News

We’re still circling the drain, waiting on the Track to be finished, hoping for good weather, and wondering why the Green Bay Packers can’t get their junk together. It is supposed to be nice weather this week, so let us come together with fervent prayers, uplift our kind-speaking construction-working brothers and sisters, and propel them forward to completion. Amen. Don’t forget to check out the gear store Coach Parker posted. Athletes do not need to purchase any new gear if they have a jersey, shorts, and warm-ups that aren’t from another sport. So, no XC gear, Lacrosse gear, or Metallica gear. It has to be Owasso Track-specific. We’ll do the same thing again for the Cross Country season in the fall. Here is the link…

https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30837889/bsnteamsports.com?p=eyJzIjoiUlZpUjlwcDYxMi1uQ29oUEoxQWpncUxVYTI0IiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDgzNzg4OSxcInZcIjoxLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2JzbnRlYW1zcG9ydHMuY29tXFxcL3Nob3BcXFwvQlJjZENnaFpyQ1wiLFwiaWRcIjpcIjgzNjA1OWQ0MDE3NzQwMDE4MzVmM2ViM2RmMzliNDdmXCIsXCJ1cmxfaWRzXCI6W1wiMzZlYzUyNGFjNDYwMjBlZTc0MWVjMTcxNDc4OGY3MjQ3MDZlMGUwMlwiXX0ifQ

We’ll have our monthly Booster Club meeting on Tuesday at the Fieldhouse at 6:00. Anyone is welcome to attend. Thank you for all you do…GO RAMS!!!!

Weekly Schedule https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uIN5GGcj_1g40FXjozDnfj34zPrFH5ACohA3iFwtJ6Y/edit?usp=sharing

Welcome back! We will start back to our usual schedule this week on Tuesday. Tomorrow is an in-service day for teachers, so practice will be from 3:00 to 5:00. JH kids are welcome to run with the HS kids tomorrow. On Tuesday, we have home basketball games. Coach Parker and I will both be working, so we won’t have JH practice that day. By Wednesday, we should be back to normal.

With the Track still not quite finished and the Indoor taken up with multiple other sports, the distance kids (as usual) will be outside. We’ve certainly run in worse weather, but it does look to be very cold tomorrow. Please remind your athletes to bring plenty of gear. They can always shed sweats and gloves as they run if they get hot, but it will be pretty miserable if they show up in shorts and a t-shirt (as some HS/JH boys are prone to do.)

Lastly, if you have a HS runner putting in a lot of miles, please consider checking their ferritin levels before we start full-blown Track workouts. Low iron levels affect many distance runners by hampering the body’s ability to transfer oxygen from the blood to the muscles. Ideally, runners will have their iron checked two to three times a year…once in August before the XC season, once in January before the Track season, and once in May before summer training. Even if runners register in the “normal” range, they aren’t your average HS kid. Average HS kids don’t run 40-50 miles a week! We always want to make sure our athletes are healthy, and having a high iron level certainly helps. Please reach out if you have any questions.

It’s exciting to start a new year with a new Track facility, new meets, and great runners! It’s going to be a fantastic season!

Thank you for all you do and…GO RAMS!!!!

Week Six Schedule

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B80TirNoka8OCsNNFd-ZNQfjGZj4Ryh5kFHxT1q_D7s/edit?usp=sharing

It was great to see so many runners last week! We had twenty to thirty runners at every practice, which was fantastic. We’re giving everyone a little bit of a break the next few days before we start cranking things up for real when we return to school. The track surface should also be done next week so we can begin implementing our training and workouts in preparation for the upcoming season.

We will have our JH kids on Thursday only this week because Friday will be an LR for the HS runners.

Short and sweet! Happy New Year’s and GO RAMS!!!!

Owasso Distance Squad Week Five Schedule

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HqvbjAtAHbKW4a3wqnq4IvAUH1DPxYdxKUl9LW7mUs/edit?usp=sharing

Merry Christmas to everyone this week!

We’ll have practice for our HS kids from 8:00-10:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. JH runners are welcome to attend as well. If athletes are in town, they need to come to practice. If they are traveling, then they to find a way to get runs in if possible. Champions find a way! Nothing is the worst thing our runners can do over the next two weeks. It is much easier to maintain than rebuild. When we return to full practice the second week of January, we will keep moving forward right where we left off. We don’t want anyone to get left behind! Workouts are posted on Google Classroom for any runners who will be gone.

Get some rest. Enjoy your families and GO RAMS!!!!

