How do you evaluate a cross country season?  Is it by the individual or team placement at meets? Could it be by the team finish at the league finals?  Or, perhaps it is the attainment of the CCS qualification.  Each of you probably had your own goals for the season.  My major goals for this season included the following:
 1)  Everyone improves from the beginning of the season to the end and/or from last season to this season.
 2)  Start with more people on the team and retain as many as possible.
 3)  Try to get more girls on the team.
 4)  Minimize chances for injuries by monitoring mileage and  lessen pavement pounding.
 5)  Teach and coach to the success process model.

However one might measure it, we had a mixed bag.  Taken as a whole,  I would say that the season was a success.  We did not win a championship or even place among the top teams.  We finished fifth at league in both boys and girls.  The same as last year.   However, the team times were significantly better for both teams than last year.  Everyone improved in some way.  Everyone who ran last year had better times this year, except for Greg Shaver whose season ended early due to injury.  Everyone improved from the beginning of the season to the end.  We retained almost everyone who started the season, losing three early on and one mid season.  We started training with seven girls, but by the time the meets started only five remained.  Last year we  ran fifteen at the league finals and this year we had twenty-three. We only had one season ending injury and that was a two year old problem.  We had three runners go down for a period time due to injuries.  I do not believe that we needed to run any more mileage than we did.  Most people topped out at 36-38 miles per week.  Everyone who ran meets reached my minimum of  20 miles per week.  We never ran more than twice on the roads in any given week, most weeks it was only once.  I define the success process model as a construct that produces results by breaking down the end goal into milestone success points and simple segments that allow the goal(s) to be reached.  (WHAT A MOUTH FULL).  That means every practice and meet must produce a result that will lead to the final meet.  The final meet is the last success measuring point. Milestones such as minimum mileage,  the 5:30/6:15  first mile, the 24 200s, the 24 400s were established.  The fitness course, Saturday long runs, crunches, push-ups, rest days, course strategies, etc. are all segments that go toward meeting the goals. Everything comes together at the end.  It is similar to putting a puzzle together.  You decide where to start and complete parts based upon what's working or which pieces are available, adjusting the completion strategy as needed.

Season  Highlights:
08/12 (Mon)  Pre-Season Starts                     6:00PM         Cupertino HS
We started with 8 on that first day
09/05 (Thu)   Parent's Meeting                      7:00PM          Cupertino HS
3 families were represented
09/05 (Thu)   Lynbrook Center Meet (2.1)     3:30                Lynbrook HS

09/12 (Thu)   FireBird Invitational (2.05)        3:30               Fremont HS

09/19 (Thu)   Saratoga Center Meet (2.0)       3:30               Saratoga HS

09/24 (Tue)   Central Park Invitational (2.3)    3:15              Central Park

10/08 (Tue)  SCVAL -Crystal Springs (2.95)   3:15              Crystal Springs

10/12 (Sat)   Serra Invitational (2.95)             10:00             Crystal Springs

10/19 (Sat)   Monterey Bay Invite (3.0)           9:00             Toro Park, Salinas
Despite the fact that  most of the schools in the nothern part of the section were happy about the CCS
meet being held here, we needed to come to this meet to see what he course was like.

10/24(Thu)   Crystal Springs      (2.95)           3:15               Crystal Springs

10/31(Thu)   Lynbrook Invitational (2.1)         3:00               Lynbrook HS
              (also doubling as the FUHSD District XC Championships)

11/05(Tue)   DAL League Finals (2.95)           2:00               Crystal Springs

11/16 (Sat)   CCS Meet (??)                           9:00               Toro Park
We only qualified 3 runners for this meet: Brian, Lisa C. and Shannon.  Shannon could not go due to
her band commitment, but  Joyce was the first alternate from our league so she went in her place.