Here is where I will write important announcements. Parents who sign up for my NewsFlash will be able to receive updates via email and/or cell phone text message. 12/1/11 9:50AMThanks to everybody for making the banquet a great time last night. I think it went well, and the all our athletes presented themselves well. We had a great turnout, and we are hoping for even more next year. We really want to make our banquet something our athletes will be proud to attend.
Congratulataions to this season's award winners presented at the banquet last night:
Most Improved Runner - Kent Kelley
Most Valuable Runner - Michael Moore
Warrior Award - Kevin Vo
I am still waiting on a few uniforms. Uniforms not turned in by the Monday of Finals week will be considered lost, and each uniform (shirt and shorts) will be charged to you at $45 for the top and $35 for the shorts. Please make sure you get them turned in.
Again, thanks for a great first season. So that we can keep up to speed, if you need something posted, please email me, and I will do my best to post it on here and send it out. Track season is just around the corner, so make sure you are staying fit now and not waiting for the track season to get you fit. Also, feel free to contact me anytime with ideas or questions for the 2012 XCountry season. I would like to start thinking of a Men's t-shirt. I think a new logo would be great, and the one I sloppily presented seemed to get good feedback from the boys. I will run it past Coach Payten and see what she thinks.
Thanks again. Best to all the rest of this school year.
11/22/11 5:20PM
Our Annual XC Banquet is on November 30th. Advance Reservations/Payment is necessary, and your payment MUST be received by 11/25/11. With holidays coming up, I'd like to encourage you to make your reservation TODAY. It's going to be a great meal and fun for all. Complete information is on our website at
www.warriorsports.org, (click Cross Country, then click the Banquet link.)
Also, there are still some young men who have not turned in their uniforms. Please get these back before drastic measure have to be taken.
See you all at the banquet.
11/10/11 9:41AM
It's Time to Celebrate! Cross Country is having the End of Season Banquet to honor the XC student's work this semester. All XC students, their parents, and guests are welcome. A pasta dinner will be included. Awards will be given. The cost is $15 per person.
Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 - 9:30 PM
Twin Creeks Country Club
3201 Twin Creeks Club Drive
Cedar Park, TX 78613
Reservations and pre-payment are required before November 25th, 2011. Please go online to the Cross Country page of the Westwood website (see link below) to register.
http://warriorsports.org/cc2011/index.htm
Also, if you have not already done so, the XC team and individual photos are available to purchase on the XC website page. All proceeds from the sale will go to the XC Booster.
Lastly, a number of you have not turned in your uniforms yet. Please do so ASAP. Anything left in the lockers by Friday will be removed. Any lost locks will need to be paid for as well, and I have seen a number of lockers without locks. Remember that being part of a program requires you to be responsible for ALL issued equipment (lock, locker, uniform).
Please be proactive in getting these things taken care of
See you at the banquet!
11/2/11 8:51AM
Kiddos - we'll make this easy.
Let's meet Friday, 7:30AM, in my portable (904) to turn in uniforms. We can then meet and discuss the off-season. Seniors can bring uniforms and then leave. We should be done by 8, in time to attend tutorials.
See you there.
10/31/11 9:48 AM
Westwood Men's Cross Country Family:
The end of our season is here. I'd like to thank all of the guys who ran so hard and put so many miles into the season for us. I saw some good training this past week, with efforts that, had they been there consistently throughout the season, would have improved our team's position most positively. The course at Old Settlers is tough, no doubt, and I think next year I have a better idea of what type of training to lay down to prepare us for that. For the time being, take some time off and go on some nice, easy runs. Look to get some cross training in during the off-season (weights/swimming (low impact)/running/biking (low impact)/mud or sand running/plyometrics)
Just a couple of things:
1) Please turn in all uniforms by Friday, washed and fresh. I will make an appearance in xcountry class to collect during 1st period tomorrow morning. All others - you can find me before school in portable 904 or in my office. Please do not leave it by a door, as there is no guarantee that I will get it. If there is a buddy you trust, feel free to pass it on to them so they can get it to me. There will be a charge for all equipment not turned in. Also, all lockers need to be cleaned out 100%. You may continue using it, but before I pick up locks, it must be completely wiped out and clean.
