Home meet, men's results

The men of red and white charge up the gravel road at Bowdoin Park. Photo courtesy of Lisa Rynkowski (Pat's mom)

Marist Invitational, Bowdoin Park

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Men’s results, 5-kilometer course

1-Ken Walshak (Marist) 16:35.84

2-Johnny Lee (Marist) 16:42.94

3-Ryan Scrudato (Marist) 16:43.74

4-Tom McClellan (Iona) 16:44.49

5-Nick Salek (Marist) 16:49.63

6-Kevin O’Sullivan (Marist) 16:51.31

7-Patrick Rynkowski (Marist) 16:54.78

8-Nick Lachman (Iona) 16:55.63

9-Jimmy Tarsnane (Iona) 16:58.41

10-Patrick Deedy (Marist) 17:01.59

11-Justin Tampellini (Marist) 17:08.62

12-Ross Wightman (Iona) 17:10.99

13-Brian Edsall (Marist) 17:13.37

14-Patrick Ginty (Marist) 17:15.05

15-Jonah Williams (Vassar) 17:16.86

16-Mark Valentino (Marist) 17:17.11

17-Eliot Gerson (Vassar) 17:21.61

18-Mark Vuono (Marist) 17:22.96

19-Ty Gamble (Marist) 17:22.96

20-Andy Adamovics (Iona) 17:27.44

21-Ian Dorset (Marist) 17:28.46

22-Zach Toner (Marist) 17:29.06

23-Saad Baig (Marist) 17:29.50

24-Omar Perez (Marist) 17:29.95

25-Billy Hild (Marist) 17:30.29

26-Colin Hepburn (Vassar) 17:32.40

27-Chris Reynolds (Marist) 17:35.72

28-Justin Middleton (Iona) 17:38.12

29-Spencer Johnson (Marist) 17:39.56

30-Doug Ainscow (Marist) 17:49.79

31-Quinn Raseman (Iona) 17:51.45

32-Isaiah Miller (unattached) 17:53.16

33-Jake Hensler (Marist) 17:53.61

34-Billy Posch (Marist) 17:55.50

35-Charlie Ropes (Marist) 17:55.88

36-Stefan Morton (Marist) 18:00.54

37-David Marthy (Marist) 18:09.95

38-Brian Deer (Vassar) 18:11.63

39-Rob Gorski (SUNY New Paltz) 18:15.91

40-Galo Vasquez (SUNY New Paltz) 18:16.13

41-Jeremy Mulvey (SUNY New Paltz) 18:16.39

42-Michael Scher (SUNY New Paltz) 18:16.60

43-Harry Feigan (Vassar) 18:16.84

44-Nick Hughes (Marist) 18:19.36

45-Andres Orr (Vassar) 18:51.80

46-Dave Lukas (SUNY New Paltz) 18:56.86

47-Ben Albers (SUNY New Paltz) 18:58.76

48-Josh Greenberg (SUNY New Paltz) 18:59.76

49-Eddie White (Marist) 19:05.99

50-Brendan Ruppel (SUNY New Paltz) 19:08.43

51-Terence Corrigan (SUNY New Paltz) 19:16.61

52-Ricky Willi (Marist) 19:25.27

53-Nick Aprilgliano (SUNY New Paltz) 19:27.54

54-Sean Majer (Vassar) 19:45.28

55-Josh Korn (SUNY New Paltz) 19:55.01

56-Charles Wise (Vassar) 20:04.20

57-Zach Wahl (SUNY New Paltz) 20:39.17

58-Kyle Dannenberg (Vassar) 20:43.21

59-Matt Farragher (SUNY New Paltz) 20:48.81

Team standings

1-Marist 17, 2-Iona 46, 3-Vassar 81, 4-SUNY New Paltz 107

Home meet, women's results

Collage of photos today, courtesy of my daughter Natalie!

