As we know there are few cost when it comes to the basics of running. You invest in your shoes and you invest your time in those shoes. That’s the basics. When we want to create a more meaningful experience, sometimes we have to do some of the extra things. From destination runs, meals, connected running watches for progress tracking, etc.; it gets a bit overwhelming to a kid or parent. These are the things we alumni have a chance to contribute toward. A small list below can give a basic idea. Small contributions from us can go a long way to help subsidize the cost. Many of the larger schools have it in their budgets to provide these type of things. We could help even the playing field in our unclassed sport.

It will also be far more meaningful to our current class of runners if former runners have taken the opportunity to show that what they are doing is supported by UPPER upper classmen teammates, such as ourselves..

How We Will Help

Volunteer

Everyone is busy, but sometimes the starts align. If there’s ever a need for a volunteer we alumni will know and if we can, we will step up. Maybe your in town and can help score a meet. Who knows, but when it works, we’ll make it work.

Support

This is a broad one. Open to all types of ideas. If we’re ever in the lovely town of Winamac in the fall, maybe catch a meet. We all know they are free! We’ll make sure to stop in and introduce ourselves to let the kids know they have more fans then they think.

When it’s tournament time, we could have a collection of short video clips strung together to tell the kids good luck or give them words of inspiration. The list can go on and on….

Team Camp

This is a great thing that Alumni can be tied to. It’s been a long time since there has been a summer team camp, as many teams do every year. This 2022 season it’s happening. This really sets the stage for the season and delivers on many of the memories a kid will leave XC with. Having this backed by Alumni would be a huge statement to the lasting memory Cross Country has on our lives.

The camp will start this year with a 3 day 2 night stay at the Tippecanoe River State Park. The days will be filled with 2-3 workouts a day, sessions where our athletes will learn about goals, conditioning and motivation. There will be bonding activities and a trip to the dunes.

GPS Watches:

Technology has come a long way from the days of the Timex and odometer method of tracking your speed. Many kids already have these kind of devices, but some have a tough time to justify the purchase. With GPS watches, teams are able to be tracked in a single places. Athletes workouts can be analyzed with such details as at what point during a run does the run fall apart or even as an accountability method to see who did their weekend mileage assignments. The athletes are connected to each other to also motivate themselves to keep pace with their peers. This is probably the biggest game changer runner training has seen in the last 20 years. Being able to make this type of thing happen is one less hurdle. An example is the Garmin 245 allowed you to use the Garmin Clipboard app to connect your team and assign workouts directly to your team’s watches.

Meals:

When it comes down to Conference, Sectionals and the tournament in general, there’s always a big focus on carbing up! The team generally gets together before these events for a team meal of pasta. Sometimes it’s even necessary to provide a breakfast or two to get the kids motivated for some early workouts. These gatherings tend to be those events that solidify team bonding, like playing ping pong in Jones basement!