Season Start Date
We are excited to announce we will begin drop-in conditioning beginning August 21 st . We
will begin official practices after Labor Day to help prepare us for one of our first
competitions of the year. The best thing you can do between now and when we start
drop-ins is to put some miles in BEFORE the season begins. What you do over the
summer will determine how you do throughout the season.

What do you need to participate? You NEED to have a physical on file and it must be
dated on or after April 15 th , 2023. In order to participate in official practices and meets,
your physical must be on file. For drop-in conditioning, athletes will run at
parent/guardian discretion. However, if you have a copy of your athlete’s physical, feel
free to drop if off and I will be sure the physical is given to the athletic department.

What should you have to participate? A POSITIVE ATTITUDE and GROWTH
MINDSET, running shoes, water bottle, and weather appropriate attire. Some runners
may explore running in cross-country spikes, however, they are not required. If you
have any questions about this, feel free to message me and I’d be glad to help.

Can I participate in another sport/activity?
YES! Research has proven that our best athletes are those who are well rounded. We
encourage our students to participate in a variety of activities at the middle school level.
So, if you are participating in soccer, football, cheerleading, dance, choir, band,
etc.…you are welcome and encouraged to participate on the cross-country team. A
tentative schedule is attached to help you plan ahead.

What is Cross County?
Cross Country is long distance running competition. Middle School age runners can run
up to 2.0 miles in a race. We run 2.0 miles in competition.

How do I watch it?
Bring your walking/running shoes and follow the crowd!

How is it scored?
Low score is good. First place gets one team point, 80 th place earns 80 team points. 7-
10 athletes from each team compete in the “Top Ten”/Varsity race for both boys and
girls. The top 5 runners from each team determine a team score. All other athletes will
participate in a JV/Open race and it will be scored in the same fashion.

Will I run?
All athletes will compete every competition day. The top times from the previous race
will determine which event your athlete will compete in. This can change race to race.
We will always use the previous race’s time and participation in practice to determine
which race athletes will participate in. We also place runners in the race that best suits
their competition level. So, there may be times when we have less than 10 runners in
the varsity race.

Transportation
We will have a bus transport the team to and from all weekday meets. Shepherd is a
self-transport meet.

Practices
Practices are generally after school at Beagle Middle School every day until 5:00.
Although practices before a meet and on Fridays will be shortened. Participants are
expected to dress appropriately for practice because we will run in the sun, rain, or
snow. Athletes are also expected to bring their own water bottle to practice daily.

Tentative Meet Schedule
September 7 – Lakewood Invite
September 18 – DeWitt
September 25 – Lakewood League Meet
September 27 – Bath
September 30 - Shepherd: Bluejay Invite
October 2 – St. Johns Invite
October 11 – Jr. Comet Invitational @ Fitzgerald Park
October 16 – Greater Lansing Invitational @ DeWitt

How will communication take place? Please download the TeamReach app and sign
up for our 2023 Cross Country Group. All communication will be done using the app.
TeamReach Group Name: Grand Ledge MS XC 2023
TeamReach Group Code: GLMSXC2023
How do you register for cross country? Please register your child before the start of
the 2023-2024 school year!

1) Grandledgecomets.org
2) Registration
3) Click Athletic Registration and Payment
4) CROSS COUNTRY/ M.S.
5) Complete emergency form/transportation form

Please contact me with any questions or concerns:
Coach Matt Szydlowski
Middle School Cross Country Coach
Cell: 517-899-4231
Contact @ Beagle 925-5518
Email: szydlowskim@glcomets.net