Florida Middle School State Championship 2010

Kurt Convey of GW Carver won the boys championship division with a strong last kilometer to finish with a 10:02 for the 3K course.  Sixth-grader Daesha Rogers of American Heritage earned redemption, after missing her high school district meet with an injury.  She dominated the race start to finish earning her first state cross country championship with an 11:08.  The Liza Jackson Prep girls and Raa Middle School boys won the team titles.

We are here on site at the first annual state cross country championship at Sun 'n' Fun in Lakeland, FL.  FLYRA, the Florida Youth Running Association, hosted a nice free continental breakfast for runners at the host hotel this morning.  It was great to see all of the kids, parents, and coaches there that are so excited to see this race happen.  Jeff Adams and Jason Byrne are doing the on-site coverage for flrunners.com so we will have photos, videos, and articles posted later today... along with of course complet results as soon as possible after the race.  Thanks to Laura Fredrickson, Billy Convey, Joe Mizereck, and the rest of the founding members of FLYRA for pulling this off.  I am proud to be a member and supporter of such a great team! - Jason Byrne

The Florida Youth Running Association (FLYRA) has announced that the first ever Florida Middle School XC Championship will be held at a never-before-used cross country course:  the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.  I toured this venue years ago as a potential host for the flrunners.com Invitaitonal and, though it didn't work for us, always thought it would be an exceptional place for a cross country meet--especially for a shorter race.  So it is exciting to finally see that happen!

The picture is becoming clearer for the middle school state championship, as the planning committee and  Florida Youth Running Association (FLYRA) , the newly formed non-profit governing association founded by Joe Mizereck, hammers out the details.  The FLYRA planning committee, lead by meet director Laura Fredrickson, has narrowed down the field to three venues and discussions are well underway to decide between those options.  All of the venues on the table are in Lakeland/Tampa vicinity and that announcement will be made here within a week or two.  More details inside...

Numerous supporters of middle school cross country from around the state joined a conference call on Wednesday to lay the initial groundwork for plans for a Florida middle school cross country championship in Florida.  Many have been clamoring for such an event for several years now, as an answer to the popular flrunners.com sponsored Track & Field State Championship.