Philadelphia CYO Track & Field, Cross Country

XC National Meet photos

2009-12-10T13:56:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to the photos from the National meet:

http://www.backprint.com/go.asp?67340686

National Meet

2009-11-30T20:55:00.002-05:00

Coaches,

It is important that this information gets to anyone on your team who is going to the national champs. I think this is all the information that they will need but it has to get into their hands. I am relying upon you to get it to them. Make certain they understand if there are any questions, contact me as soon as possible.

Thanks for all your help in passing information along to the parents. You have done a tremendous job this year. Wish all the kids good luck next week and pray for nice weather.

Mary Ellen

Itinerary

Directions

postseason meet (and 100th CYO track post!)

2009-11-11T17:01:00.004-05:00

Here is an email from Mary Ellen about the postseason.

To all,

I have attached directions to the race on Saturday. It took a couple of tries to actually find this place. Parking will be an issue. My guess is that there is room for about 80-100 cars in all the lots at the park. The overflow will be asked to park in the lot for the Bethlehem Baptist Church. The lot is located at the light at Behtlehem Pike and Trewellyn Ave. There will be shuttles taking people from this lot back and forth to the park. The overflow lot is located about 0.7 miles from the starting line. It is a walkable distance and you will be walking on roads through a neighborhood and on park roads if you choose to walk. If you find that the lots in the park are full, you can drop the kids off by the flagpole and then go back to park.

The course walk is at 8:30 AM. The courses are all very confusing. They loop and cross over. I think that all athletes must walk the course. In the woods there are multiple trails and I do not know for a fact that marshals will be at all places where turns are made. It will be your responsibility to know the course. I recommend that all athletes be in the park between 8-8:15 on Saturday morning.

The starting line is just off the first base line of the baseball field in front of the pavilion. We have received permission to set up our tents on the infield of this field. We can line them up along the fences on first and third base line. I think that we had 8 tents coming so this would be great. I will have signs made to identify which tent is for which age group.

When you arrive, find the tent for your age group. Find your age group coach and get your number. It would be best to do this BEFORE the course walk. At the moment, I have all the numbers (except the two late entries) and I will give them to the age group coaches on Saturday. I will have pins for all the groups.

The age group coaches are:
Primary Girls (subnovice) -- Nativity of Our Lord

Primary Boys (subnovice) -- St. Stanislaus

Bantom Girls (novice) -- Our Lady of Grace

Bantom Boys (novice) -- Sacred Heart, Oxford

Midget Girls (minor) -- St. Ignatius

Midget Boys (minor) -- St. Agnes, West Chester

Youth Girls (cadet) -- St. Anastasia

Youth Boys (cadet) -- Sts. Philip and James

Intermediate Girls (high school) -- see Mrs. Malloy

Obviously, if someone would like to assist the coach, that would be greatly appreciated. Some of the age groups are rather large. I will have updated team lists for each age group coach because there have been numerous changes made.

You will walk the course with your group. PAY ATTENTION TO THE COURSE! Bring extra shoes and several extra pairs of socks. The course is very soft and muddy. If it rains at all between now and Saturday, it will be even worse. If your shoes or socks are wet after the course walk, put on dry ones. If you are wet after the warmup, put on dry ones for the race and the same for after the race. Spikes are definitely recommended for this course.

Warmup with your group. Make sure that you have the red CYO shirt and black shorts or tights. The weather forecast for Saturday is possible chance of showers with the highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. This meet will take place no matter what the weather. Come prepared. No one should be racing in sweats or long sleeved t-shirts. No hats should be necessary. You want to be light and quick.

Awards will be given out in the chute after the race. At least the top 20 in each race will be given awards. When I left today, they were discussing if they wanted to give out more. I guess that we will know on Saturday. Any team awards should be given to me by the end of the day.

