News for the Week of May1st

Sectionals complete, on to Diocese
Thursday and Saturday were our sectional championships. Congratulations to everyone who competed, regardless of final placement. I will post results to Athletic.net as soon as I get them. And I'll send the list of athletes who qualified for Diocese as soon as I get that! Hopefully most athletes have a good idea if they placed in the top 3 or not, although field events may be less clear. Ribbons for the Qualifying meet should be coming soon. We'll surely have a backlog of them to hand out at the picnic, too.

Final practices Monday & Thursday
Our last two! College Park HS, 5:00-6:30pm. All athletes on the team are welcome to attend, not just finalists.

Diocesan Meet
Order of events and other info is here.
800m and 1600m events
Friday, May 12 at Moreau High School, Hayward, 6:00pm start (first race 6:30pm)

Parade and remaining events
Saturday, May 13 at Logan High School, Union City, Arrive at 8:15am, parade starts 8:30

There's the same small admission fee to Saturday's event: $4 and $2.

Athletes should be in uniform, and will not need stickers.

Volunteers
Did your athlete make it to Diocese? Congratulations! Expect to be contacted about volunteer assignments for Saturday. This will go online via Signup Genius as soon as we know what positions our team needs to fill.

Picnic!
I just put up an event on SignUpGenius for the picnic. Please RSVP here.

The team provides cold drinks and hot charcoal grills: you bring something to grill for your family and something to share with the team. Salads, fruit -- picnic fare, nothing fancy.

Picnic is from around 11:30-3:00 on Saturday June 3rd at Pleasant Hill Park. We should have the fires hot by noon, and we'll start awards around 1:00pm. Note that there are awards for Sportsmanship, Team Spirit, Effort, etc. in addition to performance-based awards. We'd like to see all athletes and families at the picnic. Some awards are more likely to go to athletes who are known to be attending, so RSVP!

Our site is the covered tables near the youth center, at Gregory and Cleaveland. Look for the team banner.

News for the Week of April 30th

Qualifying Meet Results
The kids had a great meet and a lot of them made it to the next round, the Sectional Meet. A preliminary list of our qualifiers is here. If an athlete placed 4th, you may see an "Alternate" flag in the far right column. That means he/she would not get to run unless one of the other Qualifiers did not show up, which happens fairly frequently. Note that 4th place finishers in the 800 m, 1600 m, and all field events will get to compete and are not alternates.

If your athlete qualified and will not be able to compete, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can get an alternate into the event. The final list of Qualifiers won't be out until Wednesday morning after a Coordinator's Seeding Meeting Tuesday night.

If your athlete was on a Qualifying relay and won't be able to compete Saturday, let me know as soon as possible so that we don't have 3 other teammates make the trip for nothing!

Practices
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come to practice this week (and next), not just qualifiers.

Sectional Meet
The 1600m event will be on Thursday at YVHS at 5:30pm (1st event 6:00pm). Coaches will split up and cover both this meet and practice at CPHS. The order of events is:

1. Girls grades 3-5
2. Boys grades 3-5
3. Girls grades 6-8
4. Boys grades 6-8

There should be no admission fee charged at Thursday's event.

All other events are on Saturday, May 6th at DVC at 8:00am (1st event 8:30). Note the location change--the schedule on our website said differently!

There is a small admission fee on Saturday. The usual breakdown is $4 for adults, and $2 for seniors and school-age children. Exact change will be greatly appreciated by the gate volunteers.

Athletes in uniform and coaches with their current cards are free.

There may also be a "spike check" at the gate. Athletes with track shoes need to present them for inspection. They are looking for 1/4" (or smaller) pyramid spikes. I have extra metal spikes of this style and wrenches if we need to do a replacement.

The gate will be very, very busy on Saturday. Please arrive before 8:00am, especially athletes in the 4x100 relay. The 4x100 relays start calling at 8:10am. Please don't miss your race because you are stuck in line.

Sectional Meet Volunteers
If your athlete is competing, please be prepared to help out. If you're behind on your shift obligations, this will be your chance to catch up. Otherwise, you might want to check out the list of qualifiers and see if another family wants to split a meet job. We'll know what our team job assignments are Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Expect a Signup Genius invite!

Team Picnic
Our team picnic and awards ceremony will be Saturday June 3rd at Pleasant Hill Park. More in the next newsletter!

Sectional Meet

Sectional 1600 m Race
Ygnacio Valley High School
Thursday, 4/28, arrive by 5:15, 1st call 5:45, 1st race 6:00
Admission: free

Sectional Meet
Granada High School, Livermore
Saturday, 4/30, arrive by 7:45, 1st call 8:10, 1st race 8:30
Admission: $4 adults, $2 Seniors (65+) and kids (5-13)
Note that they intend to charge admission for volunteers (think of it as a donation to a good cause) but not for coaches with badges and athletes.

At both meets, spikes are limited to 1/4" pyramid shapes. Nothing longer and no needle shapes. There will be a spike check at the entrance gate on Saturday.

I omitted relay qualifiers from my last email. These are the teams that qualified:

4x100 Relay.Girls	3rd Grade	2nd Place	CTK
4x100 Relay.Boys	5th Grade	3rd Place	CTK
Sprint Medley.Boys	7th Grade	4th Place	SC
4x400 Relay.Boys	7th Grade	1st Place	SC

If your athlete was on one of those teams and cannot make it on Saturday, let your primary coach know so that he/she can try to scare up a replacement.

The complete list of qualifiers is here.

Here is the order of events for both days of the Sectional meet: Sectionals Order of Events

Meet Rules

• Athletes check-in on the softball field behind the snack shack for races and the field event locations as usual for jumping and throwing.
• No coaches, parents, or spectators are allowed on the track, infield, or staging area at any time.
• Athletes should stay off the infield when they are not competing.
• Everyone should enter the track area through a manned gate--no fence hopping.
• Check-in ONLY when the grade is called. Events will close. Races take priority. If an athlete is jumping/throwing and hears their race called, they need to:
1. Tell the event official that they have a race and which race it is
2. Get to the clerks behind snack shack, sign in, and stay there
3. Return to the field event as soon as their race is over
• Alternates check in as soon as the race is called. Alternates in races need to stay put with the clerks. You won't know if you're running until the head clerk closes the event or all the regular athletes check in. I would recommend staying until they are actually walked out to the start line.

