Blog Archives

August 27th-September 3rd: Arapahoe Warrior Invitational

8/27/2018

Great job starting the season off on Friday night Vista Nation! Stellar results against some very stellar competition. The results page is bellow, along with an article and pictures from the meet. Keep up the good work!

Vista Nation XC 2-Mile Invitational Results, Articles, Photos

NXR Attendance List
The attached list are the names of those people that have confirmed w/ Therese Fitzsimmons (tjfitz@q.com) that you are going on this years NXRSW trip to Arizona. If you do not see your name on the list, we currently do not have a hotel room reserved for you or car space. Please email Therese ASAP before we release our extra hotel rooms that are reserved on our team block.

Schedule for August 27th-September 3rd
Monday- DeKoevend Park 3:20 p.m.
Tuesday- MVHS 3:10 p.m.
Wednesday- Morning Run 6 a.m. @ MVHS
-MVHS 3:10
Thursday-Morning Run 6:30 a.m. @ MVHS
-MVHS 3:10 p.m.
Friday- Arapahoe Warrior Invitational
Sat-Redstone Park 7 a.m.
Sunday-On your own
Monday-No School, run on your own (see training schedule)

Labor Day/Saturday Practice
Our plan for Labor Day weekend is to meet for practice at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning at Redstone Park. Those that raced at the Arapahoe Invite will be doing a long run. Those that did not race will be doing a longer steady state run/rhythm run. If you are leaving town please arrange to leave with your family after practice Saturday morning. We will be finished by 9 a.m.

For Monday, check the training document to see what your run is that day and get it in on your own. Or call a teammate up and run together. We will not be meeting on Monday as a team.

Training Plans for the Week
If you are unsure which plan to follow please come talk to the coaches.

July August 27th-September 9th Training Plan

Arapahoe Warrior Invitational
When: Friday
Where: DeKoevend Park
Meet Website, Information, and Course Map
Bus/Dismissal: Out of class at 1:40. Bus to meet leaves at 2:00 p.m. There is no return bus after the meet. Athletes please arrange a ride home with your parents or a teammate.
Schedule and Line-ups
4:00 Open Fresh/Soph Boys (unlimited entries/score 5)-All Frosh/Soph Boys
4:20 Open Fresh/Soph Girls (unlimited entries/score 5)-All Frosh/Soph Girls
4:50 Varsity Boys (enter 7/score 5)-Announced at practice this week
5:10 Varsity Girls (enter 7/score 5)-Announced at practice this week
5:40 Open Junior/Senior Boys (unlimited entries/score 5)-All Jr/Sr Boys not running varsity
6:00 Open Junior/Senior Girls (unlimited entries/score 5)-All Jr/Sr Girls not running varsity

Team Dinner- Thursday August 30th 5:30 pm
Hosted by Jenna Fitzsimmons

Potluck Style. Please bring your assigned dish. Food assignments will rotate each week.
Please don’t show up empty handed
Bring enough for 8 people
Try to keep it healthy-ish
Label your dishes and remind your athlete to bring all dishes home
We have plenty of serving utensils - no need to send those
Parents are welcome to stop in and check it out.
Dinners start at 5:30pm- feel free to contact Therese if you want to drop your dish off ahead of time.

Parents of athletes with food allergies or sensitivities should contact Teresa Smith as soon as possible: 720-840-6335 or smithrouse@msn.com.

Food Assignments:

Freshman Girls: Pasta
Freshman Boys: Protein
Sophomores: Pasta OR Protein
Juniors: Fruit OR Salad
Seniors: Pasta

Huge THANK YOU to Jim and Therese Fitzsimmons for hosting.

Mountain Vista XC Tips for Parents: Part II

8/22/2018

A few more tips from our veteran parents put together for our new XC parents joining the team this year. Enjoy!