Marist Invitational, Bowdoin Park

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Women’s results, 5-kilometer course

1-Kristen Traub (Marist) 19:21.08

2-Kirsten Stewart (Iona) 19:44.94

3-Michelle Gaye (Marist) 19:50.17

4-Janelle Solviletti (Marist) 20:47.77

5-Luci McLoughlin (Iona) 21:07.67

6-Zoe Wojtech (Iona) 21:07.98

7-Erin Thompson (Marist) 21:11.96

8-Ava Farrell (Vassar) 21:13.58

9-Tara Nuccitelli (Marist) 21:19.19

10-Marissa Porter (Marist) 21:19.93

11-Bryn Gorberg (Marist) 21:24.76

12-Brianna Freestone (Marist) 21:25.08

13-Cassidy Carpenter (Vassar) 21:25.92

14-Emily Garber (Vassar) 21:29.11

15-Nicole Woodworth (Vassar) 21:33.24

16-Olivia Lappas (Marist) 21:37.92

17-Jaime Durso (Marist) 21:38.71

18-Kris Weber (Vassar) 21:42.18

19-Bianca Luparello (Marist) 21:46.57

20-Taylor Mueller (Marist) 21:53.69

21-Marlene Delices (Iona) 21:54.63

22-Amanda Wolfer (SUNY New Paltz) 21:56.47

23-Taryn Colon (SUNY New Paltz) 21:56.69

24-Terisa Woych (SUNY New Paltz) 21:56.89

25-Kim Schwartz (Marist) 22:02.53

26-Viviane Ford (Vassar) 22:06.48

27-Christine Coughlin (Marist) 22:10.35

28-Harper Cleves (Vassar) 22:10.58

29-Annie Gould (Marist) 22:34.09

30-Jacqueline Bunce (Marist) 22:45.08

31-Mariella Bilello (Marist) 22:48.78

32-Cara Bennet (Vassar) 22:59.67

33-Maggie Mocete (SUNY New Paltz) 23:18.40

34-Rachel Levy (SUNY New Paltz) 23:18.62

35-Rebecca Verrone (SUNY New Paltz) 23:18.82

36-Katie Gantley (SUNY New Paltz) 23:19.01

37-Andrea Prusik (SUNY New Paltz) 23:19.19

38-Jessi Putnam (SUNY New Paltz) 23:19.31

39-Danielle Halikias (SUNY New Paltz) 23:19.60

40-Mathilde Arandia (Vassar) 23:27.01

41-Allison Dellicarri (Marist) 23:35.59

42-Sammy Harris (SUNY New Paltz) 23:36.19

43-Chloe Williams (Vassar) 23:48.44

44-Robyn Schaefer (SUNY New Paltz) 23:58.24

45-Elizabeth Peper (Marist) 24:02.61

46-Kristi Licursi (Marist) 24:31.17

47-Mackenzie Cummings (SUNY New Paltz) 26:11.22

48-Miy Mahran (Marist) 26:15.09

49-Kerri Sexton (Iona) 26:18.59

50-Catherine Ferreri (Marist) 26:22.15

Team standings

1-Marist 24, 2-Iona 55, 3-Vassar 62, 4-SUNY New Paltz 99

Home meet: Happy Birthday to ... me?

Yeah, yeah. Today's my birthday. As my wife and those very close to me know, I do not like to make a big deal out of anything related to myself. However, it truly was special to share birthday #49 with my Second Family -- Marist Track and Cross Country. As you can see, Natalie and Frank Salek (parents of senior captain Nick Salek) came through again with a phenomenal cake -- shaped as a singlet, bib #49. Nicely done! It should also be noted that sophomore XC runner Patrick Rynkowski turns 21 today. Happy birthday, Pat!

Oh yeah. We had a meet, too. Please forgive me for not posting results, comments, other photos, etc. ... for a while. I'm old and slow now, right? No seriously ... I just got done wrestling with my least favorite computer program (Excel) for two hours with meet director and assistant coach Terry Horton. It's a long and boring story, and I will not bore you with it here. However, I want to go see my First Family now, so I will leave all the rest till later or Sunday. I hope you understand. Also, thanks to all for the texts and calls and I'm sorry I have not returned them. Your outpouring means a lot to this old(er) guy. Thank you all for a wonderful day at Bowdoin Park, and check back soon for more details. Complete results should be at goredfoxes.com now or very soon.

Home meet info ...

Our home meet is at Bowdoin Park on Saturday. Teams expected to attend include Marist (duh), Iona, Vassar and SUNY New Paltz. So basically, it's Marist XC and Friends! We are tight with our brothers and sisters from New Rochelle. And, quite honestly, we could not be who we are without the facility support from our neighbors at Vassar and at SUNY. So, it should be fun. Men race at 9 a.m. Women race at 9:45 a.m. Post-race festivities -- senior day, food spread, etc. -- to start soon after. As a service to our loyal parents and families trying to coordinate the food fest, please e-mail Kathy Gould at kathygould@optonline.net to coordinate the spread. We appreciate all the support from everyone. Most importantly, we look forward to seeing everyone on what hopefully will be a nice day at the park.

