Email Archive
Weekly KJHS Cross Country Email: Final Week(s) of 10/9, 10/16
Hello Cross Country Families,
They say time flies when you’re having fun and that is certainly true as we look back on this season. We have so enjoyed this group of student-athletes and we’ve genuinely appreciated all the support from the parents, too. As coaches, we look forward to making the next week and a half as memorable and successful as possible. Believe it or not, this email contains the breakdown of the rest of our season. Please be on the lookout for one last email ahead of the conference meet with some important details.
Time-sensitive updates:
· Early end time for the remainder of the season: We are officially tapering now. This means our workouts aren’t as strenuous or long. We’ll be done by 4pm, so if possible, please make arrangements for an earlier pickup.
· Post-season pizza party invites went out to the team this week. If your runner wants to participate in this party on Friday, 10/20, they must turn in their permission slip by next Wednesday, 10/11. I’ve attached an e-copy of the invitation to this email.
Here’s a look at the rest of our cross country season:
Monday, 10/9: Practice 3-4:00PM
Tuesday, 10/10: Practice 3-4:00PM
Wednesday, 10/11: Away meet at Lincoln Junior High School (1320 Olympus Dr) vs. LJHS and Fischer
Thursday, 10/12: P/T conferences- No Practice
Friday, 10/13: P/T conferences- No Practice
Monday, 10/16: Practice 3-4:00PM
Tuesday, 10/17: Practice 3-4:00PM
Wednesday, 10/18: CONFERENCE MEET at Frontier Park (Race Order: 7G, 7B, 8G, 8B)
Thursday, 10/19: -- Go Home After School and Wash Your Uniform J
Friday, 10/20: Post-Season Pizza Party/Uniform Turn-In
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us. As always, thanks for the support!
The Kennedy Cross Country Coaches
KJHS XC Weekly Email #5 (Week of 10/2-10/6)
Hello Cross Country Families,
Thanks for all the support last week! We had a great week running against a lot of other talented programs. It was fun to run against some non-conference teams as well last week. We are unbelievably proud of all our student-athletes and are especially pleased with the outcome of the Franklin Invitational! Kennedy had a great showing. Just a couple highlights-- Our 8th grade girls Top 7 took home first place, while our 7th grade boys Top 7 finished second! We had awesome individual finishes by runners in our other Top 7 races as well as both open races. Many of our students received/will be receiving ribbons for their efforts. It was a great night!
Results from the Franklin Invite as well as our race at JJHS on 9/26 are located on our website. Please check it out here. Also, make sure you are checking out Instagram (@kjhsxc) as we’re uploading content (pictures and videos) every week.
One last time sensitive update—our spirit wear has arrived! We’ll hand those items out to kids this week during practice!
We’ve got many things to look forward to this week! Here’s a look at this upcoming week:
Monday, 10/2: Practice 3-4:30PM
Tuesday, 10/3: Practice 3-4:30PM
Wednesday, 10/4: HOME MEET vs. MJHS and Granger. Order of Events: 7G, 7B, 8G, 8B. We will communicate via Remind once we have an estimated start time for our races.**We don’t require families to sign out early from our home course, so if you need to leave early, you’re free to go when you need to.
Thursday, 10/5: DAIRY QUEEN RUN!! 3-4:30PM. The kids have been waiting patiently for our annual DQ Run. We will complete a quick workout before making our way over to Dairy Queen where students can pick up a treat and then walk back to Kennedy. If your student would like to purchase something, please plan to send them with 5-7 dollars. Students will be ready for pickup from Kennedy at our regular time of 4:30pm.
Friday, 10/6: FINAL Morning Practice (6:30-7:30AM)
As always, thanks for the support!
Kennedy XC Coaches
KJHS XC Weekly Email #4 (Week of 9/25-9/29)
Dear Kennedy XC Families,
Hope you’ve been enjoying this beautiful weekend. The kids have found their groove and did a great job competing against some talented teams last week. We have an exciting week ahead, so let’s jump right into it.