New XC Parent Information: Part 1. If you missed the post from the June 6th blog this is a great place to start.
Encourage your runner to attend team dinners the night before the meets. Freshman are reluctant, but they are all invited and welcome. Tell them to go with a friend.
Athletes usually wear other shorts, shirts or warmups over their uniforms on their way to meets.
Freshman boys are not used to running in shorts quite that short. They can wear compression shorts underneath, if they so choose.
Parking can be challenging in crowded school lots and neighborhood streets. Give yourself plenty of time to get parked and hike over to the course before race time. It can be hard to watch a race if you show up late, depending on the course layout.
Most XC meets are no charge, but bring cash just in case. Some have concession stands.
Be a great fan! Wear your green Vista Nation shirt. Cheer for everyone, not just Vista! If you like to take pictures, share them on Shutterfly.
Meets can last until 6pm or later – encourage your athlete to bring homework for the bus and in team tent.
Kids get hungry and thirsty – encourage your athlete to bring plenty of water and easy to digest healthy snacks. Parents will need plenty of snacks and drinks, too, especially if you are coming straight from work.
If your child has asthma, he/she should pack an extra inhaler. They have been known to fall out of pockets during warm up runs. Food allergy kids should pack rescue meds.
Colorado XC season weather can change quickly – encourage your athlete to bring clothes for all weather conditions (jackets, hats, sunscreen, etc)
Team Tent is for the athletes and coaches to rest, prepare and bond. Please be mindful of the athletes’ and coaches’ space by limiting visits to the tent.
Team will gather near team tent after awards are complete for a wrap up and cheer. If possible allow your athlete to stay until this is over. Parents are welcome to stay and listen to coaches recap too! Coaches recognize a few athletes after most meets.
Parents and fans - Bring coats, blankets, hats and a good pair of shoes. We seldom sit at an XC meet and there are usually plenty of places to see your child run. So parents usually ‘run’ around the course to catch a view and cheer on the runners. If you have grandparents or fans who may need to sit, bring a comfortable chair.
Vista parents usually find a place to congregate together. Don’t hesitate to ask any Vista parents about the course and best spots to view the runners. Many courses are posted on http://co.milesplit.com/ So feel free to check it out before the meet.
Sometimes the runners will decide to go to dinner after the meets, usually to Qdoba or Chipotle. There’s not always a well thought out plan and sometimes it depends on their moods, but you might want to send money with your runner just in case. Also, you might want to coordinate rides home with another family so it’s more manageable. You will probably hear about such plans at the last minute, after you’ve been waiting around for hours for them to finish up. All runners are welcome to attend these team gatherings.
Special note about the League Championship race. We often take team and grade level pictures after these races so plan to stay for a wonderful photo op.

How to get more involved? Make sure you upload pictures to the Shutterfly account, sign up to help with the XC Banquet or buy a King Soopers or Safeway card to help with our fundraising efforts.

August 20th-26th: Vista Nation 2-Mile

8/19/2018

Great job Vista Nation on another great week of training in the books. We had an awesome tempo run on Tuesday, and the run to Denver was our largest ever. There were 70 athletes that took part in running their longest run of the summer on Saturday. Great work and lets keep up the momentum as we move into our first week of racing. The coaches are really proud of everybody!

I also want to thank all of the parents for their efforts last week in coming out to the parent meeting, and helping with the Run to Denver. It's no joke when the coaches say we have the best parent community in the state. We cannot do all of the things we do without your help. Thank you!

Gear Order Reopened Until Monday
The gear order through Denver Athletic is reopening for 24 hours to help those families that recently registered, or missed the last order. All gear is optional, but most will have a neon green T-Shirt. Please see the blog post from August 6th-12th for more info about what gear to buy.

https://mvcrosscountry2018.itemorder.com/sale

Parent Meeting Info
If you missed the parent meeting here is everything we went over, and then some. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions.