Christmas Break Schedule

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HqvbjAtAHbKW4a3wqnq4IvAUH1DPxYdxKUl9LW7mUs/edit?usp=sharing

It’s FINALS week! Maybe that doesn’t warrant an exclamation point. It’s FINALS week. That’s better. We will have regular practice times through Wednesday, and then things will get weird. There will be no practice on Thursday. Students will be on a block schedule with hours 1-3-5 that day. On Friday, for classes 2-4-6 we will have runners with us starting around 12:40. We’ll take the Distance kids to Mohawk for their weekly Long Run. We should be done by 3:00. Since we are having our Long Run on Friday, we won’t meet on Saturday.

I have also attached our Christmas Break practice schedule. Runners should be there if they are in town and can be at practice. It gets a little awkward when an athlete doesn’t attend practice, and we see them at the pedicure place later that morning. If runners are out of town and can’t be at practice, it’s essential for them to still get a run in as much as they can. When we come to school in January, we will continue working out as if our runners have been working out for the last two weeks, whether we’ve seen them or not. If athletes take two full weeks off from running, their progress will be messed up, their fitness will drop dramatically, and they’ll spend the next month working to get back in shape. That’s a less-than-pleasant process. Up will be thrown.

JH runners are welcome to attend the HS practices over the break. We will have modified workouts for them if they want to be there.

Remind your runners to study hard this week and finish strong!

Thank you for all you do and…GO RAMS!!!

Week Three Schedule https://docs.google.com/document/d/18Ooa9EY6sYnvQqLFtf0fFTSISuizrZMv8NTH3YXzNZ4/edit?usp=sharing

Christmas Break Schedule https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HqvbjAtAHbKW4a3wqnq4IvAUH1DPxYdxKUl9LW7mUs/edit?usp=sharing

We Shall Have A Track! Rumor has it that the actual Track will be started this week! After only seven short years of construction, with the majority of that time spent on the ticket booth, we are FINALLY to the point where they are ready to lay down the new Track this week! It doesn’t really affect the parents, but it’s exciting for us.

We had a good first week of Track practice. It was also nice to see our JH TEAM back with us! We will continue to work on building our runners back up to full volume and overall fitness before the Track season. We have a long way to go, but it was great to get started.

Tomorrow night, our girls’ State Championship TEAM will be recognized at the Owasso Board Meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30. Everyone is welcome to attend. Tuesday night at 5:00, our monthly Booster Club Meeting will be held at the Track/XC Fieldhouse.

We will send out the Christmas Break practice schedule a week from today. We encourage runners to run with the TEAM if they are in town. If they are traveling or can’t be there, we suggest they get as many runs in as possible. JH runners are also welcome to join the HS TEAM on those days.

Please encourage your runners to finish strong in the classroom. Any student completing the semester with a failing grade will likely be put in a class in the second semester. It’s not easy being a student-athlete, but the ‘student’ part is important. They have to make good grades to stay in athletics.

Lastly, it is getting COLD outside! We had several runners freezing their faces off last week. Eric Harding is an excellent resource for explaining to young athletes how to use any number of weather apps to check the weather and plan accordingly. Please use his expertise if needed. If not, it might be wise to have your runners add an extra hoodie, gloves, and a beanie to the old Track bag. As Coach Parker says, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just sad clothing choices.” We had several athletes make sad clothing choices over the last few days.

Enjoy your Sunday, and thank you for everything you do…GO RAMS!!!!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pQrI7fDTc3pk4u57HJKlvdiDzPQKl55R2lQJdAef0Pk/edit?usp=sharing

Welcome back, distance runners! I hope everyone has enjoyed some time off and is ready to return to sweet action runs in the wind and cold. It’s the dream!

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Hog Jog last week. That was a little chaotic at times but I think everyone had fun. Next year we’ll be able to utilize the new Track facility so the logistics of the race will be much mo betta.

We’ll start back with our regular longer HS workouts this week, and our JH kids will return to practice three days a week. These are NOT the Track tryouts that will happen in February. These are just easy workouts to help keep those runners in shape for the tryouts. Those practices will be on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3:15 to 4:30 at the Track/XC Fieldhouse at the HS. 8GC kids will walk up to the HS. 7GC runners will ride bus 52 to the HS and 6GC runners will ride bus 42. Those kids are not getting out early from school but they do need to hurry as soon as school ends. Those buses should be at the front of the bus line and will be leaving quickly after the final bell. They will change in the locker rooms in the Fieldhouse. Parents will need to pick up their runners at the Fieldhouse as well. Coach Clark, Coach Parker, and I will each be helping with that group, so let one of us know if you have any questions.

One other change to the schedule: HS runners will have weight room on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6:45 – 7:30 starting this week.

I think that’s it! Thank you for everything you do and GO RAMS!!!!

Owasso Distance Squad Week One Schedule

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TLTz6hLbPKDp1hJgR2Xv-i6yE1hoUA2KEc1Mh9mEwsI/edit?usp=sharing

We had a fantastic finish to the 2024 ORXC season yesterday at NXR! Our boys Rising Stars squad finished 6th out of 15 teams! Our Girls Rising Stars had a terrific race, coming in 3rd out of 12 teams, and our Varsity Girls had their best finish ever in the Championship race, coming in 7th out of 21 teams! ORXC was the top-finishing Oklahoma school in any division, capping off another great year for our program.