Middle school orientation and how life's moving way too fast

Just got back from Middle School Orientation for my daughter. We went through this 3 years ago with our oldest son, so it was no big deal. But wait! It was a big deal. Our little girl is going into sixth grade. Talk about seeing your life flash before your eyes ... as we wandered through the hallways trying to find classrooms, another mom stopped and hugged and said hello. Her daughter and our daughter went to preschool together. PRESCHOOL. And now, they are in sixth grade. I remember dropping Natalie off at preschool. Wasn't that last year? Uh. No. Try 7 years ago, you big dope.

This time of year is big on transitions and newness, and the days sweep by in a blur. Here in our program, preseason week was filled with newness and fun and activity. Today was the first day of classes at Marist. New classes. New practice routine. New cafeteria (early reports are INCREDIBLY AWESOME).

And next week, our little girl goes to the big middle school. I'm not holding her hand as she walks up the hill to the preschool class with her Dora The Explorer backpack. I'm saying goodbye as she dives headfirst into a new world. A big girl world. Somebody stop this thing so I can step off and catch my breath.

Preseason week redux: Memories of a new beginning

As preseason week comes to an end, here are a few random memories from what was a busy but great week with our big cross country squads:
--Early-morning grocery shopping at Stop & Shop in Hyde Park -- astounding the check-out person with carts filled with bananas, apples, Gatorade, bottled water, Granola bars, etc. This was done in an effort to feed the team with breakfast food without having our budget fleeced. It worked out well!

--Getting an extra large coffee from Stewart’s (where else?) on the way in each morning, for sophomore Brie Vess. This technically counts as “supplying our athletes with breakfast” in the morning. Don’t worry, we were keeping score and we fully expect this second-generation Vess to hook up this old man with some coffee in the future this semester and beyond.

--Chillin’ with No. 1 XC and Marist fan “The Kleecker” in the Stop & Shop parking lot, as I loaded the groceries into my hopelessly cluttered trunk. Everyone knows The Kleecker, and he truly is our #1 fan.

--The return of the team relay – in this case, for 6 hours. We stationed ourselves at Foy and enjoyed a great day of relay running – and Frisbee, wiffleball, video games, etc. -- on a sunny Friday. Kudos to the team captains who came up with the idea of reviving this great tradition.

--Later on Friday, we had a preseason ending team BBQ – similar to our summer BBQ – down at the Marist boathouse. This was an excellent idea by Coach Chuck, and a nice way to put a bow on a great week.

--Two trips to Minnewaska for some great mountain running. This has become standard fare for many years now.

--Introducing the new guys to the joys of pool running. At first, it is awkward, but I think the guys have taken a liking to it.

Overall, it was a great week as we embark on a new season with a new team. There are a lot of new faces here, and hopefully they feel a bit more at home in Poughkeepsie than they did just a week earlier.

Taking Stormville by storm: Preseason fun at the Goulds

Thanks once again to the Gould Family for hosting our women's team for the annual Preseason Outing at their home in Stormville. Here is a look at our women's team, circa 2013. Although we are only a few days into the new 2013-2014 journey, this is a special year in that this squad features our largest freshmen class of cross country and track athletes for women -- by far -- in school history. We welcome them all to our growing Family of Foxes.

Good morning, McCann Center!

Can someone -- anyone -- please tell me why there is a rooster living behind the McCann Center? Marist has been home to many critters during my four or so decades on campus. I am convinced that there are more squirrels per capita on the beautiful campus than anywhere on God's green earth. And a few years ago, we had that friendly and fitting red fox roaming around campus. There have even been a few bear sightings on and around North Field.

But a rooster? REALLY?

One time, last year, when I was throwing stuff out from my office into the dumpster (Side note: This, of course, is comical. Anyone who has been in or around my office for the past two or so years knows that the phrase "throwing stuff out from my office" is, at best, a rumor), I was startled by a squirrel that was feeding inside the trash bin. It jumped right out at me. Yikes!

