Aggie Alum, parents, and friends of the cross country program, With the days of mid-summer now upon us in Davis, focus turns more each day to the upcoming fall season. In my short tenure here I have come to recognize a fact that many of you already well know: UC Davis Cross Country’s preseason trip to Point Reyes represents a powerful and lasting component of any Aggie Harrier’s experience. Like many current and previous athletes and coaches, I view our time at camp as one of the pivotal elements of the season, and while our desire is to continue using the same blueprint that has existed for years, certain aspects of the trip make it our program’s most challenging undertaking from a fundraising standpoint. In addition to the gradual rise in hostel rates, university policy now requires teams to travel in coach-driven vans or fleet buses at all times. While much safer than the old gumball rally/convoy model, bus transport to the park and the use of two vans while there have swollen our budget. One of my personal commitments is also the inclusion of our full roster at camp. Both the men’s and women’s teams take part in a tryout week and time trial before finalizing the roster and departing for camp, and the ability to take 40 people, including both an assistant and a volunteer assistant coach, allows for the most complete team building week possible. While we know that three weeks at altitude, like the camps of some of our rival schools, is not a possibility currently within our realistic grasp, we do value our five days at Point Reyes and will do everything possible to maintain the trip without charging the student-athletes or cutting corners with cost. Point Reyes team camp remains an undertaking entirely paid through fundraising efforts, and we can’t continue this tradition year in and year out without significant support. Our hope is that the testimonials included in this summer ‘newsletter’ will resonate and evoke memories of the trails, marine air and rustic charm of the hostel. Please consider donating to the cross country program for the 2011-12 year as a means of helping us get the year off right with a successful camp trip. A brief breakdown of what costs are covered, as well as the information for where to direct your support is included below. Thanks in advance for all that will answer the call. Your help will not go unappreciated and unrecognized. Happy running and Go, Ags! Drew Wartenburg Head Cross Country Coach
UC Davis Cross Country Camp synopsis • 36-38 student-athletes + 3 coaches • 5 days and four nights at Hosteling International, Point Reyes • Daytime rental of the common space in the lower and upper bunk houses • UC Davis fleet transportation to, within and from Point Reyes • Food for meals and snacks to feed active and hungry studentathletes and coaches
Total cost per person, roughly $300 Checks can be sent to: Kim Conley, 264 Hickey Gym, One Shields Ave, Davis CA 95616
To all Aggies.....Hi Y'all. When Kim asked me to write supporting the fundraising drive for the early season retreat I thought it would be simple. But I find that it's incredibly challenging..... my head has been so filled with vivid memories of so many camp-retreats that I can't begin to get words around them. All the memories revolve around our day to day activities at camp...the excitement of preparation, the stunningly massive grocery shopping for 28 runners for five days, the cooking and cleanup assignments, the trails we ran, the mileage and workouts, the activities and games while hanging out, Limantour Beach at Pt. Reyes, closing night entertainment, and the bond that developed by the end that was so palpable you could feel it. I can see in my mind every runner who came to camp, and I know you can too. Each of you has your own memories. Every Aggie from any year should be able to get to compare stories of camp with an Aggie from other years and have fun doing it. I'd like that rare experience to continue; I can't think of any aspect of cross country season that I would consider more worthy of support. - Sue Williams Head Cross Country Coach 1972-2003
The five days at Pt. Reyes at the outset of every season created some of the best memories of my entire career at Davis. The time at the hostel turned our team into a family in a way that could never be done without living and training with my teammates, secluded from the distractions of life in Davis. It is difficult to put into words and quantify the experience at camp, but the team bonding alongside the spectacular training opportunities set the stage for the entire year to follow. When I heard that the preseason camp at Pt. Reyes faces ever-present funding challenges I instantly wanted to help. I am still in graduate school, living on student loans and cheap food. But if there was ever a time when I knew even a small contribution could directly help current Aggies I knew this was the cause that needed to be saved. Hopefully those with whom I competed, as well as those that both preceded and followed my time as an Aggie will share my commitment to maintaining the camp tradition.
