Happenings this Week

Athletes-

After the last few weeks of Coach Esplin and I taking turns being gone, it appears we are back and ready to roll with this season!  We've been getting a decent turnout to practices, but would love to see the rest of you!  We're only 4 weeks away from school starting, so we are quickly running out of time to get into shape!

This Thursday night we will be meeting at the high school at 7:00 pm to  carpool up Payson canyon to run up to Maple Lake.  If you've never been there, it's really a pretty nice little run up to and around the lake.  Do your best to be there--the more the merrier!

Also, this Friday is the Spanish Fork Speedy Spaniard run.  We want everyone who is going to be in town to run this race!  It's a beautiful course, and  it gives us as coaches an opportunity to see where everyone is, and how we stack up to the other local teams.  So, go to the Spanish Fork city offices, or online at http://www.runnercard.com/e/runner.Main?meet=2121.

This Week's Thursday Night Run

Athletes-

This Thursday, July 9th we will be meeting at the high school at 7:00 pm and head up Mapleton Canyon for a trail run.  We'd like everyone there that is available.  Be on time, so we can get a good run in before dark.  

Thursday night run

Athletes-

This Thursday night we will be heading up Provo Canyon to run the Provo Parkway Trail.  We will meet at Salem Hills at 6:30 pm, or you can meet at Vivian's Park at 7:00 pm.  Be sure to be there!

THURSDAY NIGHT RUN

Thanks for all of you who were able to make it to the parent meeting last night.  It was great to see so many of you there.  We're very excited to get going right away!

THURSDAY NIGHT, JUNE 25th we will be running up Hobble Creek Canyon in Springville with Maple Mountain and Spanish Fork High Schools.  We were able to get the school suburbans for Thursday, so if you need a ride, meet at Salem Hills at 5:30.  If you want to get your own transportation, you can meet at SHHS at 5:30, or just meet us at the Reservoir up Hobble Creek at 5:55 pm.  

Just a reminder, after we finish the trail run we will head down to Maple Mountain High for a BBQ with MMHS and SFHS.  Make every effort to be there!

Parent's Meeting

On TUESDAY JUNE 23RD we will be having a Parents' Meeting for all athletes and their parents.  We would like to hold the meeting at Salem Hills High School's Cafeteria at 7:00 pm.  PLEASE make every effort to be in attendance for this meeting.  We will be discussing many important pieces of information pertaining to our upcoming season.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Also, starting on Monday, June 22nd, we will begin our formal team practices.  We will meet each Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning at 7:00 am at the high school track.  

Additionally, on THURSDAY evenings beginning the 25th we will meet at various times and locations around the valley to run trail/canyon runs.  These are always a great time, and want everyone to make every effort to be in attendance for these!  Our first Thursday night run (25th) we will be running with Spanish Fork and Maple Mountain High Schools up Hobble Creek Canyon in Springville, then we'll head to MMHS for a Barbeque with the other two schools!  I don't know about you, but I hear BBQ and I AM THERE!!!!  Make arrangements to be present!

Please feel free to call, email or post on the blog any questions or concerns you may have.  We as coaches will get back to you as quickly as possible.  We are excited for this upcoming season, and hope you all are as well!  We'll see you next week, if not before!  GO SKYHAWKS!

Team Practice Schedule

Starting on Monday, June 1st we will be meeting on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 7:00 am at the high school track.  The goal of these morning runs is to give you a group to run with in the mornings.  Practices will remain casual for most of the month of June--come as often as you are able to.  Running together makes a HUGE difference.

If you are hesitant to come run because you're not in very good shape yet, that is the WRONG attitude to have.  We will work with you regardless of your current running abilities.  The only way to get better is to start somewhere...

SEE YOU ON MONDAY!!!

First Meeting

Well, yesterday we had our first meeting, and had about 45 athletes present! We are excited to get going this summer, and even more excited to get to know each one of you. We see great things in our team's future with you runners.

If, for whatever reason you were not able to attend the meeting, see Coach Thompson or Coach Esplin ASAP about the information that was missed. Most importantly, we would like you to get out and get running miles right away. The more miles you run this summer, the better your body will be able to handle the workload we will be putting on it as the season progresses. Start out with what you are capable of, then after a week or two add a mile to your daily runs. Keep building until you are able to run 6-8 miles at a time.

Cross Country Meeting

Athletes and Parents-

We will be holding our first Cross Country Meeting of the 2009 Season on TUESDAY, MAY 19th at 3:00 pm in Coach Thompson's room at the high school (room D-203). Make every effort to be in attendance.

If for whatever reason, you are unable to attend, see Coach Thompson or Coach Esplin for the information we discuss.

