Summer conditioning is optional, but highly encouraged. Communication for absences (ie, family vacation) is not required, but it is appreciated 🙂


Runners should arrive in comfortable running attire, especially including running shoes ("trainers").  A trip to Fleet Feet Roseville is highly advised to get the right shoe for your foot.


Also, bring a water bottle, a digital watch if you have one, and a towel.  It is a good idea to have a cinch bag to carry these items.

Gather at the tennis courts. We will group up, take attendance, make introductions, and begin explanations and warm-up routine. Veteran runners and those who've been coming to summer conditioning will head out on the trails for a moderate run. All new runners will gather with the coaching staff for beginning conditioning.

We will preview the course for this week's time trial.

Student athletes must have registration complete through the athletic department in order to be eligible to practice with the team for official practice. 

Attendance is being recorded now that official practice has begun.  During these final days of summer break, most absences will be excused, but require written notification at least 24 hours in advance. So for an absence to be excused, email coach at least the day before.

Runners should arrive in comfortable running attire, especially including running shoes ("trainers").  A trip to Fleet Feet Roseville is highly advised to get the right shoe for your foot.

Also, bring a water bottle, a digital watch if you have one, and a towel.  It is a good idea to have a cinch bag to carry these items.

This Starbucks just closed, but it is the parking lot we use to gather for our run over to the rolling trails on the Sierra College campus.

Student athletes must have registration complete through the athletic department in order to be eligible to practice with the team for official practice. 

Attendance is being recorded now that official practice has begun.  During these final days of summer break, most absences will be excused, but require written notification at least 24 hours in advance. So for an absence to be excused, email coach at least the day before.

Runners should arrive in comfortable running attire, especially including running shoes ("trainers").  A trip to Fleet Feet Roseville is highly advised to get the right shoe for your foot.

Also, bring a water bottle, a digital watch if you have one, and a towel.  It is a good idea to have a cinch bag to carry these items.

We will have informational meetings on August 4, 5, 10, 11, and 17, during practice.  Each time will be a repeat, so plan on attending just one that is most convenient.

If you choose this date to attend a meeting, bring a lawn chair.

Below is the first half of the information being covered.  
The second portion of information can be found on the calendar for August 5, 2026.

XC Parent Info Mtg 2026

Equipment needed:  

• properly fitted trainers (running shoes)

• running apparel

• watch with at least the stopwatch feature

• water bottle

• exercise band

• towel

• backpack or cinch bag suggested

• Race Day T-shirt will be given to each athlete, who is expected to wear it to school on race day, or Friday for a Saturday meet, and as part of warm up uniform on race day

• Racing singlet (uniform) will be issued to each runner to be returned at season's end

• Each athlete will need to provide their own solid black running shorts for racing

• Racing Flats are optional.

Whitney Distance Philosophy & Approach

“Character. Commitment. Culture.”

• We recruit character, not talent. We emphasize conduct and life skills.
  Our priorities are to keep our athletes healthy, make each athlete’s experience meaningful, and to keep our team unified and successful. 

• We are not just cross country or track, but “Whitney Distance”. We are a 12-month program that is 100% complete and self-contained. No outside coaching.

• Our emphasis is on a large team. Cross country is a social sport and everybody has someone at their pace to train with. We train and perform as a team.  Final sentence of mission statement… “group greater than individual”.

• Workouts “as prescribed”... summer conditioning phase has flexibility, in-season training is much more specific in terms of paces and distances.

• When freshmen join our program, we see 4 years, not 4 months.  We develop our runners over 4 years. 

• Everything we do is a gradual progression. We are patient with our warm-ups, training, racing, the season, and everything in between. This concept is applied in everything we do to prepare our runners to perform at their best.

• Patience & Progression… everything is a build-up, and it takes a while.