Parent Meeting Notes

Team Dinner- Thursday
Hosted by Ethan and Seth Rouse (address will be sent out on Wednesday) on Thursday at 5:30

Potluck Style. Please bring your assigned dish. Food assignments will rotate each week.
Please don’t show up empty handed
Bring enough for 8-10 people
Try to keep it healthy-ish
Label your dishes and remind your athlete to bring all dishes home
We have plenty of serving utensils - no need to send those
Parents are welcome to stop in and check it out.
Parents of athletes with food allergies or sensitivities should contact Teresa Smith as soon as possible: 720-840-6335 or smithrouse@msn.com.

Food Assignments:
Freshman: Water/Chocolate Milk
Sophomores: Fruit or Salad (No veggie trays please)
Juniors: Pasta Dish (No Cold Deli Pasta please)
Seniors: Protein

Huge THANK YOU to Teresa Smith and Eric Rouse for hosting.

Uniform Checkout
We will checkout uniforms on Wednesday this week after practice. Please plan on staying an extra 30 mins or so that afternoon so that we can get you a uniform.

Grocery Card Fundraiser
This is one of our few fundraisers each season, and how we are able to compensate our assistant coaches every fall. They are not funded by the school district, and the grocery card fundraiser helps us to to make sure they each receive a full stipend for the season. Please see the link below for more information, and contact Therese Fitzsimmons for a card:

www.vistanationxc.com/grocery-card-fundraiser.html

MVHS Booster Club
The Booster Club is the other way we raise money for our program each season. Below is information on how to register, and a video about how the Booster Club helps our team. Please contact Jeremy and Cherise Anderson if you have questions.

Labor Day/Saturday Practice
Our plan for Labor Day weekend is to meet for practice at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning at Redstone Park. Those that raced at the Arapahoe Invite will be doing a long run. Those that did not race will be doing a longer steady state run/rhythm run. If you are leaving town please arrange to leave with your family after practice Saturday morning. We will be finished by 9 a.m.

For Monday, check the training document to see what your run is that day and get it in on your own. Or call a teammate up and run together. We will not be meeting on Monday as a team.

Training Plans for the Week
If you are unsure which plan to follow please come talk to Coach Dalby.

July August 13th-26th Training Plan

August 20th-26th Schedule
Monday- Redstone Park 3:20 p.m.
Tuesday- MVHS 3:10 p.m.
Wednesday- Morning Run 6 a.m. @
-MVHS 3:10 (Uniform Checkout after practice)
Thursday-Morning Run 6:30 a.m. @ MVHS
-MVHS 3:10 p.m.
Friday- Vista Nation XC 2-Mile Invitational
Saturday-Rocky Heights Middle School
Sunday-On your own

Vista Nation XC 2-Mile Invitational
When: Friday, August 24th
Where: MVHS XC Course
Arrival: Be at MVHS no later than 3:45 p.m.
Meet Website/Results (link)
Additional Meet Information (doc)
Teams: Vista, Boulder, Peak-to-Peak, Palmer Ridge, Niwot, Dakota Ridge, Pomona, Castle View, Lyons, Valor Christian
Schedule:
5:00                Boys Varsity 2-Mile (score top 5, run 10)-More than 10 if needed
5:20                Girls Varsity 2-Mile (score top 5, run 10)-More than 10 if needed
5:40                Boys Junior Varsity (score 5, run unlimited)
6:10                Girls Junior Varsity (score 5, run unlimited)
6:30                Awards
Course Map: vistanationinvitemap.pdf
Awards: The top 10 individuals in each race will receive medals. Trophies will be given to the top team in each race
Line-ups: Will be Announced at practice on Thursday

Parent Help: We will be in need of about 15 parents to help us out at the meet on Friday as course marshals to make sure the crowd stays off the course as runners come through. You will still be able to see the entire race. If you can help, please email Coach Dalby. There will be a short parent meeting at 4:30 on the track to organize our parent volunteers.