Aggie Open – Sep 2 – HOME Hornet Jamboree – Sep 11 – Sacramento, CA Stanford Invitational – Sep 24 – Palo Alto, CA Bronco Invitational – Oct 15 – Santa Clara, CA NCAA Pre-‐National Meet – Oct 16 – Terre Haute, IN Big West Championships – Oct 29 – Riverside, CA Doc Adams Open – Nov 5 – HOME NCAA West Regional – Nov 12 – Palo Alto, CA NCAA Championships – Nov 21 – Terre Haute, IN
-Steve Laurie, ‘04
Cross country camp. It sounds simple enough, but it's really more complex than a simple concept. On campus, teams are separated into their male and female parts; to go about their respective workouts with their respective captains and team members. At camp, the team is one, collective whole. It provides the opportunity, away from distractions, to bond and form goals to work toward over the seasons to come. As an athlete at UC Davis, I looked forward to each new cross country season because of camp! It provided a springboard to jumpstart everyone's motivation and got everyone excited about what lie before us. Changing the essential essence of camp would be a disservice to the athletes. It's a time of running, eating, sleeping, team building, and more running! What cross-county athlete doesn't want that life at some point in his or her career? You learn about yourself, your teammates, and about hard work. You learn about your limits, your strengths, and your desires. Please help preserve and continue this memory-making, quad-tiring, sweat-dripping experience for these athletes! They deserve it! -Yvonne Liebig, ‘02
2011 Competition Schedule
The first memory of my career at UC Davis was an e-mail from Coach Dee, congratulating me and everyone else who had made the 2008 women’s team and Pt Reyes camp roster. I had already counted myself out of making the team and going to camp, so after jumping and running around my house for five minutes I began preparing for camp (even though it was still weeks away). When I arrived at camp with 19 other women and 18 men, all still strangers to me, I didn’t realize they would soon be my best friends and family. That’s what that first year at camp is all about, getting to know these new teammates and the dedication and determination everyone has for the goals which we collectively set in the common room of the upper bunk house. The next few years at camp are comfortable and fun, like family reunions. Everyone knows each other, has inside jokes, and knows the training pretty well by that time. Welcoming the freshmen, making them feel the love this family shares becomes one of the main focuses. After a year or more under our belts, we understand the training, expectations, and commitment needed to be an Aggie. The quality of training we get done at camp is more noticeable. Getting away from the routine runs in Davis for a week is refreshing and gives us just enough excitement to roll right into the quickly approaching competition season. Going into my senior year as the women’s team captain, I couldn’t be more excited. I visualize what camp will be like this year, hoping to ignite a fire in the women’s team like that one sparked in me on the track during the spring ’11 season. I rehearse what I want to tell these talented women when we are all crammed together in a room, writing down the goals that we intend to achieve this year. I get jittery thinking about how my fitness has improved over this past year and getting one last chance to conquer those menacing Sky Trail hills that have knocked me on my butt, picked me back up, and knocked me right back down one too many times. Cross Country Camp at Pt. Reyes will always be the favorite memory from my time at UC Davis. It’s where I met my family and learned who I am, what I wanted out of my running career and what it takes to achieve those things. -Sam Kearney, ‘12
After a summer of solid training in Davis, where our team now bases itself for the summer, it’s nice to get out of town for some even more serious training with the team. Many of us will be doing anywhere from 75100+ miles in a given week by that time. Add that on top of the mountainous coastal range, the fresh sea breeze kissing your face during morning runs and again on a double, along with ice bathes taken in the ocean in what feels like sub-zero degree water and you have what I like to call bliss. Camp at Pt. Reyes is more than simply training, it’s an opportunity to continue the work we’ve been putting in since the beginning of summer while also getting away from everything else and focusing on the team aspect of our sport. With each year that goes by, a slightly different group of people show up for camp, with different insights on training and overall team cohesion. For the fourth and fifth year athletes, we’ll be looking to leave a lasting impression on this program as we share the traditions of camp while building a fundamental core of principals that will guide us through the season ahead. Second and third runners enjoy the newly bestowed sense of leadership that is bestowed upon them as they take their experiences from years past with the program and share them with the newcomers. Frosh come in wide-eyed, unsure of what to expect, but quickly learn the part they play on the team (along with learning that they’re always last in line for the shower). I was lucky enough to attend camp all five years of my time here at UCD, including the year I ended up redshirting due to injury. While a fractured metatarsal kept me from joining the guys for runs, I was lucky enough to be a part of the team outside of workouts while getting my training in on the bike. Even more so, I can attribute much of this team’s, as well as my own personal success in the 2010 season to the training and camaraderie that took place at camp. From maintaining the ‘business’ side of things by pushing the limits on workouts and doubles, to having a little fun here and there, such as guys serenading girls in hopes for a date to our first newspaper prom (complete with our own photographer taking pictures outside an orange porta-potty), I can’t think of a better way to officially kick off the season with the team I’ll be leading and working alongside all season. -Jon Peterson, ‘12