Schedule: Week of 11/2

SJ PAROCHIAL WEEK! The next two races are what we have been waiting for all season…let’s stay strong, healthy, and ultimately – ready to race!

MON 11/2: PVI, regular time, core/form
TUES 11/3: PVI, 3:15 practice start, ALL BRING SPIKES, mile time trial for the following: Smith, Booth, Bretschneider, Munns, Madden, Patterson, Boldurian, Marino, workout for all others
WED 11/4: PVI, regular time, core/form
THURS 11/5:PVI, details released for SJ Parochials, secondary workout, all BRING SPIKES
FRI 11/6: PVI, regular time, pre-race day
SAT 11/7: meet at PVI, bus time 11AM, SJ PAROCHIAL CHAMPIONSHIP! Delsea HS.
SUN 11/8: practice details TBD

South Jersey Parochials: Overcoming Adversity

Paul VI 47, Saint Augustine 51, Camden Catholic 75, Bishop Eustace 108

Your Eagles won a hard fought battle in the SJ Parochial Meet this past Saturday, grabbing their second consecutive championship by four points. Since taking over, it has been amazing to watch the impressive improvement of each team (including ourselves) within the South Jersey Parochial spectrum. Three teams averaging below 17:30 a man is not customary and it certainly was a hard-fought battle between us and Saint Augustine. Seniors Mike Rankin and Brian Walter – a little set back from sickness – showed well though not falling where they wanted to in the grand scheme of things. Junior captain Tom Hoban and senior Rich McKean stayed pretty close to each other most of the way and with four in averaging around 16:40, it looked like a lock. Saint Augustine, however, packed their next four guys in front of fifth man Stefano Mastrando to make things very close in the last 200 meters. Soph Mastrando hung in there for a respectable 17:52. Hoban and McKean won MVP honors for the day after overcoming much adversity this season (McKean had an injury that kept him out a month, Hoban the same – except his came about mid-season) to help solidify the win. As a runner, that’s the hardest thing to do – come back from injury after weeks of lonely pool workouts, bike rides, watching your teammates race. These guys fought all season and were able to muster up a great performance. Same goes with Brian Walter fighting sickness to a Top 10 finish. Ten guys finished in the top half of the race showing significant depth as the 5-6-7 spot on the State team is far from decided but whoever races will prove to be a crucial part of this Saturday’s race!

2. Rankin 16:24
7. Walter 16:46
8. Hoban 16:50
9. McKean 17:05
22. Mastrando 17:52
25. Nuccio 18:08
31. Gallagher 18:18
34. Vadino 18:23
35. Lamberto 18:24
37. Smith 18:29
46. Catrino 18:50
51. Booth 19:11

Please join me in congratulating these guys as their hard work this season continues to pay off!! McKean’s 17:05 was 10th fastest on the Delsea list. We’re proud of all you guys for sticking it out.

Next up is Parochial A States up at Holmdel this Saturday. The race is scheduled for 2:10PM, more details to come.

Tomorrow night is also the last night of the Race to College Series with many new speakers coming to help us out. 7PM, Mount Laurel. E-mail Coach if you need directions!

South Jersey Parochials: Itinerary

MEET AT PAUL VI HS – 10:45AM – Everyone shows, injured or healthy!

Bus leaves from Paul VI – 11:00AM

South Jersey Parochial Championship Race – 1:45PM

(12 runners)
Rankin
Walter
Hoban
McKean
Lamberto
Mastrando
Catrino
Nuccio
Gallagher
Vadino
Smith
Booth

2:15PM – After the cool down, Post-race cookout!!!

4:00-4:30PM – return home at Paul VI HS (Everybody returns on the bus!)

Please take some time tonight to really take in all the improvement each of you have had over the past 6 months. It has been a bumpy but fantastic ride – you guys have brought back a sense of true expectation to this team!! Both Coach Rankin and I only ask that you go out there – whether you were sick all week, a bit banged up, or mentally drained – and give it everything you have tomorrow. I am confident that if we do that we can come away not only successful but extremely proud and happy with the way we performed!

Most importantly, let’s get ready to have some fun. It’s going to be PERFECT weather out there. 53 degrees, sunny, minimal wind. Let’s come overprepared though!

Coach Bonnette and Coach Rankin

New Tab

For results and “history” of the Blue and White – check out the new Blue & White tab!

It’s 3-2 Yanks, Pedro on the mound, who takes the game tonight?? Score predictions?

