All this week, we will be previewing the 2011 Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Invitational, one of the year's biggest meets.  So far, 114 teams have registered their athletes to compete on what will be the States course this year.  Boasting strong teams from every section in the state, this meet looks to be a good match-up on both the boys' side and the girls' side. Great competition is sure to be had as Rush-Henrietta battles Shaker for the top spot for the boys.  For the girls, it looks to be a battle to try and keep Fayetteville-Manlius from getting the top 5 finishers.  Look for our full meet preview later in the week.  For now, take a visual tour of what will be the course, both for the Invitational as well as the 2011 NYSPHSAA - New York State Championships, photographed exclusively by Kyle Brazeil for MileSplit NY.

For a full list of the current teams registered to run, please visit the meet homepage here.

For those athletes and coaches who are familiar to the course, there are some slight additions this year.  There will now be a 8 X 10 video screen placed inside the track for live results and streaming video as well as 2 cameras on the course and one stationary camera at the finish line. 

For those unfamiliar, prepare for an exciting course.  The course runs through numerous different biomass energy crops, including switchgrass, shrub willow, and sorghum.  These crops, which are housed in fields that the cross country course loops through, are used as biofuel to help the school generate more than a thousand gallons of syrup from their numerous maple trees, another crop which the course runs through.  Athletes will notice tubes connecting most of the trees in the latter part of the race.  These tubes connect to a large reverse-osmosis machine, which aids in the filtration process.

Representing the diversity of New York State well, athletes will be running in a range of athletic fields, grassy plains, deep forests, paved roads, and corn fields.  The terrain allows for very little standing water, so the effects of the recent weather should not be a factor. The course has its fair share of steep hills, both at the end of the first 1000 as well as the end of the fourth 1000.  The course should allow for some very fast time and some very competitive races.  To see the course in its entirety, as well as speak with some of VVS's top athletes, see below.

 

 

To View Virtual Race, Please Click Here

 

See an Interview with VVS' own Kerry Miley and Seth Macdonald

https://ny.milesplit.com/videos?id=19035