Shutter Fly Access to Team Photos
Subscribe to our MVHS XC and track photo sharing site to share and view photos of our team http://vistanation.shutterfly.com/

Directions: please view the directions below if you would like to be able to view/upload pictures.

Shutterfly Directions for Vista Nation XC (doc)

Parent Meeting Information

8/15/2018

August 13th-19th: Parent Meeting and Run to Denver

8/12/2018

Pre-Season Parent Meeting
When: Wednesday, August 15th from 6p.m. to 7p.m.
Where: MVHS Library
Who: All Vista Nation XC Parents. Athletes do not need to attend
What: The coaching staff will discuss the 2018 XC season including team expectations, meet/practice schedule, the Nike Cross Regional trip to Arizona, team selection process, buying proper shoes, nutrition for your athletes, parent support, and other important items related to our team.
Meeting Notes: Information will be sent out to everyone after the meeting if you are not able to be in attendance.

Team "Remind" Text List Communication
Please sign-up for the team "Remind" communication list. Besides the blog this is how the coaches will communicate with the team most frequently. It is also the easiest way for us to be able to get a message to athletes and families when needed. See the attached document for directions on how to sign-up.

The Remind Code for the 2018 fall season is @3ag4cb
2018 Vista Nation XC Remind Registration Instructions (pdf)

Training Plans for the Week
If you are unsure which plan to follow please come talk to Coach Dalby.

July August 13th-26th Training Plans

Grocery Card Fundraiser
Therese Fitzsimmons will be at the parent meeting on Thursday to talk about our grocery card fundraiser. This is one of our few fundraisers each season, and how we are able to compensate our assistant coaches each season.

Our assistant coaches on staff are not funded by the school district, and the grocery card fundraiser helps us to to make sure they each receive a full stipend for the season. Please see the link below for more information:
www.vistanationxc.com/grocery-card-fundraiser.html

MVHS Booster Club
The Booster Club is the other way we raise money for our program each season. We will talk about the XC Booster at the parent meeting. Below is information on how to register, and a video about how the Booster Club helps our team.

Runners Roost Spike Night: Friday
This years "Spike Night" will be on Friday at Runner's Roost Lone Tree following our run from the Bluffs that afternoon. This is our chance as as team to get properly fitted for shoes, and see the latest racing spikes/flats. There will also be a 15% discount on all shoes, apparel, and spikes for MVHS and MRMS athletes.

Even if you are not buying shoes that day, come to the event, eat, and have fun with your teammates!

Schedule for August 13th-19th
Monday- MVHS 3:10 p.m. (meet on middle school
fields)
Tuesday- DeKoevend Park 3:20 p.m. (University Lot, just past
  Arapahoe)
Wednesday- MVHS 3:10 (meet on MS fields)
-Parent Meeting 6 p.m. (MVHS Library)
Thursday-Morning Run 6:30 a.m. @ MVHS (only if
  double is on your training schedule)
-MVHS 3:10 p.m. (meet on middle school fields)
Friday- The Bluffs Regional park 3:20
-Runner's Roost Spike Night 5 p.m.
Saturday-Run to Denver 6:30/7 a.m. (see blog for
details)
Sunday-On your own

Run-To-Denver on Saturday
On Saturday we will be doing our bi-annual Denver Breakfast Run! Afterwards we will head to Illegal Pete's on the 16th St Mall for breakfast burritos, and then take the Light Rail from downtown back to Mineral Station next to Aspen Grove. Here are the details on the 4 runs to choose from:

14 Miles: Meet at Aspen Grove Panera at 6:30 a.m.
10 Miles: Meet at Centennial Park in Englewood at 7 a.m. (See address below)
7 Miles: Meet at Centennial Park at 7 a.m., and we will transport you down the trail so that you are running the 7 mile distance.
4 Mile Run: Meet at Centennial Park at 7 a.m. and we will transport you down the trail so that you are running the 4 mile distance.

