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| 2008 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS OCT 26th |
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| 16 Days |
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2nd Annual Ohio Middle School Cross Country Championships
On a beautiful fall afternoon in October we hope to assemble 1000 of Ohio's greatest young athletes at Dublin Coffman High School to compete at the Ohio Middle School Cross Country State Championships. With 10 races and two different skill levels the event is not just for elite runners. It is a great experiance for any athlete that enjoys the sport of cross country. This years race will begin on the practice field to the left of the stadium. This will eliminate the first lap around the track and will shorten the race to right at 2 miles. Every athlete who enters prior to October 13th will receive a free event T-Shirt!! Get registered now!!! Entry deadline is October 20th. It will be a glorious day for Ohio Cross Country...don't miss it!!
Pre-Check in will be saturday night Oct. 25th from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Embassy Hotel Meeting room. Athletes can get their numbers, wrist bands and T-shirts at this time and parents and fans can get their admissions wrist bands as well. Event T-shirts will also be on sale at this time and are $15 each or 2 for $25.
Countdown to 1000
Runners Needed 761
We have secured 4 free tickets per family for the Oct. 11th John Gorka/ Ryan Holliday concert at the Historical Marsh Foundation Auditorium in Van Wert Ohio. WHILE THEY LAST! These free tickets are only available to athletes who are registered and paid.
To get your free tickets just email me at coachclay@hotmail.com and I will mail them to you. Showtime is 7PM. To hear a sample of these artist music or to read more about them visit the www.visionarypromotions.org website.
Craig Leon to Announce State Meet
Here is a recent article about world class runner Craig Leon. We are so lucky to have Craig come announce the State Championships again this year.
VWHS grad sets sights on Olympics
By Jeanna Packard
When Craig Leon walked onto the Ohio University men's cross country team in 2003, the Olympics weren't even on his radar. But a recent summer internship at the Olympic trials reignited his passion for the sport and fueled Leon's current ambitions -- a run at the Olympics and a career in athletics.
Leon, who is pursuing a master's degree in athletic administration in the College of Health and Human Services, filmed athletic performances at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic trials June 26 through July 5 in Eugene, Ore., for Human Performance Consulting. Ohio University alumnus Mike Young founded the agency, which evaluates top athletes' performances and develops training strategies to enhance their abilities.
Leon, who earned a degree in education from Ohio University in 2007, responded to an offer to work at the trials during one of his coaching education classes last spring.
"I've always joked that I wanted to race out there, and then this opportunity came up," Leon said. "I really didn't know what I was going to do over the summer, and it turned into one of the best summers of my life."
A former standout on Ohio University's track and field and cross country teams, Leon had a front-row seat for the performances of Olympic hopefuls at the trials.
Former VWHS runner Craig Leon at the Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Ore., this past summer. Leon, a postgraduate student at Ohio University and a former cross country and track star for the Bobcats, was given an internship to provide film of practice runs to aid American Olympic competitors improve their times at the trials. (OU photo)
Leon witnessed Tyson Gay run the fastest 100-meter dash to date -- although his record-breaking time didn't qualify as a world record because of wind interference. He also watched thousands of fans cheer on three Oregon runners who swept the 800-meter run, earning all three Olympic team spots.
"For somebody who cares about running, this was a chance of a lifetime," said Clay Calkins, Ohio University's head track and field coach. "(For) people who love the sport, this is what they live for."
Leon said he and 12 to 15 of his co-workers filmed the track meet from designated stations, including the infield and press box. Stations were positioned all around the track to capture different angles.
The films, which are uploaded to a computer and slowed to single frames, are viewed and critiqued by the athletes and coaches and used as a tool to help athletes improve their performance.
When not filming, Leon explored the many wood chip trails in Eugene, also known as "Track Town" because of its history of dominance in the sport and notoriety of a former runner who created Nike, Leon said. While there, he competed in the Butte to Butte 10K on the Fourth of July, placing third and bringing home $200.
During one of his many distance runs, Leon encountered Dathan Ritzenhein, an Olympic marathoner. They ran a few miles together, sharing running tips and advice.
The inspiration Leon absorbed in Eugene followed him back to Athens and continues to motivate his running. He has even developed a four-year plan to qualify for the 2012 Olympic marathon pretrials.
Calkins said Leon was the team's top runner his junior and senior years after walking on as a freshman. "(Coaches) strive to get young athletes like Craig, and we hope they achieve everything he achieved. He is a model athlete and student."
Leon's running earned him an athletic scholarship his sophomore year, and his hard work and dedication qualified him for the 2007 Cross Country Championships at Terre Haute, Ind.
Leon's former supervisor in the College of Education, Kelly Davidson, recalls early morning meetings for which Leon, a Precollege adviser at the time, would arrive at 8 a.m. and dance around the room. Incoming students appreciated his easygoing nature.
"Craig is focused, an outstanding student and all-around person," Davidson said. "The key to his success is his ability to balance athletics, academics and fun."
Leon plans on working in an athletic environment after graduation, but time and job prospects will determine the specifics.
"Goal setting and achievement in running correlate to the rest of my life," he said. "I have good time management skills and motivation. Having success in running is the same as job success. I want to achieve goals."
State Meet Flyer
Middle School Cross Country Flyer
Coaches, Parents and Meet Managers,
Won't you please help us to get the word out to every Middle School runner in Ohio about the State Cross Country Meet by printing out a flyer and making copies to hand out or post at your upcoming meets.
We had so many parents contact us after the meet last year and say they would have loved to have been involved but that they never heard anything about the state meet. Lets don't let that happen this year.
If you are running a meet and would like me to send enough copies to put in your coaches packets let me know. Also if you are selling programs that we could place an ad in contact me at 419-238-7419.
Please read
Coaches, Athletes and Parents
This is a post season individual competition not a team competition, and is permissible for middle school athletes provided that the school coach doesn't coach the athlete in preperation for this event or on the day of the event. Athletes are NOT permitted to wear their school uniforms to run in this event. No middle school athlete is permitted to run in this event if they still have meets to run for their school team. If their school cross country season is completed by October 26th of 2008 then they can participate. This Cross Country event nor the Middle School Athletic Association is affiliated with, sponsored by or sanctioned by the OHSAA in any way. Athletes in 6th grade and under will not be competing with or against Middle School athletes. They will be in a division of their own.
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