Well, now that the season has begun, I spend a lot of time over in that corner of the McCann Center by the garbage and recycling bins, because that's where the vans are parked. Last week, while exiting out the side door (an excellent way to avoid human contact), I was startled by the sound of a rooster. Cock-a-doodle-do! A few days ago, I actually SAW the rooster. Well, well. I'll be damned. An actual farm animal, right thar on our pretty campus.

Randy, the true brains behind the operations of the McCann Center, surmised today that the rooster should have been gobbled up by some other predator in the neighborhood. But alas, this rooster is plucky, and still makin' a lot of noise. Wake up, people!

Here we go again: Preseason begins

There were tears from the moms. There were hugs from the sons. There was gear galore to hand out. There were meetings to attend. Finally, at last, it was time to run this afternoon. Welcome to Preseason, 2013. The cycle begins again, with our cross country athletes. Next week, we are joined by our track brothers as well. And so begins the 2013-2014 journey for our sport.

The women's XC team was at Bowdoin Park today for 1km repeats; I brought the men to Mills Mansion for our annual Hill Workout, a tradition that dates back to the prehistoric era of 1991, when I first started coaching the program. Tuesday, it is our annual pilgrimage to Minnewaska State Park and Preserve, where we will return on Thursday as well. Wednesday is Move Out Day, when our athletes can move into their permanent rooms. On and on it goes.

Maybe it's the years, maybe it's the strong attachments ... but Sunday, I could not bear to post my thoughts on the beginning of preseason. My thoughts and feelings remain with our recently graduated classes. Not to sound trite and maudlin, but ... but ... but ... It's just not the same without them. We shared so many moments with them, and now those moments fade into history. New memories will be made with this group, to be certain. But there is always a sort of emptiness (same as with Commencement) with the realization that we begin again with a new group, and leave behind the memories of the new additions to our growing and loyal alumni base.

If I were on Twitter, I would #HashtagSomething right now. But I'm not. Maybe someday. For now, my recent alum sisters and brothers, just remember: 

Foxes Forever, friends. Some new Forever Foxes begin their journey this week.

Marthy aces Air Assault School at Fort Drum

Congratulations to rising junior and track team captain David Marthy for enduring and succeeding at the rigorous U.S. Army Air Assault School in Fort Drum. As we all know, Marthy is one tough soldier. He combines toughness and speed: Our guy had the fastest "ruck" in two years -- covering 12 miles with a 60-pound pack and full gear in just under 2 hours. Nicely done, David! By comparison, the hill workout at Mills on Monday should be a cakewalk.

Weekly mileage and other statistical myths

In the sport of cross country and distance running, “weekly mileage” is the one metric that is quoted early and often. What’s your mileage at? What are you hittin’ a week? Oh man, he’s crankin’ 90-mile weeks like it’s his JOB! How many 70-mile weeks have you hit this summer? On and on and on. It’s such a common topic of conversation that we don’t even notice it anymore.

In baseball nowadays, there is a tug-of-war between old-school fans/players/executives who eschew the sabermetrics: Old statistics vs. new statistics. The newer, advanced metrics tell a much deeper and nuanced story of the sport. The traditional hitting stats are batting average, home runs and RBIs. But now, there is also on-base percentage, OPS and WAR. For pitchers, the traditional stats are wins, losses and ERA. Now, there is ERA-plus, FIP and BABIP. Marist Running Alum C-Fred sent me a long article about this very topic, and it jibes well with this running-related topic.

Weekly mileage is an excellent statistic, or metric, by which to gauge our fitness. But, much like the old-fashioned baseball statistics that we still quote and use extensively to judge players, it is not all it’s cracked up to be. It is one statistic that is often misunderstood, and far too frequently given more significance than it really requires.

Why do I say this? The weekly mileage statistic gauges the amount of miles an athlete covers in a 7-day period. Think about that statement for a second. A 7-day period can be Monday to Sunday, which is what most athletes use to calculate their total. A smaller but still significant subset of runners uses the Sunday to Saturday paradigm to calculate weekly mileage. No problem. All good. OK. Here’s where things get interesting.

Let’s say an athlete was planning on getting a 15-mile run at the end of their training week, Sunday. But alas, Sunday features severe storms all day. Or, an unplanned and unexpected stomach bug hits. Or, there is a family outing that we forgot about. Life intervenes with training at times. So, you don’t get that long run in. Perhaps you only have time for a quick, short run. Perhaps you take the day off entirely. Then, the e-mail comes from the distraught runner: “Coach, I didn’t get my long run in; my mileage this week’s gonna be really low!” Oh. For shame, for shame.