Have Fun
It's always worth a reminder that in this league and on this team, sportsmanship, effort, friendship, and fun take precedence over winning. So encourage your sons and daughters to put forth their best efforts and let the chips fall where they may.

See you on the track!

News for the Week of April 24th

Qualifying Results coming soon
Results from the Qualifying meet won't be officially released until early Wednesday morning, after a seeding meeting Tuesday night. In general, the top three finishers overall in events are moving forward to Sectionals. Fourth place is an "alternate," which means that athlete becomes a substitute in case another seeded athlete can't compete on Saturday. Alternates are not guaranteed to run. They report to the event, and then bite their nails until last call to see if they get a lane assignment.

In the 800m and 1600m, it's the top four finishers. It's the top four in field events as well. Since all four are in automatically, there are no alternates for these events.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come to practice this week (and next), especially if you may have qualified. Practice is at the usual times and places. We should have ribbons from meet #4 to hand out. Also, results from Meet #4 and the Relay Meet are on Athletic.net. You can also get to team records and season records by athlete from our Athletic.net home page.

Sectional Meet
The 1600m event will be on Thursday at YVHS at 5:30pm (1st event 6:00pm). Coaches will split up and cover both this meet and practice at CPHS. The order of events is:

1. Girls grades 3-5
2. Boys grades 3-5
3. Girls grades 6-8
4. Boys grades 6-8

There should be no admission fee charged at Thursday's event.

All other events are on Saturday, April 30th at Granada High in Livermore at 8:00am (1st event 8:30).

There is a small admission fee on Saturday. The usual breakdown is $4 for adults, and $2 for seniors and school-age children. Exact change will be greatly appreciated by the gate volunteers.

Athletes in uniform and coaches with their current cards are free.

There's also a "spike check" at the gate. Athletes with track shoes need to present them for inspection. They are looking for 1/4" (or smaller) pyramid spikes. I have extra metal spikes of this style and wrenches if we need to do a replacement.

The gate will be very, very busy on Saturday. Please arrive before 8:00am, especially athletes in the 4x100 relay. The 4x100 relays start calling at 8:10am. Please don't miss your race because you are stuck in line.

Meet Volunteers
We have a few assignments for Saturday, and for the Diocese meet as well. Gina and I will get these online soon. If you haven't fulfilled your 2 meet volunteer commitment, please do so. You can hire a Granada HS student to fill in for you by giving me a check for $50 at practice, made out to CTK Track.

Miscellaneous
I have two CTK sweatshirts that were left at Meet #4.
You should have received a Signup Genius email about the team picnic on May 28th.
You should have received a Signup Genius email about Team Positions for next year.
Here's the advance scoop on the Diocese Meet.

That's it for now. I'll have more when the Qualifying Meet results show up.

Final Sectional results are up

Thanks for your patience everyone. Final results from Thursday and Saturday's events are up on the league's page:

http://ctktrack.org/dvcl/results.shtml

I've pulled out the results for our team into two PDFs:

http://ctktrack.org/2015_sectional_individual.pdf
http://ctktrack.org/2015_sectional_relay.pdf

Places first through third are highlighted as progressing, with fourth-place highlighted as alternates. Congratulations to qualifiers, and well done to everyone -- I think I have a new batch of personal bests to put together!

Track news for the week of May 3

Sectionals complete, on to Diocese

Thursday and Saturday were our sectional championships. Congratulations to everyone who competed, regardless of final placement. Results and ribbons should be coming soon. We'll surely have a backlog of them to hand out at the picnic, too.

The top three finishers in the Sectional events should advance to the finals, with fourth place as an alternate. The usual disclaimer about alternates applies: they aren't guaranteed to compete, but it's a good idea to show up. They are placed according to a random rotation among the three sections on meet day.

The only exception that I'm aware of is the 4x400m relays. The top three fastest boys and girls teams overall from Saturday will progress, independent of grade.  Citing tradition, the diocese only runs two heats of this event.

The Sprint Medley is run by grade, as usual.

Final practices Tuesday & Thursday

Our last two! Tuesday at Pleasant Hill Middle, Thursday at College Park, 5:00-6:30pm. All athletes on the team are welcome to attend, not just finalists.

Friday: 800m and 1600m events

Friday, May 8 at Moreau High School, Hayward, 6:00pm start (first race 6:30pm)

Top finishers in the distance events get to travel to Moreau High on Friday evening. This is a different location than past seasons.

School site: Moreau Catholic High School
Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/nt73k

Athletes who ran in and placed in both the 800m and 1600m at Sectionals had to select one of these events to compete in this Friday. They were asked this question when they finished their 800m on Saturday. I'll send that around to coaches in case anyone needs a reminder.

There's no admission fee to Friday's races. Athletes should be in uniform and remember their names in lieu of wearing a sticker.

Saturday: parade and remaining events

Saturday, May 9 at Granada High School, Livermore, 8:30am start

Same song, second verse. Back to Livermore if your athlete qualified at Sectionals. There's an all-diocese "parade of champions" before the meet which our team leads, as we come earliest in the alphabet in the first section. All team athletes are welcome to march in the parade.

Here's most of the program, minus the diocese event records:
http://ctktrack.org/2015_diocese.pdf

I recommend you keep a copy close at hand. The officials at this meet are even bigger sticklers about missed calls than the league. I still get mixed up on the event order at this meet.

If an athlete is waiting with the clerks for a race, a coach or I should be able to check them in at a field event. Athletes still need to be prompt about reporting right after their race, though.

There's the same small admission fee to Saturday's event: $4 and $2. This is listed in the program. Arrive early and beat the lines. Look for the CTK group in the same place, by the away stands near the baseball field.

Athletes should be in uniform, and will not need stickers. Those are just done by our league to keep our results organized.

Volunteers

Did your athlete make it to diocese? Congratulations! Expect to be contacted about volunteer assignments for Saturday. This will go online via Signup Genius as soon as we know what positions our team needs to fill.

