CTK Track News for the week of 28 Feb 2011

Greeting Track Families,

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.)  

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.

• 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

• What is the order of events?
• Which events should my kids do?

The first one is addressed on the front page of the web site. I also have little cards to hand out that summarize the same information. I will have a pile of them at the Mini Meet; never fear.

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/

CTK Track News for the week of 21 Feb 11...

Greetings Track Families,

We're beginning week 4 of the track season already.  It's also the last week we will accept late sign-ups.  I hope the kids are enjoying practice and getting into the rhythm.

Practices this week are 

• Tuesday 2/22: Practice 5-6pm at CPHS
• Thursday 2/24: Practice 5-6pm at CPHS

As usual, if the weather is questionable, I'll post a notice on the top of the team home page by 4pm saying that practice is or is not canceled.

Field Event & Relay Clinic

Next Sunday we'll try again to have a field event & relay clinic.  It will take place from 1:30-4pm at CPHS, our usual practice location.  All athletes are welcome!  We only have limited opportunities during our regular practices to work on relays and field events and we thought this event might help.  I sure hope the weather cooperates this time.

Meet Volunteers

Our first meet is less than two weeks away and our volunteer coordinators will be in touch as we fill in work assignments due to the inevitable changes since sign-ups.

Note that volunteer assignments are posted on the web site (under Volunteers) for each meet as the jobs are filled in.  Our helpful volunteers will also be making reminder  phone calls a few days before each of your assignments.

Mini Meet

Our first meet, the Mini-Meet, will take place on Saturday afternoon, March 5, at College Park HS track.  Along with our athletes, we'll have the St. Ignatius team joining us in what has become a pre-season tradition. 

Since a few people have asked about T-shirts:  We should be handing out T-shirts for those who ordered them starting on the Thursday before the Mini Meet.  We'll bring them to meets after that until everyone has received one.  (We will probably have some extras if you change your mind about ordering one.)

See you on the track,

carl

--
Carl Godkin
CTK/St.C/St.S Track & Field Coordinator
280-9748
Visit http://www.ctktrack.org/

Greetings Track Families,

Practice Schedule
We'll practice twice this week again, on Tuesday and Thursday from 5 until 5:55pm at College Park. As it's supposed to be rainy this week, please check the web site (or check @ctktrack) after 4pm on practice days to find out if practice has been canceled. The practice status will appear in the Twitter window in the upper right hand corner of the home page. 

In addition to two (rain permitting) practices, we're hosting Field Event & Relay clinics on Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 27 from 1:30-4pm at College Park HS track.  Think of these as optional practices.  All athletes from our team are welcome.

Parent Meeting Handouts Posted

Thanks to all who attended the Parent Meeting on Thursday evening. I have posted the handouts from the meeting on the (you guessed it) Handouts page of the web site if you missed it.  

Team Roster
Full alphabetical roster with contact info: [Ask Carl].  Or, a roster by 

primary group is available at [Ask Carl].  (There is no link to these on the web site to try to protect your contact info.)

Late Sign-Ups
We have 270 kids signed up at the moment, and we will only accept new sign-ups through the end of next week.

Don't Like Track After All?
If our track program is not working for you or your familiy for whatever reason, We are happy to issue refunds for your fees and either return or shred your volunteer deposit check. Please let me know and provide a mailing address where the refund check is to be sent. By dropping formally, we will know to remove you from the volunteer assignments you may be leaving behind. We will provide at least partial refunds well into the season, so there's no hurry.

Miss Past Track News?
If you are joining us late and want to read past email newsletters, please check the News link on the team web site.

Volunteer Listings 

All of the volunteer jobs that you selected at sign-ups have been entered and nown appear on the Volunteers page on the web site. If you signed up late, we'll be adding your name to the mix too. Our volunteer coordinator or one of her assistants will be in touch with you when that happens.

See you on the track,
carl

--
Carl Godkin
CTK/St.C/St.S Track & Field Coordinator
280-9748
Visit http://www.ctktrack.org/

CTK Track news for the week of 7 Feb 11...

Greetings Track Families,

We had a great first week of practice and look forward to good weather and five more minutes of daylight this week.  All parents, especially if you are new the program but even if you are not, are invited to the Parent Meeting this Thursday evening (Feb 10) at 7pm in the CTK Parish Hall.  We usually manage to keep the meeting to 75 minutes or less.  Bring your stopwatches -- this is track after all!

Practices
We'll practice twice this week:

• Tuesday, Feb 8, from 5pm to 5:50pm at College Park HS track
• Thursday, Feb 10, from 5pm to 5:50pm at College Park HS track

I'm reliably informed that there will be College Park HS soccer games both Tuesday and Thursday this week.  Between the games and the high school track practice kicking off this week, we may be slightly delayed in starting practice each day.  (It's as if it's their track, isn't it?)

Remember to check the team web site after 4pm on practice days if it's rainy. You can even follow ctktrack on Twitter for track practice updates.

Field Event/Relay Clinics

Mark your calendars for two extra (and optional) practice sessions that we'll be offering this season.  Field Event and Relay Clinics will be held Saturday afternoon, February 19, and Sunday afternoon, Feb 27.  Both events will take place at College Park High School.  The exact time will be announced at the parent meeting since we're trying to make sure we have enough coaches available for the occasion.

