Email Vanessa Bennett at for any questions about the Cross Country program.

BLYTHWOOD CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING – FALL 2019

PARTICIPATION

All students in Grades 1 to 6 can participate – everyone makes the team!!!  The program benefits competitive runners, anyone wishing to improve their fitness levels and athletes cross-training for soccer, hockey, figure skating, etc.

PRACTICES & LOCATION

All our morning practices will be held 3x/week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays for junior grades (4-6) and 2x/week on Mondays and Thursdays for primary grades (1-3) at 8:00 a.m. starting Sept 9^th, 2019.

Practices will be either in the school yard or at a nearby park (the TDSB Tryout & Participation Form is required for any child participating in off-site practices). Practices will end before school starts at 8:45 a.m.  We meet in the Blythwood schoolyard, by the hockey pads.  Each session will start with a warm-up, dynamic stretching and then a specific running workout.

CANCELLATIONS

In the event of inclement weather (e.g. rain) which may impede practices, any cancellations will be posted at the top on this website by 7:30 a.m. on practice day.

SUPERVISION

Children participating in the Cross Country program will be supervised during practices by parent volunteer coaches and Blythwood staff volunteers.

RESPECT & CODE OF CONDUCT

Th Cross Country program is run entirely by parent and staff volunteers who are committed to encouraging good sportsmanship and fostering an environment in which all students have equal opportunity for fun and to be part of an athletic team.  Parents and students are expected to treat the coaches, staff, and other students with respect.

COMMUNICATION

All necessary Cross Country Program information will be available here on the website.

ALLERGIES

Please let the coaches and staff know of any allergies (indicate on the TDSB Tryout & Participation Form).

ATTIRE

For morning practices, students should dress for the weather and bring a drink to rehydrate after practice.  Running shoes with laces are mandatory.

For the TDSB Meets, students are expected to wear their green Blythwood T-shirts/jerseys. If you don’t have one already, you can order one by filling out the T-Shirt Order form which was due September 18. Please contact Caroline Bretsen at  with questions. Unfortunately, no orders will be taken after Sept. 18th.

OPTIONAL PRACTICE WALK THROUGH

There will be an optional walk through of the Earl Bales course on Sunday Sept 29, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at Earl Bales Park. This will be an opportunity to familiarize the students with the course prior to Meet #1. This is a strictly parent run, non-TDSB walk through of the site. Parents/guardians will meet at the top of the ski hill to walk the course together with the kids.

TDSB RACE DISTANCES

Distances will be determined by grade as follows:

Grades 1 and 2 – 1000 m; Grade 3 – 1500 m; and Grades 4-6 – 2000 m.

TDSB MEET DATES & LOCATION

Meet #1 North Conference Qualifiers: Oct 7, 2019 at Earl Bales Park, 4169 Bathurst St, just south of Sheppard (Grades 1-6 only)

Meet #2 North Conference Finals: Oct 15, 2019 at Earl Bales Park, 4169 Bathurst St, just south of Sheppard (Grades 3-6 only)

Meet #3 City Championships: Oct 24 at Etobicoke Centennial Park (Grades 4-6 only), 256 Centennial Park Rd, Etobicoke, ON

TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM TDSB MEETS

All Blythwood runners will be taking a school bus to the first and second qualifying meet.  All runners will be required to go to and from the qualifying first meet and the North Conference Finals second meet on a TDSB school bus.  No parent drivers are required for Meet #1 and Meet #2.

For runners participating in Meet #3, parents will be expected to make their own transportation arrangements for their children and must complete a TDSB Driver’s Authorization Form ahead of time. Further details about Meet #3 will be provided closer to the date.

END OF SEASON PIZZA PARTY

We will hold a lunchtime celebration for everyone who participates in any aspect of the Cross Country program on Friday, Nov. 1st.  Payment is made through School Cash On-Line. Please note that your child can bring their own lunch to the party if they prefer. For any questions, please contact Julie Kingsley at . Children participating will meet at the gym for cross country festivities!

CONTACTS

Staff Coach: Mr. Haywood

Parent Coaches:

Jennifer Dysart, Emelyn Bartlett, Regan Gilday, Tammy Neal, Dena Mulcahy, Matthew Leverty, Andrew McCartney, Caroline Gibbings, Ryan Robison, Lea Ledohowski, Colleen Stroud, Caren Thomas, Bettina Thibodeau, Shelagh Durno, Richard Closs, Kathleen Kent, Andrew Sulkowski, Vanessa Bennett

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

We need your help to keep nearly 200 children running –    please consider volunteering!!

Please let any of the parent coaches know if you can help out with morning practices (Mondays, Tuesdays, and/or Thursdays) or any of our meets – we really need your help!! The program is run entirely on volunteers.