With a clipboard, stopwatch, and a smile- that's how you would find Crystal Branch at cross country and track and field meets. The longtime Southern Boone County High School coach could be seen all over Mid-Missouri, giving guidance and encouragement to her athletes and their competitors. She was a champion and cheerleader of Southern Boone County students, athletes, and all those competing. A few words of encouragement, a pat on the shoulder, a smile, and an arm around you were all ways she could encourage and uplift her athletes and students.
Branch had a heart for others, especially for her Southern Boone County schools and Ashland community. Crystal White -at the time- was a Southern Boone County student and played on the Eagles state championship softball team in 1981. She later returned to teach and coach at Southern Boone, including softball, cross country, and track, before hanging up the clipboard and stopwatch a few years ago.
A physical education teacher at the primary school, she got to affect many Southern Boone students before middle and high school and then coach or cheer them on to success while representing the Eagles. Branch was also the Show-Me State Games cross country director for many years, putting on the annual race in Columbia each Summer.
Branch passed away last year after a bout of cancer. Her impact on the Southern Boone County and Ashland community and their love for her is evident in a fundraising campaign in her honor. Her commitment to the community went above and beyond, including her work in the Buddy Pack program, ensuring no kids went hungry on the weekends and other times when school meals weren't available. Her family started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $10,000 for the program. That total quickly was raised to $20,000 after the initial goal was swiftly met. $42,832 was raised for the program, more than doubling the goal.
Crystal Branch Invitational - Distance Carnival
Distance Medley Relay, 800, Mile, 2 Mile
5:30-7:30 The Undercard
7:30-8:30pm The Main Event
Meet Page
Meet Website
Meet Registration
Three of her athletes over the years included her children, Courtney, Cody, and Colby. Crystal got to see oldest son Cody start to time meets for his running club team as a youth when he wasn't competing in three sports for the Eagles. That interest grew, and Crystal watched Cody become one of the top track and cross country timers and event managers in the Western Hemisphere. Cody is the Director of Elite Events for Prime Time Timing, and younger brother Colby is a Senior Event Manager. Cody was the head timer for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, the second time in his career and the first for PTTiming to work the meet. In recent years, they have put Mom Crystal and Dad Jeff to work at the business, at the state meets, and at other events like the Gans Creek Classic. Jeff can be seen at the start and finish area of races at the state track and field meets.
A year after the fundraising campaign, the family and school honor Crystal by hosting a track and field meet, The Crystal Branch Invitational. The meet will be held Friday and Saturday at the new track that bears her name. The school will host a middle school meet on Friday afternoon, April 4, followed by a Distance Carnival on Friday evening before a high school meet on Saturday, April 5.
Former University of Missouri coach and Southern Boone County assistant Marc Burns, who returned to the college ranks this Winter as the Arkansas Women's distance coach after 3.5 years away to work for Boost Treadmills, spend more time with family and support his four sons' athletic endeavors, shared about the meet and Crystal:
"The Crystal Branch Invitational is a meet created to honor Coach Branch and all that she did for Southern Boone and the sports of cross country and track & field. She touched so many lives in a positive way during her time at Southern Boone as a coach and a teacher. When you say someone left a place better than they found it, that embodies exactly what Coach Branch did for the Ashland community and Southern Boone schools and athletic programs. As a family, we have been fortunate enough to get to know the Branch family over the 9 years we were in Ashland. They are truly the heart and soul of that community and school system."
Burns added "Cody and Colby (Prime Time Timing) will be timing the meet so you know it will be a first-class meet. The coaching staff is excited to host a great team middle school meet on Friday afternoon and a high school meet on Saturday. Friday night will be the Elite Distance Night and Coach Blackburn at Rock Bridge is helping set that up with Colby to provide some high-quality races in Mid Missouri under the lights. The track is brand new and named after Coach Branch. This will be one of the most competitive meets of the outdoor season in Missouri!"
Crystal with (left to right) Alexandra Volkart, Connor Burns, Evan Mauney, and Coach Ron Smith. Branch Family Photo
The inaugural Crystal Branch Invitational begins Friday afternoon with the Middle School meet beginning at 2:00 pm. The Distance Carnival kicks off with "The Undercard" at 5:30 pm. The Distance Medley Relay is the first race followed by multiple sections of each individual race at the three distances (800m, Mile, 2 Mile). The "Main Event" and national anthem start at 7:30 pm. with an hour of a single section of the distance races featuring the fastest-seeded entrants.
Distance carnivals are especially popular at the post-collegiate and collegiate level as athletes try to reach national meet qualifying standards and the opportunity to post the fastest times possible in search of national championship berths where only the fastest 16, 24, 48, etc., are accepted.
Carnivals can often provide a day or two of distance races at locations with favorable weather and conditions for top performances, like the Stanford Invitational in California. Distance carnivals also occur as part of traditional meets, like on Thursdays at the Drake and Kansas Relays. Coach Jeff Stiles and his Washington University staff have built one of the top carnivals in the Midwest with the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis. This year's carnival has expanded to two days, Thursday and Friday, March 27-28, attracting many athletes from the NCAA Division I, II, and III and NAIA and JUCO ranks.
Crystal with Connor and Brian Burns (right).
Carnivals can provide an atmosphere favorable to fast racing. Athletes can be boosted to personal records (PR) from the carnival's energy and excitement and the sight of others running fast times. Similar to how Crystal Branch boosted those with whom she came in contact.
Friday, April 4, under the lights in Ashland, athletes will have the opportunity to race and give their all and be a part of honoring a woman who gave her all to students, athletes, and her community.
Rock Bridge coach Neal Blackburn says his athletes and runners from Tolton Catholic, SLUH, Rockhurst, Kirkwood, Liberty-Wentzville, Herculaneum, and Owensville are committed to being there and competing. Others are welcome to join; registration is open until April 3 at 5:00 pm.
Bowling Green coach Matt Chance said of Crystal, "Coach Branch was a constant positive influence on many athletes and coaches at Southern Boone for a long time. Her athletes were always prepared, and her athletes were always respectful. The Branch family has a long tradition of cross country and track memories. I am happy that they are starting the Southern Boone Distance Carnival in her honor."
Owensville's Matt Canrdrl added, "She was a coach who you knew had a passion and took her craft seriously."
When I think of Crystal, my soul smiles, and often, my face follows suit. Her big smile, attitude, and temperament of care and positive support were endless. It always had a way of rubbing off. It could stop you and brighten your day, reminding you of the joy and positive outlook we can have amidst the struggle of hard work, competition, and success and disappointment.
She is missed but won't be forgotten. I look forward to celebrating her like she did so many others.
Branch Family photo
With a clipboard, stopwatch, and a smile- that's how you would find Crystal Branch at cross country and track and field meets. The longtime Southern Boone County High School coach could be seen all over Mid-Missouri, giving guidance and encouragement to her athletes and their competitors. She was a champion and cheerleader of Southern Boone County students, athletes, and all those competing. A few words of encouragement, a pat on the shoulder, a smile, and an arm around you were all ways she could encourage and uplift her athletes and students.