The Monte Vista Invitational - Home of the Eliminator!

Dear Parents and Students:

Ed Sias Invitational This Saturday:

• Buses There: Rise and shine! All athletes must travel to the meet by bus. All boys report to school at 6:45am for the first bus, departing Monte Vista at 7 sharp. Do NOT be late. All girls report by 8:45am for the second bus, departing at 9 sharp. The meet is in Martinez. 
• What to Bring: Uniform, sweats, suncreen, and plenty of water, snacks, and lunch (packed in an insulated bag if possible). Money for t-shirts, snacks (optional).
• Race Assignments: Coach Mandee announced race assignments at practice. Coaches will have lists on race day.
• Meet Info: Visit the Ed Sias Invitational Website for a downloadable meet bulletin, race schedule and other info. Street parking is available for spectators, but allow ample time to find it and walk to course.
• Buses Back / Dismissal: One bus will leave about 30 minutes after the last boys race (about 12:30). Boys may leave on this bus (or with parents at the end of all the boys' races). Boys are also welcome to stay the day and support the girls and attend the awards ceremony. Girls will stay throughout (boys have the option to leave due to their earlier arrival) and may either take a bus back to school or may depart with their parents at the conclusion of the awards ceremony (around 2:30).
• Team Area: Athletes will be under Monte Vista tents. Parents are encouraged to attend the meet and establish their own "fan base camp" elsewhere. (Kids need some space and separation to prepare for their races.) Any parent willing to bring and share a tent will be well liked!

Team Budget Fundraising Status: As of today, we are about 60% of our $29,400 goal for parent donations. Our current total includes all checks turned in at the parent meeting and practice. If you have not yet donated, please donate today to help us achieve our bare minimum budget. The team is almost completely funded by parent donations. We are counting on everyone to give at least something if able. The suggested amount is $245 (based on our budget divided by the number of athletes). Additional amounts welcome!  Write a check to MV Cross Country and turn in to any coach (post-dated checks accepted!) or to the office. THANK YOU to those who've already donated!

Monte Vista Invitational Meet Recap: What a terrific day for the Mustangs! Race results are in XC Stats and a full recap will be posted soon to our team website (www.eteamz.com/mvxc). Photos are being posted on our team Facebook page and on Google Drive by our fabulous photographer moms, Charlotte Cassidy and Shannon Nornhold. The coaches were VERY impressed with how our athletes performed... And our parent volunteers, too! Thank you to all our parent volunteers. I cannot tell you how much of a relief it is for our coaches to be able to focus on our athletes because our parent volunteer team is willing to pitch in wherever and however needed. From top notch course monitors who did an outstanding job keeping spectators off the course at critical junctions, to our hard-working crews for set-up, snack table, scoring table and finish line, we pulled off an extremely well-run meet. Give yourselves a hand! (And if you haven't volunteered yet or would like to volunteer again, we need SIX more parent chaperones for our upcoming Overnight Relay event on 9/17. Please sign up today!)

Go Mustangs!

Courtney Corda

Asst. Coach on behalf of the coaching staff

P.S. Odd and Ends:

• Bike helmet donation? Do you have an adult size bike helmet in good condition that you no longer use? Or can you get one at a good price and donate to the team? We need a couple of helmets that we can keep with our ElliptiGO trainers for use by our rehabbing runners.
• Save the date of Wednesday, Nov. 16 for our Cross Country Team Banquet. Take a moment to check out our team calendar for other important dates.
• No Man Before or Since 1999...has run a mile faster than Morocco's Hicham el Guerrouj's 3:43.13 minutes, a world record that still stands today!
• Wow. Can I just say thank you for reading my whole long email?!