Spring & Summer Training Opportunities

These sessions are open for any current eighth graders who are registered to attend St. Mary's in the Fall 2023. Also, any seventh graders as well as strong sixth grade players interested in attending St. Mary's are welcome to attend after completing the registration process in link above titled: Spring & Summer Training Registration. 

DAY	DATE	ACTIVITY	LOCATION	START TIME	FINISH TIME
Tue	4/11/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	7:00 PM	8:30 PM
Fri	4/14/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	5:00 PM	7:00 PM
Tue	4/18/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	7:00 PM	8:30 PM
Thu	4/20/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	7:00 PM	8:30 PM

Tue	4/25/2023	Welcome Night	SMA	7:00 PM	8:30 PM
Fri	4/28/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	7:00 PM	8:30 PM
Tue	5/2/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	7:00 PM	8:30 PM
Wed	5/3/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	7:30 PM	9:00 PM
Tue	5/9/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	6:00 PM	7:30 PM
Thu	5/11/2023	Training Session	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	6:00 PM	7:30 PM

 

All students currently attending St. Mary's are welcome to attend the Open Period Basketball Training sessions this spring at St. Mary's led by head coach Art Rojas.  

DAY	DATE	ACTIVITY	LOCATION	START TIME	FINISH TIME
Tue	4/11/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM
Thu	4/13/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	7:00 PM
Sun	4/16/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	6:00 PM	8:00 PM
Tue	4/18/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM

Thu	4/20/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM
Sun	4/23/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	7:00 PM	8:30 PM
Tue	4/25/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM
Thu	4/27/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM
Sun	4/30/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	6:00 PM	8:00 PM
Wed	5/3/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	5:30 PM	7:30 PM

Thu	5/4/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	6:00 PM	8:00 PM
Sun	5/7/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	6:00 PM	8:00 PM
Tue	5/9/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM
Thu	5/18/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM
Sun	5/21/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	6:00 PM	8:00 PM
Tue	5/23/2023	High School Workout	SMA Mathews Gymnasium	3:30 PM	5:30 PM

Thu

5/25/2023

High School Workout

SMA Mathews Gymnasium

3:10 PM

5:00 PM

Mon	6/26/2023	OPEN GYM	PSU Stott Pavillion	2:00 PM	3:00 PM
Tue	6/27/2023	OPEN GYM	PSU Stott Pavillion	2:00 PM	3:00 PM
Wed	6/28/2023	OPEN GYM	PSU Stott Pavillion	2:00 PM	3:00 PM
Thu	6/29/2023	OPEN GYM	PSU Stott Pavillion	2:00 PM	3:00 PM

Summer basketball begins May 30th for all incoming and returning SMA students. This is a great opportunity for students interested or intending to participate in basketball during the 2023-24 school year. Participation is not mandatory, but highly recommended as team(s) will work on base defenses and offenses utilized during the school season. Summer ball is a time where programs build the chemistry, camaraderie, and continuity necessary to achieve lasting success. 

Practices will be held weekdays beginning May 30; specific times and days will be posted after the number of teams is solidified. 

Scrimmages will include a couple of weekday scrimmages against local high school teams; currently those include Central Catholic (6/2) & Cleveland (6/8) although may be subject to change. We will keep you posted!

Tournaments will include two local and one travel event:

Prairie Tournament: Saturday, June 10 & Sunday, June 11 - looking to have two to three team participate in this event located in Brush Prairie, Washington. Teams will travel back and forth each day. Specific information will be provided once teams are registered.

Gonzaga Tournament: Wednesday, June 14 - Sunday, June 18 - looking to take two teams to this event in Spokane, Washington. Teams will scrimmage and practice with Spokane teams, enjoy a day at Silverwood theme park and participate in the Gonzaga Summer Shootout. Trip specifics will be provided once numbers are solidified. 

University of Portland Tournament: Friday, June 23 - Sunday, June 25 - looking to take two to three teams to this tournament held at the Chiles Center, home of the OSAA state basketball championships. Specific information will be provided once teams are registered.

