2014 Bellefonte Area Red Raider Cross-Country Guidelines

2014 BELLEFONTE AREA RED RAIDER CROSS-COUNTRY GUIDELINES

STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

The cross-country program at Bellefonte Area High School is dedicated to the development of all runners to their maximum potential. Each runner comes to us as an individual and is treated as one. We realize that not all have the same inborn talent or ability. We strive to make each student-athlete realize his or her talents on the cross-country course, in the classroom, community and in everyday life. We strive to provide an atmosphere where all team members feel important, needed and appreciated by their teammates and coaches, while developing school spirit, good sportsmanship, leadership and good health habits, in order to promote and develop the young student-athlete into a responsible, respectable young adult. We believe athletics are a privilege, not a right and academics should be a student-athlete’s first priority.

COACHING STAFF

MRS. KIM GASPER

“Coach Kim” is in her 11th year as head coach at Bellefonte Area High School. She is starting her thirteenth year as a high school special education teacher. Prior to moving to the Bellefonte Area, she spent 11 years as an assistant cross-country coach and assistant girls track coach at Hazleton Area High School. She graduated cum laude from Bloomsburg University in 2001 and ran cross-country and track earning Academic All-American honors, MVP track (2000) and MVP cross-country (2001) and was voted Senior Athlete MVP in 2001. She is married to Steve Gasper (25yrs) and has one energetic son, Jonathan (4yrs).

MR. ROBERT “SILK” SUTHERLAND

Assistant Cross-Country Coach

Coach Sutherland has been involved in coaching a variety of sports over the last 34 years including cross-country (19 yrs) and track (21yrs). He is married to Marge Sutherland and has two sons: Colin (20yrs) and Kyle (18yrs). His hobbies after his kid’s activities include running races from 5 KM through marathon distances. Currently, he is on a course to run every marathon in Pennsylvania. His alma mater is Lock Haven University.

MR. BOB CHANDLER

Volunteer Coach

Bob is a former PIAA “AA” XC Champion (Northern Lehigh) and Bucknell University stand-out. His running highlights include a 4:14 mile, 14:33 5KM, finished 27th at the Kinney (Foot Locker) National Championship race and placed first at the National AAU Cross-Country meet in 1992. At Bucknell he finished second in the Patriot League to Dan Browne. He is married (Heather) and currently a software engineer at SRI International.

SETH MILLER

Volunteer Coach

Coach Miller just completed his fifth season as the Head Track & Field coach of the Bellefonte Red Raiders in 2013 and tenth season overall. Coach Miller is a graduate of Brookville Area High School where he competed in both hurdling events as well as the 4x400m relay. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in December 2008 with a Master's of Business Administration in Applied Management. He also holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Penn State-Erie, The Behrend College and was a member of the 2001 Behrend Lions Track & Field Team. Currently Coach Miller is employed by West Penn Power in State College where he is a Meter Services Supervisor. Coach Miller is married to Stacey Miller who coaches the high school girls' soccer team and is a fourth grade teacher at Pleasant Gap Elementary School. He and Stacey have two daughters, Madyson (5yrs) and

MR. STEPHEN (ANDY) CARUSO

Mr. Caruso has been an 8th grade science teacher in Bellefonte for the past 15 years. He has been running for 19 years and has completed 5 marathons. He lives in Pleasant Gap with his wife Anita and enjoys following baseball, football and basketball as well as hiking in his free time.

DEREK HOOVER

Volunteer Coach

Coach Hoover is in his 6th year as a volunteer coach at Bellefonte High School. Graduated from Bellefonte High in 2009 and is a former Cross Country/Track runner. He went to Pennsylvania College of Technology where he studied Business Administration and competed in collegiate Cross Country. He is currently enrolled at South Hills for Marketing. He has been in the Fire Service for 8 years and is currently serving as Ambulance Captain. On his free time he likes to cycling and training for marathons.

MR. CHRIS CIPRO

Volunteer Coach

Mr. Cipro is in his third year teaching 3rd grade at Marion-Walker Elementary School. He graduated from Penn State University where he majored in Elementary Education. His running highlights include being a captain for the Penn State Cross Country Team for two years as well as a 29:53 10k time and a 14:23 5k time. In 2012 he was named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team.

MRS. EILEEN MANEY

Volunteer Coach

RYAN FEATHER

Ryan is a former Bellefonte Area XC & Track & Field runner. He is currently attending Roanoke College and majoring in Health and Physical Education.