Picnic!

Have you RSVP'd yet? Please do:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b49aeab2aa3f94-20151

The team provides cold drinks and hot charcoal grills: you bring something to grill for your family and something to share with the team. Salads, fruit -- picnic fare, nothing fancy.

Picnic is from around 11:30-3:00 on Sunday May 31 at Pleasant Hill Park. We should have the fires hot by noonish, and we'll start awards around 1:00pm. All team athletes welcome -- not just qualifiers.

Our site is the covered tables near the youth center, at Gregory and Cleaveland:
http://ctktrack.org/picnic_site.png

Look for the team banner, and the Lost & Found collection airing out on a tarp.

Reminder: Sectional Meet on Saturday, May 2

Just a quick reminder that the balance of the DVCL Sectional Championships is this Saturday, May 2 at Granada High in Livermore.

The meet starts at 8:30am sharp, and they call the 4x100m relays early, so plan to arrive early, and then try to be there a bit before.

Order of events is different than practice meets, so please have a copy of this on hand:

http://ctktrack.org/2015_sectional_events.jpg

Sectionals are popular, and our team usually gets together in the away-side stands or the lawn near the corner where the 200m races line up. It's less crowded back there. The team's banner will be hung near our encampment.

I labeled an old Google Maps shot to show how the meet is usually set up:

http://ctktrack.org/granada_layout.jpg

Volunteer assignments are linked from our team site and listed on Signup Genius:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b49aeab2aa3f94-dvcl

Remember to Bring

• Cash for the gate: $4 for adults, $2 for kids and seniors - exact change if you can manage
• Extra cash for programs, the snack shack, maybe a winery on the way home :-)
• Water and sun protection
• A copy of the order of events

When You Arrive (early!)

• Check in with Gina or Mike at the Snack Shack if you have a volunteer job or are an assigned "fill-in" person.
• Have your athlete(s) check in with their coaches. The league reversed course, so Coach Trish has stickers for athletes to wear.
• Find a spot to sit: you can be with the team or on your own, but listen for the calls. This is vital.
• All tents and umbrellas need to be in the back rows of the stands, or on the lawn where they don't block views and traffic. There's a camera system at the finish line, and the area opposite is supposed to be kept clear.

Meet Rules

• Athletes check-in on the softball field behind the snack shack for races and the field event locations as usual for jumping and throwing. No parents or coaches may be in the clerk area or helicoptering around the field events. You may escort athletes to the gate, but not go beyond. Marshals are stationed at each gate to gently yet firmly turn you away. Pestering a meet official will get your athlete disqualified.
• Check-in ONLY when the grade is called. Events will close. Races take priority. If an athlete is jumping/throwing and hears their race called, they need to:
1. Tell the event official that they have a race and which race it is
2. Get to the clerks behind snack shack, sign in, and stay there
3. Return to the field event as soon as their race is over

I can't over-emphasize the value in paying attention to the calls. There is only one heat of each race, and athletes who don't show up to the clerks will forfeit their lane to the alternates. The league meet is usually a tightly-run operation and calls should come quickly.

• Alternates check in as soon as the race is called. Alternates in races need to stay put with the clerks. You won't know if you're running until the head clerk closes the event or all the regular athletes check in. I would recommend staying until they are actually walked out to the start line.

Most Importantly

Have fun! It's awesome if your athlete places, and I hope they do. This is a best-of-the-best meet from our section, and the competition will be strong.

Please keep your athletes focused on what matters: trying for personal bests, hanging out with their teammates, and enjoying the day. Whether they leave the track with a first-place finish, or just a pat on the shoulder and a "maybe next time," keep always your senses of sportsmanship and perspective.

See you at the track.

Relay teams on the qualifying list

As many of you have pointed out, the relay teams on that qualifying list I sent around earlier are only listed under the athlete who ran fourth on the team. The full results should have all the teammates listed, but I don't have those yet. Everyone gets points for attention to detail. :-)

The qualifying relays from our team are:

3rd Grade    CTK    4x100 Relay    Boys
3rd Grade    CTK    Sprint Medley  Boys
6th Grade    CTK    4x100 Relay    Boys
7th Grade    CTK    4x100 Relay    Girls
7th Grade    SC     4x100 Relay    Girls
7th Grade    CTK    Sprint Medley  Girls
8th Grade    CTK    4x100 Relay    Boys
8th Grade    SC     4x400 Relay    Boys
8th Grade    CTK    4x400 Relay    Boys
8th Grade    CTK    Sprint Medley  Boys

Usually, the same athletes run together at Sectionals that ran on the qualifying teams. If an athlete can't make it, the coaches can make substitutions. Please let them know now so they can plan and start rounding up substitute runners.

Email contacts are on our team site:

http://ctktrack.org/coaches.html

CTK/SC/SS qualifiers list

I've just posted the list of qualifying athletes who are moving on to compete from our team on Thursday and/or Saturday:

http://ctktrack.org/2015_qualifiers.pdf

Races started in lanes have a lane assignment. Lanes listed as "Alt" are alternates, and there are up to 3 per race. Alternate #1 will be the first substitution in for a missing athlete, then alternate #2, then alternate #3.

Note: relay teams do not show all the members of the team, just the 4th leg. The full team does appear in the meet results.

Field events and distance events have neither lane assignments nor alternates. Everyone shown in those events will compete.

I also have posted a scanned copy of the order of events from the program. It's different than our normal meet order, so consider bringing a copy with you to the meet. Programs usually sell out fast at the gate.

http://ctktrack.org/2015_sectional_events.jpg

Despite what this sheet says, I have been assured that athletes do not need stickers this weekend. As long as they remember their names, we're in good shape. All events have pre-printed sheets with the athletes names.

We're working on volunteer assignments now. Expect an email from either me directly, or from Signup Genius when they are ready. Families with qualifying athletes should anticipate another day on the field helping out.

I'll post the full results from our meet as soon as they are available -- stay tuned.

Sectionals update

Hi families, a quick update...

Results coming soon

I attended the league seeding meeting last night, which places the top finishers from the qualifying meets into their events. Our three parishes are well-represented, and you should be proud of your athletes for their hard work.