Open to students in grades 5 - 9, Monday, June 26 - Thursday, June 29 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. Find camp details and a link to registration on the Athletic Summer Camps page. 

SMA Head Basketball Coach: Art Rojas

Students attending the optional summer training sessions below must complete the Spring & Summer Training Registration prior to attending. Recommended optional summer weekday morning training sessions will be held at Buckman Field:

• June 27 & 29:  Training from 9:30-11:30 AM 
• June 30-July 9:  OFF 
• July 10- 21:  Training every M/W/F 9:30-11:30 AM
• July 24- 30: No training due to OSAA Moratorium Week
• July 31-Aug 4: Training M/W/F   9:30-11:30 AM 

Two sessions open to students in grades 6-12.

• Session 1: Tuesday, June 20 - Thursday, June 22 from 9:30-11:30 am
• Session 2: Monday, August 7- Friday, August 11 from 9:30-11:30 am

Find camp details and a link to registration on the Athletic Summer Camps page. 

SMA Head Soccer Coach: Greg Martin

 

@ St. Mary's Mathews Gymnasium:

• Wednesday, May 17 3:30-5:30 PM (current SMA students)
• Tuesday, May 23 - 5:30-7:45 PM (current SMA students)
• Thursday, May 25 - 5:00-7:00 PM (current SMA students)

@ PSU Stott Pavillion:

• Tuesday, May 30 - 6:00 - 8:00 PM at PSU Stott Pavillion Practice Gym (incoming and current SMA students)
• Thursday, June 1 - 5:00-7:00 PM at All Saints Grade School Gymnasium (NE Laddington Ct. & Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.)
• Tuesday, June 6 - 4:00 - 6:00 PM at PSU Stott Pavillion Practice Gym (incoming and current SMA students)

 

For a change of pace, check out Portland Junior Beach for information on beach volleyball opportunities. 

SMA Head Volleyball Coach: Wendy Stammer

 On Monday and Wednesday evenings we will be meeting at St. Mary’s Academy and doing a 75–90-minute strength and conditioning workout.  Workouts will consist of 30-40 minutes of body weight and light resistance strength training followed by 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular condition (running).    

Starting in July on Thursdays we will meet at the picnic area in Hoyt Arboretum and do hill workouts.

DAY	DATE	EVENT	LOCATION	START TIME	FINISH TIME
Wed	6/21/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Mon	6/26/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Wed	6/28/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Wed	7/5/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Thu	7/6/2023	HILLS AT HOYT	Hoyt Arboretum	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Mon	7/10/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Wed	7/12/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Thu	7/13/2023	HILLS AT HOYT	Hoyt Arboretum	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Mon	7/17/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Wed	7/19/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Thu	7/20/2023	HILLS AT HOYT	Hoyt Arboretum	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Mon	7/31/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Wed	8/2/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Thu	8/3/2023	HILLS AT HOYT	Hoyt Arboretum	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Mon	8/7/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Wed	8/9/2023	Strength & Conditioning	SMA Weight Room	6:30 PM	8:00 PM
Thu	8/10/2023	HILLS AT HOYT	Hoyt Arboretum	6:30 PM	8:00 PM

Summer Long Runs for Experienced Runners will take place on Saturday mornings from 9:00 - 10:15 am. This is only recommended for runners who can run for at least 40 minutes without stopping.  Please note the location will alternate weekly.

Day	DATE	EVENT	LOCATION	START TIME	FINISH TIME
Sat	7/8/2023	Long Run	Leif Erikson-Thurman	9:00 AM	10:15 AM
Sat	7/15/2023	Long Run	Leif Erikson-Germantown	9:00 AM	10:15AM
Sat	7/22/2023	Long Run	Leif Erikson-Thurman	9:00 AM	10:15 AM
Sat	8/5/2023	Long Run	Leif Erikson-Germantown	9:00 AM	10:15AM

 

High Heat and Poor Air Quality: There will be no outdoor activity on days the Heat Index is 95 degrees or higher and/or the Air Quality Level is at UNHEALTHY of higher at 5:30 pm on Thursdays or 8:00 am on Saturdays. Here are the links where you can check; use the zip code 97201 for the location zip. 