STEVE GASPER

Volunteer Coach

Steve was a 3x MVP in cross-country and All-League MVP in baseball while in high school (Bishop Hafey). He was selected to the all-conference team in xc and baseball while attending Luzerne County Community College. He is married to Coach Kim and currently employed locally as a screen printer.

MESSAGE TO THE PARENTS

Your son/daughter has decided to run for the Red Raider cross-country team. Cross-Country? No way! My son/daughter is not going to run across the country!

As silly as that may seem, some people are ill informed about what cross-country really is. What is cross-country? It is a PIAA fall sport that involves running over varied terrain. In high school, the distance covered is 5KM (3.1 miles).

In these guidelines you will find information concerning our cross-country program, booster club, meet information and philosophy of the coaches that will be working with your young runners.

The coaching staff hopes that the cross-country experience for you and your son/daughter will be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. We will do our best to help each runner reach his or her full potential, learn life lessons and continue throughout their lifetime with what we feel is the most rewarding sport in the world.

If you have any questions regarding information presented or of you have suggestions that may help our program, please feel free to contact me at home (814) 383-9932 or via email

Coach Kim Gasper and the Coaching Staff

WHAT CAN YOU DO AS A PARENT

Your son/daughter should continue with their normal routine, academic & home responsibilities, proper diet, sleeping and social habits. Their commitment to the cross-country program will require time management and prioritizing the important things in their lives. This will be an important skill needed as they go throughout their lives.

Be aware that as your son/daughter begins training, muscle soreness and stiffness is common. However, as in any sport, injuries do occur. Any concerns should be directed to the coaching staff.

Be supportive, attend the meets, join the cross-country booster club and learn about the sport. Your encouragement and assistance are an integral part, of helping your son/daughter strive to reach their goals.

JOIN THE BOOSTER CLUB

The Bellefonte Area Cross-Country Booster Club has been a strong supporter of the cross-country program and is always in need of new members with fresh ideas and willing hands to help with activities and fundraisers. Your involvement in this organization will provide the financial and emotional support our program needs. Some of the activities supported and provided by the booster club are: end of year banquet, senior night & gifts, healthy snacks & drinks after each meet, *partial shoe reimbursement, ice cream fundraiser at PSU home football games, Red Raider Rally Run and Herbie’s Hometown Loop to name a few.

* All runners must work a minimum of 1 fundraiser to receive the partial shoe reimbursement (PSU ice cream fundraiser requires volunteers to be 16 yrs. & older. In this case, a parent or sibling may work for the runner) AND complete the cross-country season.

ATTENDING A CROSS-COUNTRY MEET

If you are attending your first cross-country meet, there are some spectator strategies that may help you enjoy the competition.

Get acquainted with the start and finish line areas.
Know your team’s uniforms, in larger meets and invitationals, it’s easier to spot the runner your cheering for.
Do not expect the attention of your son/daughter once they have joined their team at the race site. They need time to prepare physically and mentally for the upcoming race with their team and coaches.
In most cross-country races, you will not be able to observe the meet from any one single point (ex. bleachers). A suggestion would be to watch the start and then proceed to another section of the course to cheer on the runners (keep an eye on the coaches, they usually know the best vantage point, head to the finish line to shout words of encouragement as the runners approach their goal of successfully completing their race.
After the runners cross the finish line, they have certain responsibilities that must be completed; turn in their place card, cheer on teammates that have not finished, cool down as a team and post-race team meeting.

HOW TO SCORE A CROSS-COUNTRY MEET

In cross-country, the low score wins. Each runner that finishes is given a place card with his/her finishing place on it. The first runner gets #1, the seventh runner gets #7 and so on. The places of the first five runners from each team are added to compute the final score. While not actually figuring into the team score, the sixth and seventh runners serve to “block out” opposing runners by finishing ahead of them. This would increase the opponent’s team score. In the examples below, BAHS wins by the sixth and seventh runners finishing before Team C’s fifth runner.

Here are some examples:

BAHS TEAM B

1. 1 2

2. 3 4

3. 5 6

4. 7 8

5. 9 10

______

25 30 (We Win!)

BAHS TEAM C

1. 1 2

2. 4 3

3. 6 5

4. 8 7

5. 9 12

______

2829

6. 10 13

7. 11 14

“10” bumps or “displaces” Team C’s fifth runner (We Win!)

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED

Most beginning runners will need to purchase a good pair of running shoes. It is important when purchasing shoes for the first time, they are fitted by someone that knows about running. Rapid Transit (State College) will be doing a running clinic at some point during the season. The staff and store are knowledgeable about running and have many years of running experience. They offer a 10% discount to our runners when purchasing shoes at their store.