Monday, 9/25: KONA ICE PRACTICE/MAROON & GOLD SPORTS DAY—After a light practice on campus, our runners will get first access to the Kona Ice truck we’ll have out back tomorrow. Treats will cost between $4-$6 dollars, so make sure they bring their money! We’ll be bonding as a team and then ending practice early to encourage our runners to support their fellow Eagles at the home football and volleyball games tomorrow. If your student doesn’t want to hang around to eat Kona or watch football or volleyball, pickup can be as early as 4pm. If they do elect to stay for the games, please work with them to set a time for pickup. Coaches’ supervision will end following traditional 4:30PM pickup procedure.
Tuesday, 9/26: Away meet at Jefferson Junior High School (1525 Loomis St, Naperville) vs. JJHS and Hill. Please note, we are halfway through our season which means our race order has changed. The order of events for the rest of District 203/204 meets will be: 7G, 7B, 8G, 8B. As always, we use the Remind App to communicate with families about our race start time as well as our estimated arrival time back at Kennedy.
Wednesday 9/27: Practice 3-4:30pm
Thursday 9/28: Franklin Invitational at Northside Park in WHEATON- please see below for details pertaining to this special meet/
Friday 9/29: NO MORNING PRACTICE
Franklin Invitational Information
You may have begun hearing about next week’s Franklin Invite from your runner. We are so excited about this opportunity. From a spectator’s perspective, we guarantee you’ll enjoy this meet as Northside Park truly is very beautiful and picturesque.
Franklin Invite at Northside Park in Wheaton. 6 different races will take place and ribbons will be awarded to the top 35 places in each race. The hosting school, Franklin, would like the first race to begin by 4:30PM. The order of events is as follows:
Top 7: 7th grade Girls (1.6 mile course)
Top 7: 7th grade Boys (1.6 mile course)
Top 7: 8th grade Girls (2.0 mile course)
Top 7: 8th grade Boys (2.0 mile course)
Open girls’ race (1.6 mile course)
Open boys’ race (1.6 mile course)
All students will run in one race this evening. Runners were notified by the head coaches last Thursday if they were invited to run in a Top 7 race. Students not participating in the Top 7 races will run in their respective open races.
Parking can be rather limited at Northside Park. Please be aware that you may need to park in the surrounding neighborhood and walk a few blocks to get to the race site.
On-site merch can be purchased at the invite. Students can customize shirts and sweatshirts with their name. Prices will range from $20 to $30 dollars depending on what you add.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to six races taking place as well as a large number of schools participating, anticipate this meet lasting longer than other meets of the season. Students will return to KJHS later than normal. We will, of course, use Remind to send you a message when we are leaving Wheaton. Given the late evening, the AM practice that following Friday morning will be cancelled (9/29).
Thanks for your continued support,
KJHS XC Coaches
KJHS XC Weekly Email #3 (Week of 9/18-9/22)
Dear Kennedy Cross Country Families,
Another week of cross country is in the books! We continue to be proud of the good work our Eagles are doing! They’re working hard at practice and it shows! We also have appreciated their patience as we deal with bussing delays. Transportation is having difficulty staffing drivers for district sporting events, hence our late arrival to meets so far this season. Thanks for bearing with us as we deal with this!
We have a busier week next week as we’ll be running in two meets. Please see below for our schedule as well as some reminders.
Monday, 9/18: AWAY MEET at Madison ( 1000 River Oak Dr, Naperville ) vs. Madison and Lincoln. We anticipate this meet starting earlier than our previous meets have. We’ll communicate via Remind for estimated race times. (Order of Events: 8G, 8B, 7G, 7B)
Tuesday, 9/19: Practice 3-4:30pm
Wednesday, 9/20: HOME MEET against Lincoln & Fischer. We are excited to host our first home meet of the season. Please plan to join us! (Order of Events: 8G, 8B, 7G, 7B)
Thursday, 9/21: Practice 3-4:30pm
Friday, 9/22: Morning Practice 6:30-7:30
Reminders
Spirit wear shop closes Monday, 9/18. If you’re still interested in making a purchase, be sure to check out the site this weekend! Everything will be delivered to Kennedy in the coming weeks.
