As the 2018 season comes to a close, it is time to reflect and celebrate all of our accomplishments as well as look forward to how we can grow off a successful finish.  Our team banquet will be this Tuesday, October 30th in the cafeteria!  Thanks to everyone who has signed up to bring food/drinks!!  
Potluck Signup

State Meet Recap
It is always an honor to qualify for the state meet and finish the season at the Ridges Course!  For the seven boys that toed the line Saturday, they truly earned their trip by putting in the months of running necessary to compete at the highest level.  It started with a post track meeting at Coach Mach's house, where one of our goals was to get the team back to state and work on progressing the program back to the top over the next few years.  The boys didn't focus their goal on the outcome, but rather focused on the journey and daily commitment they would need to have as a group in order to achieve the goals they set out for.  This season was proof of what a committed and positive team can accomplish.  This team has put Hale Cross Country back in a position to compete over the coming years at the state level and beyond.  The expectations have changed, and there are no limits to what we can achieve!

Our goal coming into the state meet was to compete and run our race.  Experience is big at the state meet, and having 8 first time athletes we knew no matter what the outcome we would walk away better from the experience.  The realistic goal was to run our race and beat a few teams this season.  The boys ended up 19th overall in the state of Wisconsin this year which can't be taken for granted!  They have come so far in just one season, and as many know, we return 26 boys and add some new freshmen faces next season in hopes of building off this meet.  The experience of the 6 boys who return next year and raced at state this year will be extremely valuable next season and beyond.  

Our lone senior Brad Glisczinski did a heck of a job leading this young crew.  As I have mentioned, he has grown as a person and continues to develop his leadership and team building skills.  He is going to be greatly missed next fall, but knows he has this winter and spring to continue building himself and the boys around him into leaders.  He will continue to lead and pass his experiences onto the younger guys who will be becoming leaders themselves.  Brad was our 3rd runner at the state meet, and has consistently held that position for us all season.  His best races came at the end of the season, finishing 26th at conference, 14th at sectionals, and having an awesome first ever race at the state meet.  Awesome senior fall for Brad, and no better way to cap a cross country career than crossing the finish line at the state meet!

Sophomore Joshua Truchon capped an extremely consistent and progressing season with a 21st place finish in his state meet debut (16:11)!  He moved up from 46th place at the mile to finish 21st overall by the end of the race.  His debut performance sets him up the next two years to set sights on some very cool opportunities!  He's going to just keep enjoying each day, put in off season work and have fun with the sport.  His other highlights include being 1st team all conference, winning two invitationals, finishing 2nd at the sectional and he was 8th overall among non seniors at the state meet.  We are excited to continue watching him progress!

Junior Liam Kelley was geared up...a little too geared up!  He got out very aggressively in the lead through the first half mile which definitely made the rest of his race more challenging.  He still finished with a respectable placing as our 2nd guy, but will definitely learn from his first state experience!  We are looking for continued improvement and growth from Liam and do believe he belongs as one of the top runners in the state as he continues to improve.  He had a very nice junior season, finishing as our 2nd runner in every meet, earning 2nd team all conference and finishing 6th overall at the sectional.  Let's have a great winter and spring!

Sophomore Matthew Kees came on at the right time!  His progression from the first meet to sectionals was incredible, and was due to his summer work!  He has built a lot of strength and has now experienced the state meet.  We hope this helps motivate him to take his running even further and be a consistent low stick for us the entire season next fall.  Matthew came up huge for us when it mattered, and will continue to improve by putting in the proper work.  Great Season Matthew.

Freshman Cole Konczal rounded out our scoring.  He got the very rare opportunity to run in the state meet as a freshman!  Cole stepped up huge for us at conference and sectionals when a couple other guys had off races.  He scored as our 5th guy and was a big part of why we were competing at the state meet!  Being a varsity runner as a freshman and helping a team make state, we hope Cole takes this sport seriously and is committed to off season training and doing track in the spring!  He has unlimited potential and is just a great guy to have around the team.  Great first season Cole!