• Health first… Problem area/tight spot → glitching → injury (Coach Jen and/or see a good PT)

• Rushing the process results in low performance and/or injury

• Adequate recovery is very underrated, we take it seriously

• Training & Racing Strategy… “Set your pace, then you race”

• We are a Pacing Offense.  Pacing is critical... in racing and in training.
  Be patient when our runners aren’t near the front early in races.
  Can a team be in 12th at the mile mark and still win?  The answer is yes 🙂

• We are a “MayVember” Team… results in championship season is what we aim for (May for track and November for cross country)

• We want to make this meaningful for everyone (top runners, and back of the pack)

Levels & Divisions

• 5 Levels in our program with several factors in mind

• Race divisions:  freshman, sophomore, frosh/soph, JV, varsity
  What is JV?  Frosh soph in league, juniors/seniors not varsity most everywhere else

• 4 squads at league (JV boys/girls, varsity boys/girls) and 7 squads postseason (frosh boys, soph boys, frosh-soph girls, JV boys/girls, varsity boys/girls)

• Making varsity… who is varsity?

See August 5 for continued notes.

Student athletes must have registration complete through the athletic department in order to be eligible to practice with the team for official practice. 

Attendance is being recorded now that official practice has begun.  During these final days of summer break, most absences will be excused, but require written notification at least 24 hours in advance. So for an absence to be excused, email coach at least the day before.

Runners should arrive in comfortable running attire, especially including running shoes ("trainers").  A trip to Fleet Feet Roseville is highly advised to get the right shoe for your foot.

Also, bring a water bottle, a digital watch if you have one, and a towel.  It is a good idea to have a cinch bag to carry these items.

We will have informational meetings on August 4, 5, 10, 11, and 17, during practice.  Each time will be a repeat, so plan on attending just one that is most convenient.

If you choose this date to attend a meeting, bring a lawn chair.

Below is the second half of the information being covered.  
The first portion of information can be found on the calendar for August 4, 2026.

XC Parent Info Mtg 2026 (continued)

Important Dates

August 3rd        Official practice begins (required)

August 6th        Time Trial

August 22nd        First Meet - Sierra Invitational - Whitney hosts

September 5th    Soiree at SWRA - Whitney hosts

September 16th    SFL #1 - Morning meet during school

Schedules

• Practice…  Mon/Wed evening, Tues/Fri morning, Thurs after school, Sat morning 

• Meets… Mostly Saturdays=flexible, except “non-negotiables” (league, subs, sections, state)

• Dual-Activity Athletes… separate schedule (see Coach Seawell)

• Transitioning to winter sport, and from winter sport to track … in-season sport takes priority

Weekly Practice Schedule

Starts August 3rd. Check whitneydistance.com for details.  General plan (may vary):

Monday        PM off campus

Tuesday        AM on campus

Wednesday        PM off campus

Thursday        PM right after school on campus + team mtg

Friday            AM on campus

Saturday        AM off campus or Race Day

Sunday        Rest Day

Meet Schedule

See athletic.net for details, or the Team Calendar. Non-negotiable meets are bold.  This means the meet must take priority over all other activities, and there is a required attendance timeframe.  All other meets can be flexible, per coaching staff approval.

Sat, Aug 22        Sierra Invitational            (we co-host at Sierra College)

Sat, Aug 29        Oakmont Invitational        (at Spring View Park)

Sat, Sep 5        Soiree at SWRA            (we co-host, league preview)

Fri/Sat, Sep 12        Jackie Henderson Invitational            (out-of-town overnighter)

Wed, Sep 16        League Meet #1            (at Jessup, AM meet, school after)

Sat, Oct 3       Bulldog Invitational            (at Folsom, section finals preview)

Sat, Oct 10        Wildfire Invitational            (at Foresthill High School)

Fri, Oct 16        Rough Rider Invitational        (top varsity only - state preview)

Sat, Oct 24        Flat SAC Invitational        (Gibson Ranch - non top varsity)

Sat, Oct 31        SFL Championships        (at Jessup Univ)        

Sat, Nov 7        SJS Sub Section Meet*       (at FrogTown - 2hr trip, all day - final meet for most)    

Sat, Nov 14        SJS Championships            (at Willow Hills - all day - varsity only)    

Sat, Nov 28        CIF State Championships     (top varsity only)    

*Note:  Section Finals will now be varsity only, effective the 2026 season; Subsections will be the final meet for everyone except top varsity advancing to Sections

Attendance Policy  (per Whitney Athletic Dept)

To view complete attendance policy, go to whitneyathletics.com → Handbook

Be sure to familiarize yourself with what is excusable, and what is not.