If you’re on Instagram, we’re posting content weekly from our practices and/or meets. Give us a follow @kjhsxc!
Have a great weekend!
KJHS Cross Country Coaches
KJHS XC Weekly Email #2 (Week of 9/11-9/15)
Dear Kennedy Cross Country Families,
Thanks for all the support this week! Packets have been turned in, team pictures have been taken, and we successfully participated in our first meet of the season! We were happy to see so many of you at our away meet against Still and Granger last night! At all four levels, the kids ran really well. We were pleased to see so much pack running and have been impressed with how the kids are reflecting on how they attacked their first race. Most importantly to us, our runners represented themselves and Kennedy well! It is heartwarming to see the encouragement and comradery this sport brings out in people. We loved seeing our runners cheer on ALL runners, regardless of team affiliation. If you are interested in viewing our results, they will be posted later today on our Kennedy XC Website.
Time Sensitive Updates/Reminders:
· Our spirit wear shop is open! If your runner (or you!) would like to represent Kennedy Cross Country with some gear, you can access our shop here. You have until Monday, September 18th to place your order. Anything ordered will be delivered to Kennedy and distributed during an upcoming practice. Happy shopping!
Other Updates/Reminders:
· Please be sure to communicate with your student if you plan to pick them up directly from the meet. That way, they’ll have brought their belongings with them on the bus and you can avoid having to make an extra trip back to Kennedy. Also, be sure to sign them out in our neon pink attendance binder before you go!
· Some athletes have inquired about practices if we experience bad weather. If there is a threat of severe weather (lightening), we can’t hold practice outdoors. However, we will run in light rain. Should we ever need to cancel practice, we’ll communicate that via Talk203, email, and the Remind app.
Here’s a look at the week ahead—
Monday, 9/11: Practice 3PM- 4:30PM
Tuesday, 9/12: Practice 3PM-4:30PM
Wednesday, 9/13: Practice 3PM- 4:30PM
Thursday, 9/14: AWAY MEET at Crone Middle School (4020 111th St, Naperville, IL 60564) vs. Crone and Gregory! Order of Events: 8G, 8B, 7G, 7B.
Friday, 9/15: Morning Practice 6:30AM-7:30AM
Have a great weekend!
The KJHS XC Coaches
Weekly Email #1 for 9/5 - 9/8
Dear Kennedy Cross Country Families,
Welcome to KJHS Cross Country 2023! We have nearly 130 student-athletes signed up to participate this year! We are ecstatic to have so many kids out developing a love for running.
Each week you will receive an email from us outlining what to expect for the week ahead. As this is our first email of the season, please bear with us as we also include a lot of introductory information to help families navigate the season. Please do read it in its entirety as this email will contain answers to many frequently asked questions. We also encourage you to check out our Cross Country website. It is a great resource. Our season calendar and race results are housed here, so it’s a good idea to bookmark our site. We’re also trying out social media this year, so if you’re on Instagram, give us a follow @kjhsxc.
Time-Sensitive Updates:
Tuesday (9/5) is TEAM PICTURE DAY: Pictures will take place on Tuesday during practice. Students must make sure they have their uniforms for the picture. I’ve attached the information we received from the photography company.
Optional CROSS COUNTRY PARENT MEETING: If you’d like the opportunity to meet our head coaches and hear more about our program, please plan to join us for an optional parent meeting on Tuesday, 9/5. We will meet in the multi-purpose room at 4:15pm. A lot of the information reviewed is contained in this email. However, we will be looking for volunteers to help us out with concessions when we have our two home meets.
Registration Packets: Packets are due Tuesday, September 5th! As a reminder, this means that your student-athlete has submitted (1) the Kennedy Code of Conduct (2) Eligibility Guidelines (3) $50 athletic fee check made payable to KJHS with your student’s name on the memo line and (4) a completed emergency card. Additionally, a current sports physical must be on file.