In general, the top three finishers overall in events are moving forward. Fourth place is an "alternate," which means that athlete becomes a substitute in case another seeded athlete can't compete on Saturday. Alternates are not guaranteed to run. They report to the event, and then bite their nails until last call to see if they get a lane assignment.

In the 800m and 1600m, it's the top four finishers. It's the top four in field events as well. Since all four are in automatically, there's no alternates for these events. Everyone listed in the final results will compete.

I hope to get these  today, and posted online right after.

Mile on Thursday at YVH

The 1600m event will be on Thursday at YVH, starting at 6pm. Order of events is:

1. Girls grades 3-5
2. Boys grades 3-5
3. Girls grades 6-8
4. Boys grades 6-8

Older kids especially should plan to dress warmly to wait their turn. We cannot use a PA system at this meet, so it's very important that athletes pay attention to what's happening and not miss their race. Arrive early and remember the Treat Boulevard traffic.

There should be no admission fee charged at Thursday's event.

Practice Thursday at College Park

We have enough coaches to cover, so if your athlete is not participating in the mile event, practice will be at College Park as usual this week.

Remaining events on Saturday at Granada High, Livermore

All other events will start at 8:30am sharp on Saturday, May 2 at Granada High in Livermore.

There is a small admission fee on Saturday. The usual breakdown is $4 for adults, and $2 for seniors and school-age children. Exact change will be greatly appreciated by the gate volunteers.

Athletes in uniform and coaches with their current cards are free.

There's also a "spike check" at the gate. Athletes with track shoes need to present them for inspection. They are looking for 1/4" (or smaller) pyramid spikes. I have extra metal spikes of this style and wrenches if we need to do a replacement.

The gate will be very, very busy on Saturday. It's impossible to arrive too early. The 4x100 relays start calling at 8:10am. Please don't miss your races because you are stuck in line.

Volunteers

We have a few assignments for Saturday, and for the Diocese meet as well. Gina and I will get these online soon.

That's it for now. I'll have more when the results show up.

Sectional meet details, part 2

Qualifying meet results are up

The raw results from the qualifying meet are posted online now, and linked from our team's schedule page:

http://ctktrack.org/schedule.shtml#qual

Results for our team are posted on Athletic.net:

http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=209612#28336

Remember that athletes at this meet were placed overall in their event by combining times for all the heats run in that grade. We had many personal bests set this weekend, which is always the main goal. Qualifying is nice, but improving is better.

Volunteers for Saturday needed

I've sent out an email to families with athletes who qualified to compete on Saturday. Please help out if you can. All volunteers earn credits toward their end-of-season total, and the gratitude of myself and the league. We'll start assigning open jobs to qualifying families soon so I can get a list of names to the league.

Volunteers must checked in by 8am on Saturday. Be early! Our team gets fined for every no-show volunteer.

If you're working, please dress for the weather conditions in Livermore and the prospect of wind.

Sectional meet details

There's no fee on Friday, but there is an admission fee on Saturday. Exact change will make the gate volunteers very happy.

• $3 for adults and high school students
• $2 for children ages 6-12
• Seniors are free
• Athletes in uniform are free
• Coaches with current CYO cards are free

Track shoes need to be out and ready for a spike check at the entrance gate.

Programs will be $1 on Saturday, for as long as they last. They tend to go fast. Inside you'll find the order of events and lists of league records in various events.

Approximate start times for the events are also included, but these are guesses at best. Last year we got behind, and then swung way ahead of schedule. Once you are at the meet, I'd stay there. Meets are unpredictable animals.

Order of events

It's a little different than what you're used to. This is done mostly to make sure athletes can get to their field events and to see if you're paying attention.

Friday night, 6:00pm start:

1600m is run: girls grades 3-5, then boys 3-5, girls 6-8, boys 6-8

Saturday morning, 8:30am start:

Run-offs, to settle some ties (none from our meet)
4x100: girls 3, boys 3, girls 4-8, boys 4-8
400: girls 3-8, boys 3-8 as usual
50: girls 3-5, boys 3-5 as usual
100: girls 8-3 (downward), boys 3-8
800: girls 3-8, boys 3-8 as usual
200: girls 3-8, boys 3-8 as usual
4x400: girls 5/6/7/8, boys 5/6/7/8 (see below)
Medley: girls 3-8, boys 3-8 as usual
Coaches' 4x100: always unusual!

The 4x400 relay is special: the top three fastest teams overall by gender will progress to the diocese meet next week, regardless of grade. This year, the girl's field is pretty thin, and we may combine all 4x400 in the girls at once. The boys' 4x400 is fuller, and will probably be split up, but again, progression goes to the three fastest boys' teams overall.

The Medley is even more special this year, as I now hear that it's an official diocese event. To the best of my knowledge, this will be run in gender and grade order.

After the Medley, the coaches from all teams come out to run a highly competitive 4x100 relay. It's like the running of the bulls in Spain, with a slightly lower chance of someone being gored. Slightly. It's not to be missed!

Field events have their own calling order, and they will close as soon as they have run through the athletes in a grade. There are parallel venue for every event, so these move more quickly than our practice meets.

Long jump (short pit): girls 3, boys 3, girls 4, boys 4, girls 5, boys 5

Long jump (long pit): girls 6, boys 6, girls 7, boys 7, girls 8, boys 8

High jump venue #1: boys 5 & 6, boys 7 & 8

High jump venue #2: girls 5 & 6, girls 7 & 8

Shot put venue #1: girls 7 & 8, girls 5 & 6
Shot put venue #2: boys 5 & 6, boys 7 & 8

Softball venue #1: girls 8-3 (downward)
Softball venue #2: boys 8-3 (downward)

Granada High is high tech

Results on Saturday will be electronically timed, and are usually posted on the big scoreboard by lane number. Do not hang out around the finish line area, as it upsets the finish-line camera and its caretakers. Final results will come later, along with awards.

If you have out-of-town friends and relations, a live streaming webcam should capture the day:

http://www.granadahigh.com/GranadaStadiumWebCam

You may not be able to pick out faces, but the red, blue, and yellow shirts of our three parish teams are pretty easy to spot at a distance.

