Back in the the 1960s and 70s, most high school distance runners did little or no training through most of their summer vacation. Only in August did they begin their training anew, with the plan of "running into shape" during the first month of the season. By the 1990s, much of that had changed, and serious runners who wanted to challenge the best in the country and win local, state and national laurels, were back on the roads and trails building a foundation for the up-coming season.
For Cherokee's Cross Country athletes -- serious runners all -- that foundation is about eight weeks of solid distance training, sometimes 60 or 70+ miles a week; and all of it to prepare for the more intensive work that must be done in the Fall.
This past summer, as always with teams that have traditions of excellence, the Cross Country runners worked hard, following the training schedules prepared by their coach. They worked individually and as a group building that physical foundation and the emotional bonds of friendship that would support them throughout the season.
The pictures below were taken during an August practice at Cherokee High School. (Click on each picture to enlarge.)
In late August, following a long-standing practice, Cherokee's Cross Country team attended the extraordinary RunningWorks Cross Country Camp in Canadensis, Pennsylvania, where they participated in a week-long program of training with top coaches and athletes from the Northeastern United States, and learned from special guest speakers Cheri Kenah and Adrien Blinco.
The following pictures are of Cherokee athletes taken at camp. A wider selection of pictures from camp will be available soon at RunningWorks Cross Country Camp Pictures, 2004.
On Sunday, September 29th, Kevin Cranston of the Burlington County Times reported on the team's preparation for the season. Click here: Off and Running!
On Wednesday, September 8, Josh Egerman of The Philadelphia Inquirer presented his own view of Cherokee's potential for the season. Click here: Cherokee Squad Runs Deep
Pennsauken Dual Meet: On September 14th, Cherokee met its first dual-meet opponent, Pennsauken High School on Gloucester County College's "A" course, and easily swept the Indians. Coaches Shaklee and Callinan used the meet as a training session for the new runners on the team, grouping many of the younger team members with more experienced runners. The results were impressive!
Cherokee Challenge: On September 18, Cherokee's Cross Country team hosted The Ninth Cross Contry Cherokee Challenge at the high school. The weather report was very threatening: Hurricane Ivan, by then a mere tropical storm, was passing through the area with significant rains! As it turned out, the eye of the storm passed to the west and, while some rain fell, it had little effect on the meet.
While many on the team did well in their races, two runners did particularly well. Freshman Alex Yersak won the Freshman 1.5 mile race in 11:08, and Junior Greg Bredeck took second in the Junior 2 mile race in 10:23!
More detailed results and pictures can be found on this site at: Cherokee Challenge
Pat Montferrat of MySportsShot.com, and a friend of Cherokee Cross Country, shared the following pics with us:
Eastern Dual Meet: On September 23rd, Cherokee's Cross Country squad, minus three of their top five runners, overwhelmed an unusually weak Eastern Regional High School team. The Chiefs took the first eight places and easily swept the Vikings.
This victory marked the 100th consecutive dual meet victory since Coach Shaklee took over the team back in the mid-90s. To recognize that occasion, several members of the team -- the pictures below indicate Mike Candy, Matt Dolan and Matt Raychert -- aided by Ass't. Coach Callinan, surprised Coach Shaklee with an ice water bath at the end of the day! Yikes!
SJ Shootout: On September 25th, the team particpated in the inaugural running of the SJ Shootout at Gloucester County College. The format of the meet was unusual with three separate races for the varsity teams. The first race was for the 5th to 7th men on each team: for Cherokee, they were Vin Marziano, Will Andes and Rich Nelson. The second race was for the 3rd and 4th runners: Paul McFadden and Matt Dolan. And the third race, the "stud race," was for the 1st and 2nd runners: Tom Yersak and Greg Bredeck. Team scoring was based on a combination of results from the three races.
Cherokee set the standard early by sweeping the first race: 1st (Marziano), 2nd (Andes) and 3rd (Nelson)! The second race went almost as well with McFadden taking 2nd and Dolan taking 3rd. The final race was a great battle among the top runners in SJ, with Yersak and Bredeck going 2nd and 3rd!
In the JV race, Cherokee also made a significant impression by taking 1st (Steve Brown), 2nd (Alex Yersak), 4th (Kevin Schickling), 7th (Mike Brown), 9th (Mike Medvec), and 11th (Matt Applegate). For full results: SJ Track Coaches Association