General Information about the season:
Time Commitment
Our season runs from August 28th to October 18th. We practice or have a meet every day school is in session. If an unexpected cancellation occurs, that will be communicated via school-wide announcements as well as the Remind App. With the exception of Friday morning practices (6:30am-7:30am), Cross Country occurs after school. We want the kids at practice as often as they are able to. With that being said, we understand that many kids have other commitments certain days (club soccer, music lessons, religious classes, etc.). If your student is able to stay until at least 4PM, we encourage them to attend practice. If you need to pick them up prior to 4pm, we’d prefer they not attend and get a run in at home instead. (We travel off-campus for most practices. We can’t ensure we’d be back on time).
On practice days, please make arrangements for your student-athlete to be picked up at 4:30PM. Coaches must stay until all students are picked up, so your promptness and cooperation is greatly appreciated. Each coach has kids and familial responsibilities outside of school. Repeated late pickups may result in a student-athlete being unable to continue participating in the sport.
**Information regarding length of meets is detailed more specifically in the “Meet” subheading down below.**
Meets:
Order of Events: For the first half of the season races will occur in the following order: 8th grade girls, 8th grade boys, 7th grade girls, 7th grade boys. We will communicate to you when the order flip-flops to allow 7th grade to run first.
Transportation: We provide bussing to and from all meets. When at all possible, we ask that students ride the bus to and from the meet with us. We want students to root on other runners before and after their own race. The time on the bus is also a nice opportunity for building team unity. With that being said, we understand that there are sometimes circumstances that prevent your student from returning with the team. In instances where you need to take your student-athlete with you from the meet, we ask that you communicate with one of the coaches AND sign your student out in the sign out binder we will have with us at all meets.
Timing: We will inevitably be asked to predict when races will be completed. It is difficult for us to provide specific start times for meets as we are at the mercy of the transportation department. Once a meet begins, please plan on approximately 20 minutes between the end of one race and the start of the next. In an effort to help facilitate communication about when meets are completed and we are on our way back to Kennedy, the coaching staff will be using the Remind app. See below if you’d like more information on how the coaching staff can communicate directly with you during meets.
Remind App
We will be using the Remind app to send out information during meets. Remind is a free app that can be used to send out large group texts. Your phone number will not be shared with the coaches or other families. We will use the app to let you know when meets are expected to begin (based on arrival of other teams) as well as when busses are departing for Kennedy after away meets. Please note that we DO NOT monitor or respond to incoming messages. Athletes and families can sign up. Please sign up here.
Our Team Philosophy
Cross Country season is something all three of us coaches really look forward to! Our motto is one we have been sharing with North Central College in Naperville for several years. It is “Run for Fun and Personal Best!” We honor personal improvement above all else. Nothing satisfies the coaches (and hopefully the runners) more than an athlete running faster than they ever have before. Personal improvement for all kids is what we focus on. Through goal setting, teamwork, commitment, dedication, and fun, we hope to achieve this for everyone. All we ask is that the kids come to us with a positive attitude, the desire to encourage teammates, and a willingness to work hard to get better.
Communication
In order to report a scheduled absence or share a question/concern, email is a great option.
Matt Horan (Girls coach) mhoran@naperville203.org
John Weigel (Boys coach) jweigel@naperville203.org
Shannon Harper (Assistant coach) sharper@naperville203.org
A look at the week ahead:
Monday 9/4: No school
Tuesday 9/5: 3:00-4:30 (TEAM PICTURE DAY- BRING UNIFORMS) + Parent Meeting at 4:15pm in the Multi-Purpose Room of Kennedy
Wednesday 9/6: Practice 3:00-4:30
Thursday 9/7: AWAY MEET at Still Middle School (787 Meadowridge Dr, Aurora, IL 60504) vs. Still and Granger
Friday 9/8: Practice 6:30am-7:30am
Thanks again for your support of the Kennedy Cross Country team. We are looking forward to a fantastic season!
Coach Weigel, Coach Horan, and Coach Harper