The majority of the paperwork for nationals has already been handed in. There are a couple of folks who need to finalize some things. If anyone who is running as an individual decides to go to the national meet, I MUST KNOW ON SATURDAY. Saturday is the last day for paperwork and fees for nationals. You are permitted to change your mind and go but I need to know before I leave on Saturday.

I will be working in the finish chute all day so you know where you can find me.

Good luck and have a good time on Saturday.

Mary Ellen Malloy

Penllyn Woods Directions

From PA Turnpike:
Exit Turnpike at Fort Washington Exit (#26). Take Route 309 North to Spring House / Norristown Road Exit. Turn left onto Norristown Road. At the third traffic light (Bethlehem Pike), turn Left. At the next light turn Right, Blue Bell Penllyn Pike (Harleysville National Bank will be on the corner). Take Blue Bell Penllyn Pike to the next traffic light, which is Trewellyn Ave. Continue on Blue Bell Penllyn Pike make a right at the second street on your right, which is Township Line Road. If you are going to Penllyn Woods stay on Township Line Road and DO NOT TURN, follow the signs (1/4 mile to flagpole turnaround).

From Route 73 (East or West):
Take Route 73 to Blue Bell Penllyn Pike (Blue Bell Inn and Blue Horse Inn intersection), if you are coming from the West make a Left, if you are coming from the East make a right. Continue on Blue Bell Penllyn Pike thru the next light at Morris Rd. Once you go past the Cedarbrook Country Club the road will slope down, Lantern Lane will be on your left, cross over bridge and the next left is Township Line Road. Make a hard Left. Follow the signs to Penllyn Woods (1/4 mile to flagpole turnaround).

Route 309 North:
Take Route 309 South to Bethlehem Pike. Continue on Bethlehem Pike going past the Genuardi’s Shopping Center (on your right). Go through the traffic light at Moore Drive. At the next light go straight, at the next light make a Right onto Blue Bell Penllyn Pike (Harleysville National Bank will be on the corner). Take Blue Bell Penllyn Pike to the next traffic light, which is Trewellyn Ave. Continue on Blue Bell Penllyn Pike make a right at the second street on your right, which is Township Line Road. Stay on Township Line Road and DO NOT Turn, follow the signs (1/4 mile to flagpole turnaround).

From the Blue Route:

Take last exit Germantown Pike West. Follow Germantown Pike past the Plymouth Meeting Mall. The road will rise and get over to the right lane to turn onto Walton Rd.

Take a right on Walton Rd and follow past two traffic lights (2nd light is Township Line Rd -Commerce Bank on left) until you come to a fork in the road. Go LEFT at the fork in the road onto Stenton Ave. You will go into a sharp left curve past some blinking yellow caution lights. The road will straighten out for a couple hundred yards before turning sharp right where you will start up a steep incline. The road now becomes Penllyn Blue Bell Pike. Continue on Blue Bell Penllyn Pike across lights at Rt 73 (Blue Bell Inn), and Morris Rd. Once you go past the Cedarbrook Country Club (on right), the road will slope down, Lantern Lane will be on your left, cross over bridge and the next left is Township Line Road. Make a hard Left. Follow the signs to Penllyn Woods (1/4 mile to flagpole turnaround).

If anyone needs red shirts, I have more. They will be in my van on Saturday. If you have not already paid, they are $8 each.

I have five bags of sweats that were ordered and never picked up. Someone please claim them.

From MMR, Seminack and Christian.

From John Chrysostom, Clifton

From Annunciation, Rosini and Walsh. Walsh owes $24 for the late order.

I will have them with me. I want to get rid of them. Please help!

this is my 100th post about CYO track/XC in less than 3 years, which just shows that running folk are far too neurotic.

Practice Sites

2009-10-31T13:09:00.008-04:00

Here are some practice sites if your looking for somewhere to practice during the postseason:

Bensalem HS

I will be holding practice at Bensalem High School by the field hockey fields on Mondays (except Monday 11/2), Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:45 PM. There are lights in the parking lots so we can continue to run even when it gets darker.

