Meet Information
The Mid-East Cross Country Championships presents the best high school senior runners from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and other area states. In past years Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virgina have participated. The event is sponsored by the members of the Greater Dayton Track and Cross Country Officials Association and the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches. The race has been held annually since 1987.
Cross Country Fans,
I am proud to announce the Twenty Fifth running of the Mid East Cross Country Championships is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th at Indian Riffle Park in Kettering Ohio. The meet is located next to the Kettering Recreation Complex and Kettering Fairmont Junior High School. The Women will race at 11:00 am, followed by the Men at 11:30 am. At around 12:30 pm, Lunch and Awards follow the race. Tickets for lunch are limited. Decide early that day to purchase a lunch ticket as they typically sell out. Where has the time gone this fall. State meets across the country are almost all but complete and it is the 25th running of The Mid East Meet of Champions. I would like to invite any and all past participants and coaches of this event to contact me directly. Hopefully you can make it back to watch this year's races and cheer on you favorite state.
Twenty five plus years ago a few Dayton Ohio area coaches and Running geeks asked each other about why there wasn't an Senior All star event in Cross Country, like there is in many other sports? The idea was planted and under the guidance of Neal Charske, Bob Karl and a few others, the Mid EAST Meet of Champions was born! In 1986, the first race was run, Ohio's own future collegiate All American, NCAA champion and Olympian, Bob Kennedy and future collegiate All American, NCAA Nationals participant and Olympic trials qualifier, Lori Gomez would be the individual champions that first year on a cold, snowy course.
Since that year, many former competitors became teammates with a common cause, to win a state title for their home state. Several ended up as collegiate teammates. Some have become life long friends and still stay in contact years later after meeting in this once in a life time race. A few have even gone onto become husband and wife! Some have competed in the race only to return years later as a coach with their own athletes competing in the same race they one did.
Over the years, various races have been introduced as a championship event, but the Mid East Meet of Champions has stood the test of time. A dedicated Games committee, the support of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches, the city of Kettering and many more folks, have allowed this event to be a true meet of Champions. This meet is open to seniors only, not like many of the other championships type races, like the Nike Challenge and Foot Locker. This event brings the best that each participating state has to offer. Some states have a selection committee and an invitation that goes out to the athletes to assemble a team. One state actually has to have a race to determine the team members.
The original five participating states included; Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania, hence the meet name "Mid East" rather than Mid West. West Virginia and Kentucky have participated over the years, but like Pennsylvania, have not been able to participate recently. You will have a chance to see forty eight top Quality "Senior only" Cross Country athletes, from four states, go at it, head to head in each race! The top five score, as is the case in most traditional races, but to make it a true event where all runners matter, the next seven runners act as displacers. Team depth can make or break a team score!
There have been a few modifications to this year's course lay out. It seems to race a few seconds faster than in the past. We'll have to see how this year's crop of seniors do on it!
There is nothing like the Mid East in the country that I know of, for seniors only. For more specific meet information, go to the official meet web site: http://www.members.aol.com/jagerstle/mideast5.html. You may also find information about this meet by going to the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches link also: http://www.oatccc.com/. Feel free to come in on Friday for the Ohio Cross Country Clinic! This Clinic is sponsored by the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches. The clinic registration information can also be found on the www.oatcc.com link. Clinic fee is $50 for early registration or $60 for late registretion.
Look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this year's event!
Yours in Running,
Mike Baumer
Meet Games Committee Member
Cross Country Fans,
I am proud to announce the Twenty Fifth running of the Mid East Cross Country Championships is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th at Indian Riffle Park in Kettering Ohio. The meet is located next to the Kettering Recreation Complex and Kettering Fairmont Junior High School. The Women will race at 11:00 am, followed by the Men at 11:30 am. At around 12:30 pm, Lunch and Awards follow the race. Tickets for lunch are limited. Decide early that day to purchase a lunch ticket as they typically sell out. Where has the time gone this fall. State meets across the country are almost all but complete and it is the 25th running of The Mid East Meet of Champions. I would like to invite any and all past participants and coaches of this event to contact me directly. Hopefully you can make it back to watch this year's races and cheer on you favorite state.
Twenty five plus years ago a few Dayton Ohio area coaches and Running geeks asked each other about why there wasn't an Senior All star event in Cross Country, like there is in many other sports? The idea was planted and under the guidance of Neal Charske, Bob Karl and a few others, the Mid EAST Meet of Champions was born! In 1986, the first race was run, Ohio's own future collegiate All American, NCAA champion and Olympian, Bob Kennedy and future collegiate All American, NCAA Nationals participant and Olympic trials qualifier, Lori Gomez would be the individual champions that first year on a cold, snowy course.
Since that year, many former competitors became teammates with a common cause, to win a state title for their home state. Several ended up as collegiate teammates. Some have become life long friends and still stay in contact years later after meeting in this once in a life time race. A few have even gone onto become husband and wife! Some have competed in the race only to return years later as a coach with their own athletes competing in the same race they one did.
Over the years, various races have been introduced as a championship event, but the Mid East Meet of Champions has stood the test of time. A dedicated Games committee, the support of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches, the city of Kettering and many more folks, have allowed this event to be a true meet of Champions. This meet is open to seniors only, not like many of the other championships type races, like the Nike Challenge and Foot Locker. This event brings the best that each participating state has to offer. Some states have a selection committee and an invitation that goes out to the athletes to assemble a team. One state actually has to have a race to determine the team members.
The original five participating states included; Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania, hence the meet name "Mid East" rather than Mid West. West Virginia and Kentucky have participated over the years, but like Pennsylvania, have not been able to participate recently. You will have a chance to see forty eight top Quality "Senior only" Cross Country athletes, from four states, go at it, head to head in each race! The top five score, as is the case in most traditional races, but to make it a true event where all runners matter, the next seven runners act as displacers. Team depth can make or break a team score!
There have been a few modifications to this year's course lay out. It seems to race a few seconds faster than in the past. We'll have to see how this year's crop of seniors do on it!
There is nothing like the Mid East in the country that I know of, for seniors only. For more specific meet information, go to the official meet web site: http://www.members.aol.com/jagerstle/mideast5.html. You may also find information about this meet by going to the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches link also: http://www.oatccc.com/. Feel free to come in on Friday for the Ohio Cross Country Clinic! This Clinic is sponsored by the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches. The clinic registration information can also be found on the www.oatcc.com link. Clinic fee is $50 for early registration or $60 for late registretion.
Look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this year's event!
Yours in Running,
Mike Baumer
Meet Games Committee Member