Granada is a very nice facility, and we're fortunate to be able to use it for our championships. Please show your gratitude by picking up your litter after the meet, and some extra besides.

Sectional meet details

Hello everyone -- thank you for your patience. The list of qualifying athletes for this weekend's Sectional championships is up and posted on the league's web site:

http://ctktrack.org/dvcl/

A direct link to the Google docs spreadsheet is:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E6q8KsENEhaCeDZvNvB9IKjX_GxEIumkiWct46mZUnE/edit#gid=398391739

A team-specific document and the full results will follow. Our priority right now in the league is getting the lists settled for Friday and Saturday but I do have the full results from our meet.

A few frequently-asked questions:

What the heck am I looking at? Who are all these kids?

This past weekend, there were three qualifying meets designated A, B, and C. By luck of the draw, we were meet "A."

The top finishers from each meet in each event are listed on these results. These are the athletes who will compete again this weekend against one another.

Lane assignments are done according to finish times and if we moved an alternate up to fill a space. Don't worry too much about what lane someone is in or why we have gaps in some races. I'll be happy to bore you with those details in person if you like.

If your athlete qualified: congratulations!

If your athlete did not qualify: darn!

If you have some who did and some who did not: good luck with child-care this weekend!

I see "Lane 10/11/12 or Alt1/Alt2/Alt3" next to my athlete: is that a lane? Are we going?

This means your athlete came in fourth at our meet, and is an "alternate" for the event. In case one of the regular athletes cannot compete, alternates are moved up at the meet. To be an alternate is to exist in a state of not-knowing. It's very Zen.

Alternates are never guaranteed to compete, but if they are able to attend the meet, they should check in at the event when called and stay there. The "Alt 1" athlete is first alternate, and will be the first to be assigned into an open lane. "Alt 2" is the second alternate, and so on.

Alternates will not know if they are placed in the event until the meet day, when the head clerk decides it's time to dismiss the athletes. I have seen alternates disappointed at the last moment when a scheduled athlete shows up, and I have seen alternates surprised at the last moment when they are placed. It's truly an unknown.

Just to keep life interesting, at the Sectionals meet, the 800m, 1600m, and field events compete with the top four qualifiers. All athletes listed in field events, the 800m, and 1600m will compete.

Why don't I see my athlete in the relay team listing?

Space reasons, mostly. If your athlete ran on a relay team that qualified, they should expect to run again, or hang out as alternates, hoping that another team won't compete and will free up a lane. If an athlete won't be able to attend, the coaches can swap in an athlete and the relay team can carry on.

I know of at least one younger girls' team that is going to be short an athlete due to First Communion activities, and some of the older boys who won't be able to attend on Saturday. Life happens.

Coaches may make relay substitutions from the same grade, gender, and parish to take their places on the teams. Remember that second graders are actually third graders now.

Substitute athletes do not need to come from the pool of individual qualifiers. Any athlete of the matching gender/grade/parish may be swapped in at the coach's discretion. This is a good reason for athletes to keep coming to practice! It lets us know you're still around.

Oh no! My athlete qualified but we have First Communion/a wedding/a trip/a thing!

If you know for sure you aren't going to make it, please let me know the athlete and the event(s) that they will be missing. If it's far enough in advance, I'll let the league know, and we'll move the first alternate up to take their place. The league's list will be updated over the course of the week as this happens, and I'll try to keep our own team list in sync.

Missing sectionals is not the end of the world, but we would like to know if it's going to happen to give another athlete a chance to step up. Again, life happens.

Volunteering? Event times and order? Admission Fees? I have a million questions!

And I have a million answers. Watch for yet another bonus email soon.

Track news for the week of April 27

Qualifying meet complete

Whew!

That was just about as close as close could be. We had to be off the field by 2:00 for a soccer game on Saturday, and my watch said 1:45 as we were getting the final packing up completed. Thanks all around to the many volunteers who stepped up to help and those who stayed extra shifts, and to the athletes for giving it their best.

Practice Tuesday and Thursday this week

Practice is open to everyone, regardless of their performance on Saturday.

• Tuesday lacrosse games will keep us off the track again, so meet on the blacktop
• Thursday meet at the track

Ribbons, personal bests, and the final Seven-Up Club awards of the season will be handed out at practice, to entice you to come back and keep us company. Only four practices left!

Sectional meet Friday May 2 and Saturday May 3

For those athletes who are fortunate enough to place, I've already got your weekend plans figured out.

All the team coordinators will meet on Tuesday night to review the meet results and to place athletes in the Sectional meet this coming weekend. We'll get them posted as soon as we can. I know the wait is excruciating.

• 1600m event Friday evening at DVC, 6:00pm

The Sectional 1600m event is held Friday evening at DVC, starting at 6pm. I will be there, and I'm sure a number of the coaches will be, too. If your athlete placed well in the mile this Saturday, please keep Friday evening free.

The order of events is typically the younger grades first, and then the older grades. Each grade will run in their own heat.

• All other events at 8:30am on Saturday at Granada High, Livermore

The remainder of the events will be held on Saturday morning. If you're new to Granada, make sure your GPS is up to date. Construction a few years ago did away with the previous exit from 580.

Saturday events will start at 8:30, so leave plenty early and double-check your directions. There will be a line at the gate and the parking lot will fill up. It's tradition!

Athletes who have track shoes (spikes) need to have them ready to be checked at the gate. Only 1/4" or 1/8" pyramid-style spikes are permitted. I have extra spikes and wrenches to replace worn or missing ones.

There may be an admission fee at Saturday's event, but I'm not yet certain. It would be a good idea to have some cash on hand just in case. Athletes in uniform and coaches with cards are admitted free.

There's also a super-size snack shack at Granada, which (alas) does not serve free goodies to coaches and coordinators... but I do keep asking.

Granada High

Sectionals and the Diocese meet are very popular. To get a little breathing room, our team usually sits  near the end of the "away side" stands by the large ball field and shot put areas. Look for our banner on the front of the stands.