Enter off Hulmeville Road and turn left into the parking lot on the side of the school. We are located about halfway down the parking lot.

All are welcome.

COACH - Mary Ellen Malloy

CB EAST HS

OLG/OLMC/St Judes/St Martins...we have practice at CB EAST high school on Tuesdays, Thursdays from 4-5pm after daylight savings.....9-10am on Saturdays....
COACH - Sam Losorelli OLG/OLMC

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE

We at St John Chrysostom will be having practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:30 to 6:45 at Swarthmore College. We meet at the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church on Harvey Road, in the back parking lot at the small playground.
Here are the mapquest directions to our practice site, please call me if you have questions at 610-585-2914.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?name=Swarthmore+Presbyterian+Church&city=Swarthmore&state=PA&address=727+Harvard+Ave&zipcode=19081&country=US&latitude=39.898437&longitude=-75.353657&geocode=ADDRESS&id=2289831

LANSDALE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL - track
November 7^th , 21^st, and 28^th at 9am
COACH - Mike Shive

MMR
MMR will have post-season practices, thru at least the Regional race on 11/14, on Tuesday and Thurs evenings at 6pm and Sat mornings at 9am at a location between Amber and CB South High School. The general location will be Windlestrae Park on Kenas Road which is just east of Rt 309 between Horsham Rd and County Line Rd. We may shift to other locations for individual practices and so parents should contact me by email for details and I'll put them on an email distribution list for updates.
No practice on Thurs, 10/29 due to team party.

Coach - Charlie Stone charles_stone@verizon.net and charles_stone@gmacm.com (please send emails to both)

ROSE TREE PARK - DELCO
4:00 to 5:00 as daylight savings hits on Sunday and it will be dark before 5:30. I still plan on having practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but I am flexible. If the majority of the runners can only make other days instead, we can adjust the scheduled practice days. See you all Delaware County runners on Wednesday.

Coach - Paul Sterns

Archdiocesan Champs Results

2009-10-26T21:51:00.005-04:00

First, our thanks to everyone who lent a hand to another outstanding CYO cross country season. I know that Mary Ellen and Kristen Malloy especially deserve many, many thanks as they were dealing with more runners registered to run (over 1650 runners!) than ever before.

Special thanks for everyone who went the extra mile this past weekend, bringing sand and straw to help clean up the mess that was left after the cancer walk and races over the past two weeks, our 2 new bike riders who tried to do maybe the only thing harder than running on that field, and especially our amazing athletes deserve lots of credit for competing in incredibly adverse conditions (and for avoiding that crazy flu that seemed to strike everyone's team.)

A reminder that the post season meeting is this Wednesday at St Anastasia at 7PM.

Here are the team scores

Here are the times, places, and scores by age group (novice - cadet)

Here are the subnovice times and places.

here are cumulative results for the year
contrast photography link

Champs tomorrow.

2009-10-24T21:08:00.003-04:00

All,

The Plateau is really beat up. We have no choice but to run the meet tomorrow. The worst damage is to the main field -- start and finish line areas. The city was supposed to do work to clean it up, but it didn't do enough.

In order to prevent injuries tomorrow, I am asking for your help. If anyone has access to a straw bale or some sand, could you please bring that to the meet tomorrow. We can put the straw down to soak up the excess water on the fields and the sand down to minimize slipping. Anything that you can do would be greatly appreciated.

See you tomorrow.

Mary Ellen

Champs info & more

2009-10-20T10:21:00.002-04:00

Lots of information here. This is the email from Mary Ellen to the coaches.

Here is the post season entry form

Here is the travel info

Coaches,

Sunday is champs. Much information to pass along.

Remind your subnovices that they will race AFTER the cadet boys race this weekend. The last two weeks the cadets have started at about 3:20 for a point of reference. Make sure all your athletes have four (4) pins on their number and they are wearing the CORRECT number. Remind ALL parents that they are to stay behind the red ropes at the finish line. I will have no problem DQing a kid whose parents get in the way. Remind parents that pacing results in a disqualification of the runner. Keep your parents under control!! Hats off to the parents who follow directions.