2) We will have a brief meeting for all runners within the next 2 weeks. I would like to rehash the season and go over plans for the next season, including options to increase endurance, stamina, speed, and power. Keep in mind that a 5K is no longer considered a true "long distance" run anymore, but rather a really long sprint. We need to increase our tolerance for burning muscles and lung capacity, as well as our bursts of speed up and down hills and at the beginning and end of the race. We will discuss these types of things at the meeting. I plan on next year being more competitive than this, and everybody will know the ground rules from day 1, something I know has caused some problems throughout this year with me coming in last minute.
3) Make sure you are able to attend our banquet. Stay tuned for the date.
Again, thank you for a good first season. I truly hope everybody had an experience they can look back on in the future and say that it was worth the time put in. Afterall, that is what it is truly about.
10/26/11 5:46 PMREMINDERS:
1) Thursday morning will be a TEAM 2 mile easy run at 60-70%. If you plan on going Friday, you have to be there.
2) Don't forget about the team dinner Thursday night at Michael Moore's house. It is the last one of the district season, so hopefully you will all get a good dinner and have a lot of fun together.
3) Friday - we will leave at 6:15AM. Make sure you are here. The bus will not wait, as the girls run before us. If we want to take the tollway, someone bring some change. It is two tolls to I-35. Otherwise, we go 620. Schedule is up in the locker room.
UPON ARRIVAL:
--VARSITY WILL WALK/JOG THE COURSE TOGETHER WITH MAP. JV WILL WALK/JOG THE COURSE TOGETHER.
--VARSITY WILL WARM UP AT 8AM, SIPPING WATER AFTERWARDS. WE ARE STARTING BOX 1. PRACTICE YOUR STARTS BEFORE THE RACE. THE STANDING STILL IN A MASSIVE PACK JUST MAKES YOU COLD.
--JV WILL WARM UP AT 9:30AM, SIPPING WATER AFTERWARDS. SAME AS ABOVE.
--UPON EACH TEAM'S COMPLETION OF RUNS, GET WATER AND MEET ME BACK AT THE TENT FOR COOLDOWN AND TIMES.
--WE WILL BE EATING OUT, SO PLEASE BRING MONEY TO EAT. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF A RESTAURANT, AS I UNDERSTAND HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST. THAT MIGHT DEPEND ON HOW HARD WE RUN. I'M EXPECTING PERSONAL BESTS ON FRIDAY. RUN LIKE YOU WANT TO EAT SOMEWHERE GOOD! ;)
If you have any questions, let me know.
LET'S FINISH THE DISTRICT SEASON STRONG. IT WOULD BE NICE TO BEAT SOME OF THOSE RUNNERS WHO BEAT US AT EARLIER MEETS. THERE IS NO POINT IN HOLDING ANYTHING BACK. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT PACE YOU ARE CAPABLE OF. NOTE MILE MARKERS AS YOU WALK THE COURSE AND CHECK YOUR WATCH. THAT SHOULD TELL YOU WHETHER OR NOT YOU NEED TO PICK UP YOUR PACE, AND IF YOU WILL HAVE ANYTHING IN THE TANK TOWARDS THE LAST 400 YARDS FOR YOUR LAST KICK. START FAST, RUN A FAST, STEADY PACE, AND FINISH FASTER! YOU'VE PUT IN A LOT OF MILEAGE AND TIME, MOST OF YOU. MAKE THIS RACE YOUR BEST OF THE YEAR.
10/21/11 3:36 PMI hope everybody has a restful weekend. Please get out for a few miles of running this weekend.
DON'T FORGET: Monday will be our time trial for the District Meet. Top 7 are our scorers, the next 3 will run Varisty but not be scored. We will not run any runners in the 9th grade division this year.
If you are ineligible, I should still be seeing you at practice to finish out the season. Failure to do so will result in your name being removed from our roster for the 2011 season. If you have not been in contact with me, and you have been absent, get in contact with me ASAP and let me know what is going on.
Let's finish the season out strong, boys! We need to bring our A-Game to the meet. A map of the course will be in the lockerroom.
See you Monday!
10/18/11 12:36 AMWEDNESDAY MORNING: TEAM PICTURES WILL BE TAKING PLACE AT 7:30. AFTERWARDS, BOYS WILL GO ON A QUICK JOG AROUND THE TRAIL AND BACK. WEAR YOUR UNIFORM AND BRING WKOUT CLOTHES.