All parents are reminded to be good sports, and that officials, coaches, coordinators, and every other person working at the meets is a volunteer. Extend them your kindness and courtesy, even if they've made a decision that doesn't favor your athlete.

Always keep perspective. Your kids won't remember their marks next year, but they never forget our own bad behavior.

Granada is often windy, and sometimes chilly. If you are bringing a tent or umbrella to put in the stands, you need to arrive very early to set up in the back rows, and pack bungee cords or rope to tether it down. Coordinators arrive to setup at 7:00am if you need a definition of "early."

Here's a map of last year's meet:

http://ctktrack.org/granada_layout.jpg

Race check-ins should be in the softball field near the main parking lot entrance. Only athletes and assigned volunteers are allowed in the clerk area, and athletes can report only when their event is called. Field events are run the same way: athletes report to the event only when their grade opens.

Also, only assigned volunteers can be on the field. This is enforced under penalty of disqualification, and the league really means it. Don't risk it! Pack a pair of sport binoculars and watch from the stands.

Volunteers at Sectionals

I bet you thought you were done for the season, didn't you?

Families who have a qualifying athlete should expect a polite email about helping at the Sectional meet on Saturday. Our team will be assigned some aspect of the meet to run, and if you have an athlete participating on that day, you may get to participate, too.

Time worked at Sectionals counts towards your credit for the team, and should take you into the coveted "bonus shifts" territory for the picnic prize drawing.

Volunteers are expected to arrive early, and check-ins should be at a table along the side of the snack shack. Friday night's mile event may not need volunteers, but we absolutely love spectators and teammates to come and cheer.

I'll find out Tuesday night about our team's assigned volunteer requirements for this weekend.

Not going to Sectionals?

If your athlete has First Communion, or didn't qualify, or you have some other conflict, then your meet season is done for 2014. Please enjoy your weekends back with my blessing.

Even if your meets are done, CYO carries on. Practices go through May 8, and we still have the end-of-season picnic on May 31. No doubt this is already in giant red letters on your calendar.

If your athlete can't wait until next season, CYO has a cross-country program, too. Practice and signups are in August. Meets are on Friday evenings at regional parks starting in September. It's lots of fun, great conditioning, and perfect for kids who can't stop running. Expect an email reminder as summer starts drawing to a close.

Track news for the week of May 5

• Sectional meet complete

Those of you with qualifying athletes got to experience either the mellow low-key Friday night 1600m, or the sun-drenched events on Saturday. Some lucky families got to do both, and some really lucky families got to work as well. We'll see who gets to be equally lucky later in the week.

The Sectional meet is like the greatest hits of the practice season: all the teams you remember from March and April, gathered together again in one, danceable package.

But wait, there's more!

• Diocese Championships May 10 and 11

Remember all those really fast kids you saw this weekend? Remember all those amazing jumpers and throwers? You'll get to see them again at the very last meet of the year, the diocese-wide championship. This past week was just the section one teams -- that's our section.

Coming up this week, the top athletes from sections one, two, and three all get together to compete. You'll see parishes that you've probably never heard of before, from all over the East Bay region.

• 800m and 1600m events,  Friday May 10 with 6:30pm start, James Logan High

If your athlete placed in one of these events, they will run again on Friday night at James Logan High School in Union City. The first 1600m starts at 6:30pm sharp. Please allow for traffic if you're going.

If your athlete placed in both the 800m and the 1600m, he or she needs to choose one of these events to compete in before Friday. They may have already been asked at Saturday's finish if the league was prepared. Expect a call or email if they weren't.

• All other events, Saturday May 11 with 8:30am parade, Granada High

On Saturday, we have the remainder of the events back at Granada High in Livermore. Starting at 8:30am, there's a parade of teams from all three sections. All athletes on the team may be in the parade regardless of qualifying status.

Since we're in section one and the first team alphabetically, we lead the parade on to the track.  Come get some great pictures and video for grandma. I know it's a drive, but if you're willing, we're glad to have you there.

We especially want eighth graders so they can lead our team around the track one last time before they go off to high school. Awwww. I'm getting a little misty just thinking about it.

After the parade and the obligatory speech-making midfield, the meet will begin in earnest with the 4x100m relays. The meet schedule is on our site:

http://ctktrack.org/2013_diocese_info.pdf

Like the Sectional meet, some events go out of order from what we're used to. Please allow for that when making arrival plans. By the end of the day at Sectionals, we were almost an hour ahead of the published times. Be early, be flexible, and listen for the calls!

There will be an admission fee again on Saturday, and there are usually souvenir t-shirts available for sale just as you come in to the stadium, typically at a table near the main stands. These sell out fast. Seating and parking fill up incredibly fast at this meet, too.

The layout at Granada is the same as at Sectionals:

http://ctktrack.org/granada_layout.jpg

Sections two and three compete in an fifth field event event called the "tetherball toss," which is just exactly like what it sounds like. It's a kinder, gentler hammer throw. Section one does not practice this event, so we don't put any athletes forth to compete.

We do, however, have the Medley Relay. For the first time ever (?) it's on the program, albeit with the equivalent of the Barry Bonds asterisk. "Diablo Valley Medley Relay" is the Sprint Medley that you know and love.

• Ribbons and awards

I have about 200 ribbons from the qualifying meet on the 27th, and I just sent out the personal best list on Saturday evening. The Sectional awards should show up at my house in the next day or two.

In short, there's a ton of ribbons to hand out, with more to follow. Please plan to send your athlete to the final practices and come to the picnic if only to relieve me of the burden of addressing and mailing eight gazillion envelopes over the summer.

Awards at the Diocese meet are prepared and handed out at the track. If your athlete places in their event, you can stick around to gather the award. At the end of the day, one of the coaches or I will get the remaining ones and bring them to the picnic.

• Final practices this week

We're down to the last two, this Tuesday and Thursday, College Park Track, 5-6:30pm. Everybody on the team is welcome to come to practice. Running's more fun with a buddy, after all. I hope we'll see you there.

More about the sectional meet

• Final Qualifying results are up

They're linked from our team's "Schedule" page:

http://ctktrack.org/schedule.shtml

You can also try these links:

* Full meet results
* Full qualifiers list

I'm going to make a list of our team's qualifiers and get it online shortly. Thank you for your patience!