Junior Ethan Fisher was our 6th guy and had a better performance than sectionals.  He broke 18 for the first time this season and was as high as our 4th guy on the team for much of the season.  He didn't quite have the finish we expected, but gained some awesome experience that can help him break through this spring now.  Ethan is a great runner and guy to have on the team, and we hope he can build confidence in some consistent cold winter training to get himself to the next level.  Ethan wants to continue to develop as a leader for our team, and we look forward to watching him learn and grow.  A great season for Ethan being able to finish at the state meet!

Sophomore Brennan Kompas put in some awesome work this summer and put together a nice 2018 season.  He improved a minute this season with a personal best of 18:44.  He will be the first to tell you he expected more, but with running, progressions of individuals happen at different times!  Some guys progress very quickly, while others take longer.  I know with his work ethic and some new ideas for training going forward that Brennan will continue to be a very important member of our team's success!  He has gained valuable experience, and was a varsity runner on the 19th place team in Wisconsin.  I know he wants to achieve a lot and with continued enjoyment and daily focus he will continue to progress!  Great job Brennan!

Freshman Collin Raschka also got to make the trip as our alternate and is a guy we see who could be scoring for us on varsity next fall!  It was great to see so many others come up to watch and support and take in the experience.  Now's the time to get a mental break for a couple weeks, but start considering what you boys want to achieve.  We made an awesome step this season getting back to winning ways and now we know we can achieve at the highest level.  Motivate each other and make the decision of where you want to be these coming years.  I am extremely proud of the season all of the boys had, and can't wait to see how we continue to progress starting this spring in track!!

This week:
Monday - Uniforms and lock turn in.  Quick recap of season and information for awards and winter meeting.
Tuesday - AWARDS BANQUET 6:00 p.m. in cafeteria!!!!  Dress nice.

Next Week:
Thursday, November 8th - Meet in Dewitt's room after school to talk about winter training.  Even if you are doing another sport, it will important to be here we will discuss some other information for going forward as a team.

The Hale Boys Cross Country Team has qualified for the WIAA State meet to be held this weekend at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids!!  #ForTheTeam

Watching the boys celebrate and embrace each other was the coolest moment in my coaching career thus far.  This has been such a memorable season, and this moment was incredible for these boys and the program. 

Coach Dewitt said it best, "Consistency wins!".  The 7 boys competing this weekend were some of our top mileage and most consistent summer runners!  Consistency is what creates confidence, and the boys Saturday went out so confident in their training and abilities, and ran to an awesome race!  They didn't let any conditions or external factors get in their way of their objective.  They were on task and ready to compete for what we set out for in the beginning of the summer.  It hasn't always been perfect.  We have had many setbacks and tough moments through our journey, but we get stronger and learn through every experience.  The journey continues every day.  Win or lose, we are extremely proud of the efforts and positive commitment being made by this team.

As happy as we are, our focus now turns to the state meet where we know we are ready to run our best yet this season!  Let's make it a great week and embrace each day with each other!

Race Recap and Beyond!!
Every person in this program was important in the team qualifying for the state meet!  Every runner on the roster, the parents, and supporters helped promote the positive and hard working culture necessary to create moments like we had Saturday.  For returners next season, realize the opportunity you and the TEAM have if you commit to being your best.  We will look at how much consistency created improvement, and give you guys the option of where you want to take our program these coming years.  But first things first, it's state time!

​Our senior captain Brad Glisczinski was instrumental these final weeks in keeping the team having fun and motivated to achieve at the highest level.  He proudly held the plaque after the race, and is a huge reason for our success and shift in culture.  Watching him grow as a person has been incredible, and we are excited for him to finish his high school cross country career with his best race at the state meet!

In some awesome and windy conditions, the boys got out and after it this week.  We didn't let anything limit us, and put ourselves up front from the start.  Even a bit aggressive for my liking early, but I had confidence we would find our rhythm and race great, and that's exactly what happened.  Our top 3 once again just finished very nicely, and now our 4 and 5 guys have closed the gap which gave us the 2nd place finish Saturday!  Ethan, who we know can be right with Matthew, fell back Saturday and freshman Cole Konczal really stepped up and scored for us!  It is a total TEAM effort, and watching boys step up and run for the team is great.  Ethan Fisher now gets his chance to run great at the Rapids.  These guys practice together and push each other each day, so come race day, they know how to respond.  Very cool to see.