Footlocker Results

So as I was fixing the blog, I just noticed I never posted anything from our California trip in December. We had a great time, like always. The weather was great, the kids ran great, and California was perfect as usual. If you'd like to see the results, click here. I'll throw some pictures on.

Salem Hills Cross-country's new home

I've decided to separate the Cross-country and Track blogs due to the fact there is so much that is different between the two sports. So, check here regularly for updates.

End of Season Banquet

As a member of the 2008 Salem Hills Cross-country Team, you and your parents are invited to attend our end of season Banquet celebrating a great first season on November 20th at 6:30 pm! We will pick up the bill for each athlete, and it is just $8.00/parent for dinner. We are having it catered by Smokehouse BBQ, so it will be delicious! Please RSVP and pay by this FRIDAY, November 14th. Here's all the details:

When: Thursday, November 20th
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: Salem Hills Cafeteria
Who: Team members and parents
Cost: Free for all athletes, $8.00/parent
RSVP: To Coach Esplin at 801-592-2661 and pay to the finance office by FRIDAY.

You won't want to miss this celebration of
Salem Hills' Inaugural Cross-country season!!!

State Championships Results

Well, that's that! After months of planning, training, sweating, hurting and racing, the season is over. And MAN what a successful season it was! We, as coaches, entered the season with the hope of perhaps winning a Region championship, and the goal of getting both boys and girls teams to State. As athletes, you did one better--you won TWO Region Championships on your way to qualifying for the State Championships.

Then, at the State meet on Wednesday, you went out there and showed the state of Utah that Salem Hills High School will be a POWER in Cross-country in the years to come. Justin Sly, who finished 16th overall, led the boys team to a strong 8th place finish, while the girls finished an AMAZING 4th place, led by the duo of Cosette Stone (17th overall), and Megan Curtis (19th). Awesome job all 14 of you! For those of you who are seniors, your hard-work, commitment and leadership will be missed. For you who are underclassmen, we look forward to next year taking our team to the next level! Go Skyhawks!

For the Girls State Results, click HERE.
For the Boys State Results, click HERE.

For those of you going to California, we will have a meeting after school on MONDAY, then resume practicing on WEDNESDAY. We'll practice officially as a team 3 days a week (Mon, Wed, and Thurs). The other days are on your own as athletes. We'll discuss all this and other important information at the meeting, so plan on being there Monday for a few minutes after school.

REGION CHAMPIONS!!!!

We traveled to Juan Diego HS on Wednesday, October 15th for the Region VIII Championships. Based on the results from the Pre-Region meet the week before (click HERE for results), we thought our boys and girls would be right in the mix for both trophies. The boys team came out first and set the tone for the day by placing our top six boys in the top 10. Justin Sly out sprinted North Sanpete's #1 runner to claim the individual Region championship. Great Job Justin! He was followed close behind by Tucker Pinder in 4th, Tyler Gebert in 6th, Seth Muhlestein in 7th, Jordan Daniels in 9th and Tannen Fawcett in 10th. Way to go guys!!!

After the boys finished their race, it was the girls' turn to try to pull off the upset in their race. On paper, North Sanpete's girls team was the favorite, with their varsity team having beaten us the week before. However, our girls came out ready to fight for every point, and it paid off. Salem Hills' girls' team beat North Sanpete by a mere 3 points! It was an absolute team effort, as it came down to our 6th runner (Karlee Loss) beating out their 4th and 5th runners. Congratulations to Cosette Stone (3rd overall), Megan Curtis (6th), Jessica Hoffman (7th), Kaetlin Bracken (8th) and Mickenna Belliston (10th) for placing in the top 10.

Complete results are HERE.


Congratulations to all members of the Salem Hills Cross-country team for your hard-work, dedication, commitment to excellence and our team's success. You will forever be a member of the first-ever REGION CHAMPIONSHIP team from Salem Hills High School. We, as coaches, could not be more proud of the way the team has committed themselves to being the best runners they can be. As a result, our team has experienced great success! We can't wait to see how we do at STATE on Wednesday!

Cedar Invitational & Fundraising

What a great weekend we had down in Cedar! The trip turned out to be a great experience for all parties involved. We ran well as a team, and had some fun while we were at it.

The Salem Hills Girls' team once again carried on their success this season with a very strong 2nd place finish at the meet! Go girls! They were led once again by Cosette Stone who finished 6th overall. Following close behind Cosette were Jessica Hoffman (9th) and Megan Curtis (11th). Karlee Loss and Mickenna Belliston rounded out our top 5. Great Job LADIES!!!