I HAVE POSTED THE RRISD MEET INFO FOR THURSDAY IN THE LOCKER ROOM FOR THE BOYS. WE WILL DEPART WESTWOOD AT 7:15 AM FOR WILLIAMSON COUNTY PARK ON 1431. AFTERWARDS, WE WILL EAT LUNCH AT CI-CI'S PIZZA HERE ON 183 BY TARGET. IF A PARENT CAN CALL AND LET THEM KNOW TODAY OR TOMORROW THAT A BIG GROUP WILL BE COMING IN FOR LUNCH, WE SHOULD GET A GOOD DISCOUNT RATE FOR BUFFETS THERE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN MAKE THE CALL. WE WILL BE BACK FOR 3RD AND 4TH PERIODS.
IT IS ONLY A 2-MILE RUN, SO LET'S MAKE IT FAST AND FURIOUS!
10/5/11 8:44 AMThe Team Dinner this week will be at Josh West's house on Friday at 6:30PM. Let's get a headcount as soon as we can so they can get it ready. Please let Josh know or email Ms. West to let her know that you are coming. I will take a more accurate headcount Thursday morning, but I wanted to let her know with as much time in advance as possible.
Also, it seems we have some health issues going around at our school, from stomachs to sinuses. We need both of these healthy to run and enjoy it. As soon as you feel bad, take action and let your parents know. It could be as simple as some Pepto, and stopping sinus/allergy problems early can help prevent sinus infections and other breathing problems.
Thanks.
9/30/11 1:56PM
Also....
The Spicewood Elementary School Fun Fun is Tuesday, October 4th at 5:30 P.M.. The Cross Country team members that are volunteering should be there at 5:00 P.M. in their Cross Country t-shirts and black shorts. Everyone should be done around 6:00.
REMINDER
Tonight: Team Dinner at the Nalodka's house. 6:30PMSATURDAY: We will depart at 8AM, so be there before and make sure you have all your equipment. Do not assume something is in your locker. Make sure you have it.
The schedule is on the website. Take a look. It will be a very large meet, but hopefully the times will stay fairly accurate.
I am going to encourage runners to leave with their parents. Just let me know. No worries if you need a ride back to school.
HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY AT THE MEET TOMORROW!
GO GET'EM!
9/27/11 3:03PMTomorrow - Wednesday, 9/28 - all boys xcountry runners need to meet in my room (904) for a meeting. This will constitute your workout for the day. We have had some problems with attendance and finishing workouts, a quality that will not work in this program. If you are injured, you will go to the training room after we meet - attendance is mandatory injured or fit.
Meeting will start at 7:30AM. Do not be absent, do not be late.
See you in the morning. Feel free to bring your own breakfast.
9/26/11 8:13 AM
Boys XC Dinner
Co
-Hosted by the
Nalodka’s and Szostak’s
Where
: Connor Nalodka’s House
11125 Miramar Dr
Austin, TX 78726
When
: Friday, September 30th, 6:00pm
What to bring
: Bring your swim suits if
you would like to swim. Since it is a Friday night there is no need to rush home to do homework!
RSVP
: 512-663-1999 or lnalodka@
gmail.com 9/12/11 9:37 AMThe bus will be departing at 6:15AM tomorrow morning for our meet in Pflugerville. Team dinner is taking place, so hopefully all the boys will be able to make it and grab a good bit a food and get hydrated. Please be at the school by 6am. We will be back for 7th and 8th periods, and all boys should have spoken with their 5th and 6th period teachers.
If you have time, parents, hope you can make it.
Be sure to bring something protein-based for after your run.
Go Wood!
9/12/11 9:37 AM
We are a few weeks into the season, and I am seeing a lot of great effort and attitude from our team. Minus the Waco JV Boys' "extended run," everything seems to be going well. Times seem to be improving every week. McNeil and Round Rock will be very tough at District, so we want to make sure we are pushing and improving every step of the way until then.
Friday, we have a meet in Pflugerville. Boys' will leave at 6:45AM if anybody wants to bring a few bucks for the tollway. Otherwise, it will be earlier.
Below is a message from Mrs. Nalodka re: Team Dinners. Please read and follow up as soon as you can to keep the support for our boys high. They deserve it.
Thanks.
Hi Everyone,
Thank you to those who have signed up to host a dinner for the Cross Country Boys. The first dinner will be this week on Thursday September 15th, hosted by Julie Coles (Greg's Mom) and Janelle Barcley(Zach's Mom). Details will follow with specific information. However, we need you to RSVP to this event so they know how many boys will attend.
