Making Cross Country Fun

1
Making Cross Country Fun

• For Both Coach and Athlete

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Cross Country can be a very long season (3-6
  months)
• During trying weather conditions (hot, cold,
  rain, snow)

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• This is one coachs way to make it fun for both
  himself and his athletes.

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Presenter Rich Weinhandl
• Head CC coach at Marengo High School
• Boys and Girls teams, with no assistant
• Started coaching at MCHS in 1990
• First team consisted of 2 boys and 1 girl
• Certified Track Official since 1975
• Before HS coach Youth sponsor at church
• Youth coach at park district

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• What is needed to coach today
• Passion and a youthful spirit
• Our athletes need to see that you have a passion
  for your sport
• Love to teach your sport
• Love to have fun
• Youre not afraid to act like a kid
• If it is dull for you, it will be dull for them

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Some of the things we have done at MCHS
• Retreats to Silver Birch Ranch and Camp Timber
  lee
• Rock Climbing Wall
• Whitewater rafting
• Hiked the Black Harbor River with its many
  waterfalls

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Water skiing and tubing
• Canoe the Kishwaukee River
• Laser tag
• Bowling
• Run/Swim at team mates homes
• Bike / Run Relay
• Pizza and pasta parties
• Community Service Projects

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Every Monday we end practice with a game
• Egg Toss
• Water Balloon Toss - hands
• Water Balloon Toss - towels
• Water Balloon Relay
• Color Game

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Sometimes the game takes up the whole practice
• Iron Man / Iron Woman Contest
• Scavenger Hunt
• Cruisin Game

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Water Balloon Toss Game - Towel
• Pair up, 2 to a team
• 1 beach size towel per team (extras good)
• Mark off boundary (15x15 recommended)
• Rules
• One pair flings the balloon above the height of
  tallest person
• Must be forward
• Must be inbounds

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Water Balloon Toss Towel
• The opposing team catches it using their towel
  and attempts to fling in back
• Game keeps going until one team fails to catch it
  or balloon is flung out of bounds or one team is
  disqualified
• Videoing this game is a must!

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Water Balloon Relay
• Large balloons filled to capacity !!
• Rules
• Entire team forms a circle
• One person chosen to have a huge balloon placed
  over their head
• The team must pass another huge balloon around
  the circle in a set time

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Water Balloon Relay
• If they beat the time limit, the balloon over
  their team mates head is popped (usually it is a
  rookie!)
• Great for those really hot days !!

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Color Game
• 15 20 traffic cones, the more increases the
  challenge
• Enough Index cards so that each team will have a
  complete set of colors when game is finish. A
  set equals the number of traffic cones used in
  the game.
• Rules
• Form equal size, equal ability teams
• Each team comes up with name and cheer (award
  bonus points)

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Color Game
• Traffic cones are place throughout the school
  yard or cc course
• Under each cone place index cards for one color
  and enough cards for the number of teams
• Each team will have a unique color sequence
  revealed to them one color at a time as the game
  progresses

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Color Game
• Each team starts the game knowing the first color
  in their assigned sequence
• The team must stay together throughout the game
  and their speed is determined by the slowest
  runner
• The team must find the cone with the color under
  it and bring it back to coach

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Color Game
• Coach then gives the next color and the team goes
  out looking for the next cone.
• Variation Take the whole squad out at one time
  and allow them to look under each cone. They
  have to rely only on their memory.
• Use a megaphone to give a play by play of who is
  in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Crusin Game
• Digital camera for each team
• Equal size, equal ability teams
• Long list of business or locations in and around
  town with points assigned to each place with
  higher pts for farther places
• Rules
• Each team has 15 min. to study the list and come
  up with a plan / strategy

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Crusin Game
• Each team must prove that they have visited each
  business or location on the list by taking a
  creative digital picture of the team with the
  business or location in the picture.
• Game has a 1 hour time limit and teams are
  penalized for each minute late.

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Crusin Game
• Ways to make this game a blast
• Give each team the list one week before the game
• Hype it up each day at practice as the event
  nears
• Give a Tip of the Day to help them strategize
• Keep those digital pictures, youll soon see why.

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Other games
• Iron Man / Iron Woman
• Take several of your favorite games and take a
  day during the summer to play them, awarding
  points and ending with a picnic, or
• Over the course of a season of games, end up
  with a face-off between winners.

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• Highlight Video
• Many ways to do it. I use Pinnacle Studio
  software, digital camcorder, photos that the kids
  provide.
• Presented at the awards banquet
• Each athlete is given a DVD copy
• Great keepsake for years to come
• They show their friends, great tool for
  recruitment !!
• Also provides good memories and motivation for
  coach too !

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Making Cross Country Fun For Both Coach and
Athlete

• If you need help with any game mentioned here or
  assistance getting started on producing your own
  Highlight video
• Rich Weinhandl
• 607 Maple Street
• Marengo, IL 60152
• 815-568-6087 hm
• 815-334-4707 wk
• rhwein_at_co.mchenry.il.us