Just to clarify, we might have told you we would have time trials next Thursday, 8/13, but this date has been changed.
The 5K time trial will be held sometime during the week of August 17. As soon as we know details, we will post them on this site. Thank you for your patience!
We are very excited to announce we finally have the go ahead to start CHSAA Cross Country on Wednesday, August 12. Please know we continue to live in a time of change and if at any time Health department guidelines change or state/local guidance shifts we will adjust our plans accordingly.
Several items to remember:
If you have questions, please ask them on our google doc and the coaches will respond. Don’t be shy, many others probably have the same questions as you might have. questions about the 2020 xc season
Paperwork and Physicals for the 2020 XC season:
Here is some advanced notice about registration for the 2020 XC season.
Parents should be ready to upload paperwork and physicals into Family ID as soon as the district Oks us for the regular season—it will most likely be a quick turnover between registration opening and the official first day.
There are blank forms for physicals below:
Physicals are valid for 365 days. If you turned one in last xc season, you will need to turn in a new before the official start of this season.
Coach Kohuth will share details about what the season will look like as soon as he knows them. Stay tuned to this website for more information.
Link for the Thursday 5:00pm meeting:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 352-608-0152
PIN: 861 822 936#
Dear Scholar-Athletes and Families,
Based on the updated guidance from Governor Polis and CDPHE, DPS has made a decision to allow in-person, voluntary off-season athletics conditioning for high school students. This is the third step in a multi-step process of returning to competitive play. During this third step, there will be no indoor access and very limited equipment use, as well as strict health checks and sanitation procedures for all participants.
We have made this decision with the continued goal of protecting the safety, health, and wellness of our students, staff and families. We recognize that the Denver community has been greatly impacted by the COVID pandemic, and believe that this is a positive first step in bringing our athletes back together. Session 3 will run August 3-August 21, 2020. DPS leaders will then determine how to best continue our athletics programming based on current health and safety guidelines and input from fellow school districts.
Please review the informational information through the following link: Session 3 informational sheet, outlining the details of participant engagement, health checks and sanitation procedures required during this time. Should you choose to participate, your guardian will need to complete the required Student Registration for Step 3, which includes the district waiver by 12:00pm on Monday, August 3.
*Students that participated/registered for Phase 1/Step 1, and/or Phase 2/Step 2, must re-register for Session 3.
Additional information regarding student and coach waivers, daily documentation, conditioning schedules, and site drop-off procedures will follow prior to Step 3 Activities beginning on Wednesday August 5, 2020. If you have any questions, please reach out.
Please register here: Session 3 Registration August 3-August 21
Respectfully,
Dr. Davis
Beginning on Wednesday, Aug 5 , we will hold phase three practice from 3:30—4:30pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. These workouts will be in addition to the runs listed on the training guide and the Tuesday/Thursday Google meetings. You must register above to attend practice.
Remember to register by noon on Monday, Aug 3 to join your teammates and coaches. Session 3 Registration August 3-August 21
We are waiting to find out from DPS if we can do phase 3 xc practice next week. We assume there will be a short window for you to sign up for phase 3 practice, so please check your email often today.
If we are allowed to hold phase 3 practice, we will post information on how to sign up for it. Website subscribers will get an email with the information. If you are not a subscriber, you can either subscribe by clicking the +Follow button on the lower right-hand side of your computer, or continue checking this website today.
We are excited to welcome Jennifer Michel as our guest speaker on Tuesday, July 28 at 5:00pm. Here is the link and some interesting info about Coach Michel.
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 747-202-5470
PIN: 498 766 362#
Jennifer Michel is entering her 14th season as head men’s and women’s cross country coach at Western Colorado University in 2020. She will also begin her 14th season as an assistant coach of the Mountaineer track & field team after she took over for legendary coach Duane Vandenbusche in 2007. Dr. Vandenbusche* who was a seven-time NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year and coach three former athletes that went onto compete in the Olympics. Ms. Michel has filled some very deep (running) shoes quite admirably. In her first year, Jennifer won National Coach of the year in Division II. As a first year head coach she led the Western’s men to a second-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships. The women finished sixth. Following the season, Michel earned a spot in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” segment based upon her historic achievements.
As of 2020, Michel has coached 50 Mountaineers to 193 All-American honors between cross country and indoor/outdoor track & field.
A testament to the quality of these All-Americans, Michel has coached nine individuals to a combined 18 National Championships. Standing tall amongst these individuals is Alicja Konieczek who recorded her ninth National Championship in 2019, along with holding the NCAA DII All-Time Record in the steeplechase. Prior to those efforts, Konieczek became the first female Mountaineer to win four National Championships in the same year as she took the Mile and 3k indoors and the Steeplechase and 5k outdoors in 2017.
