How to use XCStats


If it’s true that information is power, then as a subscriber, your team should have a very good season! The stats of XCStats provide a whole bunch of ways to motivate runners, to build a fun program and to celebrate success that just aren't possible without the data. In this section, we discuss at how XCStats can be used by coaches, parents and runners.

Runners

Ok, kids, you have a homework assignment. Here it is: beat or meet your best time at the course of your upcoming event. You know you can do it- you did it before. Figure out what your mile split times need to be, get a friend to help you, train hard, eat right and listen to your coach. Yes, cross country running is torture, but so is physics, math and literature and you get to be outside. Give it your best effort - you may not beat your time, but you can feel proud of your effort!

Coaches

The most fundamental change a coach can make with XCStats data is to institutionalize layout the accomplishment of improvements. I recommend that you have the accomplishment of improvements become the foundation with which your program is built. Your top 1 or 2 runners may run a “strategic” race, so improvements may not be as important for them, but for everyone else they are. Since every runner knows their past performances for every course, there is no reason why they can’t set an appropriate goal for the next time they run that course. For willing runners, have them write their necessary split times on their wrist (or memorize them); parents or coaches can be positioned at the mile markers calling out the times; they can buddy-up with someone who has a similar time to beat; and they train at the pace necessary for them to beat that time. And be sure to celebrate every new improvement!

One way to motivate every runner on your team throughout the season, and to encourage team unity, is to set an overall team goal for percent achievement of improvements. With this metric, every runner and performance is as important as any other. It provides a team or school goal that everyone can rally around and use to encourage each other. Once a goal target is set, the coach layout can enter it so that it is displayed on the PR Accomplishment Chart allowing parents, fans and runners to track the team's progress toward this goal throughout the season.

XCStats has extended the cross country concept of team competition to nearly every member of your team, providing more opportunity for motivation. With XCStats, it’s not just the top 5 who participate in the team competition. Every group of 5 participates in a race against the same group of 5 from other schools. This makes every team members' score count toward a school-wide goal and gives the coach another opportunity to acknowledge runners performances.

Parents

Follow the lead of your child in regards to XCStats and Cross Country in general. Some kids will devour the new reports after each race and track their progress diligently, set goals for themselves and strive to meet them. Others will ignore the stats entirely. Encourage your kids to explore XCStats and challenge them to do their best, but don’t go overboard. Be aware that it is not unusual that some layout runners will find improving difficult. One of the best runners at Mitty had their best season as a Freshman, and didn’t get back to that pace until their last races Senior year. Even if they are not running as they would like, there is so much data in XCStats, that you can be sure to find some good news, even if it’s the “number of races” column. Celebrate their participation. After all, “eighty percent of success is showing up" to reference a quote from Woody Allen.