Then, a funny thing happens. Monday’s a nice day. No problems. Long run of 15 miles. The rest of the week proceeds swimmingly, and the runner caps the week with their usual, Sunday long run of 15 miles. Whoa. Wait a minute. Now, tally up that Monday-to-Sunday period – with the bookend long runs – and all of a sudden that anemic weekly mileage from last week is trumped by a monstrous week of training. Is that first week a waste? Is that second week overtraining?

Instead of answering that question, I will relate to you a story from my old newspaper days. Because of the vagaries of the industry and of staffing, when I first started working at Dutchess County’s Finest DailyNewspaper, my days off each week varied. I was low man on the totem pole, so I often drew the short end of the stick and had to get the least desirable days off. Some weeks, I’d be off on a Monday and Tuesday. Oh joy. Other weeks, I’d get split days off – Monday and Thursday. Swell. There was one period, during the heavy summer vacation weeks, where I had Monday and Tuesday off one week, and then Saturday and Sunday off the following week. Wow! A weekend off. Great, right? Well, look closely there. Yeah, I got my two days off each week, and yeah, I got a rare weekend off … but I also worked 10 days in a row. NOT FUN.

Similarly, if a runner needs to take a day off from training each week, the least effective way to do this would be to take a Monday off one week and a Sunday off the following week – thus effectively stringing together the better part of two weeks (12 days) without an off day. Yes, technically, it was one day off per week. But again, your body knows sequences of days. It does not know a calendar. Thus, weekly mileage as a metric is a moving target. There are always seven days in a row to add up. Just because you choose to add up the same days each week, does not mean you need to go out for those extra few miles late on a Sunday night to get to some elusive total, so it looks neat and tidy in your running log.

Listen. I am not smart enough or creative enough to create new statistical metrics for our sport – the running equivalent of Batting Average for Balls In Play (BABIP) or Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Despite this, I cannot help but try to think up some potential solutions, or other ways of looking at this topic:

--Keep track of monthly mileage. This takes a lot of patience and probably will not go over well with most runners, but it is actually a pretty good metric to judge long-term training consistency.

--Try to keep weekly mileage consistent by doing similar workouts on similar days, week-to-week – all the while not fretting over minor differences in week-to-week totals based on days off and any other of life’s vagaries that might crop up.

--Or, how about my favorite solution: Each week, map out your training by making sure you hit your key quality days – long run, workouts, doubles, days off if needed, etc. – and have them spaced out appropriately. And then fill in the blanks according to how you feel, the weather, and any of the myriad other factors that play into excelling in our sport. Give yourself a goal range for weekly mileage, as opposed to a single, concrete number total. Aim to be somewhere in that loose range you have created for yourself. And at the end of the week, your total is what it is. Leave it at that.

Preseason starts in about 48 hours. Guaranteed, the big topic of conversation will be weekly mileage. It is certainly possible that I will be the biggest culprit in fostering this talking point. But remember: Weekly mileage is important, but it may not be as vitally crucial as you think. See you soon …

Tick check: New threat to our area

Thanks to Marist Running Alum and Public Health Professional Teddy “Napkins” Marak for the head’s up on the new tick-borne illness that has been cropping up in Dutchess County. The Powassan virus is similar to Lyme disease, but with more severe symptoms. Unfortunately, all the great trails and parks where we practice are home to ticks and tick-carrying viruses. So, we have to be careful. Also, unfortunately, Dutchess County is Ground Zero for Lyme disease and similar tick-related maladies. So, we have to be extra careful.

Memo to team members: Check for ticks after every off-campus practice. Shower soon thereafter and scrub down with a washcloth. In addition, those nerdy high tube socks that I wear are actually quite functional in combatting ticks. On a sunny and warm day, they may not seem practical, but it does work as a deterrent.

Summer notes, part 3: High times at High Point

The Old Man's ankles get a workout. The kids walk along with no difficulty. Of course.

Proof that we made it to the top. Even me.

Happy Hikers getting ready for the AT adventure.

Another of our checklist items was a trip to High Point State Park in New Jersey, just over the state line from Port Jervis. Being a Jersey Guy, I have always been intrigued by the very logical nature of High Point. It is the highest point in New Jersey (duh) at 1,803 feet, and it sits squarely at the top of the Garden State. This makes so much sense! Where do you go for the highest point? To the highest point!

