GRANITE STATE FLASH

THE LATEST

Selected Optional Race Calendar

(click on race for details)

Be sure to wear your singlet to the race!

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Race Date

Millennium Mile

Sunday, 12/27/09
Freeze Your Buns 5k Sunday 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/7

Flash Results at the Nationals in Reno

Congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches on another very successful year of cross-country running. Of the 97 runners that entered 9 of the 10 age categories in Amherst's Association race, 8 teams and 5 individuals qualified for the Regional meet. At the Regionals in Maine, Flash qualified 6 teams and 5 individuals for the National meet in Reno, Nevada.

In total, 35 runners made the trip to Reno to compete in 8 age categories. It was cold in Reno, with at least six inches of old snow on the ground before the races even started, with fresh snow falling by late morning and continuing all day long. The start of the races were delayed by an hour as most people weren’t able to even drive to the course.

Despite the course conditions, weather, and high elevation (4600 ft at the course) all our runners made their families, their coaches, Granite State Flash and the New England region very proud. In addition to the strong team and individual results, we had 1 runner make All-American status (top 25 finisher). Congratulations to Gwenyth, who finished in 5th place for the Midget Girls.

Complete results and event pictures and videos can be found at the USATF website or our Results page. Check back here for pictures from Flash photographers and families. Thanks go to all the families that supported the Flash runners all season!

Pictures Needed!

If anyone took good pictures during the 2009 XC season that they would like to share, please email them to Justin or send via mail by 1/3/10. In particular, I need the team pictures that were taken at the Association meet in Amherst. If mailing, send to:

Justin Platt

15 Pettingale Road

Amherst, NH 03031

Other items

  • The Flash year-end banquet is being scheduled for a Sunday in late January to mid-February, from about 6-8:30pm. More information to follow.
  • Coach Jan will bring any “lost and found” items to the Millennium Mile race as well as the banquet for anyone to claim.

 

2005-2008 Season Videos Now on YouTube

See links on Pictures page.

11/22/09 Regional Meet

Augusta, ME

  

 

 

Mark ran half his race after losing his left shoe, and still managed to medal. At the halfway point he got his shoe back on, and moved up from 38th place to finish 16th! 

11/8/09 Preliminary Race

Amherst, NH

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Congratulations to all the middle and high school runners that competed over the last few days, and best of luck to those still competing for your schools over the next few weeks. You make your families, teams, communities and coaches very proud, and never fail in giving us all some very exciting races to cheer for!

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Some pictures from the last few weeks

Patrick wins Tri-County Boys "A" Race

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2009 USATF Junior Olympics XC Signups and Schedules

Signups for the 2009 Flash Cross Country will be held Sunday, October 25 from Noon-4pm along the track at Livingston Park in Manchester. The Competition and Practice schedules are available- please follow the included links for dates and locations.

NOTE- All registration forms are now available online at http://granitestateflash.com/forms.htm. Please print all registration forms, fill them out, and bring with you on Sunday to registration. If you are unable to make Sunday’s registration in person you need to email Coach Jan to coordinate. It is important that all runners attend registration Sunday in person, so the coaches have time to talk with the runners and review the completed forms. All forms- including race and USATF forms- should be reviewed by your coach or Jan Platt. Note that the membership fee includes the entry fee for all races. Please bring a COPY of your birth certificate for registration. This will be provided to USATF for age verification, and will then be kept on file in case needed in the season.

 

Coaching Assignment Changes

Please review the Coaches Page for 2009 coaching assignments. Among the many changes, we are please to announce that we have added a dedicated Intermediate teams coach (runners born 1993-1994) to the Flash staff. Kurt Schulz joins us from Manchester Memorial, where he has been the girl’s varsity XC coach, and will be the Head Coach for the Flash Intermediate Girls and Intermediate Boys teams.

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Final XC school season races coming up for Flash runners

Best of luck to all our Flash runners that are participating in the middle school state meet this weekend, as well as the high school runners competing over the next few weeks.

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Alum Alex getting muddy at the Mt Epic Challenge

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More school season pictures Please forward to Justin any school pictures you'd like to share on this site - jsplatt@comcast.net

  

 

  

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2009 USATF Junior Olympics XC Signups and Schedules

The 2009 Flash Cross Country Competition and Practice schedules are now available. More detail, including additional links to meet websites, will be updated once available. Also note that the practice schedule may be updated to accommodate additional preliminary meets.

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Flash Runner Presented Award at USATF NE Annual Meeting

On September 17th, Jack Collopy was recognized as the November 2008 Athlete of the Month at the USATF New England annual meeting. Family, friends, and Flash athletes and coaches were in attendance to celebrate the presentation. Here is a link to the USATF write-up.

 

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XC school seasons begin for Flash runners!

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WHAT IS GRANITE STATE FLASH?

Granite State Flash (GSF) is a Manchester, New Hampshire based USATF Junior Olympic Cross Country program for children ages eight through fourteen. The team practices in Manchester, N.H. from late October to early December, and competes in the New England, Regional and National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship competitions.

While the focus of the program is cross country, Flash runners also compete in various competitions throughout the year including area road races and the Junior Olympic Track & Field competition. The focus of the Flash program is running as a life long pursuit, team competition, sportsmanship, and increasing personal fitness levels.

                     

The Flash began in 2001 with just two teams and twenty one runners.  The program has grown since 2001 to include runners from more than 40 towns and cities throughout New Hampshire. Over the past seven years more than 600 New Hampshire youth runners have participated in the program with multiple teams advancing to the New England, Regional and National competitions.  Through 2007, Flash teams have won three National team championships, two bronze medal titles as well as numerous Regional, New England team and individual titles. Seventeen Flash runners have earned individual All-American honors (top 25 individually in the U.S.).

Flash runners have also gone on to success at the high school and collegiate levels capturing 44 State of New Hampshire high school titles (cross country, indoor and outdoor track) through Spring 2008, setting 11 Class and/or State records as well as winning three individual New England High School Championships. More than 20 Flash runners have gone on to compete at the Division I, II and III collegiate level. From 2005 through 2007, Flash runners have competed for Dartmouth, Keene State, UNH, Penn, Columbia, Yale, Quinnipiac, William & Mary, Bentley, Bucknell, Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson College.

Highlights from

2007 USATF Junior Olympics Nationals

Lawrence, Kansas

Dec 8, 2007

Gwenyth's finishing kick earns her 2nd place in the 2007 Nationals held in Lawrence, Kansas.

Kelsey finishes 15th in the 2007 Nationals, earning her 3rd consecutive All-American status.

Finishing 13th in the 2007 Nationals, Jack also earned his 3rd consecutive All-American title.

The Boys Youth team finished 3rd in the nation, earning themselves the bronze medal.

 

Click to see
more pictures

 

"There's nothing noble in being superior to some other man.

The true nobility is being superior to your previous self."