We met with Jesuit of Carmichael for their morning practice. The varsity boys are getting ready for a team camp at Lake Tahoe set for for next week and the JV boys will practice at school next week. Head coach Walt Lange welcomed us for an easy run along the American River Parkway which is near the school. Coach Lange has been the head coach at Jesuit since 1970 and have won nine California State Cross Country titles. The school is an all boys school. Coaches Zielke and Smith helped out at the practice. Here is information about the Jesuit Marauders that Coach Lange shared:
We have four coaches: myself (54 yrs at JHS), Dave Zielke (31 yrs), Tom Witzgall (20+yrs), and Keegan Smith (new). The younger guys are all full time classroom teachers. Tom is in charge of our Tahoe training camp, Aug 5-9, 14 runners will be up there that week.
During the summer season, how often does the team practice?
During the summer we "condition" Mon-Fri for about 7 weeks. Sessions are Mon-Fri, 6:30am, coinciding with summer classes and continuing until official practices begin. Conditioning is optional, not required to participate in the fall. Official practice begins when the CIF says it can, this year that's Aug 5 for xc. Football begins one week earlier. Practices remain at 6:30am until about the middle of September when afternoon temperatures become acceptable.
What are some special summer activities?
No special activities. A small number run in a 4th of July 5mile race and/or the Great American Triathlon, July 20. No conditioning occurred July 1-14 in order to adhere to CIF-SJS rules.
How do you build team culture?
Team culture is built daily, but especially at the Tahoe Camp.
What are some events that the team is looking forward to in the fall season?
We look forward to all competitive opportunities. We are in a new league this year, the SFL. It's a very competitive group of programs. We look very much toward the Nike Portland Inv. Reminds me of the years we used to participate in the Mt SAC Inv. The Clovis Inv is another weekend trip that is an excellent prep for the California State meet.
Here click HERE for photos of the practice
Comments