29th Annual Cojones Cross-country Running Series for Schools

Bowring Park, St. John's
Sep 17, Oct 1 & Oct 22, 2022
(Since 1993)


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Weather Information
ST. JOHN'S WEATHER

All races will go ahead rain or shine.

About

The Cross-country Running Series for Schools are organized by the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association (NLAA) and is held annually on the last two Saturdays in September and the first Saturday in October.

The meets are open to students competing in the designated categories and offer individual and team competition. All students are eligible to win individual awards, but only NLAA affiliated schools can score in the team competition. Schools are not asked to designate their team members as the top four finishers will score. Schools can register their teams, or individual students can sign-up independently. Schools can enter an unlimited number of participants.

Shelter - There is no shelter on site. Please come prepared for all weather conditions. All races will go ahead, rain or shine. Throughout the 29th year of history of the Cross-country Series, we had the following cancellations or postponements: the 2020 Series was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; during the 2021 Series, Meet #1 was rescheduled due to Hurricane Larry, and Meet #3 was cancelled due to lightning.

Parking, Entrance and Access to the Park

Bowring Park is located in the Waterford Valley, St. John's. No Change rooms on-site.

Participants and spectators should use the Western entrance Parking Lot to park and enter the Park. Walk to the field.

Please comply with all on-street parking restrictions. The City of St. John's will ticket vehicles that are parked in violation of posted parking restrictions. Vehicles that are deemed to be obstructing traffic will be towed.

Vehicle access to Bowring Park is limited to service vehicles. Vehicles are not permitted on landscaped areas. Vehicles access is not permitted during the event.

Click here to learn more about Bowring Park.

Team Scoring Rule change in 2018 New

Scores are determined by summing the top four individual finishing places on each team. Points are assigned equal to the position in which they cross the finish line; the team with the lowest score wins.

Displacers: While we allow unlimited entries per school, only the places of the top four runners will be recorded toward the team results; all other team members from the same school will be assigned points allowing them to “displace” scoring runners from other teams.

New Participants from non-affiliated schools and teams with less than 4 members will not be assigned team points.

Benefits of School Affiliation

Team Competition
Only affiliated schools can participate as a team and be eligible to win team awards.
Day-Permit Fees Waived
Students from affiliated schools save $1 (Day Fee) off individual registrations for school events.
Stay Connected
Schools affiliated with NLAA receive email communications and can stay informed on upcoming events.

* Schools can avail themselves of the benefits only when they affiliate with NLAA and cannot retroactively claim team points and discounts.

Categories & Distances

(categories based on school grades New)

  • Boys and Girls
  • Grade 4 (Born in 2013) - 1200m (1 large loop)
  • Grade 5 (Born in 2012) - 1200m (1 large loop)
  • Grade 6 (Born in 2011) - 1200m (1 large loop)
  • Grade 7 (Born in 2010) - 1800m (1 loop around the soccer field + 1 large loop)
  • Grades 8 and 9 (Born in 2008 or 2009) - 1800m (1 loop around the soccer field + 1 large loop)
  • Grades 10 - 11 - 12 (Born in 2005 through 2007) - 2300m (2 large loops)

Race Course

All races will be held on the trails of Bowring Park. The course is hilly; most of the trail surface is covered with gravel. The racecourse is NOT suitable for using spikes. The course is marked with orange ribbons, flags, and traffic cones – approximate length course loop 1,200m and 1,800m. There will be no Course Tour.

Registration and Fees

Registration
- Online registration & payment only.
- Students must register for each meet they take part in; new race numbers will be issued upon registration.
Fees (per meet and per participant)
- Regular - $6.00 ($5.00 members) - Sunday through Thursday before the meet;
- Late - $16.00 ($15.00 members) - by 4:00 pm on Friday before the meet.

Members receive $1 discount for NLAA affiliated schools or NLAA competitive members, that enter school code or membership # during the registration process.
Bib number pick-up
On-site, race day, at the BIB PICK-UP STATION after 8:00 am!
Runners will not be allowed to participate in the race or be disqualified for running without a number.

Please note that there is no in-person registration!

Technical Notes

  1. Course tour - there will be no course tour!
  2. Athletes can ONLY compete in the category determined by their SCHOOL GRADE. It is the school's responsibility to ensure that their athletes compete in the correct race. In cases where athletes compete in the incorrect category, they will be disqualified.
  3. Athletes can represent their school only and can not compete for another school.
  4. Bib numbers will be issued to all competitors; athletes must wear their bibs worn visibly on their chest (not belly). The race number must be worn as issued and may not be crumpled, cut, folded or obscured in any way. DO NOT REMOVE THE AFFIXED BARCODE LABEL!
    barcode.jpg - 6kb
  5. Athletes must be at the start area no later than 10 minutes before their event’s scheduled start.
  6. DO NOT JUMP THE CHUTE - All points are tabulated based on the athlete's finishing position. Therefore, after crossing the finish line, athletes must stay in line and keep the order of finish until the END of the chute, where a finish line official records their number.
  7. The FINISH TIMES are recorded at the front of the chute. The ORDER  is recorded at the end of the chute. After crossing the finish line, participants MUST stay in line, in arrival order, and MUST NOT PASS other runners while in the chute. To avoid bottle-necking the finish line, participants must keep WALKING forward in the chute until they exit.
  8. Athletes will be disqualified (DQ) when they:
    • if wearing another participant’s race number
    • start the race early, or take shortcuts during the race
    • do not go through the chute to have their number recorded at the end
    • cross the finish line without a number, or if the number is not prominently displayed on their chest
    • compete in the incorrect category/race
  9. Where possible, we will notify athletes of their DQ. This is generally not possible for people who skip the finish chute. You have from the end of your race until the start of the next race to make any protests.
     
REGISTRATION

awards

Meet Awards

Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals will be awarded in each race to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in each category.

Team scores will be kept in all races but no meet awards will be presented; however, overall Series awards will be given at the end of the Series.

Overall Series Awards

The overall series awards are based on the best 2 placings out of 3 races in each applicable category. Only NLAA affiliated schools are eligible for team awards.

Individual
- Category Winners
- Digital Certificate of Participation.
Team
- The "Paul McCloy" Award
- School Category Awards
- School with the Most Participants

Visit the Overall Awards page for more information on the Series Awards and for a list of award winners.

contact us

For information on the Cross-country Series or other programs offered by the NLAA, please contact us at:

call us

(709) 576-1303

office location

NLAA, The Didham Building, 1296 A Kenmount Rd, Paradise NL A1L 1N3

email

athletics@nlaa.ca