On the men's side, Justin Sly led the way once again, finishing 20th overall. He was helped by Tucker Pinder, Tyler Gebert, Tannen Fawcett and Seth Muhlestein. The boys look to bounce back this week with an improved team performance! The complete results are found HERE.

This week, we will be traveling to Juan Diego Catholic High School for our Pre-Region meet, in preparation for the Region VIII Championships next Wednesday, also held at Juan Diego. If you need directions, click HERE. For Pre-Region, ALL Girls will race at 4:00 and ALL Guys will race at 4:30. For Region on October 15th, ALL Girls will race at 3:30 and ALL Guys will race at 4:00.




Also, for all those going to California with us this December, we are doing our Fundraiser this week. On THURSDAY, we will be picking up our boxes of PEACHES and APPLES. Make sure you pre-sale whatever you signed up for, so you can simply deliver them and collect money on Thursday. ALL MONEY MUST BE BROUGHT TO PRACTICE ON FRIDAY!!! NO EXCEPTIONS!

Mt. Pleasant Invitational Results

Well, our team continues to show improvement week in and week out. We went up to North Sanpete's extremely challenging course on Wednesday, and did VERY well. Our girls came from behind to upset North Sanpete's girls by a decisive margin. The girls were paced by Cosette Stone (2nd overall) and Megan Curtis (5th overall). Kaitlin Bracken (8th), Jessica Hoffman (10th) and Karlee Loss (13th) rounded out our top 5. GREAT JOB LADIES!!!

Equally as impressive was the work of our boys' team. We finished second overall, being beat by 4A power Provo High. We were able to outscore the talented Uintah team by our strong finishes by every member of the varsity team. We were very impressed with the kicks at the end. The boys' team was led by Justin Sly (5th overall), despite puking with under 1/2 mile to go. Tyler Gebert was close behind (12th). Our boys team was first among all 3A schools. WELL DONE GUYS!!!!

Here's the LINK for the results.

Busy week!

Well, it's been a while since we last updated our race results. I was waiting for the results from the Doug Owen Invitational...still nothing. When I get them, I'll attach them HERE.

After Doug Owen, we went to Payson last Tuesday for a dual meet. We rested several of our varsity runners in an attempt to allow our JV kids to earn some letter points against Payson. We accomplished this goal, as we had several runners step up and run well. The girls were paced by newcomer Megan Curtis who ran the course in a solid 19:41. Well done! For complete results, click right HERE.

This past Friday, we co-hosted the Nebo Invitational with Spanish Fork High School. We had about 15 teams show up to Spanish Fork Jr. High for the invitational. Despite being shorthanded, our girls finished in a solid 8th place, and the boys finished in seventh place. Complete results are HERE. Well done to all of you. We're making progress and our improving each race. It seems we are peaking at just the right time!

This week we will be traveling first to North Sanpete High's Mt. Pleasant Invitational on Wednesday afternoon, then to Cedar City on Friday and Saturday. The Mt. Pleasant Invitational has been moved from its original location. Instead of being at N.Sanpete High, it is now at Skyline Mountain Resort in Fairview. I'll attach driving directions HERE. The Boys' JV race will be at 4:00, the Girls (JV and Varsity combined) will race at 4:30, and the Varsity Boys will race at 5:00.

For Cedar City, we will be leaving the high school at about 10:00 am on Friday. We will stop at a park on the way for lunch--EACH STUDENT NEEDS TO BRING THEIR OWN LUNCH! We will race Friday afternoon--4:00 Girls JV; 4:30 Boys JV; 5:00 Girls Varsity; 5:30 Boys Varsity. After the races, we will go over to Coach Esplin's parents' house for dinner (THANKS Esplins!) We wil have the evening free to swim at the hotel, watch the BYU-USU game, or just hang out. We'll hit the road Saturday at about 8:00 am, and be home by about 11-11:30. This is always a great time, and we as coaches are excited to head down! If you'd like a copy of our itinerary, click HERE.

California Trip Information

We just received information regarding the Footlocker Western Regional Championships in Walnut, CA. The dates of the trip will be December 4-7, 2008. This trip is optional, and will not impact a student's status on the team. However, it is a GREAT time, and we want everyone to consider coming! It is always the highlight of the Cross country season. In preparation for our departure, there are a few things to be aware of:
1- The cost will be $280.00. It's $15.00 to register for the meet (www.footlockerwest.com), $230.00 for the transportation and hotel (3 nights), and $35.00 for an optional Disneyland trip (you definitely want to go to Disneyland).
2- We need $100.00 down payment turned in to the SHHS Finance office by September 30th. We have to turn in this down payment to hold our spots on the bus. This date is FIRM.
3- Register online at www.footlockerwest.com by September 30th.
4- Sign and return the parent permission slip attached here.