The only runners who are eligible are those who have completed two races this season. Numbers will be checked at the starting line. The only exception to this rule is the subnovice race Any subnovice who is on a roster is permitted to compete.

Please make certain that all officials (chute people and marshals) are on time for their assignments. It is not fair to the people that you are relieving to make them stay longer than necessary.

Remind your runners that interference (putting out your arms to keep a running from passing, pushing a runner to the outside) can be grounds for a disqualification. Same goes for cutting the course.

Any team that will enter into the team scoring (3 in an age group or 3 in each age group) will have to turn in an index card with your team name, group score and the cards of the top three scorers for your team. I will have extra cards in the event that you forget. The top fifteen (15) finishers in the novice, minor and cadet races will need to turn in your cards to the scorer for the awards. The subnovice will receive all awards in the chute.

Awards will be given out after all the races are completed. Team awards will be handed out at that time also.

Long sleeved t-shirts will be on sale for $13. "Philadelphia CYO" red travel shirts will be available for $8. "Philadelphia CYO Cross Country" magnets will be available for $5. There will also be a limited number of sack packs available for $10. Exact change is always appreciated. Checks are also accepted and can be made out to "Philadelphia CYO Cross Country."

All sweat orders will be available on Sunday. Pease, please, please stop by the finish line and pick up the sweats.

Post season competition:

All runners who are rostered are eligible for the post season. There is no minimum meet requirement. Any high school runner who ran for the CYO is also eligible to participate for us (as long as their high school coach is okay with the idea.) The team uniform is the red "Philadelphia CYO Cross Country" shirt which will be on sale on Sunday and any black shorts or tights. If supplies of the shirts run out on Sunday, I will order more before the regional meet.

There will be a meeting on Wednesday, October 28 for the post season. It will be at St. Anastasia at 7 PM. Any parish who is interested in doing the post season must be represented. If your parish is not there, I will assume that no one is doing the post season. Pass this information on to your parents. Any parent who contacts me after the meeting and claims that they no nothing about the post season will be directed back to their coaches. You will have to deal with them this year because I will not.

At the meeting, we will select our teams. First requirement to be on a team is that the athlete agrees to go to nationals. Any athlete who wants to run in the qualifying meet but not nationals will run as an individual for CYO. The top four finishers from the champs will get first chance to be on the A team. After that, we will go to the list of best times (to be distributed after the champs.) We will go down the list and place runners on teams until all are placed on a team. If we have more than three teams, we have permission to send the extra teams to nationals this year. I think this may be a one time offer so you may want to take advantage of the opportunity. We will try to field as many teams as possible in all the age groups including the subnovice. Please be aware that those runners born in the year 2000 are to compete in the bantom division (3000 meters). The post season competitions are based on year of birth, not grade in school. Some third graders will have to move up and compete with the novices. Last year, we fielded a team of just subnovices competing in the bantom (novice) division.

After teams are selected, paperwork will be turned in. All the entries are being done on line. I have attached a homemade entry form. I will handle all the on line entries since I am the team administrator.

For the regional meet, you will need to turn in:

a completed post season entry form

a copy of the birth certificate

a copy of the AAU card

$20 entry fee (cash or check payable to "Philadelphia CYO Cross Country"

AAU cards can be purchased at www.aausports.org. Go to membership and then to individual membership. Follow the directions. The AAU number is about 15 characters long. The team name is "Philadelphia CYO." The club number is MAATCY7KA0.

We will also collect paperwork and money for the national meet since everyone who participates in the regional can go to nationals this year.

For the national meet, you will need to turn in:

travel sheet (attached)

wavier form (copies will be handed out at the coaches meeting on Sunday)

YES Athletics card (paperwork will be handed out at the coaches meeting on Sunday)

entry fee ($20 for entry and $10 for YES card)

hotel money ($115 per room per night)

This will make life easier for the age group coaches at the regional meet.

