32nd Sunfair Invitational
Oct 1, 2005 at Yakima WA

Meet Information

Location:

Franklin Park, 19th & Tieton Dr., Yakima, Washington

Web Site Coverage:

Complete results and pictures will appear on our website Sunfairrun.com, DyeStat.com and watfxc.com. John and Donna Dye will attend the meet and provide live coverage on race day. Sunfair 2005 will also be a featured meet on Dyestat.com website.

Key Sponsor:

Brooks Sports, Inc.

Course Length:

3-miles for all races with the exception of the grade/middle school (1.0 mile and 1.5 miles) and the Frosh (2.0 miles) competitions. These competitions will be run over the last sections of the 3-mile course. For example, the Frosh races will be run over the last 2-miles of the regular 3-mile course.

Course Description:

Primarily grass with short sections of pavement. Spikes or flats may be worn. The course is comprised of 4 loops with the terrain varying from a steep hill at 1-mile to rolling-gentle areas. The start area will be in the middle of Franklin Park.

The course will be marked and available for viewing on Friday September 30th. Officials will be available for course clarification from 2:00pm to 6:00pm at Franklin Park on Friday September 30.

Entry Form:

Schools are encouraged to enter runners in any race at the Sunfair Invitational (except grades 3rd-6th).

An official entry form must be completed and returned prior to September 10th. All coaches are required to Email complete rosters with gender identification by Sept. 15th. The race you choose for your runners to compete in is entirely your prerogative.

Entry Fee:

$100.00 for a combined Girls' & Boys' team. $50.00 entry fee for just one team and $10.00 for an individual entry. Please make checks payable to Eisenhower ASB, forward to: Phil English, Eisenhower H.S., 702 So. 40th Ave., Yakima, WA 98908.

Lane Assignments:

There will be no assigned lanes. Runners are free to start at any point behind the starting line.

Restrooms:

Restrooms will be available at Franklin Middle School and 20 Portable toilets will be available throughout the park.

Parking:

Parking will be available (limited) at Franklin Park on Tieton Dr. Additional parking will be available at Franklin Middle School on 19th Ave. Please do not park on private property or block private driveways. Parking for buses and vans will be available at the church at the corner of Chestnut Ave. & 16th Ave.

Concessions:

A full concession stand will be available for the duration of the meet.

Meet Scoring:

All 7-Varsity Flights will be scored by place. The team accumulating the lowest number of points for all seven flights will be declared the winner. Ties will be broken by the finish of the runner in Flight 7.

Teams that do not have seven Varsity runners complete the course will be assigned the last place score for any one or more Flights. There will be no team scoring for non-varsity races. Schools must have five VARSITY runners complete the course in order to be considered for team scoring.

Results:

A complete packet of results will be available to coaches after the awards ceremony. Result packets will not be mailed unless specifically requested prior to the meet.

Race Numbers:

All runners must wear a race number during the race. These numbers will be provided in team packets. All coaches must Email ([email protected]) a complete roster prior to September 15^th. This roster must include first and last name and gender. No teams or individuals will be entered on the day of the meet.

Individual Awards:

**** Ribbons for places 2-50 in each non-varsity race

**** Ribbons for places 2-10 in each Varsity Flight

**** Medals to winners in every race & in each Varsity Flight

**** Winners of Varsity Flights will receive a pair of Brooks shoes.

Team Awards:

**** 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rdin 4A Classification

**** 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rdin 3A Classification

**** 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rdin in A/B/2A combined Classifications

**** Overall trophy to the top combined school in both Boys & Girls

Packet Pick-up:

Packets may be picked-up at the picnic hut at Franklin Park on Friday afternoon September 30^th or on Saturday morning on your arrival at the meet.

Medical:

A team of physicians and athletic trainers will be on duty for the duration of the meet.

Admission:

Franklin Park will be fenced-off for the meet. Admission gates will be established at various locations around the park. Adults will be charged $5.00, and students with ASB $3.00. All participants, coaches, and school personnel will be admitted free.

T-Shirts:

A large selection of uniquely designed apparel will be available for purchase.

Publicity Notes:

   The 32nd Annual Sun Fair Invitational Cross Country Meet, Saturday October 1, 2005 at Franklin Park. The meet will begin at 9:00 am with the 3-6 grade runners. Information on the times and participating schools in the event can be found on the sunfairrun.com website.
     This is the largest single day high school competition in the northwest of any kind of athletics. Brooks has been the sponsor of the meet for the last couple of years and will be there this year as well. They award a brand new pair of running spikes to first place finishers for each of the seven varsity flights. They also have booth at the park and sell “T shirts and other Brooks paraphernalia.”
    This meet is featured on www.DyeStat.com, the premier nationwide high school and college running website. The site features photos, results, as well as a pictorial tour of the Yakima Valley. In years past the site has received hundreds of thousands of hits the week before and after the meet. Another benefit for the community is the approximately $1.5 million tourist dollars that come into the valley as a result of the meet. As always there will be a concessions stand and “T” shirts for sale as well.

Meet Records :
     The course record for the boys is held by Matthew Davis an NCAA all American in Oregon.
     Last year the girls course record previously held by Sara Schwald a former U.S. Olympian was broken by the number 1 & 2 finishers of the race.   Brei Felnagle from Bellermine Prep in 1st place and Zoe Nelson from Flathead H.S. in Montana in 2nd place. Prior to the race both girls were nationally recognized and promised a terrific competition. Those who witnessed the race will remember the amazing “come from behind finish” from Brei Felnagle as she used her ½ mile sprint strength to close the approximately ½ mile gap and move ahead to win the race.

Meet director:
     The meet director for the 32nd annual Sun Fair Cross Country Invitational is Phil English, cross country coach for Eisenhower High School. He has run the meet for many years and has a wealth of information from memorable athletes and teams to memorable races, who will be coming this year as well as changes in the sport. He can provide an interesting interview and is always happy to talk about the Sun Fair Meet. Your listeners would also enjoy his unique Irish accent! Mr. English can be reached at school 573-2644, at home 965-1009.

Reunion Run:
     The 1985 boys cross country team from the former Caroll High School will be gathering for a twentieth year reunion run at Sun Fair. Their reunion run will be part of the Community Run which is always the last race of the day. They were the schools’ last State Champion team for the last year of the high schools existence. Mr. English was their coach at the time and one of his runners Robert Price is currently his assistant coach at Eisenhower.   Pat O’Connor, a member of the team, is available to give more details regarding the team and their plans. He can be reached at home 972-2271, or at work 454-2309.

Discovery Lab School:
     Discovery Lab School launched their first athletic program for the middle school group last year. They chose cross country as their sport and after a successful year they are back and planning on participating in the Sun Fair Invite. Their home field is Chesterly Park. The boys coach is Tom Fletcher 573-5438, the girls coach is Shari Fletcher 573-5433 (they are not related). They would love to talk about their program and have you film the kids training.

Timing:
     Timing a meet of this size is a significant undertaking. Kevin McCarthy, Manager for the White Pass Ski Resort, is the chair for this year’s event. His knowledge gained through overseeing ski racing gives him “the edge” in planning the finish line activities. He would be interesting to talk to regarding the high tech aspects of timing which have become essential at the very competitive high school level. Previously, these meets were timed by hand; with more than 3,000 participants this is no longer possible. Call Kevin McCarthy for an interview at home 453-0930 or at work 672-3101 cell 945-3030.

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