Coaches Contact Information

Head Coach: Ken Schmarge | kschmarge@ramsey.k12.nj.us

Assistant Coach:  Corinne DiStaso | cdistaso@ramsey.k12.nj.us

Cross Country

First Practice:  8/21/23

Regular Season Starts:  8/28/23

Philosophy

Cross-country is a sport that puts an emphasis on developing a strong mind and a sound body. Through hard work and dedication, runners develop a healthy respect for preparation and consistency, as it is impossible to run your best if you just “try hard” on race day. By working together under the guidance of the coaching staff, runners drive each other to stick to a training plan of running, stretching, strength training, and proper nutrition. The camaraderie built on a cross-country team can be truly special, and the time spent on the track, roads, and trails will forge lasting friendships.

Goal setting is done on both a team and individual basis. The most important races take place in October and November, so it is important for everybody to be peaking at that time. Summer training is crucial for building strength and endurance, and the proper base ensures the speed work that is introduced in the fall is as effective as possible to maximize performance during championship season. The hope is that runners will be running the best times of their lives by the end of the season!

Expectations/Cut Policy

During the summer, optional evening training runs take place at the high school, starting promptly at 7:00 pm on the track.

It is so important to run during the summer to ready your body for the upcoming rigors of the cross-country season. You will be stronger, faster, and less prone to injury if you follow a summer training plan over the summer to slowly build your fitness instead of shocking your system in September.

Cross-country team members are expected to be at practice on time, dressed and ready to go at 3:00 pm on the track. We typically train 6 days per week. We start practice with a half-mile warm-up and a series of stretching exercises to warm up your muscles, and increase your range of motion. After properly warming up, runners will embark on their main run of the day, typically on the streets of Ramsey – be very careful on the roads!

If the coaching staff needs to make "cuts" because of an abundance of runners, that will be made clearly to the student athletes prior to anything happening.

Coaches will be out with you, but you must be aware of traffic at ALL TIMES!

After your run, it is important to cool down properly. End with a walk around the track, and 6-8 strides on the straight-away section of the track. If you are absent or have to miss practice, please let one of the coaches know by email or, better yet, see them personally, if possible.

Practice/Racing Schedule

The cross-country schedule consists of three or four small meets against league opponents, several invitational meets (typically on Saturdays), and league, county, and state championship meets. A cross-country team in a meet consists of 7 runners, with the top 5 places counting in the scoring (done by place, not by time) – the team with the lowest score wins. Coaches have to designate their 7 runners before the start of the race, but in league races, all runners participate. There will be several sub-varsity (jv and/or freshman) races that are part of the schedule, so everybody will have ample opportunity to race throughout the season.

Season/Official Practice Schedule

The season will officially for grades 9-12 with daily practices on Monday August 21, 2023, at a time to be announced. If you cannot attend, please contact the coaching staff as soon as possible. The cross-country season typically runs through mid to late November.

Please submit paperwork to the nurse no later than August 1, 2023, which includes a doctor’s physical and parental/guardian consent forms. All information is available online through Family ID.

Meets

Most meets are run at Darlington Park or Garrett Mountain and start between 4:15pm and 5:15pm

Earning a Varsity Letter

 In order to earn a Varsity letter, a student athlete must compete in 1/3 of the varsity meets.