Joshua led our crew again, and raced a very competitive race against Aidan of South Milwaukee.  You have to tip your cap to Aidan who ran a very awesome race and has been all year.  Joshua was right with him and will get an opportunity to race him again this weekend!  It's fun to have that competition.  Liam Kelley and Matthew Kees were our other two scorers, finishing up front as well for us.  Matthew and Cole actually both ran personal bests on a 'tougher' condition day where times were likely a bit slower than usual.  It's not times that matter, but it just shows how well we competed and performed as a team!!  We will be challenged at the state meet again, and are excited for the challenge and opportunity it brings for us to perform at our best!

Our state team is comprised of Joshua Truchon (So.), Liam Kelley (Jr.), Brad Glisczinski (Sr.), Matthew Kees (So.), Cole Konczal (Fr.), Brennan Kompas (So.), Ethan Fisher (Jr.), and alternate Collin Raschka (Fr.).

Our JV boys also competed in their final races Thursday at Grant Park!  They set a great tone for our varsity, competing like animals and running in packs!  We had a 17 second spread in the 'faster' race, and our top 4 in the 'fast' race were very close as well.  Sam Walder ran up front the entire race, en route to a personal best and momentum going into the off season!  Collin Raschka led the JV crew with a personal best and more aggressive race.  He helped the pack he was with all race their best yet this season and has really come on the last few weeks.  We had ten total PR's at the JV meet!!  Again, it was how we competed that led to positive outcomes for many.  For those that didn't have their best race, no fear.  Use it as fuel in how you train and commit over the coming months!  

We hope to see all of our guys putting in consistent miles with the team over the winter, and then competing in track and field!  It was a great week again for Hale Cross, and we can keep building and doing more with focusing our goals not on outcomes, but rather on what we can control and what we would like to do each day to become better.

Cross country is an amazing sport.  Watching athletes transform not only as runners, but as people.  Keep loving each other, being there for each other and acting with class.  A positive and respectful team can accomplish a lot!

Congratulations Hale Boys!  Let's make it a great state meet!  Keep sticking to our standards and showing good character with everything we do.  Take care of school work and be kind.

This Week!

Monday, October 22nd - Mandatory practice for ALL athletes.  We will do a normal team meeting to recap our successful weekend and talk about the state meet ahead.  
We will have all of our JV boys go to Irving for their run to help and cheer on 6th-8th grade runners!  Our varsity boys will be stopping by too but will have normal practice to take care of.
Please bring you Hale Sweats (Jackets) and be positive and proud cheering for kids.  Let them know what it means to be a part of this program and be supportive of their efforts!!

Tuesday - Thursday - Varsity will practice as normal, but ALL athletes are encouraged to run and keep attending this week!!  Workouts will be created for our varsity, but any guys are encouraged to keep running and being a part of this.

Friday, October 26th - 10:00 a.m. vans are packed and ready to depart for Stevens Point.  We will be taking ONLY the 7 boys from sectionals plus our alternate.  Please read our fan section to learn more about getting up to watch on Saturday!  We highly encourage all of our guys to come watch Saturday as they will all be returning in the coming year(s).  See what it's all about and why you want to continue being there as a team!!

Saturday, October 27th - ​Boys race at 12:00 p.m. at the Ridges! Fan Information click here!

The 8 boys coming on the trip as a team will have everything paid for.  Our hotel and food are covered by the school and team.  If they want to bring any HEALTHY snacks that is okay.  We are not bringing candy, chips and soda.  As much fun as we will have, we are here to compete well and continue a strong tradition.

Monday, October 29th - Team Meeting / State Recap.  Uniform turn in for everyone!

Tuesday, October 30th - Team Banquet 6:00 p.m.!!  I will send out information on food etc. mid week.  Focus is on details of state trip this week first!

The Hale Varsity had a fine week at the Greater Metro Conference Meet!  We had 4 of our 5 scorers run all time bests, and we are excited to make a statement this weekend at the sectional meet at Mitchell Park!  The JV boys look to finish their seasons strong Thursday at Grant Park, with the boys racing at 3:00 and 3:30 p.m.  Details can be found below for both our races this week and a list of events that boys should be at through the remainder of the season. 

