Five Star Conference Preview: Can Hawks Fend Off Hungry Dogs? Craig Janson Oct 25, 2012

Conference championships are always about bragging rights, and for the past twelve years the Five Star Conference Championships have been dominated by FPC and Spruce Creek. As a statement of fact the only year that either the boys or girls championship was not hoisted by either of the two was 2000 when Port Orange Atlantic, and Deland took the boys and girls respectively.

Key West XCursion Preview: A Course To Tough To Tame Craig Janson Sep 20, 2012

Key West has often been called the Gibraltar of the west, as it sits at the southern most point of the continent overlooking the Florida Straits. Originally the tiny island that only measures 7.4 sq. miles was the home to immigrants known as Conchs who came to the island from the Bahamas. 

Deland Invitational: Seymour, Pineiro, Score Back To Back Wins Of Season Craig Janson Sep 15, 2012

A good cross country runner will run hundreds of miles to prepare for that one race of 3.1 miles, a great one will run over a thousand miles during the heat of the Florida summers to accomplish great things four months later in November. Today I was fortunate to see some fantastic young athletes who obviously want to be great ones, and their work ethic, heart and determination should definitely lead them to truly great things down the road in November and beyond.  

Deland Invitational Preview Craig Janson Sep 14, 2012

While we are not positive on exactly what edition of this race we are running this weekend there are a couple of facts that we are certain. Deland has hosted numerous cross country meets over the years including invitationals, conference, district, regional and the 1977 FHSAA State Championship. In 1977 the Deland Invitational included two of the very best runners in the state, Kenny Clark of Rockledge (3A), and Herbie Wills of Leon (4A). 

Seymour, Pineiro Blast Off At Astronaut Invitational Craig Janson Sep 08, 2012

Chain of Lakes Park has always been a beautiful place to hold a cross country meet, and today was no exception. With clear skies, and a temperature that was more than accommodating for this year’s edition I got out of my car thinking to myself that it was weird that there was so much water in the parking lot.

40th Annual Astronaut Rotary Invitational Preview Craig Janson Sep 06, 2012

To create a cross country meet that survives the test of time you have to continuously put up a great product.  If looking at the virtual scenario for this weekend’s 40th Annual Astronaut Rotary Invitational is any indication of how things will play out I would say that Coach Canfield can rest assured that next year they will be celebrating the 41st Edition of the meet.  Thirty nine teams are entered with over 1200 runners, and there is plenty of star power that will be on hand to bring in the 2012 season.  

Spruce Creek completes “Super Sweep 2” Craig Janson Oct 27, 2011

Conference championships are all about bragging rights for the coming year, and for the 5 Star it’s all about as close to a border war as you can have.  On the south side of the border are all the Volusia county schools, and just to the north the very formidable Flagler county powerhouse of Flagler Palm Coast High School.  A trip down memory lane can’t be complete without talking about the cast of characters that has made this event what it is now.  For Flagler Palm Coast the tradition was started with current Embry Riddle Coach Peter Hopfe, and continues under Coach Dave Halliday proudly counting as its own a cast of who’s who in Florida high school distance runners.



 

5 Star Conference Preview Craig Janson Oct 25, 2011

For the past 10 years the 5 Star Conference Championship has only once left the familiar territory of Deland’s Sperling Sports Complex. In 2011 due to scheduling problems and some differences in opinion on what time would be safest for the runners to actually compete the meet will make a rare trip to the Flagler county fairgrounds for tomorrow’s event.  This meet is all about rivalries, and it is well evidenced when looking at the results since 2000.  In the years since the turn of the century the winning team has only had 2 choices in uniform color, either the green and white of Flagler Palm Coast or the black and orange of Spruce Creek. 

Terrier Invitational: The Creek Rises, and Other Surprises Craig Janson Oct 15, 2011

Perfect weather greeted the athletes as they arrived at Andrew Jackson Middle School for the running of the Terrier Invitational this morning, but for Claire Castillo of Titusville, and Justin Schanze of Oviedo the perfect storm was brewing.  As the morning sun did the job of burning off the soft morning dew, the runners went through their morning rituals of touring the course while hundreds of parents tried to figure out where the local 7-11 store was to acquire that much needed morning java to help make things a bit clearer. 

Titan Trail Invitational Summary Craig Janson Sep 24, 2011

Orange City University HS coach Lisa Eggert decided to take a chance and schedule something new.  The second year coach boldly decided to host her schools very first cross country meet, and with the support system she has in place with her parents and athletic director she can proudly say it went off without a hitch