We have volunteers for September 30th, October 19th and October 27th. We still could use a few more volunteers for October 7th and October 13th. If you are unable to host a dinner but want to help out, maybe bringing the boys breakfast on the day of the track meet October 8th or October 14th would be something that may work??? Please email me at lnalodka@gmail.com and let me know how you can help.
Thanks. GO WOOD!
Lynn Nalodka(Connor's Mom)
9/6/11 4:43 PM
If you are signed up for Teacherweb, then you are on track. Just a quick note for Friday's meet:
1) In order to go, you must have a few things accomplished by this point in time.
A) Be signed up for my Newsflash on teacherweb. I have a number of you who have not done so. Please do so
ASAP. You will not run in a meet until this is done.
B) T-shirt money must be turned in before competing again. The cost of the shirt is $12. Again, you will not run
until this is done. As mentioned, if you cannot afford $12 at this time, please see me or communicate with me
about this so that we can work something out.
2) We will be leaving very early (somewhere around 5:15AM as far as I know right now), so please rest Thursday night. Eat early and go to bed early. We should be arriving back at school in time for 4th period, according to my calculations. Please see your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd period teachers to get your work. If you are diligent, you might check with your 4th period teacher as well, JUST IN CASE.
3) We will continue to compete for Varsity running spots throughout the season. You must maintain your status in attendance, grades, and work ethic if you wish to remain among the Varsity runners. Otherwise, your spot will belong to someone else.
I think the effort and attitudes thus far have been great, and I would like to thank each member of the team so far.
Let's keep it going all the way through district!
9/1/11A quick message about the meet - PLEASE READ.
Hello,
I have a correction to make about the meet on FRIDAY. WE
WILL NOT BE GETTING OUT OF SCHOOL SO DO YOUR HOME WORK FOR YOUR 4TH BLOCK CLASS. I received an email with the incorrect time of 5pm and I just talked to the coach and that was for registration. The first race is JV girls @ 7pm and a rolling schedule after that. I have attached a copy of the schedule and information about the meet. We will leave the school at 5:30pm that will give us enough time to get there unload, registrar, and warm-up. IF YOU DO NOT GO TO 4TH BLOCK YOU WILL BE COUNTED ABSENT AND IT WILL BE UNEXCUSED. If you have any questions please let me know...8/31/11
Please see the below message regarding Team Dinners. I think the boys will enjoy this. I know my soccer guys do.
It is from one of our parents who has offered to take on this responsibility, so I hope we can gain momentum for this and various other positions yet to be filled on our booster club as they come up.
Thanks for all the support thus far in the season. I and the boys are having a good time and are looking forward to a great rest of the year.
HI,
My name is Lynn Nalodka and my son Connor is on the WW Cross Country team this year. We are very excited about the new coach and the support of the XCTF Booster Club. I have volunteered to be the boys’ rep on the booster club board. At yesterday’s meeting there was discussion of hosting team dinners the night before the meets. Coach K estimated we have about 30 boys running this year (quite a few more than in previous years). There are 7 meets through October 27th so we will need 7 hosts for the dinners. To keep the cost down I recommend co-hosting with one or two other parents. The boys don’t expect much but pasta is always a great “carb” meal before the meet day. These dinners are a way for us to show our support of the team and build camaraderie among the runners. Apparently the girls have had this tradition for the past few years, as do most of the other sports and band program at Westwood. We already have sign-ups for September 15th-Julie Cole and Janell Barclay and for September 30th-Lynn Nalodka and Ed Szostak. The remaining dates are 9/8, 10/7, 10/13, 10/19, 10/27. The host of the dinner will make a flyer with the details of the dinner, specifically time, address and phone number so everyone will know where to go. The runner will pass this out at practice the day before the dinner. It is best if you RSVP so the host can get a head count and prepare enough food. Please contact me at lnalodka@gmail.com or 663-1999 if you would like to sign-up to host a dinner and/or if you have any other questions or concerns.
Thanks. GO WOOD!!!
8/30/11
Don't forget about tonight's Parent Meeting/Booster Club Meeting at 6:30PM tonight (Tuesday) in the War Room next to the big gym. Coaches will briefly discuss the season, and then the booster club will meet to discuss any business necessary to ensure the continued success of the program financially and what we can do to make it better for the kids.
See you there.