Upon arrival at the park office, I asked the very friendly ranger some questions. Basically, we wanted to accomplish two things: 1. Go to the beautiful High Point obelisk (looks like the Washington Monument) at the peak; many of you have probably seen it while driving on I-84. 2. Do some hiking in the many miles of trails in the park. Friendly Park Ranger, in turn, gave us two options: 1. Drive up to the monument (for a per-car fee of $20) and walk the relatively easy trails in and around the summit. 2. Drive down the road about a quarter-mile to the Appalachian Trail (AT) parking lot (key note: This lot is FREE) and hike the AT about 1.5 miles to the monument. This, of course, was a no-brainer. I have a little experience walking the AT in Dutchess County, thanks to my good pal from my newspaper editing days, the fine hiking columnist Ralph “Elvis Trailsley” Ferrusi. Ralph has hiked the AT as a section hiker, twice, he meticulously maintains a section of the trail near his home in Stormville, and he is a resident expert on the AT and all things hiking.

We parked and we headed into the AT woods. Almost immediately, I regretted this decision. The AT trails that Ralph had taken me on in Dutchess County – a hike around Nuclear Lake, the Great Swamp hike near Pawling, and a short jaunt up Shenandoah Mountain to the post-9/11 inspired American flag painted on a rock – were rugged walks, certainly not trails I would take the team on for runs, but not overly hazardous or troublesome either. The section of the AT in High Point was a different story. “Trail” is a loose term for what we walked on (or, in my case, stumbled around on). It was mostly rocks, in some cases big boulders with sheer faces and no real place to get traction. In some spots, it was hand-over-fist climbing (or, in my case, rock crawling). The kids, of course, loved it. Heidi fashioned a hiking stick out of a big branch, and she seemed to be enjoying it as well, snapping pictures of the marvelous views and her excited children (or, in my case, a bumbling idiot trying to avoid broken ankles).

Me? I was a nervous, anxious, joint-bending mess. I’m a risk-averse kind of guy. Rugged, challenging trails are great for many folks. I’d rather a smooth, paved or dirt path, thank you very much. Heck, carrying a load of laundry up the stairs in my house can be an adventure for me. Navigating a barely single track (at best), rock-strewn trail while worrying that my family would get hurt was about as much fun for me as riding a rollercoaster over and over again, or being in a Six Flags Park, or maybe even being at a Hannah Montana concert. You get the idea. After more than an hour of this treachery, I made the pronouncement halfway up to the monument that our return trip would NOT be this rocky mountain high experience. We would be taking the road down the hill; no arguments, no negotiations.  

When we splintered off the AT to the final ascent up to High Point, the trail got very steep but also much easier in terms of footing. Everybody was huffing and puffing and not liking the big hill and the steep grade very much. I was back in my element. Sure footing, hard effort. Goodbye, big rocks. I can do this. I can do this all day! We got to the top, took pictures, chilled out at the top of the Garden State and enjoyed panoramic views of three states in all directions – New York over there, Pennsylvania over there, New Jersey front and center. And yeah, we walked down on the road, back to our car. No one was complaining, the least of which was me.

Summer notes, part 2: From Cheer Dad, 5-6-7-8

The calendar (not to mention my ultra-literal oldest son) tells me there are five weeks left in summer. But my eyes and ears tell me otherwise. As mentioned in a previous post, Marist fall sports teams’ preseason camps have begun. And as I type this on a beautiful summer evening, in a high school parking lot pockmarked with potholes and weeds growing through the pavement, I distinctly hear the sounds of autumn in the air.

Yes. That’s right. I am at my daughter’s cheerleading practice. The coaches and the girls are counting out and cheering in unison. Most cheers go to a cadence of 8, and they start out with a count of 5-6-7-8. If this means nothing to you, it means you have not lived in the Cheerleading World. And that’s OK! Here at Blog Central, we forgive you. And we are here to educate. If there are typos in this or other posts, please forgive me. The girls are bellowing out their counts very loudly, and very proudly and it can be distracting to the writing process. But alas … it is the Cheer Way. Also, in the background, in the fields below, I hear the whistles, grunts and crunching of pads that signifies Pop Warner football practice. Sounds of fall, to be sure.

