Dear Coaches,

We anticipate great weather for Saturday’s races. Sunny & pleasant with temperatures starting out just under 60’ & not getting any higher than the 70’s by noon. However, we have had a lot of rain this week & predicting more on Friday, so hopefully it will dry out a bit by Saturday’s races. Here are your final instructions when arriving to Cabell Midland High School on Saturday for the St Mary’s XC Festival.

 

Arrival times:             Arrive no earlier than 1 hr & 15 min prior to your race. You may warm-up on course while other races are in progress, but make sure you pay attention & stay clear of the competing runners. We absolutely do not want runners warming up impeding with a competing runner. We have one restriction, you can NOT use race course hill to gain access to top of course. You must use spectator steps located behind the stadium press box. Also, you must mask up while warming up.

 

Admission:                 Spectators must have authorized ticket issued by their coach and masked up before entering the Admission gates. There are 2 gates, one at roadway crossing near tennis courts and one behind school near our normal tent city.

 

Packet pick up:          Red Building outside track fence

 

Tent City:                   Tent City we will not confine teams to our normal tent city area but rather allow teams to spread out on the lower course. Make sure you do not set up within 40-50 feet, further if possible, from another team.

 

Bathrooms:                Located at stadium (bigger) and the normal Tent City.

 

T-shirts:                       Online orders only. St. Mary’s XC Festival t-shirts are now on sale to anybody who wants one. Go to https://hometown-sportswear.printavo.com/merch/st-marys-xc/ to place an order. All orders will be shipped to an address of your choice. We added a quote this year due to the Pandemic just to help you remember these unprecedented times we are going through.

 

Mask up:                    Everyone in attendance is required to wear a mask except the runners when they are competing during their Section races. Spectators & coaches who cheer and yell during a race risk spreading the virus to others, so a mask is a must. We consider the safety of the runners, coaches, spectators and staff involved in this meet to be a priority.  Event staff will be on hand to ensure that masks are worn properly, covering both the nose and mouth and that proper social distancing is being maintained.

 

Race Procedures:      Starting line procedures will be as follows:

·         Teams should report to starting line at least 15 minutes and no earlier than 20 minutes before the start of their race. *

·         Box assignments will be issued and will appear on your race packet & chart below. *

·         Teams are to stay in their box and do strides directly in front of their box. Avoid other teams during your warm-up. *

·         Boxes will be spread out and no team will be within 10-15 feet from another team.

 

                                    Finish line procedures will be as follows:

·       There will be NO finish line chute, pull tags or chips. We will be using Finishlynx timing with race numbers. Runners are to cross the line then immediately head back to their team camp.

·        Parents and coaches must stay outside the track fence this year. No cutting through in front of brick building. You must go around it to get from one side of the track to the other.

·       Parents may NOT wait outside the gate area to meet up with their child as they finish. They must meet with them away from the track area. We do NOT want runners having to go through crowds to get to their team camp. Also, there will be no water except for those needing medical attention in our medical area.

 

                                    After your warm down, please have safe travels back home. Teams should not wait around to watch other Section races so that we are able to limit crowd size and risks of exposure.

                                   

Coaches, please make sure your runners and their families are aware of all the safety protocols that will be in place ahead of time, before arriving to the meet. Avoiding conflicts will help us focus on the athletes, enjoy the competition and make this a positive experience for the runners.

 

These are strange and challenging times along with all the demands just to compete in a cross country meet. However, it’s worth it as along as our runners get the opportunity to compete. I appreciate your efforts in making our meet possible and wish you the best on September 5th and pray that Cabell Midland will get the opportunity to host the State Championship on October 31st.

 

Chris Parsons

(Cabell Midland Athletic Director & Cross Country Coach)  

 

XC Festival Section Races

Race Time

Teams

8:00am Section 1 Girls

Cabell Midland, Hurricane, Huntington, Preston, Ripley

8:30am Section 1 Boys

Cabell Midland, Hurricane, Huntington, Preston, Ripley

9:05am Section 2 Girls

Buckhannon Upshur, Calhoun Co , Clay Co, Lincoln Co, Poca, Teays Valley

9:40am Section 2 Boys

Buckhannon Upshur, Calhoun Co , Clay Co, Lincoln Co, Poca, Teays Valley

10:10am Section 3 Girls

Fairmont, Doddridge Co, Winfield, Williamstown, Wayne, Scott

10:45am Section 3 Boys

Fairmont, Doddridge Co, Winfield, Williamstown, Wayne, Scott

11:15am Section 4 Girls

Berkeley Springs, Buffalo, Grafton, St Mary’s, Wirt Co, Wood Co

11:50am Section 4 Boys

Berkeley Springs, Buffalo, Grafton, St Mary’s, Wirt Co, Wood Co

 

Section 1

Box Assignments

Section 3

Box Assignments

Cabell Midland

1

Fairmont

1

Hurricane

2

Doddridge

2

Huntington

3

Winfield

3

Preston

5

Williamstown

4

Ripley

6

Wayne

5

Section 2

 

Scott

6

Buckhannon

1

Section 4

 

Calhoun Co

2

Berkeley Springs

1

Clay Co

3

Buffalo

2

Lincoln Co

4

Grafton

3

Poca

5

St. Mary’s

4

Teays Valley

6

Wirt Co

5

 

 

Wood Co Christian

6