OSAA Heat Index Calculator

Air Quality

Shoes  

Injuries can be common, especially for beginning runners. Shoes that are worn-out or do not provide the correct type of support can be one of the major contributing factors to this. Your shoes will be your most important piece of equipment.  Everyone’s top priority should be a good pair of training shoes.  I highly recommend buying these at one of the many specialty stores in the area.  These stores can help you find the proper shoe for your needs and make sure that it fits correctly.  I have included a list of some of the local stores below.  

How can you tell if it is time to replace your shoes? 

• The typical life span of a pair of running shoes is 300-500 miles total (running and walking) 

• Check to see if there are holes forming in the mesh upper, the foam looks deflated/lopsided, or the once-grippy tread is starting to disappear. 

• Pay attention to how your body feels during and after a run. If you start feeling aches and pains in your knee and hips, that is a red flag that your shoes need to be replaced. 

Local Running Specialty Stores: Some of these stores have multiple locations around Portland  

• Foot Traffic  
• Portland Running Company  
• Finish Line  
• Road Runner Sports  
• Fleet Feet  

Watch, Phone or Fitness Tracker  

Whether it is done with a simple digital watch, cell phone or expensive fitness tracker, it is essential that every runner can keep track of time during workouts. One word of caution if you plan to use your cell phone to track your workouts. Do not run with it in your hand. I have seen several runners damage their phones because they drop them, or they trip and fall. Invest in something to carry it in. Here is an article with several types of phone holders. 

Tracking Your Progress 

Progress is a key element of Cross Country and there are lots of ways to track yours. The SMA Cross Country program uses the free App STRAVA to record their runs and workouts. This is a terrific way to monitor your improvement while also allowing the coaching staff to follow and give proper feedback on your training.   

Strava:  Strava is a free social network for athletes. Record an activity and it goes to your Strava feed, where your friends and followers can share their own races and workouts, give kudos to great performances, and leave comments on each other's activities. Here is a link to a good guide on how to set up and use Strava. Strava Guide 2020 .  Once you have set up your personal account please join the Blues Running Club. 

While knowing how fast, far, and how long everyone’s runs is a good start, we are going to need more information than that, especially from potential varsity runners.  If girls have fitness trackers, we are going to need heart rate data.  We will also need girls to use the feature on Strava that lets you rank your Perceived Exertion (PE).  Here is why.  Say two girls go on a 4-mile run at the same pace.  If that is all the information we have, then we would most like assume it was a similar workout for each.  However, if we have heart rate data that shows us one girl's average heart rate was 180 while the other girls heart rate was 160, we now have a much clearer picture of where each is at.  Same thing with the perceived effort.  If one girl gives it a rating of 8 while the other gives it a 4, we can now evaluate where they are at more accurately.   

Here is how you should figure out your Perceived Exertion. Use a 1-10 scale where 1 is extremely easy and 10 is the maximum effort. Do not just go by how you feel at the end of a run. Instead have check points during your run to rank how you feel and try to remember them. At the end take the average of those check points and use that as your PE. Here is an example of a 3-mile run. At the end of the first mile your PE is a 3. During the 2nd mile you pick up the pace a little so by the end of it your PE (Perceived Exertion) is a 6. Finally, the 3rd mile has a huge hill at the end of it so when you finish your PE is an 8. The average of those three numbers is 5.6 and you should use that as your PE.  