Who: Any HS Runner that wants to try, and run 14, 10, 7 or 4 miles, including freshman and new runners.
When: 6:30 A.M. If you are running from Aspen Grove. 7:00 a.m. if running from Centennial Park.
Bag/Gear Transport: You can load your stuff up in Dalby's car and he will transport it down to Denver for you.
Where: Centennial Park
4630 S Decatur St
Englewood, CO 80110
Directions: 25 mins from MVHS. Go North on Santa Fe. Take a left on Union. The park will be down on your right off of Union
Cost: $15 should cover the cost for breakfast and your light rail ticket.
Ticket App: Please download the RTD ticket app and purchase your ticket prior to Saturday mornings run.
Parent Help:
We are looking for 2 to 3 parents to help us out on Friday to chaperone at REI/Illegal Pete's and to help drive runner's back from Mineral Station to Centennial Park once we return, if they need to get their cars. If you can help please email Coach Dalby.

Labor Day/Saturday Practice
Our plan for Labor Day weekend is to meet for practice at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning at Redstone Park. Those that raced at the Arapahoe Invite will be doing a long run. Those that did not race will be doing a longer steady state run/rhythm run. If you are leaving town please arrange to leave with your family after practice Saturday morning. We will be finished by 9 a.m.

For Monday, check the training document to see what your run is that day and get it in on your own. Or call a teammate up and run together. We will not be meeting on Monday as a team.

August 6th-12th: Official Practice Begins

8/4/2018

Schedule for August 6th-12th
Monday- MVHS 7 a.m. (meet on middle school fields)
-P.M. If a double is scheduled it is O.Y.O. today
Tuesday- Redstone Park 7 a.m.(meet by Duck Pond)
Wednesday- MVHS 7 a.m. (meet on MS fields)
Thursday-Morning Run 6:30 a.m. @ MVHS (only if
double is on your training schedule. Meet
inside Vista)
-MVHS 3:10 p.m. (meet on middle school fields)
Friday- MVHS 3:10 p.m. (meet on middle school fields)
Saturday-Writer's Vista Park 7 a.m.
Sunday-On your own

2018 Team Policies and Expectations
Athletes and parents should review the following team policies and expectations so that you understand what is expected of all of our cross country runners.

2018 Team Policies and Expectations Document

July 30th-August 12th Training Plans

Fall XC Registration and Physicals
Please make sure you have an up-to-date physical on file with the athletic office when you register for fall XC. The registration window for all fall sports will be reopen for one day on August 7th if you did not register. Athletes that have not registered will not be allowed to participate when the offical CHSAA seasons starts on Monday, August 6th. All athletes must have a current physical on file to be eligible to practice on August 6th.

The link to fall XC registration will reopen for one day this Tuesday:
www.vistagoldeneagles.org/pageshow2716332-winter-sports-registration

Gear Orders for the Fall
Gear orders for the fall are now available through Denver Athletic until Tuesday. Once the site closes you will not be able to order again until the winter.
Denver Athletic Website (Store Closes August 7th)

What Other Gear Should I Order?
We would like all athletes, and parents, to have a neon green Vista Nation XC T-Shirt from Denver Athletic. Everything else is optional to order. Here are a few things to know about available gear:

Neon Green Vista Nation Shirts: This is our standard shirt and one that every member of the team, including parents, should have. It is what we wear at every meet. Either the cotton shirt, or the performance shirt are fine to order.
Athletes going to NXR may want to consider buying an extra lime green cotton T-shirt for the T-shirt exchange.
Warm-Ups: We are giving everyone on the team the opportunity to purchase your warm-ups. Warm-up tops, and pants are optional. We do not check warm-ups out during the season.
Additional Apparel: Hats, bags, additional T-Shirts, etc. are all available for purchase, but not required.
Sizing: Moms have noticed that the American Apparel Women's Cut shirts (50/50 blend) run about two sizes too small. Consider ordering larger sizes or going with the men's cut instead.

Vista Nation Team Blog