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.