8/28/11 4:08PM
Nice job on Saturday by the Westwood Men's Cross Country Program to open up the year. I believe everyone who ran ran hard. We even had a few PR's! I'm proud of the way you guys ran.
See you Monday morning. 7:15AM. The meet is on Friday the next 3 weeks. We will open up Mondays with a 45 minute timed run. See how far you can get in that time, and try to beat it the following Monday.
8/25/11
The Hutto Meet is fast approaching Saturday morning. Make sure you are here at the school ready to go at the designated time.
1) We will run tomorrow morning at 7:15AM. It will be a 60% 1-mile run.
2) Afterwards, if you do not have a locker already, I will get you one. I will also issue uniforms. They are to be taken care of with the utmost of care.
3) IF YOU ARE NOT CLEARED DY THE TRAINERS, YOU WILL NOT BE GIVEN A UNIFORM.
4) Practices are to be attended everyday. Missing practices will result in missing a meet. If you miss more than one meet due to absences, you will be removed from the program. To create a competetive program, we need complete dedication. I admire the work that has been put forth by the young men so far, and I expect it to only get better. Our numbers are the largest we have had in some time. We want to make sure everyone is here to compete as well as have fun, not just one or the other. If there are conflicts, such as other school activities, we can most likely work through that if it is communicated ahead of time (two weeks in advance). Obviously, sudden emergencies are exceptions (family, health, etc.)
If you plan on running in the meet on Sat, you must be there tomorrow to get your uniform. All issued uniforms are expected to be turned in looking as good as when issued - minus natural wear-and-tear. I will attempt to get quality uniforms and equipment in the future, but we have to take care of what we have now.
If you have any questions about anything written above, please feel free to contact me and ask. I hope everybody is on board. I have never run a program half-heartedly, whether it was my own soccer program, summer camps, or freshman volleyball for 3 years. I expect the boys to improve and produce in future meets as we continue to work.
ALL I CAN ASK FOR IS YOUR BEST.
Thank you.
GO WOOD!!!!
8/19/11
ALL PHYSICALS MUST BE TURNED INTO THE TRAINER, AND YOU MUST BE CLEARED BY THE TRAINER BEFORE YOU CAN RUN IN PRACTICE WITH THE TEAM. PLEASE GET TO AN EMERGENCY CLINIC THIS WEEKEND AND GET YOUR PHYSICALS INTO THE TRAINERS BY MONDAY MORNING FOR PRACTICE. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN WITH THE TEAM UNTIL THIS IS TAKEN CARE OF. THIS IS A HUGE DISTRICT ATH. POLICY, SO PLEASE HELP US OUT. IF YOU NEED HELP GETTING THE PROCESS STARTED, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME.
THANK YOU.
8/18/11
Practice tomorrow will start at 7:30AM. We will run a trial 5k to help identify our Varsity for the meet in Hutto. If you are not there, there may not be a chance to run Varsity until after that meet.
8/16/11
I only have few characters to type and send, so all information will be posted here. I have placed the link on the message you will receive, so all you have to do is copy and paste, or just save it and visit the site.
Welcome to the 2011 Westwood Warrior Men's Cross Country season. I am excited to be the new head coach, and I can say by the enthusiasm of the young men that it is going to be a great year. As I am new to the field, I will be drawing upon a number of sources to help me find my bearings and push the competive potential of this program.
1. Coach Payton, the Women's coach, has done a remarkable job growing the Cross Country Program (Men's and Women's) over the last few years, so I hope to honor that and continue that on the Men's side.
2. The returning runners from last year are mature and committed, so I will be listening and communicating with them regarding any changes that take place. With mentality being a large part of running, I want to make sure they are comfortable and secure with the workouts while at the same time pushing their limits.
3. I have found and read through numerous websites that can provide everything from workouts to nutrition. Having worked with Athletes Performance before, I know the Core Performance website to be very knowledgable and usefule for such things, but it always helps to have more sources and ideas. Please check the "X-Country Links" page for these sites. You can also research your own using any search engine.
These and personal, very successful running sources will help me, I think, make the Cross Country experience a memerable one for our young men.
You can reach me by phone or email if you have any questions. Please feel free to contact me at any time, and I will do my best to get back to you. I hope you can understand that it is a very busy time for me with school starting, planning 2 sports seasons as well as my new Math responsibilities. I am in the process of getting to messages today.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to see some of you routing for the kiddos at some meets.
GO WOOD!