• 1600m this Friday night: first call at 5:45 pm

The Sectional is done in two parts for time reasons. The mile is held this Friday at DVC. If you have a runner in the mile, please arrive in time to get them warmed up and signed in.

The running order is different than our usual -- we'll run girls 3-5, then boys 3-5, then girls 6-8. then finally boys 6-8. The event schedule for the weekend is on our web site's "Schedule" page and from the league site:

http://ctktrack.org/dvcl/2013_sectional_order.pdf

Athletes will sign in at the field. If your athlete wears track shoes (spikes) remember that they must be 1/4" pyramid style or 1/8" pyramids. No other spike designs are permitted. There's a photo of the allowed spikes on the last page of the diocese meet program if you're unsure:

http://ctktrack.org/2013_diocese_info.pdf

There's a shoe check at both events, and athletes must wear shoes to compete.

• All other events this Saturday: first call at 8:10am

The remaining events will start at 8:30am on Saturday at Granada High in Livermore. First call for the young girls' 4x100m relay is 8:10, and they mean it. DO NOT BE LATE.

There is a small admission fee for Saturday's meet, payable at the gate. Show up with exact change to make the volunteers' lives easier. There will be a line, and it will be slow.

Current CYO athletes - FREE
Current CYO coaches with cards - FREE
Adults & High School students - $3.00
Children age 6 thru 12 - $2.00
Seniors - FREE

Programs should be available at the gate for $1. You can also download the order of events page from our web site. The program will have pages of records and other trivia, but they'll sell out fast.

CTK typically hangs out on the away-side bleachers where the crowds are thinner and tensions are lower, but you're welcome to sit where you like in the stands. Athletes need to have stickers at this meet, so they should look for their coaches to check in. Relay athletes definitely need to find their coaches so we know that they are present.

The annual Section 1 Coaches Relay will be held immediately after the Sprint Medley. Athletes, come cheer on your coaches to glory and pulled hamstrings!

• Meet Etiquette

The league wants us to remind everyone of some general meet etiquette tips:

- Umbrellas and pop-up tents are allowed in the back (top) row of the stands only, to ensure a clear view of the track for everyone. You'll be asked to take down anything that obstructs the view.

- No setting up chairs, tents, blankets or other obstructions between the finish line and the gate where the athletes enter/exit the field (end zone near long jump.)

- No explicatives at the meet. Do not threaten or berate meet officials, parents, coaches, athletes... anyone, really. You'll get evicted from the meet and your athlete will be disqualified.

- No coming on to the track or field area, unless you are a signed-in volunteer working a job. Volunteers are specially identified at these meets. The same eviction/disqualification penalty applies here, too.

• Working at Sectionals 

I've sent a friendly, pleading email to families who look like they will be at the meet a while. I'll put out a call for volunteers if we need any last-second help.

• Meet survival tips at Granada High

Like most tracks, Granada is very exposed without much shade. Remember to take care of yourselves as well as your athletes. Pack plenty of water and sun protection. Label every article of clothing and water bottle that you hope to ever see again. If you're working a job, wear a hat, good walking shoes, and have water that you can carry easily. Bring some binoculars for easier spotting if your athlete has a field event.

Every track is laid out a little differently: at Granada, all field events will run in parallel: boys and girls compete at the same time. Athletes are staged for their races in an very out-of-the way place.

Here's a blimp's-eye view:

http://ctktrack.org/granada_layout.jpg

Don't miss the a second shot put area tucked way up by the tennis courts. Last year, this was the girls' shot ring. High jump will have two sets of equipment in the end zone near the gate to the track. Softball and long jump will run in parallel like we did during our meets. Long jump is along the north end of the field, just like College Park.

If you park in the main lot, you'll come to the stadium through the main gate/spike check station. Past the gate, you'll find yourself at the south end of the main stands. To your right is the snack shack and a large concrete water fountain. Volunteer sign-in will be next to the snack shack. Look for me to get signed in.

• During the meet

When athletes sign in for a race, they'll do it in the area marked "Clerks" on the diagram. Access is through a gate near the snack shack. Only athletes, clerks, and shepherds may be in this area -- no parents, coaches, or coordinators allowed. Once inside, athletes may not leave until they run their race, or are dismissed if they are alternates who didn't get moved into a lane. Athletes need to get water and use the bathroom before their race is called.

Running events happen as usual: athletes will be brought out onto the field by shepherds only. You may hug/praise/console them after their race is over, once they have left the field.

Be especially careful not to crowd along the track during the 50m and 100m races, tempting though it may be. We've had a whole season to practice, and your kids know what to do. ("Run fast!")

Field event check-in is at the event itself, when the athlete's grade is called. Athletes won't be accepted early, and will compete in the order assigned. If they miss their calls, they're out of luck -- field events close when the last athlete in the grade has completed their jumps or throws.

Just like practice meets, athletes are allowed to leave a field event to run a race. They must notify the volunteer working the event, and return right after their race completes.

The best thing you can do for your athletes is find someplace where you can hear the announcements, and nudge them when it's time for their event. I'm sure they'll do fine. Keep them hydrated: offer light, healthy snacks, find shade and wear sunscreen.

Oh, and have fun, too!

Preliminary qualifiers list is online

I'm still waiting on the official list from the league, but I do have enough information to post a preliminary version for our team. This is built from the initial results, with my notes from the seeding meeting incorporated.

http://ctktrack.org/2013_qualifiers_prelim.pdf

This is also linked from the "Schedule" page on our web site.

• Are these all the meet results?

No -- just the top finishers in the events from our team. The full and final results are on their way. The delay is driving me crazy, too.

I'm 99.44% sure that this is an accurate list of qualifiers from our team, subject to the standard disclaimers about how CYO is all-volunteer, supposed to be fun, and not the Olympics.

• What does "Alt 1", "Alt 2" and "Alt 3" mean?

This indicates the first, second, and third alternate in an event. If one of the scheduled athletes or relay teams is not able to make the event, we will fill their lane with the first alternate (Alt 1). If there are two openings, then first and second alternates will be placed, and so on.