I know that this is a ton of information. Pass it on to the parents and let them decide about the post season. I will get practice sites listed on the website this week.

Any questions, call or email me.

Pray that it does not rain too much on Saturday.

Mary Ellen

Area E meet update

2009-10-16T10:13:00.003-04:00

The Area E championship will run rain or shine. The only reason the meet would be canceled is if the field is completely swamped.

UPDATE - The field is already completely underwater, and as their is no end in sight, the meet has been canceled for tomorrow and tentatively rescheduled for November 8th.

If Delaware County and Mt Carmel would like to post their meet cancellation (if necessary) here, please just leave a comment or send me an email.

post season meeting

2009-10-13T22:25:00.001-04:00

Mark your calendars.

The meeting to turn in paperwork, money and select teams for the post season will be on Wednesday, October 28 at 7 PM at St. Anastasia in Newtown Square. Any team that is participating in the post season must be represented by either coach or a parent.

Remember, any high school students who wish to participate are more than welcome to represent Philadelphia CYO as long as they came through our track or cross country programs.

Mary Ellen

week 4 results

2009-10-12T10:05:00.001-04:00

here are the results from week 4

Post Season

2009-10-11T18:18:00.002-04:00

Here is the information on the post season that Mary Ellen sent out last night.

To all,

There is only one more meet left before the champs so it is time to get this mess straightened out.

As I mentioned last week, the AAU has changed its qualifying procedures. Anyone who participates in a regional meet is now eligible to go to nationals. We are going to the Cross Country Coaches Youth Nationals in Nashville, Tenn. I am told that they are now going to do the same procedure that the AAU has adopted for this year. Therefore, anyone who will commit to going to nationals and competes in the qualifying round will be permitted to enter the national meet. Some may feel that this "waters down" the process, but, in reality, this has been what has happened the last couple of years. Almost all of our kids who wanted to go to nationals last year, ended up going. So it really will not be a big change for us.

The qualifying round will be Saturday, November 14 at Penlyn Park in Penlynn, PA. It is in the vicinity of Ambler. The cost of the entry fee is $20 and the cost of the AAU card is $12 for athletes. The entry fee for nationals will be $20 and the cost of a YES card (their version of an insurance card) is $10. The cost of the hotel rooms will be approximately $110 per night. That has not been verified just yet. All of our athletes have to stay in the team hotel...non-negotiable. They will represent "Philadelphia CYO" cross country team. The team uniform will be the red t-shirts that we have worn forever (and will be on sale at the championship meet) and black shorts or tights.

The day of nationals is Saturday, December 5 in Nashville, Tennessee.

We will have our annual meeting to place athletes on teams the week after our champs. Time, date and location will follow next week. The rules that we follow are simple. The first four finishers from the championship meet will have the first choice of being on the A team. After that, we will go to the list of best times. We will go down the list and place children on teams depending on whether or not they commit to going to nationals. Obviously, we only want to take full teams to nationals so if an athlete will not commit to going to nationals, we ask them to run as an individual for the Philadelphia CYO at the regional meet. Since we already know that anyone who competes will go to nationals, at this meeting we will collect entry forms (to be emailed the beginning of the week), copies of AAU cards, copies of birth certificates, entry fees for nationals, the money needed to purchase the YES cards and all the hotel fees. I have not looked into reserving a bus because there has not been sufficient interest in recent years but if enough people are interested, I will gladly get that information. Having the opportunity to collect all this paperwork at a meeting the week after our champs will make life so much easier for the age group coaches on the day of the meet.

Here is what you need to find out from your athletes:

-who is going to compete in the regional meet?

-who is going to commit to going to nationals?

-those who are going to nationals need to think about which nights they will be staying in Tenn.