2nd Annual Blue & White, Odds & Ends, and All-Conference

Our 2nd Annual Blue & White meet will take place this Saturday at Borton Mill’s Park in Cherry Hill, NJ. It is a flat, two-mile course that all are welcome to race! The idea – for PVIXC’s purpose – is an intra-squad meet in which teams will be drafted by both Coach Bonnette (Blue) and Coach Rankin (White). It will be scored like a regular XC meet with the For the alumni and parents, we challenge you to muster up a team of five capable of beating our current Eagles. The winning squad (Blue or White) will win a dinner on the other squad (this past year’s was held at Villari’s in Sicklerville). There will be prizes for Best Costume (those that dare to dress up – you’ll get negative points if you dress up like either Coach), Top Runner, and Most Improved.

We will have snacks/refreshments afterwards. Alums or parents, please e-mail bbonnette@pvihs.org if you plan on racing! ALL ARE WELCOME TO RACE – younger/older siblings, parents, alums, friends! The full course can be seen here…http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/nj/cherry%20hill/597684926998. (For the best view, put it into Satellite View)

Time: 9AM
Date: Saturday, October 31st, 2009
Location: The MAIN Parking Lot is right across the street from 306 Bortons Mill Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034.
Rain or shine (hopefully the weather cooperates). The 2-mile course will be marked.
Course Record: Mike Rankin (2008), 10:42

TEAMS will be posted shortly.

BLUE (Coach Bonnette)

Catrino
Nuccio
Vadino
Booth
Smith
Bretschneider
Marino
Madden
Advisors: Hoban, McKean, and Lamberto (as last year’s Blue team members)

WHITE (Coach Rankin)

Mastrando
Gallagher
Verna
Patterson
Boldurian
Munns
Hubbs
Team Advisors: Walter, Rankin (as last year White team members)

Last year’s result - White 27, Blue 28, Vadino’s 9th place finish (5th man) and Rankin’s win seals up a one-point white team win.

Also on tap this week is the Haddonfield Frosh/JV Championships held at Pennypacker Park, a flat and fast 5k course behind Haddonfield Memorial HS. Most of the guys racing the Blue and White will also race at Haddonfield. The details are forthcoming but the meet is this Thursday, 10/29 and the schedule looks like this:

Boys Sub-Varsity 4:00PM
Boys Freshmen 4:30PM

Olympic Conference Championships

The squad finished 5th in the tough Olympic Conference this past weekend. Although we all were somewhat unhappy with the team finish we did have several individuals grab first and second team All-Conference honors. Best performance of the day went to frosh Mike Patterson for a ‘C’ course PR!

1st Team – Michael Rankin, Brian Walter, Thomas Hoban, Richard McKean
2nd Team – Stefano Mastrando, Nick Lamberto

OLYMPIC CONFERENCE Championships: Itinerary

The Championship Season is upon us and we now enter the early stages of what we’ve been working towards for since June.

EARLY DISMISSAL 12:45-1:00PM on Friday, 10/23 (HAVE YOUR EARLY DISMISSAL NOTES at the ready!)

BUS leaves as close to 1PM as possible from PVI (sharing with the Girls squad)

3:00PM Junior Varsity Race

Catrino

Gallagher

Nuccio

Marino

Verna

Boldurian

Patterson

Hubbs

Smith

Bretschneider

Munns

3:40PM Varsity Race

Rankin

Walter

Hoban

McKean

Lamberto

Mastrando

Vadino

EVERYONE returns on the bus to PVI. This is a championship race fellas – we race and whether win or lose, we do it as a team. Plan accordingly.

Come overprepared (dry clothes, warm clothes, warmups, jerseys, spikes, etc.). De-catastrophize (meaning don’t let negative thoughts take over, make this fun). Don’t tell me 7th period was your only time to eat. Plan ahead and eat when you need to eat during the day! Couple quotes to think about:

“The greatest hurdle is convincing yourself that what you want is possible” – Author Unknown

“It is hard to fail, worse though to have never tried at all” – Timothy Dyson

You all know this one - “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift” – Steve “Pre” Prefontaine

“Run like hell and get the agony over with” – Clarence DeMar

“Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.” PattiSue Plumber, US Olympian

And last but not least, take a look at Dathan Ritzenhein’s last mile in his American Record performance recently. He didn’t win the race but watch him move (running just over 4 minutes for his last mile) to break a long-standing 5k record.

We will not run anyone in the frosh race. It is ‘C’ course and the last time this year you will see GCC.