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NGAXCC Preview - Week 4

Writer: Derek Distin
Derek Distin
Aug 26
4 min read

Hello Jr Cougar Nation!


Quick reminder to all parents.  If you've read the W's already, please feel free to skip below this section to the preview (GREEN HIGHLIGHT)

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This week we kick off the main portion of the fall with a meet at the North Georgia Cross Country Championships in Commerce, GA.  


Here's what you need to know, all the W's:

Who: all runners are invited.

Where: East Jackson High School in Commerce. (1435 Hoods Mill Rd. Commerce, GA 30529)

When: Saturday, Aug 29 at 7:30am.  Be sure to arrive no later than 6:30 so your runner is checked in, tagged, and ready to warm-up by 6:50.  

What: There are two races in the morning.  All boys will race at 7:30, followed by all girls at 7:50.  There are no separate JV/V races at this meet, but we will select the runners who will wear the Varsity jerseys throughout this week.  Everyone should bring their yellow JRCXC jerseys no matter what.

What's Special this week:  This is the first of several Cougar Nation meets - meaning our high school will also race at the same event!  We will set up tents near each other and encourage everyone who can to stick around and cheer on the CHS runners (nearly all of whom are former JRCXC runners) for a fun morning. CHS will begin their races immediately following ours.

Weather: It's August, it will likely be another warm Saturday.  Thankfully we will be running in the "cool" of the morning.  Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and if you're going to stick around I would suggest a camping chair as well.  

Parking will be $10/car.  Note that according to the meet website, this is CASH ONLY.

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Preview for this week

This is a new course for our squad.  We have run the NGAXCC in the past at the former course.  Those who have been around long enough would know the old course as the "Prison Run" because it was next to a correctional facility.  But the new location is the first time most of us will run at East Jackson High School.  Strava mapping shows a course with a downhill start into one daunting hill midway through the race and a slight uphill into a flat finish.  For first timers, the middle of the race may prove to be the challenge, while more experienced runners will know to hold pace for the uphill at the end.  We will coach on this for the remainder of the week.  


Competition-wise, we won't see the elite club teams this week that we saw the last two weeks, but there are still some strong middle schools in both fields.  We will have the largest squad in the race, so you will see plenty of Junior Cougars to cheer for.  The boys will see stiff competition from Buford MS and Northbrook MS.  We are resting a couple of summer runners this week, so contribution to scoring may come from any number of runners in places 5, 6 & 7.  I expect to see a tight grouping once again led by our 8th grade pack of Brady, Caleb, Nick and Derek C.  If they are tight and together in the top 15, the question will come down to who steps in to contribute those key final placements.  The day may be ours if we manage to have some new contributors.


On the girls side, you can expect to be cheering for a top-2 team finish if we run healthy.  We sit a couple of contributors as well this week, but I fully expect to see a Tamar-Gabi-Rena-Emily pack near the front of the race, with strong opportunity for contributions from our young & talented 6th grade runners.  Once again, as is so often the case, the results will come down to how our 5, 6 & 7 runners come in.  Expect to see Northbrook, West Jackson and Buford jerseys giving our girls a run.


The real joy on Saturday will not be dictated by how we finish as a team but rather by how so many of our new runners Chase Their Greatest Race in the morning air.  If everyone who can make it is able to race we should have over 40 runners in their first ever cross country race!  That's a huge number of families experiencing the thrill of a meet and a huge number of runners discovering that they can indeed Do Hard Things.  Someone will pop and surprise the coaches, someone will face down a hill and conquer pre-race jitters, someone will finish in tears but learn so much about their own grit and determination.  Hugs, cheers and cowbells will abound.  For those of you just starting your XC journey, you will never forget this day.


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Final Reminders for Saturday:

Address: East Jackson High School at 1435 Hoods Mill Rd. Commerce, GA 30529


First meet?  You will need more time than you think.  Plan on arriving in enough time to have ~10 minutes to park, ~5 minutes to walk, and ~10 minutes for your runner to get checked in and ready.  That's 20-25 minutes BEFORE we start warming-up AT A MINIMUM.  We will head out with the boys for warmups at 6:50.  If your runner is late, they will have to check in at the tent and come find us on the course.


Look for the big yellow Junior Cougars tent and flag, and the neon orange Support Team shirts.


COUGAR NATION ALERT!!!  Chattahoochee HS Cougars XC will race immediately after us.  Please stick around as part of Cougar Nation to cheer them on!  So many of these runners are former JRCXC, and we are finally fortunate enough to have an opportunity to work together alongside the high school coaches and runners.  Many families have looked forward to this day for - no exaggeration - years!!


Looking forward to a great Saturday!  Cougar On!

-Coach Derek & Coach Cross

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