Traditionally, Thursday has been a travel day. Friday, the kids can sleep later and we will review the course in the afternoon with all the other members of their age group and their age group coach. It is a good time for them to socialize and meet the kids they have been competing against all season long. There will be an age group coaches meeting Friday night and a parent/athlete meeting after that. Saturday is the day of the races. We go to Mass Saturday night as a group. Saturday night has been a time to relax, meet new friends and celebrate the end of a successful season. The parents usually get together and socialize. Sunday is a travel day to return home.

I am also trying to get several places where the kids can get together to practice. In the past, some of the coaches continue with team practices all the way to nationals. Other coaches stop after our champs and any of their kids who want to continue competing are on their own. This has been difficult for them. I would like to get at least two locations in each county where kids from any parish can come together and train until the national meet. I have always welcomed others to my location at Bensalem High School and will continue to do so. If there are any other coaches willing to open their doors to other runners, please let me know. This information will then be posted on our websites so that everyone will have access to the locations, days and times of the practices.

I know that this is a lot of information to digest. Please pass this information on to all your parents and let them make the decisions. With several group locations, I am hoping that we can welcome some new traveling companions into our fold. Please let me know if you have any questions. I will send more information (entries, hotel, meeting date, etc...) at the beginning of the week

See you all tomorrow.

Mary Ellen Malloy

Mt Carmel Invitational Flyer

2009-10-06T17:32:00.000-04:00

On the Sunday the 18th, there will be no Archdiocesan Meet because of the cancer walk. Guadalupe, Mt. Carmel and other parishes will be hosting a invitational meet. Here is a flyer.

Area E will be holding their annual Cross Country championship that Sunday as well. I will upload the sign up form as soon I get one. updated: SIGN UP FORM

week 3 results

2009-10-05T21:49:00.006-04:00

here are the preliminary week 3 results. There was a disqualification in the minor girls race for pacing. A reminder to all parents, coaches, and teammates that pacing is illegal at all levels of cross country and track & field. Pacing is defined as running along side a competitor to set a pace (obviously), offer encouragement, and unfortunately, sometimes to discourage a runner.

On a happier note, we had great contributions from our marshals and chute workers this week. Thank you very much for helping to make the meet run smoothly!

business note: The file hosting site I have been using for the past 3 years, HDD Web, is going out of business. It was a rather unique file hosting site in my experience; it provided a direct download feature from the website or blog. Some of the older files may disappear in the coming week. If you need to download something, send me a note and I will switch it over. Also, if you know of another easy to use (and cheap) file hosting site that offers a direct download, let me know. For now I am using File Savr, but unfortunately, you need to put in a verification code for each download. (thankfully they are easier to read than when you are buying phillies tickets online!)

Lost & Found

2009-10-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

Coaches,

A jean jacket was left on the plateau at the last meet. It was close to the finish line. If anyone picked it up, thank you and please return it to Paul Stearns at the St. Anastasia tent this weekend.

September 27th meet Canceled!

2009-09-27T09:11:00.003-04:00

Here is the message from Mary Ellen:

Coaches,

Due to the wet conditions, the Philadelphia Department of Recreation has canceled all activities at the city parks. This means that the cross country meet for today will be canceled. They are concerned about the possibility of destroying the fields because of the mud and water. I am concerned about the possibility of athletes getting injured.

Orders for sweats and bags can either be mailed to me this week or turned in next weekend. I must place the order by Monday, October 5.

Next Sunday is the last day to add any new athletes.

Mary Ellen

CYO Sweats

2009-09-24T22:16:00.003-04:00

Here is the order form for CYO sweatshirts and pants. Orders are due on Sunday the 4th.

Here is the message from Mary Ellen about ordering:

To all,

Attached is an order form for Philadelphia CYO cross country sweats and sack packs. I will be accepting orders this Sunday and next Sunday. If you could, please email this form to your team so that they have the information. If, for some reason, you will not be at the next two meets, parents can mail me the form.

