We had beautiful weather for our one surviving "Field Event & Relay Clinic" this afternoon at College Park. About 70-80 athletes turned up and I believe that a good time was had by all. Next weekend we'll have our first meet and that's when the fun starts for the parents too.
Week At A Glance
There's something almost every day this week:
- Practice -- Tuesday, March 1, 5-6pm -- College Park HS track
- Officiating Clinic -- Wednesday, March 2, 7pm -- CTK School - 6th grade classroom
- Practice -- Thursday, March 3, 5-6pm -- College Park HS track
- Mini Meet -- Saturday, March 5, 1pm -- College Park HS track
Team T-Shirts
Your athlete's T-shirts should be available after practice on Thursday or at the Mini Meet on Saturday if, of course, you ordered one. We try to get the kids to wear black shorts to make more of a uniform, but it's by no means a requirement.Mini-Meet
The Mini-Meet starts at 1pm, but all athletes and first shift volunteers should be there by 12:30pm. The setup crew should be there at 12 noon. We will wind up this meet by about 5pm, regardless of where we are in the progression of events.
If your child won't be attending the Mini Meet, please make sure he or she knows that so that they can tell their primary coach. (Sending an email to the primary coach also works.)
The Mini-Meet starts at 1pm, but all athletes and first shift volunteers should be there by 12:30pm. The setup crew should be there at 12 noon. We will wind up this meet by about 5pm, regardless of where we are in the progression of events.
Some of the primary groups have the kids sign up for events ahead of the meet. In my group, I find that having the kids sign up ahead of time makes it easier for everyone at the meet and focuses them a little bit. Signing up for events ahead of time is not required nor is it binding since the kids are not really signed up for anything until they register with a clerk of the course for a running event or at a given field event at the meet.
The athletes need to remember that they are limited to two running and one field event or one running and two field events at each meet. (Relay events don't count; kids can always run in all of the relays though of course we always need teams of four.) If this sounds confusing, your kids will be experts very shortly.
As has become a tradition, we've invited the St. Ignatius CYO track team to our Mini Meet. This year, we'll also have at least part of the combined team of St. Perpetua & St. Monica joining us. I am considering renaming it to the Not So Mini Meet.
What If It Rains?
The current forecast for next weekend calls for some rain. We can run meets in the rain, but we all have our limits and I will call off the meet if I think there's going to be so much moisture that it won't be much fun for the parents working or the kids running. Since we have other teams coming, I will post a message on the front page of our team web site by 11am Saturday if the weather is wet.
Volunteer Alert
Expect a reminder phone call from the volunteer coordinator (or one of her helpers) regarding your work assignment late in the week. Please note that they may have assigned you a job if you signed up late or perhaps we moved you from your original assignment to fill a more urgent need. Thanks in advance for your flexibility. The Volunteers on the web site lists all of the volunteer positions. Please recall that this is a training exercise for our "real" meets so we need everyone to help out. Thanks!
Officiating Clinic
We will hold our annual Officiating Clinic this week. It is especially for parents new to the team who will be working at meets though everyone is invited. While most of the meet jobs can be learned on the spot, please try to come to the Officiating Clinic for a preview and overview.
Officiating Clinic
We will hold our annual Officiating Clinic this week. It is especially for parents new to the team who will be working at meets though everyone is invited. While most of the meet jobs can be learned on the spot, please try to come to the Officiating Clinic for a preview and overview.
- Wednesday, March 2, 7pm at Christ the King School, room 222 (6th grade classroom)
We'll present an overview of how a meet works, and what those filling the various jobs actually do. Consider this the classroom portion and the Mini Meet as the lab portion of Officiating 101.
Which Events Should My Kids Do at the Meet?
The two most frequently asked questions I hear at this time of year are
The two most frequently asked questions I hear at this time of year are
- What is the order of events?
- Which events should my kids do?
The second question is more subtle but you and your kids will quickly come to your own understanding. Here are our guidelines:
- We encourage kids to pick different events over the first 3 meets as far as possible. What we don't want is for kids to decide coming into track that they are sprinters and only ever run the 50m and 100m races. Since each athlete is allowed to do 2 individual running events and 1 field event (or else 1 individual running event and 2 field event) at each meet,they can try out quite a lot of distances. Relays do not count in this -- kids can do all three relays each week if they want.
- On the other hand, it is useful for the coaches to find out who is fast for planning relay teams. We usually build relay teams strictly on a merit basis with the fastest 4 kids on the "A" relay team and the second fastest on the next team and so on. However, some kids improve more than others so these things are not set in stone until later in the season. Anyway, I often encourage everyone to do a 100m race in the first couple of meets just so I get all their times.
- Every athlete is expected to run in the 4x100m relay near the beginning of each meet. It's important that you alert your primary coach if your athlete is not coming to a meet so that the coach can adjust the relay teams. Please also tell your primary coach if your athlete is coming late and will miss the 4x100 relay.
- If a kid just isn't sure what to do, his or her coaches will help. We always have an opinion!
See you on the track,
carl
--
Carl Godkin
CTK/SC/SS Track & Field Coordinator
280-9748
Visit http://www.ctktrack.org/
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