sept. 2 - Monday, Sept. 5: Labor Day Weekend -- practice on your own

Tuesday, Sept. 6: Team Pictures @ 3:30 -- wear uniform to practice

Official Practices Begin Monday, Aug. 8!

Are you ready to compete in the OAA Blue Division this fall? We'll begin official practices on the Groves track at 8:00 A.M. Monday, August 8 -- make sure to get a physical and all your "paper"-work done by then (go to grovesfalcons.com). We start racing on Tuesday, August 30, at the Mustang Invitational in Northville.  Check the Groves page on athletic.net for information about our schedule this season. You can see a preliminary schedule on the "Parent Meeting Agenda" file linked below.

Summer Training