MySportsResults.com – News – Cross Country Terms for Parents and Beginners

By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp

You know what is funny about being a long time coach/ athlete or fan of the sport of cross country? Language that you take for granted that everyone knows is unknown to the newcomers in our sport. I once heard a guest speaker at a camp give a great talk about how you have to run for your singlet and you should always have pride in it. At the end of the motivational talk, I heard one girl whisper to another, “what’s a singlet”? 

This made me consider the common words we frequently use that those unfamiliar with the sport might not understand. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of cross country terms for parents and beginners that I encourage you to share with your teams.

COMPETITION TERMS:

DUAL MEET: A cross country meet between two teams, usually in the same league.

DOUBLE DUAL OR TRI MEET: A meet with three teams where the scores are tabulated between only two teams at a time. Example: Teams A vs. B, teams A vs. C, and then teams B vs. C. Only the runners between the two teams are scored, with the others not counting in the placing.

INVITATIONAL MEET: Larger meets that are often (but not always) held on Saturdays. These are open to teams who request to enter and not regularly scheduled as part of a league schedule. While regular season meets are usually over in a couple of hours, invitations have several races and usually last most of the day. 

RACE DISTANCES: In championship races in CT, boys and girls will be running 5000 meters or 3.1 miles.  Some of the regular season courses are anything from 2.8 to 3.1 miles. 

CHAMPIONSHIPS TERMS:

What some people call the “post season” is what all good runners aim their training towards. There are two organizations that conduct championship meets in CT. The first meet is the conference meet.  A conference is a group of teams in relatively the same area of the state or with similar types of schools.  Some of the bigger conferences in the state are the FCIAC, SWC, NCCC, CCC, Shoreline, Berkshire, NVL, CSC and the ECC.

The CIAC or Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference is our state association that organizes our state championship class and open meets. The class meets are schools of similar sizes in the state and they are used to qualify for the State Open which is made up of the best individuals and teams in the state. All CIAC championships are held at Wickham Park in Manchester.

The top 6 teams in the State Open and…