Looks like a gorgeous fall week, and we are excited to embrace each day and put in some positive work!  A full recap of the conference meet can be found below!  #ForTheTeam #FullSends

GMC Recap
The varsity boys took 6th place in an awesome field of teams/runners this past weekend!  As an example, 5th place Brookfield East was right ahead of us and they were ranked 11th in the state coming into conference!  We had two boys, and nearly a third, earn all conference honors! 

Joshua Truchon continued his great season with a 4th place finish in a personal best 16:00!  He ran with a chase pack of two other great runners, pushing the pace on them throughout and finishing within seconds of both of them!  His consistent and positive work has brought him the ability to gain a lot on these guys over the year.  He will get another chance at beating the three guys that were ahead of him when we race them again in two weeks at the Ridges!

Liam Kelley finished 16th overall in a gutsy race.  He was in the top 5 through the half mile, and fell back from the group a bit, but battled to finish as a 2nd team honoree!  Liam has beaten the 8th place finisher from conference this year, and is having a great season for us!  We are excited for him to continue his great race execution and help to be a low scorer for the team these next two weeks.

Brad Glisczinski ran his fastest 5k of his life this weekend, and will do it again the next two weeks!  His time of 17:14 put him just outside of all conference honors, with his 26th place finish.  Bradley is really coming around nicely at the right time, and has been a great senior leader for us this season!  We are lucky to have him lead us into the next two weeks!

Matthew Kees also ran his personal best, with a nice breakthrough time of 17:38.  We have seen the hard work he has put in as well, and it is cool to see him step out of his comfort zone this week and step up 'for the team'!  We are excited to watch him drop even further and continue to compete up front for us!

Cole Konczal rounded out our varsity scoring, running another personal best of 18:05.  We loved seeing Cole get out after it with Matthew, and helping close the gap between or 3-5 runners!  Cole will keep bringing it, and never putting limits on what he can do these next two weeks and over the coming years.  Keep it up!

Ethan Fisher and Brennan Kompas didn't have the ideal performance they were looking for this weekend, but we have no worries in these boys!  The coaches know the fitness they are in and have the confidence in seeing the breakthroughs similar to the one Matthew had this week!  It only takes one good race to make it a great season!  Keep believing, you both are a huge part of our success this season and the growth of our program!

On the JV side, we had some nice performances as well!  We finished 8th overall, which is much lower than what we know we were capable of, but this is the beauty of the sport.  We race each week with a clean slate, and trust in our progression as athletes through the good and the bad.  We are looking to bring more intention and purpose to our training and competitions, and continue to push ourselves and our teammates!

Cole Orlowski led the pack with a personal best of 19:10.  He got out gradual and really moved up a lot during the race.  This week we will watch him get out aggressive and have the confidence to run with our top 5!  Collin Raschka improved again, running under 20 minutes for the first time in his career!  Sam Walder, Robert Petrovick, David Martinez and Gavin Graham also ran career bests!  All of these guys are guys we'd love to help continue to build our program!  Great job and keep moving up!  We are excited to watch other guys step up this Thursday, and get after it!   Keep learning and progressing.  No limits!

Here's how the next few weeks of our season will work, and what the boys will be responsible for attending!

This week:

Tuesday, October 16th - Pasta party at 5:15 p.m. in cafeteria after practice!  Thank you to the Konczal family!

Thursday, October 18th - JV boys race!  See attached rosters on meet info sheets.  Guys who race here are not racing Saturday but could be alternates or considered for the state meet if we advance.  Varsity will attend this meet and practice at the site, we plan to be back at Hale by around 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 20th - Sectional Meet @ Mitchell Park.  Varsity only, but JV will attend with the team!

See Lineups and Meet Information here!!

Next week and beyond:

Friday, October 26th - The team (qualifiers and alternates only) will depart for the state meet at 10:00 a.m. and practice in Stevens Point.  There is no school this day, we are staying over night Friday.

Saturday, October 27th - WIAA State meet, our race is at 12:00 p.m.!  It's the first race of the day.  Information will be given after this weekend.  

Tuesday, October 30th - Awards Night in Cafeteria 6:00 p.m.  All boys must attend, it's a way to cap off and celebrate our successes this season!  Obviously parents and all family are welcome and encouraged to come.  Please let me know if you're interested in helping prepare for this evening!

There will be more information provided for next week in next week's blog and updates!