• Five Unexcused Absences from Practice = Dismissal

• 48-Hour Prior Notification for Missed Practice

• One Unexcused Absence from a Meet = Dismissal

• 21 Days Prior Notification for Missed Meet

• Without Notification, ANY Absence is Unexcused (except an emergency)

• “Meet You There” policy … it’s up to each student athlete to secure transportation

IMPORTANT:  For prior written approval, email coachjdodge@gmail.com with specific subject line, and include date(s) of absence.  Example:  “XC Absence 8/31”

Communication

Practice altered at times (we modify, rarely cancel)

• Email - Please ensure your preferred email addresses are entered on Final Forms

• Team Calendar - Regularly updated with added details and/or changes (check daily)

• GroupMe - For athletes; current team members will invite incoming freshmen

Communication is key !!  Any questions or concerns, please communicate

Parent Involvement

• Boosters - camp is primary fundraiser (already done), also two invitationals (see below) 

• Set-up & Tear-down of our team canopy area at meets        

• Photography & Videography (submitting photos, get paid for video productions)        

• Volunteer at home meets … raises funds, we appreciate parent help for the meets we host.

  • Sierra Invite (8/22), Soiree at SWRA (9/5)

• Driving to away meets (out of town)

  • Monterey, Roughrider, Subsections, State

• Food & drinks

  • After morning workouts and at meets (optional, coordinated by parents)

• Support your runner, don’t coach them

• Ensure things get turned in (forms, jerseys at end of season, etc)

• Pick up your runner on time, AND… ask your runner:  “Did you grab your water bottle?”  “Where’s your bag?”  “... your shirt?” … “hoodie?” … “shoes?” … “jersey?” …

Other Discussion Items

• Strava Rule

• Iron and Ferritin levels (girls especially)

• Energy Drinks (avoid) & Sports Drinks (use very sparingly, only after hard workouts)

• “What else can I do to get better?” … “The Other 22 Hours”:  nutrition, sleep, yoga, biomechanics, cryotherapy, stretching, core, band work, massage, etc. 
  Note:  get blood test for iron and ferritin levels (girls especially)
  Avoid doing extra work or supplemental workouts (counterproductive and even unhealthy)
  Be guarded against becoming bedazzled by superstars’ workouts on youtube 

Social Media & Websites

Facebook                 Whitney HS Distance

Instagram                 whitney.distance 

Team Website            whitneydistance.com

WHS Athletics Website        whitneyathletics.com

XC/Track Stats            athletic.net

Please email or text any photos to Jenica so they can be used for our Facebook and Instagram posts:  (279) 800-5195 OR seawelljenica@gmail.com

Please email or text any photos to Jackson so they can be used for our photo albums on our website and on our homepage of athletic dot net: 0geiselman0@proton.me (916) 770-9019

Intra-squad team competition. Two races... all girls race, all boys race. 

Parents and families are encouraged to come and cheer on our runners.  We'll be running on a spectator-friendly course that loops through the main area at the track a couple of times.  Runners should arrive at 6:30.  It will be approximately 7:20 when the girls race goes off, then about 7:45 when the boys will race.

There are several purposes to this time trial. One of the main reasons is to start to hone in on actual pace data to start targeting workouts more individually. But another main reason is to get a race-like experience, to begin getting down a pre-race routine, be able to manage the pre-race jitters, etc.

All runners should plan to wear team colors. Maroon is best, but gold, black, white, or even grey is good. Try to avoid bold bright colors that are not Whitney colors 🙂

The route for all runners--boy or girl, freshman or senior--is the Whitney Distance One-Mile loop twice.

A day of no team practice. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't run 🙂

Run "2 above your level" OYO (On Your Own)

Long run on hills.