Homeschooling has brought with it several new opportunities for us this year. Since we are just beginning this journey, I wanted to be very intentional about what groups we join and how busy we keep our schedule. However, when we heard about a homeschool running group, Brianna and Brenson were both immediately excited to try it out. I felt like being part of a running team would help them with the transition to homeschooling, so I agreed that we should give it a try!
I know I've written about the running team several times on here before, but now that the season has concluded, I thought it would be nice to have photos and stats from the season all in one place.
The kids began the season on August 17th with practices three times a week (M, W, F). Their team, Owasso Falcons, met at 8:30am and would practice for one hour. We were very impressed with how well organized Coach Renee was with everything. She had the team meet in different locations each day of the week in order to work on different skills. The season lasted for just over ten weeks, concluding with a national meet in Springfield, MO this past weekend.
Throughout the season, the team competed in five meets. Chris and I both emphasized to the kids that we care more about seeing them improve their personal times than seeing them win, especially since this was their first year. It was wonderful to watch the kids develop and grow as runners as the weeks passed, and it's amazing how much they improved their times in just 10 weeks!
The first meet was on August 29th in Sequoyah. It was a hot morning, and the kids' very first experience at a meet like this.
Brianna ran 10:32 mile pace and placed 61/96 among the elementary girls (1st - 6th grades).
Brenson ran a 9:43 mile, and placed 51/78 among elementary boys.
Meet number two was on September 10th in Foyil. This time, the weather was chilly and drizzly. Brianna ran a 10:26 mile, placing 51/69. She ran six seconds faster than a few weeks before, so we were happy about that!
Brenson ran a 9:11 mile, improving his time by 32 seconds. He placed 35/65 among elementary boys. This was also the meet that the kids had a special visitor to cheer them on!
On September 26th, the Falcons competed in their 3rd meet in Sand Springs. After some communication confusion, many of the elementary boys and girls ran with the junior high group. This proved to be a positive thing for both Brianna and Brenson.
Brianna finished her mile in 9:28, improving her race time by 58 seconds!
Brenson completed his mile in 8:45, shaving 26 more seconds off his time.
He was a great encourager to his teammates during this race and cheered them on after he finished running.
On October 6th, the Falcons ran in their 4th meet at Claremore Christian School. I don't have any photos from this meet, but Brianna finished her mile in 9:56, and Brenson ran his mile in 8:28 (another 17 seconds down from his previous time). Bri and Addy pushed each other through this whole race and finished just seconds apart.
The final meet was Nationals in Springfield on October 24th. It was a cold morning, but they both ran well!
Brianna finished this one mile course in 9:37, placing 10th in her age group (10 and under).
For the first time, she earned a medal!
Brenson also finished in the top ten of his age group (8 and under) and earned a medal.
He completed the one mile course in 8:10 (another 18 seconds faster than his last race) and placed fifth in his age group!
They were both quite pleased with these hard earned medals!
The Springfield course was just gorgeous.
It was fun to be at the national competition with the team. These kids became friends, teammates, and encouragers throughout the season. I loved watching them cheer each other to the finish and really boost one another as they ran.
Owasso Falcons Cross Country Team 2020
Cross Country 2020 Stats
Brianna
- 8/29 - 10:32
- 9/10 - 10:26
- 9/26 - 9:28
- 10/6 - 9:56
- 10/24 - 9:37
Brenson
- 8/29 - 9:43
- 9/10 - 9:11
- 9/26 - 8:45
- 10/6 - 8:28
- 10/24 - 8:10
Before we all trekked to Springfield for nationals, Coach Renee and her husband Randall hosted a hot dog roast and little awards assembly for the team. During the awards ceremony, Coach Renee took a few minutes to talk about each member of the team, share photos, videos, and funny stories from the season. Then, she gave them each a scrapbook that her high school aged daughter, Britt, had put together.
I love that she said Brenson is most likely to own his own business . . . I think she's right!
And Brianna is most likely to get attacked by a squirrel, haha. I guess she was always distracted and chasing animals they would see during practices!
All the kids had a blast playing with their teammates while the adults got a chance to visit. Of course, they took frequent food breaks . . . all that running makes these kids HUNGRY!
When we first decided to give the Falcons team a try, I was a little reluctant because I just didn't know what to expect. However, I can say with all confidence that it's been a great experience, and I'm so thankful we did it! The kids are already talking about running track with Coach Renee in the spring and hoping many of the same teammates will also be back for track season. They truly learned valuable lessons in perseverance, hard work, being a positive teammate, rejoicing with others, and diligence this season, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Owasso Falcons!
No comments:
Post a Comment