XC Scouting Report: St. Pauls Girls


The St. Paul's Girls return 5 of their top 7 from last year.  We hear from Coach Jim Tate in our Pre-Season Scouting Report!

ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL	
EVENT	PLACE	ATHLETE	                RESULT	POINTS
F 5000m	1	Isabel Valenzuela	18:23.14	1
F 5000m	22	Natalie Garcia	        20:52.53	20
F 5000m	24	Sydney Jane Hendryx	21:00.36	21
F 5000m	39	Mary Howard Singleton	21:46.93	29
F 5000m	42	Sarah Strickland	21:54.23	32
F 5000m	43	Virginia Terreson	21:56.84	33
F 5000m	45	Glynn Case	        21:59.20	34
F 5000m	47	Claire Lee	        22:07.52	--
F 5000m	53	Palmer Waechter	        22:29.88	--
F 5000m	88	Gracie Whiston	        23:51.93	--


How many years have you been coaching high school cross country (and at your current school)?
Beginning my 41st year total and my 39th year @ St. Paul's
What do you attribute as the main reasons for the success of your program?
Continuity and tradition are big factors.  We have always had good school community support and the successes over the years have been instrumental as well.
What would be the best way to describe your style and philosophy of coaching and working with high school runners?
My style is traditional and very positive and encouraging.  I never have 'cut' a kid from our program and we measure success more in terms of personal improvement and achievement as opposed to how competitive one may (or may not) be.  I like to think of my teams as a large family where girls and boys are basically treated alike and appreciated equally.
What are your core beliefs in your training plan and workouts for your cross country squads?
My training plan is influenced to a large extent by coaches such as Jack Daniels, Joe Vigil and Roy Benson.  I try to employ their training principles plus things picked up here and there that have worked well for me in the past.  We try and make practices and workouts fun and purposeful, and I do not consider our program a high mileage one even though many of our CC participants run indoor and outdoor track and train year-round.
How many runners do you return from your top 7 from a year ago?
We return 5 of our top 7 from last fall.
Who is your projected top 7 heading into the cross country season?
Our projected top 7 this fall will include: Isabel Valenzuela, Palmer Waechter, Mary Howard Singleton, Sydney Jane Hendryx, Katherine Rush, Sarah Strickland and either Claire Lee or Virginia Terreson based on summer workouts.  Several girls that could be in our top 7 have been working out on their own and I have not been able to assess their summer progress yet.
Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?
Our team leaders traditionally have been our older girls (primarily seniors).  This year, all of our projected top runners are either 8th or 9th graders and team leaders have yet to be determined.  However, every girl looks up to Isabel Valenzuela because of her dedication, work ethic and leadership primarily by example.
Who have you been most impressed or surprised with their improvement and/or fitness from their summer training?
I have been pleased with the progress of all our returning runners who seem to be much more focused as a team that expects to do be competitive this fall.  We are showing signs of running as a team more than we have in the recent past although our summer mileage is less than what I had hoped for.
Any impactful freshmen or transfers to join the team this season?
Incoming freshman Katherine Rush looks to be a girl that will make a big impact on our team this fall (her mom was one of the most outstanding runners I ever coached)!
What are the top invitational meets that your team will be attending this season?
Top regional invitational meets this season will include: Challenge of Champions, Gulf Coast Stampede and MC Watson Invitational in Clinton, MS.  All local meets however are very competitive in the Mobile area.
What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?
Our biggest obstacle to overcome will be a lack of senior leadership primarily from a competitive point of view.  If we are successful, it will be because our team comes together as a 'pack' and encourages one another to keep pushing in races and workouts.
What are your favorite workouts for Pre-Season / Mid-Season/ Season End?
One of my favorite pre-season workouts is 5x1K's w/3-min. recoveries between each; mid-season would be heavy emphasis on intervals ranging from 400M-600M @ above 5K race pace and season-ending workouts @ shorter distances but approaching mile race paces substituting quantity for quality so to speak.  An example would be 2 sets of 8x200M parlauf (2-person) relays @ 800M-1600M race pace.
What are your top 3 goals for this year's squad?
Top 3 team goals would be: (1) Win 5A State Team Championship; (2) Win Mobile County Team Championship and (3) Improve as a Team over last year.