Algonac Cross Country 2014
Thank you for showing an interest in cross country. We certainly hope you join us next fall! We feel cross country, more than any other sport, combines the very best of what sports is all about – team work, individualism, sportsmanship, friendship, and courage. Runners come in all shapes and sizes and all you need to compete is what you were born with: your mind, your heart, and your body. Listed below are some questions most commonly asked, but if you have more, please one of last year’s runners or contact any of us. We all love talking about what a great sport cross country is!
Coach Shafer Coach Hornbaker Coach Schrader
810-329-9406 734-645-1062 586-995-0993
What is cross country?
Cross Country is a running race. At the high school level athletes run a distance of 3.1 miles. Competition is staged at parks, golf courses, fields and woods. Cross country is one of the top five participant sports in Michigan.
What schools do we run against?
If you join the team you will run against schools in our league (Blue Water Athletic Conference or BWAC). When we run against these schools, we all run together and they are called jamborees. If you finish on top after the three jamborees you are league champs. On some weekends, we attend invitationals where we run against schools from around our area and earn trophies and medals. We plan to attend meets in such places asPort Huron, Goodalls County Park, Stoney Creek Metro Park, hopefully a return to the Oxford Golf Course and Metro Beach We will also compete again with Marysville and Cranbrook this year in our tenth annual friendship meet which this fall takes place at Cranbrook's amazing campus.
What do I need to do to be in cross country?
Before official practices begin in August, you will need to pass a physical. Grab a form in the office before school ends.
The next thing you would need is a good pair of running shoes. Make sure the shoes you buy are for running and invest a little extra money and get a good pair because your feet are the most important part of staying healthy. These you can pick up at any shoe store or sports store.
The only other things you need are t-shirts, shorts and socks. We provide you with uniforms, warm-ups and a tote bag.
What are some of the benefits or cross country?
Obviously getting you in shape is one great reason to join. You will feel and look better as we tone your body and improve your cardiovascular system. There’s also a certain feeling of accomplishment you get from finishing a practice or race and improving your times and performances. Many athletes use cross country to get in premium shape for winter sports like basketball, cheerleading and wrestling. Coaches from those sports can’t believe what great shape athletes from cross country are when winter sports tryouts begin.
You form a special bond with your teammates, a friendship I have not seen in other sports that I have coached. You also have opportunities to win medals and trophies at meets. You can earn a varsity letter and for ninth graders, this is one of the biggest benefits to our sport – the chance to be the first of your class to earn a varsity letter.
I also understand an important benefit is checking out the other team members. Since boys and girls compete at the same meets (boys against boys and girls against girls), you can check things out at every meet. Going to camp is also a lot of fun. And then there’s the picnics, the popsicles, the dollar menu at MacDonald’s, the bus rides…it all adds up to a lot of fun!
When is camp and who gets to go?
We head to the Storer YMCA camp in the Irish Hills near Jacksonon Sunday, August 17,for a week of training and fun. We stay in a lodge with a girls’ room, a boys’ room and a common room for socializing. There are separate showers and bathrooms attached to each of the two sleeping quarters. We spend the week running, swimming, eating, canoeing, climbing, high ropes, participating in games (old fashioned and videogames) and gathering around the campfire each evening to talk about cross country. Everyone who wants to go may attend. There is a cost, but we hope to offset some of that cost this year with money we raised from last year. You can visit the camp’s website at for more information about the camp itself. Every athlete attending camp has absolutely loved it and many graduates wish they could come back and attend again!
So how do I get started?
When you picked up this packet, we got your name,address and phone number. This summer, some of the seniors will call you and invite you to start running with us. You also picked up our summer schedule of optional runs. The coaches will supervise most these running sessions. This will start after the MHSAA deadline of July 6. This is a good way to slowly work you into shape. We start out with smaller distances and then gradually start adding mileage. These are optional practices you attend when you are able. We meet at the park because of their water park (to cool down) and volleyball net (great way to stretch out after a run). Sometimes we head out to Stoney Creek our parks in East China and St. Clair. Between the end of school and July 6, do some running on your own using the information I gave you at today's meeting. I’ll be sending you more information about camp and the season as August nears. Everybody’s excited about next fall and we hope you are with us to be part of what I think will be a truly productive season. If you or your parents have any questions, contact one of the coaches at the above number or email Coach Shafer at Also, I will tweet info as I need to so add coachdshafer to your Twitter account so you receive that information.HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!
To get a better idea about cross country, go to and type Algonac Muskrats in the search box. There’s a 3 minute video about cross country you can watch.