History & Purpose of the Meet

The Eaton Junior High Cross Country Invitational was created 1990 for the purpose of creating an additional meet for the junior high cross country schedule due to the limited number of race opportunities available at that time.  The Eaton coaching staff and parent organization decided to take on the task to create and support an additional invitational at Fort St. Clair Park in Eaton, Ohio.  The decision was to use the last Tuesday of September or first Tuesday of October as the race day, depending on the Ohio High School Athletic Association calendar.  The 2009 meet will mark the 20th consecutive season for the invitational and it has turned out to be all that the coaching staff and parent organization hoped it would become.  It has been an excellent addition to the Eaton Cross Country program. 

Primary Goals of the Invitational

1. Provide an additional race opportunity for junior high athletes.   

2. Provide an atmosphere where the focus is only on the junior high athletes.

3. Create a smaller, but competitive race for all participants.

4. Create a weekday race that will allow greater parent attendance.

5. Provide a pre-league race for athletes to tune up prior to their league championships.

6. Provide an additional opportunity to share & emphasize the sport of cross country.