Wait! Did you think I was gonna give up on Cheerleading Talk? Ha! Not so lucky. Not so fast! Anyway. At last week’s Thursday evening cheer practice, Coach Jenn (Natalie’s excellent and dedicated cheer coach for many seasons) had a station wagon full of Cheer Swag (yeah man). Some for sale. Some for free! Is there anything better than Free Swag? Not really. And so, as a public service and forewarning to all team members that I will see next week, and alumni I will hopefully be seeing soon thereafter, there is a new T-shirt in my heavy rotation (as you can see), and it reads as follows, in very boisterous and bold letters: “Cheer Dad.” Yeah man. That’s me! Go ahead. Make fun of me. I don’t care. I am many things to many people. Cheer Dad is one of them.

Summer notes, part 1: A-camping we will go ...

As summer – my summer – draws to a close with the impending start of preseason, as a family we are trying to cram in as many outings and activities on our to-do wish list. Last Saturday, we were able to cross off “camping” from the list. It was our first time camping as a family, and fortunately the weather cooperated. After a ridiculous flooding rain last Friday – parts of Dutchess County got close to 6 inches of rain in 12 hours, what is this … the rain forest? – Saturday dawned as a perfect day. We drove out to Rhode Island to meet our good friends, who had been camping at Burlingame for about two weeks. Although we are more “lake people” than “shore people,” we enjoyed a nice day at the beach at Misquamicut in Rhode Island. Two air mattresses in one average sized tent, and the five of us crammed in there for the night. I like my creature comforts, so this constitutes “roughing it” for me. But for one night, I can manage.

Red Fox Trot 5K

The fourth annual race is Saturday, September 7. We are hoping for a huge alumni track/cross country team showing. Entry fee for alumni is $17. For those of you on Facebook, I posted a PDF of the hard-copy race flyer that notes the $17 alumni entry fee. If you sign up online at the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club Web site, you have to pay full price ($20) unless you are a MHRRC member. I posted the race flyer on the Marist Alumni Racing Team page and the Marist Women's Cross Country Alumni page. The posts (and attachment) are identical. If you want me to email you the flyer, send me an email at runhed246@hotmail.com. Hope to see you at the Fox Trot.

Summer is coming to an end ...

... OK, well, not officially on the calendar, per se. But around here at Marist, the summer chapter is pretty much closed with the arrival of the Marist College football team for their preseason camp. Along with the football team comes our old pal Deedy, who just stopped by the office. Deedy is one of the student athletic trainers assigned to the football team. He stopped by to go over his training and practice schedule and just to check in.

We (men's and women's XC) are the last preseason team to report, on Sunday, August 18. As the other fall sports teams (men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball) start trickling in, each is a sign that the fall semester is almost upon us.

Remembering JJ Cale: The best songwriter/guitarist you never heard of

It was really a bummer when I learned of the passing of guitar whiz and songwriting genius JJ Cale. There's a pretty good chance you never heard of JJ Cale, who was 74 and died of a heart attack in California. But here's someone you might have heard of: Eric Clapton. Clapton loved JJ Cale and considered him his greatest musical influence. Cale wrote two of Clapton's biggest, monster hits: "After Midnight" and "Cocaine." Cale also wrote arguably the best song ever recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Call Me The Breeze."

I got turned on to JJ Cale about 25 years ago, when a newspaper co-worker and "music bud" introduced me to him. He gave me a few cassette tapes with the words "JJ Cale" scrawled on them. I punched them into my car player and was like, "whoa, how come I've never heard of this guy!" He was GREAT! I just couldn't get enough of this guy. Why wasn't he that famous, I wondered? Well, here's the thing: JJ Cale was not quite rockabilly; he was not quite country; he was not quite rock; he was not quite blues. He was an awesome blend of all that. For whatever reason, that sound never played well on mainstream radio. But, man oh man, could JJ Cale write a catchy tune. And, in reading the many obits and remembrances on the Internet, apparently he had no issues with toiling in the relative obscurity of that musical genre he helped create, Americana. He also had no problem walking to his mailbox and collecting the royalty checks from the monster hits he wrote for the mega-artists.

At long last in the past decade, JJ Cale got his due. He put together an amazing album with his protege Clapton called "Road to Escondido." I think the album won a Grammy for best blues album, and voila, he got his fame. Those old cassette tapes are long gone now, but maybe I'll have to use that $10 iTunes gift card I got around Father's Day and get me some old JJ Cale, head down to the river, and enjoy the greatest musician you probably never heard of.