Home of the Lancers
- At the conclusion of our Cross Country season, some athletes transfer to winter or spring sports, but the majority of our team and coaches transfer into Track & Field. Coach Andy is the Head Distance Coach, along with Coach Caldwell and Coach Julie
Need Parent Volunteers THIS SATURDAY Feb 22nd
Parents, I / we need your help in a substantial way this weekend. We are hosting the TO Invitational, and we are ONLY at 30% capacity for volunteers. In order for us to coach your kids this weekend, I / we need your help to volunteer at the meet.
Please CLICK HERE to find a spot to volunteer.
NEW Policy for Saturday Practice
Saturday practice are mandatory practices and essential for each athlete’s growth in our sport, and more importantly everyone’s contribution to the team. If you cannot attend, please email Coach Andy, athompson@outlook.com, by 5 PM on the Friday before. Any notification after this will result in a miss. Two misses will be excused, 3rd miss and you will miss the next meet.
Iron Deficiency – Time To Check Again
- The aerobic energy demand of a 1600m race is approximately 82%. The remaining 18% is an anaerobic energy demand. The 3200m is 90% aerobic, and the 800m, often thought of as a sprint event, is even 60% aerobic.
- Recognizing that all distance Track races are primarily an aerobic challenge, oxygen transport is crucial.
- Approximately 99% of human oxygen transport is mediated by the binding of molecular oxygen to an iron-containing molecule (within red blood cells) known as hemoglobin.
- If an athlete is iron deficient, their endurance performance inevitably (and, likely, significantly) suffers.
- Accordingly, we strongly encourage twice yearly iron testing for our student-athletes in order to support the maintenance of optimal iron status.
- Standard blood panels include the assessment of both hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit, and most importantly FERRITIN.
- By analogy, hemoglobin and hematocrit are equivalent to “money-in-your -pocket” while ferritin is correspondingly equivalent to “money-in-the-bank.”
- If hemoglobin and hematocrit appear normal yet ferritin is sub-optimal, one might extend the analogy to suggest that subsequent to spending all available “money-in-your-pocket,” an individual is essentially “bankrupt” consequent to minimal iron reserves (i.e. minimal ferritin or, again, by analogy … minimal or no “money-in-the-bank”).
- In summary, the opportunity to periodically analyze hemoglobin, hematocrit, and ferritin enables our coaching staff to quantitatively appreciate a student-athlete’s current iron status and to potentially recommend (to parents / guardians) a reasoned iron supplementation strategy (if appropriate) in order to contribute to ALWAYS maintaining performance-supporting, healthful iron status.
Opportunity To Serve!
One of our alumni, Chris Garvin, is now teaching and coaching XC in San Jose for the LCPA Eagles! This is a relatively new cross country team that shares our passion for the sport. The LCPA Eagles need some assistance to support their athletes and grow their program. Let’s send some TOXC love up North!
We will be collecting gently used running shoes/flat/spikes to donate to their team. If you would like to also donate rollers, or any other items for this team, please see Coach Caldwell, s-caldwell@twc.com.
All donations are due Friday, January 31st.
Photos to Share? Upload Here!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pkayobtphmHFFAan6
Come and see why students describe our Cross Country program as the best experience of their high school lives.
TOHS Cross Country is a combined boys and girls program that has a tradition of excellence including many Marmonte League, Ventura County, and California State Championships and many runners that go on to compete at the collegiate level.
Whether you’ve never run a step in your life or you enjoy running youth track and local 5k’s, we would love to have you come join the Lancer Cross Country program. We are the most decorated team at TOHS and you will have the time of your life making friends and lasting memories in this wonderful program!
We’re excited for another year of Lancer Cross Country and invite all of you to join us for our first week of practice and activities to see if cross country is right for you! We are busy making plans for our summer training program, which will include pool parties, beach trips, and much much more.