It is not necessary to purchase specific running clothing for practice. Loose fitting shorts and shirts are fine for practice. Clean, dry socks should be worn and runners should have sweat tops and bottoms, along with hats and gloves for colder days. Jewelry is not permitted at practice or meets. If a runner has a watch, it is permitted and encouraged at practice only!

Uniforms will be provided for meets. Short and tops should be cleaned after each meet. A warm-up suit is provided for colder weather. Spikes and racing flats are optional and at the discretion of the individual runner.

NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF A LONG DISTANCE RUNNER

Good nutrition on the part of the runner will go along way in helping him/her achieve his goals, not only in cross-country, but in school and everyday life. If we owned an expensive, high performance automobile, we would not put a low octane fuel in the gas tank. Think of your body as high performance automobile that will not perform properly on the wring fuel.

A typical high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet of steak and eggs will provide enough energy for about an hour of hard running. A typical balanced diet is fine for the average person, but a cross-country runner is hardly average. In fact, a runner needs 30-40% more energy stores than the average person.

In order to achieve the needed energy stores, a runner must consume a diet high in complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are commonly called starches. Examples of foods from this category are; pasta, bread, cereal, grains, vegetables, brown rice, fresh fruit and potatoes. The potato is one of the best foods a runner can eat because it only contains about 85 calories, has vitamin C, B vitamins, minerals and fiber, but contains no cholesterol and little fat (don’t load the potato with sour cream or butter or you’ll ruin a good thing).

One of the most neglected and vital needs of a cross-country runner are fluids. Despite all the new high energy sports drinks, none are as good as old-fashioned water to replace fluid loss. Do NOT neglect this very important part of a runner’s diet. Place a 64 oz. container of water in the refrigerator each morning and consume it by days end. A good rule of thumb given to me by a sports doctor is, if your urine is yellow, you’re not drinking enough and if it’s clear, you’re on the right track.

SETTING GOALS AND REACHING THEM

Goal setting in cross-country is both a team and individual decision. The team goals are decided upon with input from the runners and coaches. The team is encouraged to set long and short term goals and commit to working together to achieve them.

The individual goals are a matter of personal concern and may or may not be shared; however, all young runners need guidance and are encouraged to discuss their short and long term goals with a member of the coaching staff. We recommend that runners set individual goals that are realistic and can be achieved short term and applied to a seasonal goal. Some runners et long range goals spanning two or three years. This is fine, as long as, the goal is realistic and the runner is willing to do what is necessary to reach that goal.

Some goals may include:

PR or PB – personal record or personal best on a specific course

PLACE FINISH – place of finish in relation to the entire team

TEAM FINISH – place of finish in relation to another member of your team

RACE PACE – maintaining a certain pace throughout the race

BEATING A SPECIFIC OPPOSING RUNNER

EARNING A LETTER

QUALIFYING FOR THE STATE MEET

WINNING THE TEAM TPA AWARD

In setting goals, there is always the possibility of not reaching them. This can be discouraging and the runner may be disappointed with his or her performance. The runner may need some emotional space after these disappointments, by both parents and coaches. The runner should evaluate the performance and learn from it.

We do have the opposite reaction when a goal is achieved and a runner’s high is achieved. Encouragement and support are needed for the highs and lows and all times in between.

TEAM RULES

All Bellefonte Area School District (B.A.S.D.) and Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) rules must be followed. In addition to these rules, the following team rules are also in effect.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory at all practices, meets and invitationals. Attendance will be taken on a daily basis at ALL practices, meets and invitationals. Times listed for practices are starting times. Runners are expected to be changed and ready to go at the stated times. Arriving late without a legitimate excuse is not tolerated. You are responsible for you – BE ON TIME! If there is a change to the practice schedule, the coaching staff will inform all runners in advance.

**Special circumstances will be dealt with on an individual basis and include a meeting with the coach(es), AD, parent(s) and when warranted administration (i.e. two sport athletes, student-athletes enrolled in college courses,…) to establish an agreed upon practice/meet schedule. All eligibility and district and athletic policies must be adhered to.

Runners must provide a written note from a parent, doctor, trainer or other responsible adult in order to be excused from practices, meets and invitationals. Written excuses must include:

The date of the practice, meet or invitational you will be missing.
VALID reason you will be absent.
Signature of a parent, doctor, trainer or responsible adult.

Runners are to notify the coaching staff, in person, in advance of any practices, meets or invitationals they will be missing. If it is not possible to notify the coaching staff in advance, the runner must provide a written excuse upon returning to practice.