Phoenixville XC Parents Meeting

August 13th, 2015

Components of a Successful Team

• Qualified Coaches – fingers crossed…

• Talent

• A passion to be great and a willingness to learn

• Help and support of parents

Here to stay…

Key Take-Aways• By the end of the season, I hope your son/daughter

– Feels passionately about running – and being physically fit in

general – and views it as a lifelong activity

– Recognizes and appreciates the power of a team and its

relationships

– Has come to the realization that he/she is capable of much

more than they thought possible

Guiding Principles

• A very long term approach to developing

runners (at least a 2 year process)

• Immense emphasis on the mental and

psychological component of running

• Want a team that is tough – gritty – and

fearless

• Students of the sport & themselves

Progress we’ve made…– A resurgence in running – particularly distance

• 9 boys when I started 35 the new norm (girls on a similar

path)

– Big time times and overall finishes

• Boys finished 8th overall at PSU

• Girls greatest number of wins in season since 2011 (maybe

longer)

• 4 state qualifiers

– A model team

• Highest GPA for some time

Theme for this year…

“OUR TIME!”

Our Goals: Team • Perform incredibly well at Invitationals

• Become a strong, closely united team

– Going away this summer for a few days – to train – and be

together

– Work for and support one another

• Beat teams when it counts: PAC 10’s and Districts

– Top 5 at PAC 10’s

– Qualify for states

LOGISTICAL / PRACTICAL

Team Rules

1) Go where I say we’re going (safety)

2) Be nice to each other

Team Expectations

• Show up to practice everyday on time &

stay until it’s over

• Keep lines of communication open

• Balance XC with school (your most

important job)

• Attend all team events

• Put forth a positive effort & “live the life”

Two types of XC Meets

Conference Meets

– Run against one to two

other schools

– Take place on

Wednesdays around 4PM

– Low-key

– Meant more for hard

workouts (varsity) and

experience (Junior Varsity)

Invitationals

– Very big meets (typically no

less than 25 schools)

– Usually Saturday mornings

– High-energy, fast times

– Many college coaches

attend / view results

– The races we will focus

on…

Winning an XC meet

• Scored like golf in the sense that

lowest score wins

• Team A finishes in 1-2-3-4-5th place.

Team B finishes 6-7-8-9-10-11. Team

A wins!

Warm-ups & Uniforms

• New uniforms now imperative to

return

• Warmups and gear online store has

been created and link will be shared

Summer Pre-Season & Retreat

• August 17th mandatory practices for all sports begin

– Absolutely MUST have a physical on file to practice

• Taking the teams away for a few days on a retreat

– Friday August 21st – Sunday August 23rd

• Location

– Gettysburg, PA

• Have used Summer Track meets in an effort to raise

money for the trip – shout out to Sean McGinnis!

HUDL Fundraiser

• Information forthcoming - easy

fundraiser?

Spike Night

• All Kinds of Fast – Bridge Street,

Phoenixville

• Thursday evening August 20th

• Video you should watch on website

prior

Varsity vs. Junior Varsity

• Love to rotate varsity (top 7) all

season, especially at invitationals

• At end of season, top 7 based largely

on time, performance and mentality

Keys to success – that you can help with

• Hydration & Nutrition – need to be attentive to both

• Accountability & establishing routine

• Sleep is vitally important for recovery (8-10 hours)

• Helping to “buy in” – and reaching out to me directly with

concerns

• Choosing relationships wisely

Communication

• The best resource out there – will be

religious about keeping this updated

• www.phoenixvillexc. com

Contact Information

• Coaching Staff

– Justin Winters – 570-906-0467

(wintersj@pasd.com)

–Maria Winters – 570-947-8172

(mdwinters@gmail.com)