On the track, Michel has coached national champions David Goodman to the steeplechase title in 2011, Ryan Haebe (2012 Steeplechase), Tyler Pennel (2012 10k), Gabe Proctor (2013 10k & 5k), Vegard Olstad (2013 1500), and Alicja Konieczek (2017 Indoor Mile/3,000m and Outdoor Steeplechase/5,000m). National runners-up coached by Michel include Lauren Kleppin in the 10,000-meter run (2011 and 2012), Tyler Pennel in the 5,000-meter run (2009, 2011-12), Hillory Davis (2011 Steeplechase), Glen Watts (2010 Steeplechase), and Lisa Thomas (2009 Steeplechase). What is it about steeplechase dominance and Gunnison County, Colorado?
In addition, 12 of her distance runners have gone on to capture 16 Academic All-America nods including 7 first team selections and a The U.S.Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Men’s Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year.
A two-time National Coach of the Year, Michel is also a four-time RMAC Coach of the Year, and earned both the men’s and women’s honors in 2011. In a strong year for Michel and the Mountaineers, she also was named USTFCCCA Central Region Women’s Coach of the Year in 2011. During the 2017 outdoor track and field season, Michel was named USTFCCCA Central Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year before being named USTFCCCA Women’s National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017 for outdoor track. During the historic 2018 indoor campaign, Michel was named USTFCCCA Women’s National Assistant Coach of the Year.
In a historic effort, Michel coached the 2011 Mountaineer men to the fourth-lowest team score in NCAA DII history en route to her first national championship. Simultaneously, she coached her first individual National Champion in cross country as Ryan Haebe broke the tape ahead of teammate Tyler Pennel, highlighting a 1,2,5,7,12 finish for the men. The top-ranked women were upset by a mere four points in 2011, finishing in second place for the second year in a row. The Mountaineers also swept the RMAC titles in 2011 with the women claiming their second-straight conference title for just the second time in program history.
As an athlete, Michel earned eight All-American honors in track and field and cross country. In track and field, Michel won Division II titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, 3,000-meter run and indoor mile, and held the national championship steeplechase record until 2008. She was a six-time RMAC champion.
Michel earned RMAC All-Century honors in women’s track and field as part of the conference centennial celebration in 2008-09. She was also a member of the NCAA 25th Anniversary Team for Women’s Track and Field and was the 1999 NCAA Cross Country Runner of the Year.
After her collegiate career, she finished fifth at the US Track and Field Championships in the steeplechase in 2002. She entered the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame in October 2010 for her national championship career as a Western student-athlete.
Michel, a prep product out of Wheat Ridge, Colo., is a 2001 graduate of Western with a degree in History and Secondary Education. She went on to receive her master’s degree in Sports Management.
* Dr. Vandenbushe has been teaching history at Western since 1962 and is the longest serving active professor at any public higher education institution in the state. He was just named the Colorado State Historian this month.
Hey runners!
Stop (or run) by the non-working fountain near 17th and the Esplanade in City Park on Friday, July 24 from 9:15 to 10:00am to get another fun and useful xc prize!!
We will also have East XC hand sanitizers if you haven’t received one yet or if you need another one!
See you at the fountain!
Here is the meeting link for today’s XC meeting at 5:00pm:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 352-608-0152
PIN: 861 822 936#
See you soon!
Today’s speakers are two of the most esteemed alumni of the East Cross Country Program—Harrison competed at State all four years and is a four time DPS City champion and was 13th at the Footlocker National Championship. Cerake was a city champion, state champion, NXR champion, and was 4th at Nike Cross Nationals, and has represented the US twice in international competition. Both were recruited athletes who went to top programs and have had to deal with injuries post-high school.
Here is the link for the meeting, Tuesday, July 21 at 5:00pm:
Meeting ID
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 747-202-5470
PIN: 498 766 362#
All runners who attend the East XC Google Meets and log workouts on Final Surge are eligible for a prize on Wednesday! To get this prize, run by and look for Kohuth at the statue/disabled fountain at 17th and the Esplanade in City Park from 9:15 to 10:00am on Wednesday, July 22.
Keep up the great work of logging your runs and using Final Surge! If you don’t have a Final Surge account, you can get one by doing the following:
Click on Final Surge to keep track of your time or miles and to share with your coaches.
or click here on your phone: 
After you join Final Surge, email Coach Kohuth at steven_kohuth@dpsk12.org so he can add you to the team.
How are your Core X and Lunge Matrix workouts going? Let us know what you think of these at this week’s Thursday meeting.
Core X by Jay Johnson Add this to your routine 3 x per week and work up to 5 x per week.
Continue doing the Lunge Matrix before your runs.
See you this evening on Google Meets!