Our basic itinerary is as follows:
Thursday--Leave at approximately 7:00 am. We'll stop in St. George for a workout, then drive on to California.
Friday--Friday morning we'll go to Mt. SACC to register and jog the course. After that, we'll head to Huntington Beach for the afternoon--swimming, volleyball, frisbee, and of course, dinner at RUBY'S DINER at the end of the pier...mmm, I can taste it now!
Saturday--We'll race Saturday morning at Mt. SACC. That afternoon, we'll head to Disneyland for the evening. Disneyland will be all decked out in Christmas decorations...it is SUCH a great time!
Sunday--We'll get up early Sunday morning and drive straight home. We should be back by about 9:00 pm, exhausted but with memories that will last a lifetime! We hope you can be with us.

I'm attaching the information we are sending home with the athletes, in case you lose the originals. Click Here.

Salem Hills at Spanish Fork Results

Salem Hills went over to Spanish Fork on Tuesday, September 16th to compete against the Dons, along with Payson, Juab and Emery High Schools. It was a great day for a cross-country meet, although the weather was a little warm...

Our girls' team was once again able to come away victorious, despite being without a couple of our varsity members. Cosette Stone stepped forward to win the girls' race in a time of 19:56, followed close behind by her teammates--Kaetlin Bracken (4th), Jessica Hoffman (6th), Karlee Loss (8th), Mickenna Belliston (10th), Becca Jones (11th) and Mindy Stone (20th). Nice Job ladies!

Here's the link to the full results. We're thrilled by how many of our runners are improving each and every race! Keep up the hard work!

Bulldog Invitational Results

Yet another week has come and gone, and we have more meet results. This past Saturday we went to Provo's Bulldog Invitational held at the Kiwanis Park. The course is a nice spectator-friendly course around the park a few times, and it appeared our team enjoyed the race.

The highlight of the meet had to be the girls' varsity race, where our girls finished 2nd OVERALL!!! What an awesome performance by the girls, top to bottom. The girls were led by Cosette Stone (6th overall) and Cassidy Dascomb (11th overall). Close behind was Kaetlin Bracken (16th), Karlee Loss (20th) and Jessica Hoffman (24th). Congratulations GIRLS!!!

On the boys' side, Justin Sly again led the way for the Skyhawks, finishing 21st overall. He was followed by Tucker Pinder (33rd), Tyler Gebert (36th), Tannen Fawcett (67th) and Jordan Daniels (71st). The boys finished in 9th place, not a bad finish.

Click HERE for the complete results.

Next up for the Skyhawks is another Tri-meet with Spanish Fork and Juab at Spanish Fork Junior High on Tuesday, September 16th. Girls will race around 3:30, and the boys at about 4:00.

On Saturday, September 20th we will travel to Pleasant Grove's Doug Owen Invitational. There are only two races--Girls at 9:00 am and Boys at 9:45. The bus will leave the SHHS parking lot at 7:15 am. DON'T BE LATE!

Also, just a reminder that our Cedar City trip is fast approaching. Don't forget to pay your $45.00 to the finance office this week. This will cover your transportation, hotel, race entry and food for the trip. Get that money in ASAP, so we can get a final head count!

Our First Home Meet

Tuesday, September 9th, we hosted our first home meet at Salem Hills High School. Spanish Fork, Payson and Juab all joined us for a great day of cross country racing. The weather was great for racing--overcast with a light rain off and on. It made for some great competition.

In the girls' race, Salem Hills exceeded all expectations with their great performance, led by freshman newcomer Margo Brockbank, who finished the 3.0 mile course in 19:53, outdistancing Spanish Fork's Bethany Carson over the last 400 meters to finish 22 seconds ahead. After Margo came a wave of Salem Hills' girls including: Cassidy Dascomb (3rd), Cosette Stone(4th), Kaetlin Bracken(5th), Karlee Loss(8th) and Jessica Hoffman(9th) all in the top 10. Nice job girls.

In the boys' race, Salem Hills got into a dogfight with Spanish Fork that ended in a 3 point loss. The boys did a great job fighting and clawing back into the race after a slow start, but came up just short this time. Congratulations boys on a great race! The Skyhawks were led by senior Justin Sly, who out-sprinted two Dons to finish 1st overall with a time of 16:56. He was joined by Tucker Pinder (4th) and Tyler Gebert (5th) in the top five. Tannen Fawcett (11th) and Jordan Daniels (12th) rounded out our scoring Varsity. Great job 'Hawks!

Click here for the complete results