SMA Head Cross Country Coach: Charles Douglas

Leif Erikson Trail Head at Thurman: 4198 NW Leif Erikson Dr, Portland, OR 97210

Leif Erikson Trail Head at Germantown Rd.: NW Leif Erikson Dr. and NW Germantown Rd., Portland, OR 97229

Hoyt Arboretum Picnic Area: 4000 SW Fairview Blvd, Portland, OR 97221 Mett under the Stevens Pavilion Picnic area 

 

Shoes  

Injuries can be common, especially for beginning runners. Shoes that are worn-out or do not provide the correct type of support can be one of the major contributing factors to this. Your shoes will be your most important piece of equipment.  Everyone’s top priority should be a good pair of training shoes.  I highly recommend buying these at one of the many specialty stores in the area.  These stores can help you find the proper shoe for your needs and make sure that it fits correctly.  I have included a list of some of the local stores below.  

How can you tell if it is time to replace your shoes? 

• The typical life span of a pair of running shoes is 300-500 miles total (running and walking) 

• Check to see if there are holes forming in the mesh upper, the foam looks deflated/lopsided, or the once-grippy tread is starting to disappear. 

• Pay attention to how your body feels during and after a run. If you start feeling aches and pains in your knee and hips, that is a red flag that your shoes need to be replaced. 

Local Running Specialty Stores: Some of these stores have multiple locations around Portland : 

• Foot Traffic  
• Portland Running Company  
• Finish Line  
• Road Runner Sports  
• Fleet Feet  

 Watch, Phone or Fitness Tracker  

Whether it is done with a simple digital watch, cell phone or expensive fitness tracker, it is essential that every runner can keep track of time during workouts. One word of caution if you plan to use your cell phone to track your workouts. Do not run with it in your hand. I have seen several runners damage their phones because they drop them, or they trip and fall. Invest in something to carry it in. Here is an article with several types of phone holders. 

Tracking Your Progress: 

Progress is a key element of Cross Country and there are lots of ways to track yours. The SMA Cross Country program uses the free App STRAVA to record their runs and workouts. This is a terrific way to monitor your improvement while also allowing the coaching staff to follow and give proper feedback on your training.   

Strava: 

Strava is a free activity tracker and social network for athletes and a great way to keep a detailed record of your runs and activities.  Record an activity and it goes to your Strava feed, where your friends and followers can see it and share their own races and workouts, give kudos to great performances, and leave comments on each other's activities. While Strava is a great tool for sharing information with teammates and friends, you are encouraged check with your parents before using this app and be selective about who you share your information with. There are 3 privacy settings on Strava, Only You, Followers and Everyone. By default, if you are under 18 when you sign up for Strava your privacy is set to Followers.  This means only people you give permission can see detailed information about your activities. We recommend leaving it on this setting. There are other safety features like hiding the start and finish on the run maps that can also be used. Here is a link to a good guide on how to set up and use Strava. Strava Set Up Guide  .  Once you have set up your personal account, please join the Blues Running Club. 

While knowing how fast, far, and how long everyone’s runs is a good start, we are going to need more information than that, especially from potential varsity runners.  If girls have fitness trackers, we are going to need heart rate data.  We will also need girls to use the feature on Strava that lets you rank your Perceived Exertion (PE).  Here is why.  Say two girls go on a 4-mile run at the same pace.  If that is all the information we have, then we would most like assume it was a similar workout for each.  However, if we have heart rate data that shows us one girl's average heart rate was 180 while the other girls heart rate was 160, we now have a much clearer picture of their level of fitness.  Same thing with the perceived effort.  If one girl gives it a rating of 8 while the other gives it a 4, we can now evaluate where they are at more accurately.   

Here is how you should figure out your Perceived Exertion. Use a 1-10 scale where 1 is extremely easy and 10 is the hardest thing you have ever done. Do not just go by how you feel at the end of a run. Instead have check points during your run to rank how you feel and try to remember them. At the end take the average of those check points and use that as your PE. Here is an example of a 3-mile run. At the end of the first mile your PE is a 3. During the 2nd mile you pick up the pace a little so by the end of it your PE (Perceived Exertion) is a 6. Finally, the 3rd mile has a huge hill at the end of it so when you finish your PE is an 8. The average of those three numbers is 5.6 and you should use that as your PE.