Now it’s rest time.

We will have no organized practice this week, and athletes are encouraged NOT to run. (I don’t say that very often.) We want them to rest and enjoy time away from school and practice. When we return on the 2nd, we will begin training for the 2025 Track season. Our winter training mirrors our summer training with a focus on volume. We will build the runners back up to full mileage, complemented with some fast workouts on the Track as soon as it’s finished.

We’ll also have our JH runners start back to training three days a week. Those kids will come to run on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:15 to 4:30. 8th graders will walk up to the Track/XC Fieldhouse after school. 7GC runners will ride bus 52 to the HS, and 6GC runners will ride bus 42 to the HS. This is NOT a tryout. These workouts are for XC runners who aren’t playing other sports to get a chance to get outside and get moving a little before Track starts officially next semester. Like the HS runners, we will mirror the work we did during Striders in the summer with Long Runs, Mobility work, and some speed. These workouts are optional, but we encourage kids to be consistent with them so they’ll be more prepared for the next racing season. Coach Clark and I will be working with those runners. If we have bad weather, we will post on SportsYou and let the schools know if the practice is canceled. I also work at the home basketball games, so there will be a few Tuesday practices when we won’t meet. We’ll let you know in advance on those days.

Lastly, we have our annual Hog Jog this Thursday morning! We are over 550 runners now and will hopefully pass 600 before the race.

If you want to run or walk, here is the sign-up link…

https://runsignup.com/Race/OK/Owasso/HogJog

If you would like to volunteer, please click on this link…

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F4AA8A92FA1FE3-50386245-2024#

Thank you all again for an awesome XC season! It was one of my favorite years in the last twenty years of coaching at Owasso. We’re already working on next season’s schedule, and I can’t wait! For now, though…it’s Track time, baby! Go Rams!!!!

We have made it to (potentially, unless our girls go to NXR and kick major booty) the last week of ORXC for the 2024 season! It’s been a great year with some fantastic performances, a lot of fun, and way too many fart noises. Thank you again to everyone who helped with and attended our end-of-season banquet last week. I only cried once, and I only put my foot in my mouth 2-3 times, which is 2-3 times less than usual. Thank you all for a great season!

As we transition to the Track season, we will take the entire week of Thanksgiving off from practice. Runners can run if they choose to, but there will be no workouts sent out and no organized practice. We’ll pick things back up on December 2nd with our first Track practice for the 2025 season! Track works a little differently than XC but, for the most part, the XC kids will continue with similar workouts and a similar workout schedule as the XC season. We will have Saturday Long Runs, weight room, and practice daily from 2:00 – 4:30.

We will also start back to practice with our JH XC runners from 3:15-4:30. Those kids will run on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday each week until the start of the JH Track season in February. Coach Clark and I will be primarily working with those runners. We want them to stay in shape and be ready to crush it when Track kicks off. As soon as I have confirmed the buses for the 7th Grade Runners, I will send out another schedule for our JH kids.

Don’t forget about the Hog Jog next week! This is one of the season’s biggest and most fun fundraising events. We had over 600 runners last year, and it looks like we’ll have at least that many this year. Come out and earn your turkey this year!

Here is the sign-up link…

https://runsignup.com/Race/OK/Owasso/HogJog

Thank you again for an amazing XC season! Our program works best when parents help, are involved, and support their kids. We had tremendous parent support this year!

Thank you for all you do…GO RAMS!!!!

ORXC Week Sixteen Schedule

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SxgyV7EpcNglMEPSAvVrJgO4nfUZoaNnxpf2aoXBrlo/edit?usp=sharing

Good evening ORXC fam! We have a fairly relaxed week before we head into NXR and the Hog Jog for the next couple of weeks. Our end-of-season banquet is Tuesday night from 6:00 – 8:00 on the 3rd Floor of the Wellness Center on the north end of the OHS football stadium. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, please do so through the following link…

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F4AA8A92FA1FE3-50386246-2024

Our next volunteer opportunity is on Thanksgiving morning when we will hold our 22nd annual Hog Jog! Last year, we had over 600 runners and raised a good amount of money for the program for the Track season. If you aren’t competing in the event, please come and be a course marshal and cheer the runners on! The sign-up link is here…

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F4AA8A92FA1FE3-50386245-2024#

Thank you for all you do to make your athlete and our program successful. We’ll see everyone on Tuesday night! GO RAMS!!!

Week Fifteen Schedule

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yxKKfzPuuxGJ3tARhpyoI7H89STB-DIsbGAqBWmlwLU/edit?usp=sharing