My address is: 844 Strawberry Lane

Langhorne, PA 19047

I want to place the order on Monday, October 5 so if they email me, it must be done quickly. I want to have the order returned to us by the date of the championships. As always, if they have any questions, please call or email me. My number is 215-757-9625.

Please remind the parents not to order youth small sweatshirts. The print is too big to fit on the front of the shirt.

See you all on Sunday.

Mary Ellen Malloy

Week 2 Results

2009-09-22T21:55:00.003-04:00

Here are the results for week 2. Unfortunately, 2 parishes did not report for their assignments after repeated calls and their runners were disqualified. Coaches, it is your responsibility to make sure that your parish covers its assignment. All assignments are important and must be covered!

Week 1 results

2009-09-18T10:15:00.003-04:00

Here are the results for Novice - Cadets & here are Sub novices results

Coaches from the following teams need to see Mary Ellen for new numbers for some of their runners:

St. Denis
St. Stanislaus
St. Andrew, Drexel Hill
St. Hilary
St. Agnes, West Chester
St. Charles, Bensalem
St. Elizabeth
St. Joseph, Collingdale
St. John the Baptist
St. Philip Neri

2008 Cross Country Coaches Youth Nationals

2009-09-17T20:58:00.002-04:00

Here is a link to FloTrack's coverage of the 2008 Cross Country Coaches Youth Nationals, the national meet that CYO track runners participated in last year and will again this year. There is an interview with Philadelphia CYO's own Olivia Sargent, who won the Bantam Girls' race on the left.

They have race footage from the entire meet. Philadelphia CYO kids wear red t-shirts.

The link of the CCCYN website is here, where you can find complete results.

1st meet wrap up

2009-09-16T21:12:00.003-04:00

In response to questions, yes, my sister Kathy O'Connell who has been riding the bike at XC meets since I finished running CYO Cross Country, suffered two fractures, in her sacrum and pelvic bones, and is still suffering from concussion symptoms. After the start of the cadet boys race, I accompanied her to University of Pennsylvania hospital, where she is still recovering and receiving treatment. She is expected to be discharged soon and go through approximately 6 weeks of recovery aided by crutches. On behalf of my family, Immaculate Conception and Philadelphia CYO XC, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for the prayers and concerns of everyone who has contacted us and Mary Ellen this past week, and everyone who pitched in to help out Sunday after her accident. We ask for your continued prayers for a speedy recovery.

I believe that 2 people have volunteered to ride the bike for the rest of the season, but if you are interested in helping out, please email Mary Ellen.

In response to this incident, and others, Mary Ellen Malloy our CYO Cross Country Coordinator has sent the following email to our CYO coaches. I think it is important for everyone involved in CYO Cross Country to read, and please note there will be 2 Sub-Novice races ( girls then boys) from now on (barring extremely low turn out), as we didn't even have all the registered runners in the race this past Sunday.

To all,

This past Sunday we had a bad accident at the Plateau. Our biker lady, Kathy O'Connell, crashed and was seriously injured. While I cannot place the blame on any one person, I feel that the situation was made much worse by the failure of several people, myself included. While none of her injuries are life threatening, she is on injured reserve for the rest of the season. This accident throws the light on a number of break downs that must be corrected before anyone else is injured.

First and foremost, all bikers need to wear a helmet. This is not an option.

Second, marshals need to marshal. They need to understand their assignment and do it. All marshals need to wear the blue shirt so they can be identified quickly (this was an important issue on Sunday). All marshals need to show up for their assignments. As insignificant as each position may seem, there is a need for each one. If you do not understand what you have to do, ASK! The problem was made worse on Sunday because people were allowed in the woods (this has always been a definite no-no) and the marshals did not have walkie-talkies so there was no way of communicating to the people in the woods. Kathy may have been unconscious for 15 minutes or more but no one who was close enough to her knew she was there. The first three people to her aid came from the start or finish line on the Plateau. That is a long way to go when there are marshals already in the woods.

