Welcome to the 2012 Season

I wanted to remind everyone about some upcoming dates and pass along other information.

The team web site is always your best source for information:
http://ctktrack.org

I'll also archive all these letters on the team "News" page:
http://ctktrack.blogspot.com
 
First Practice on Thursday, Feb 2, 5:00-5:45pm at College Park High

Next Thursday, February 2 is our first practice, starting promptly at
5pm at the track at College Park High School. Our first few practices
are short due to the looming darkness: always check the schedule page
on the team web site to confirm practice times.

http://www.ctktrack.org/schedule.shtml

The front page of the web site and our Twitter feed (@ctktrack) will indicate if practice is canceled due to wet weather. I'll update by 4pm on practice days if the sky looks gloomy.

Athletes need to remember:

• Bring a water bottle with your name on it. Reusable bottles are best: less garbage after practice.
• Dress warmly! And label your clothing, too.
• Go to the bathroom before you leave home: CPHS facilities are very limited.
• Wait in the stands when you arrive. Walk AROUND the outside of the track to the stands.
• Do not climb fences or gates or play on the hillsides. Cross-country starts in the fall if you like that sort of thing.

We have a great coaching staff this year, and I know they're eager to
get started. Parents are welcome to stay and watch, but please, sit in
the stands, and keep off the track and field areas during practice.

Anyone with outstanding paperwork or payments can get them to me at
practice. I'll make myself easy to find.

Pickup can be a little hectic: go slow in the parking lot, and please
come to the track to retrieve your loved ones and their belongings. We
promise to wear them out if you promise to come get them on time.

Parent Meeting on Monday, Feb 6, 6:45-8:00pm at Christ the King
Church Parish Hall

All new families are *strongly encouraged* to attend. Returning
families are welcome, too. Find out about shoes, practices, meets,
relays, ribbons, volunteer jobs, and anything else you can think of to
ask. No question is too strange! Bring your trickiest questions and
play Stump The Coordinator. Athletes will find this meeting
exceptionally boring, so you probably want to leave them at home.

Forms and volunteer sheets will be available at this meeting for late
signups. If your child has a friend that would like to try track,
bring along their parent. Our numbers are low this year, especially in
the St. Stephen and St. Catherine groups, and we always like being
able to build full relay teams for the qualifying meet.

For an athlete to be eligible they must:

• Attend one of the parish schools OR
•  Attend the RE program at one of the parishes OR
•  Live within one of the three parish boundaries

It also helps if they like to run. :-)

Field Clinics

I've booked the track and field at College Park High School for two
special field-event practices. Usually this is an invitation for a
rainy weekend, but we're going to try for it anyway. The clinics are:

Sat Feb 18, 1:30-3:30pm
Sun Feb 26, 1:30-3:30pm

Athletes are welcome to attend one or both of these. This is a chance
to practice field events in a little looser environment than a regular
practice. Specific events are subject to which coaches I'm able to
bribe into attending.

Coaching

Trish Heaney is the head coach this year: you'll also see her managing
the middle school girls and boys at practice. We are still looking for
someone who can dedicate themselves to acting as a primary coach for
the Intermediate level boys group (grades 4-5.) We are covered for the
practices, don't worry, but if there's a parent among you who would be
interested, or thinks you may be interested, please let me know, and
I'll put you in touch with Trish. The ideal coach is someone who's
worked with kids before (soccer coaching, for example), who can help
athletes in a range of skill levels find their "niche" event, and who
realizes that personal improvements -- a faster time, a farther jump
-- are more important than finishing first.

Similarly, we could use someone with high jump experience.  If you
have a track & field past, and did high jump once upon a time, please
let me know. Or, if you have a high-schooler who does high jump (and
who needs community service time!) we would be willing to talk to
them, too. We would like them to come to a couple of practices, and
ideally to the field clinics.

Thanks everyone, and I'll see you at practice