Cross Country (XC) is a sport in which student-athletes train to compete in outdoor races typically through woods, fields, creeks, on gravel & dirt paths and around sports fields. XC races are called ‘meets’, ‘invites’ or ‘invitationals’ and these races are 3.1 miles/5 kilometers (5K) in length for high schoolers. There are typically 2 races – 1 varsity race and 1 junior varsity (JV) race – per meet and these often include 15 or more teams in each race. We will attend a few meets in which there will be 3+ races for our athletes when there is a limit of 10-12 athletes per team per race. We race (and practice) in most conditions; hot & cold, wet & dry . . . but not in thunder and lightning.
Unlike sports like football/basketball/baseball/etc., a XC team wins a meet by scoring the least number of points. Typically, only the top 5 runners per team score points and the points are equal to the place each runner finished in the race (EX: 1st place = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points, etc.). If there is a tie, the 6th place runner for each team is the tie breaker and the 6th and 7th runners will oftentimes be displacers (increasing the points of one or more of another teams top 5 runners when possible). Varsity races usually include the top 7 or 10 athletes per team and JV races will include the remainder of the athletes on the team.
As this is a competition, spectators and other athletes not in the competing race, are not allowed to run with the athletes as this can be seen as giving that runner an unfair advantage and can lead to their disqualification. We encourage cheering for and supporting the competitors but PLEASE DO NOT RUN ALONGSIDE ANY OF OUR STUDENT ATHLETES DURING A MEET.
Unsportsmanlike conduct can also disqualify an athlete from competition and will not be tolerated by coaching staff. This includes physically harming a competitor, knowingly cutting off part of the course and speaking to officials, meet staff, competitors, coaches, spectators, etc. in an inappropriate manner.