BASIC RULES:
Team makeup – A Cross Country team is made of seven runners. The top five runners are the “scoring” members and the remaining two have the important job of displacing the scorers on opposing teams. Only the varsity level is limited to seven competitors in a race, the other levels usually have unlimited entries.
Levels of competition – Bella Vista is a member of the CVC (Capital Valley Conference League) and the SJS (Sac-Joaquin Section) of CIF (California Interscholastic Federation). We have 2 CVC League Meets, including our championship meet. Follow this link for schedule. All athletically eligible Bella Vista High School Cross Country Team members are required to compete in these meets. At these meets, there are four races.
- Freshman/Sophomore Girls, 2 miles
- Freshman/Sophomore Boys, 2 miles
- Varsity (includes JV) Girls, 3 miles
- Varsity (includes JV) Boys, 3 miles
The competition that leads to the CIF State Meet at Woodward Park begins at the Frog Town-Calaveras County Fairgrounds. This meet brings together approximately 150 high schools in the Section to a single qualifying meet. The divisional structure for the entire Section and qualifying procedures can be found at this link. The results of this meet determine the teams and individuals that qualify on to the Section Finals at Willow Hills, Folsom in November to compete for Section team and individual titles. The top varsity teams from Sections will continue on to the CIF State Meet at Woodward Park.
Scoring – Races are scored by assigning a point value for the place a runner finishes in. If a runner finishes first, he will earn 1 point. Finishing 55th would earn 55 points. Cross Country is similar to golf in that the lowest score wins. A perfect score is 15 points, with the top five runners occupying the first five finishing positions. Runners who do not have a full team are removed from the results for team scoring. This happens quite often at larger races. Big invitationals and championship races are often won with point totals close to 100.
Race length – Most races for varsity are either three miles or five kilometers long. Occasionally a course will measure slightly short or long. Fr/Soph are usually 2 miles in length. JV runs 3 miles at our league meets and sub-section and section meets. The race length varies at the invitationals for JV between 2 miles – 5K (3.11 miles).
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
2 important items! A watch (with a stopwatch feature) and running shoes.
It is best to have two pairs of shoes, a standard trainer and XC racing flats. The XC racing flats are light-weight shoes designed for racing, rather than daily training.
How can I help with the Bella Vista Cross Country Program?
There are three ways that you can make the program more successful.
- Encourage your son or daughter to take advantage of the training, competitive, and social opportunities that we offer and to be positive and respectful to their teammates, their competitors, and their coaches.
- Invite your friends. Running is more fun in groups!
- Get involved! Join us for runs, cheer at the meets, and take advantage of volunteer opportunities. These opportunities include: transporting athletes to and from practices or competitions, assisting at the BV invite, becoming an active member of the Bella Vista Track and Cross Country Booster. We have lots of opportunities for involvement with the program.
RUNNING TERMINOLOGY
- Aerobic: Running at a comfortable pace that keeps you in a heart-rate zone of 60-80% of your max.
- Anaerobic: Short, intense running that does not rely on the body's ability to process oxygen.
- CIF: California Interscholastic Federation
- Cool-Down: A routine that allows the muscles to purge themselves of lactates and the body to gradually lower its temperature to normal following a race or intense workout.
- CVC: Capital Valley Conference (our league consisting of Antelope, Bella Vista, Cosumnes Oaks, Del Campo, Oakmont, Ponderosa, Roseville, and Whitney)
- Easy: Easy, conversational pace. This is when true aerobic training begins.
- Intervals: Segmented running run at varying intensities. Intervals can be any distance, but are most commonly between 200m and 2 miles.
- Invitational: A large race hosted by one or more schools. They provide better competition and larger fields of competitors.
- Kick: A burst of sustained speed at the end of the race.
- Pace: Running speed over a particular distance, for example minutes per mile.
- Pack: A group of runners in close proximity.
- PR: Personal Record (time).
- Progression Runs: differing levels of distance and speed to finish a run that starts at an easy/moderate pace.
- Racing Flats: Special, light-weight shoes designed for racing rather than daily training.
- Recovery: Runs that allow athletes to rest after a hard effort. Theses runs are done by feel and do not have a prescribed pace.
- Runner: Someone who runs faster than a jog. We do not jog.
- Sedona Recovery: Active roll-on running recovery
- SJS: Sac Joaquin Section
- Splits: Times associated with standard checkpoints in a race or workout. Ex: mile splits.
- Steady State: The fastest continuous pace for a long run.
- Strides: Moderately fast runs lasting between 50-200m. The focus is on form during these runs.
- Surge: A short burst of speed during a race. Used to change rhythm or break the competition.
- Threshold/Tempo: Refers to aerobic threshold training. Usually running for 15 to 30 minutes at marathon to half marathon pace, comfortably hard continuous run.
- Training Shoes: Running shoes designed for long wear in daily training.
- VO2 Max: Short workbouts lasting from 3-5 minutes. Usually part of an interval workout.
- Warm-Up: A running and stretching routine that gradually warms the body up for intense running
- XC: Abbreviated form of Cross Country.
- Yog: Jogging at such a slow pace it causes you or your coach to yawn.