Assignment of first, second, or third alternate is done by a complex algorithm that juggles openings among the three meets that were held on Saturday. It's not a reflection of your athlete's performance, their character, their families, or coaches. A fourth-place finisher at our meet may still be the third alternate for the Sectionals.

Alternates are not guaranteed to compete.

At the seeding meeting, we moved some alternates up into regular competition already. Some of our relay teams benefited from this move.

Per league rules, athletes who competed in more than three individual events got cut from their last event, which also affected the list of qualifiers.

Athletes may drop from an event over the course of the week for a variety of reasons. If we know about this in advance, an alternate may find themselves slotted in to a race before Saturday. Keep checking when we get the full results up. Otherwise, alternates will get placed in a race (or not) at the meet.

• Wait! I still have a million questions!

And I have a novel-length newsletter waiting in the wings to answer them. The immediate things to think about are:

* If your athlete qualified in the 1600m, I'll see you Friday evening at DVC

* If they are in another event, I'll see you early Saturday at Granada High in Livermore

* Relay team members should alert your coach at once if you can't make it on Saturday


The meet schedule is linked from the team site if you want to start planning your weekend:

http://ctktrack.org/dvcl/2013_sectional_order.pdf

Coaches contacts are available through the web site:

http://ctktrack.org/coaches.shtml

Track news for the week of April 28

• Qualifying meet complete

That's it, everyone!  The Qualifying meet was the end of our regular meet schedule, and the start of the championships. I think things went amazingly smoothly. We had a few nervous stomachs, and one shoulder injury that I'm going to follow up on. Thanks to all the parents who jumped in to calm the nerves of the athletes. It's somebody's kid out there, and they needed -- and received -- comfort and aid.

However, let's not talk about how a 4th grade girl humiliated me during the 4x400 relay, OK?

• Thank you!

I know many of you are done with track after this past Saturday, so I want to extend a big thank you from me and from the coaches for giving us the chance to work with your children this season. Thank you for hauling them to practice and getting them to meets. Thank you for giving up your Saturdays to volunteer and for sticking around for extra shifts. Thank you for supporting Ygnacio Valley High, and thank you for putting up with these long newsletters! CYO track simply could not happen without your participation.

• Volunteers for the season

Now that the regular season is complete, I'm adding up the family volunteer time, and comparing the shifts worked to the number of shifts our team was responsible for this season. If your family fell short, I'll be sending an email to you about cashing the deposit check you left with the team at signups.

• Practice

Practice is open to everyone, no matter what. The coaches get lonely after the qualifying meet, so come on out to practice! Don't make us finish the Starbursts by ourselves.

Lacrosse will bump us to the grassy field yet again on Tuesday the 30th, and then we should be back on the track on Thursday the 2nd.

• Team Picnic, Saturday June 1 at Pleasant Hill Park, 11:30-3:30ish

Our team picnic and awards ceremony at Pleasant Hill Park is Saturday, June 1. The whole family is
welcome to attend. It's potluck style, so bring something for yourself to cook and something to share. The team will provide sodas and water and we'll have the charcoal grills warmed up and ready to go.

This is a chance for the coaches to see the athletes one last time before summer and to pass out unclaimed ribbons. We'll recognize our helpful parents, thank the coaches, and hand out special team awards to some of the athletes. The plentiful lost & found collection will be on display for your rummaging pleasure, too. It's fun for all!

http://ctktrack.org/picnic_site.png

No matter how your season worked out, bring the family to the picnic if you can.

• Did my athlete qualify?

The results from Saturday's meet are reviewed very carefully. I'm attending a meeting on Monday that determines the entrants for the Sectional meet. Once all the team coordinators have gone through the results, we'll publish them online. I know it's hard to wait for these results since they may impact your plans for the next week or two.

There will be fewer ribbons from the qualifying meet since we place overall in the events. Personal bests will be awarded as usual once I have time to scrub through all the results.

Qualifiers for the 1600m event will run on Friday evening at DVC, and all other events will be held on Saturday at Granada High School in Livermore. If your athlete did well and you're going to miss the Sectional meet: please tell me right away. If a qualifier can't make it, we'll move an alternate into their place before the meet. You'll be making another child somewhere in the league very happy.

• What about alternates?

Fourth place in most events is considered "alternate." They are fill-in athletes in case a qualifier isn't present at the event to compete. There's never a guarantee that an alternate will participate.

If your athlete is an alternate, I generally recommend going to the meet if you can, because, hey, you never know. Alternates in individual running events tend to have better odds than relay teams, since coaches can swap around athletes into relays as needed.

Always be prompt to the meet, have the alternate check in with the clerk, and stay put until their event is held. Alternates usually get placed into competition only at the very last moment so you won't know if they're competing until the race is lined up.

• Sectional 1600m on Friday May 3 at DVC, 6pm

The 1600m event is held Friday evening at DVC at 6pm. Please show up early enough to get signed in and warmed up. This is a pretty low-key evening, with only the families of qualifiers, coaches, and myself in attendance. There's going to be a bit of sitting around, so athletes need to keep warm while they wait for their race.

• Sectional meet on Saturday May 4 at Granada, 8:30am

All other events will be held on Saturday at Granada High School in Livermore, with the first event starting promptly 8:30am. That means arriving no later than 8:00am, and honestly, I'd be there sooner than that. Parking fills up quickly at Granada.

The track at Livermore is notorious for its variable climate. It can be windy and freezing, or still and boiling, often on the same day. Pack appropriately, and always keep your athletes warm and hydrated.

I'll talk about the Sectional meet more after we get the qualifying results online.

• Volunteers at the Sectional meet

Families with qualifying athletes should expect a special email about working at the Sectional meet. To the best of my knowledge, our team is handling the softball throw event and the head clerk position on Saturday. The latter is pretty easy since we're working from a pre-set list of athletes.

Families enlisted into working should show up to the meet nice and early as there's usually a special sign-in process. Lucky you!

Volunteer time done at this meet and the Diocese count as bonus shifts towards your family's overall helpfulness for the season. We'll see how this all shakes out when I have the list of qualifiers.