FALL 2024 CROSS COUNTRY (XC) SEASON INFO:

  • REGISTRATION WILL OPEN IN EARLY AUGUST 2024

  • First Practice: Tuesday Sept 10, 2024

  • Final Local Meet: Sunday Nov 10, 2024 (Blazer Invitational)

  • Final Meet for National Qualifiers: Saturday Nov 23, 2024 (CCCNYC Nationals)

  • 2024 XC Season runs 11 weeks from Sept 10 to Nov 23.

  • Final 2 weeks of the season (Nov 12 - Nov 23) is for athletes traveling to nationals.

  • Focus and train for the XC races ranging from 2k to 4k (distance varies based on age, some meets will be a standard 3k for all competitors, more on race distances below)

2024 FALL MEET SCHEDULE:
The season will last 11 weeks, running from Sept 10 (first practice) through Nov 23 (national meet for those that qualify). Meets/Time Trials are optional, but highly encouraged. Meet schedule will be released at the start of the season. We anticipate having 3-4 local meets/time trials, plus our national meet. Meets will be on Sunday mornings, and typically will be every other weekend. Here is the 2023 fall XC season schedule for reference. 2024 Schedule TBD!

  • Sun Sept 24 @ 10am Time Trial at Laumeier Sculpture Park

  • Sun Oct 8 @ 10am (Border Wars Meet @ Principia College in Elsah IL)

  • Sun Oct 22 @ 1pm (CMAC Meet in Columbia, MO)

  • Sun Nov 5 @ 9am (Blazer Invitational Meet @ Buder Park Airfield in Fenton, MO.. qualifier for nationals)

  • Sat Nov 18 @ 9am (CCCNYC National Championship Meet @ Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, KY.. must qualify for this meet)

TEAM COSTS:
Season Registration Fee: $125 (covers training costs and park usage costs, paid when you register your child for the season).

Team T-Shirt/Racing Singlet: $25-30 (shirt selection and payment collected at the same time your register your athlete for the season. If you plan to race in events, you will need a team shirt or racing singlet).

Meet Fees: $10-15 per meet (each meet has specific entry fee that must be paid to enter, we will collect for these ahead of each meet via a meet entry registration link/email).

USATF/AAU Membership: $10-15 per year (we will give instruction on when to sign up for AAU or USATF membership as we will need to provide a team code. Competing in the local sanctioned meets required one of these memberships, so it is needed if you intend on going to the AAU/USATF meets. Please wait for us to give instruction once the season starts before purchasing this membership).

***PLEASE NOTE: During registration, we will ask each parent to consider this before signing up their child for the team: While participation in St. Louis Blazers is NOT contingent upon speed/ability or race performance results (we are happy to take on runners of all abilities!), retention/fit with the team WILL be based on ATTITUDE, EFFORT, SPORTSMANSHIP, and RESPECT FOR COACHES AND TEAMMATES. We look forward to coaching individuals who WANT to be here, are willing to embrace the team/training process, give us a positive attitude and the effort we ask for at each practice. Each season we have a roster cap, and have a wait list to get onto the team. In each of the previous seasons, we have had a rising number of individuals signed up for the team that express to us a dis-interest in the sport, note they do not want to be at practice (that their “parents make them be here”), and refuse to participate in running. We will do everything we can to make running and practice a positive experience for your child, however we do need you child to meet these above requirements regarding positive attitude and effort at practice. If your child does not want to come to practice to run and participate, we ask that you consider other alternatives so that roster spots are filled with individuals that want to be in our program. If individuals join that do not meet the above requirements of positive attitude and effort at practice, the Blazers have the right to remove these individuals from participation with the team.


PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:45pm to 7pm. Practices will be at Laumeier Sculpture Park for the majority of the season. During the final month of the season we will move practices to Kirkwood Park so that we can practice under the lights.

Laumeier Sculpture Park
12580 Rott Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63127

(At Laumeier, we will meet at the parking lot that is on the east side of the visitor center, near the “eyeball” statue) 

Kirkwood Park (tennis courts meet-up area)
529 West Adams Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63122

(meet at the Kirkwood Park tennis courts)

Race distances:

  • 8 years old - 2km race (about 1.25 miles)

  • 9-10 years old - 3km race (about 1.85 miles)

  • 11-12 years old - 3km race (about 1.85 miles)

  • 13-14 years old - 4km race (about 2.48 miles)