Marshals are there for the safety of the runners. We need to keep the woods clear of all spectators. With the recent history of incidents in Belmont, we do not want any adults back there who are not marshals. Marshals have to be able to tell non-runners in the woods that they must leave. No questions asked. Most of these people are parents of our runners and they should have been told by the coaches that they are not permitted in the woods in the first place. Marshals also need to communicate to each other. The biker follows the last runner but no one thought anything of the fact that the biker did not come out of the woods. No one thought that she did not come down suicide hill. Marshaling means more than just watching the races. You are responsible to know what is happening around you. From this point on, each marshal will have a walkie-talkie and communicate when the biker has passed your position and the last runner is through. This will be a means of monitoring the race and alerting the marshals when their assignment is finished.

Some of the parents can be a real pain in the butt. They will give you attitude and lip when you tell them they cannot do something that they want to do. If you have a problem telling someone they cannot do something, then find someone else in the parish who is willing to do the assignment. But it needs to be done.

For those parishes that chose not to do assignments or chose not to wear the shirts or chose to be in the wrong spot for marshals, the only recourse I have is to disqualify the parish for the day. It may hurt the children but that is your responsibility. The possibilities for disaster are enormous when someone does not show up for an assignment or does not do their assignment properly. That was demonstrated on Sunday.

These issues are not open for discussion. We need to keep everyone's safety foremost in our ways.

Other thoughts from Sunday:
The subnovice race will be two races from now on: female and then male. Too many kids in one race.
The marshals on the cadet course sent the runners too far around the baseball backstops.
It is the coaches' responsibility to make sure the parents know what the rules are. Tell them where the restricted areas are.
Parents need to back off the chute for the subnovice races. Part of the problem was the kids could not leave the chute because the parents were blocking the exit.
All access road workers had best show up this weekend.

This weekend brought out the very worst of the parents and the very best of the parents. Some of the subnovice parents were downright nasty when they are asked to back away from the finish chute. I haven't heard that language in a long time. Yet, when Kathy went down, there were some wonderful parents and coaches who stepped in and helped without being asked. To the medical personnel who assisted, my sincere thanks go out to you. To the folks who stepped in at the finish line when I went into the woods, I am indebted to you. To Paul Stearns who manged to drive his car UP parachute, I am eternally grateful. About 98% of our coaches and parents are absolutely wonderful people. The remaining 2% were out in force on Sunday and it saddened me deeply to see that from a CYO organization. Please remind your parents that they are examples to their children all the time, not just when they think the kids are watching.

Results will be out tomorrow. Please forgive the delay this week.

Mary Ellen Malloy

Results

2009-09-15T12:12:00.001-04:00

Results will be delayed this week. They will be posted as soon as they are available.

First Cross Country Meet

2009-09-11T13:04:00.002-04:00

The first meet of the 2009 cross country season is just days away, a few reminders:

1.) Course walks start at 12:00pm. This is the only course walk of the year!

2.) Sub-novices are the first race, preliminarily scheduled for 12:45, but they might be a little late because of the course walks.

3.) Every parish is expected to cover their assignments. Check in for your events at the finish line.

4.) Parking is limited, try to car pool. Parking on the grass behind the access road is PROHIBITED! This is a Philadelphia law, and cars have been ticketed in the past.

CYO Cross Country Rules & Notes

2009-08-27T11:18:00.003-04:00

Here are competition rules for 2009 Cross Country Season

Here are notes about the CYO cross country season, including meet dates, rostering fees, rostering guidelines, etc.

First Cross Country Meeting

2009-07-23T12:10:00.003-04:00

The first cross country meeting for the 2009 season will be Sunday, August 23rd at 7pm at St. Anastasia in Newtown Square. All coaches who can should attend!

It's a Boy!

2009-07-17T23:45:00.002-04:00

Matthew Joseph O'Connell was born on Thursday, July 16th weighing 8lb 2oz and measuring 21 1/2".