Running Shoes

...are HIGHLY recommended. We have a number of kids who are wearing skateboard (not good) or basketball shoes (not as bad) to track. They should all be wearing running shoes. Local shoe stores such as Fleet Feet in Pleasant Hill and Roadrunner Sports in Concord will all give you 10% off if you tell them your child is on a track team, but you can buy running shoes anywhere.  If your child is trying to talk you into spikes (or if you have already succumbed to the pressure), please note that we don't want to see spikes at practice for a few more weeks, period.  We'll discuss spikes at the parent meeting, but suffice it to say that they are optional, no matter what your athlete is claiming.

Team RosterThe team roster is at [Ask Carl] or [Ask Carl]. I have added new runners since last week and fixed a bunch of errors. Let me know if you find any mistakes. There is a second page called "Athlete Counts" that looks at the numbers in each group as well as by parish.

Late Sign-Ups
We have 259(*) kids signed up at the moment. This number moves around a lot and we will still accept new sign-ups for another couple of weeks. Tell your friends, especially if they like crowds.  

Old News

If you feel that you want more information or a preview of the season ahead, most of the family emails I've sent out over the past few seasons are archived under News on the web site.

See you on the track,

carl

--
Carl Godkin
CTK/St.C/St.S Track & Field Coordinator
280-9748
Visit http://www.ctktrack.org/


(*) An all-time high-water mark I believe.  We stopped sending flyers to the public schools three or four years ago to prevent things getting totally out of hand.

CTK Track News for the week of 31 Jan 2011...

Greetings 2011 CTK/St.C/St.S Track Families,

And they're off! Welcome to the 2011 CYO track season. You're getting this mail (and will continue to get mails like this on Sunday evenings) because you've signed an athlete up for the combined team of Christ the King, St. Catherine, and St. Stephen parishes.

Each week's emails will alert you to upcoming practices, meetings, and meets. In addition, there's a team web site with all sorts of information at www.ctktrack.org. And, for the very latest information about late practice cancellations or changes, follow the team on Twitter (where, you guessed it, we're @ctktrack).

Practices
We will be practicing at College Park High School this season, on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5pm. We'll finish up before 6pm until the time changes in March. Please pick your athletes up promptly after practice so the coaches can get home themselves.

Our first two practices will be:

• Tuesday, Feb 1 5-5:45pm at College Par High School track 
• Thursday, Feb 3 5-5:45pm at College Park High School track 

Dress warmly for practices at College Park. Even though your kids, like mine, may claim not to feel the cold, PLEASE send them to practice in sweats. It makes the coaches shiver to see them in shorts and a T-shirt in February.

Athletes should wear running shoes, sweats, and bring a water bottle. We would really like it if they brought all of these things home after practice too.

Parents should walk their athletes down to the track and either come to the track for pickup at the end of practice, or meet us shortly after practice ends at the gate to the parking lot.

If there is rain, we often practice anyhow. Since College Park has a fine all-weather track, it's possible to practice no matter what the weather. However, in the interest of keeping all of the coaches from quitting, we cancel practice if the weather is particularly bad. We will post an announcement about practice on the front page of the web site (http://www.ctktrack.org/) by 4pm if practice will be canceled. (We actually do this with a "tweet," which is shown on the front page of the web site. So if you follow @ctktrack, you'll know about such changes instantly.)

We Need More CoachesWe can use more coaches, experienced or not. If you coach twice a week, you are excused from meet jobs during the regular season. (If you are available only once a week, then we still ask you to work twice at meets.) We especially need more coaches for the oldest boys group (6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys). If you have any track expertise that you'd be willing to share, or if you are just willing to help manage the 240 kids on the team so far, please help us out.

Parent MeetingDon't forget the Track Parent Meeting on Thursday, February 10th, at 7pm in the Christ The King Parish Hall. We hope that at least one parent from each family, particularly new families, will come and learn more about the program, meet the coaches, and get their questions answered. If you have friends who may be interested in signing their kids up too, invite them to the meeting. We usually manage to finish up by 8:15pm.

Roster
We don't put a link to the roster on the web site since it seems like that would be a great way to help you get more junk mail. However, there are two versions that we try to keep up to date:

Complete Roster (alphabetical)    (ask Carl for the URL)
Coach's Roster (by group)           (ask Carl for the URL)

If the elves trying to read the forms have managed to misspell your name or confuse your contact info, please drop a note to ctk_track@comcast.net with any corrections.

Speaking of bad handwriting, the volunteer assignments gathered at sign-ups are posted on the Volunteer page of the web site. Please write to ctk_track@comcast.net with any errors you spot. (The first meet is over a month away and the schedules will evolve. More on that later.)

Mailing ListIf your family uses multiple email addresses, we can add others to this mailing list. Just ask.

Late Sign-upsWe will accept late sign-ups until through February. If you have friends who are interested, please invite them to the parent meeting, or to check out the web site or even to come to practice. Kids not actually signed up for the team are welcome to practice with the team to see if they like it as long as a parent sticks around during practice. (That's because we don't have a medical release and if anything should happen, we'd have a problem.)

See you on the track,

carl

--

Carl Godkin
CTK/St.C/St.S Track & Field Coordinator
280-9748
Visit http://www.ctktrack.org/

Track Schedule Updated

Alert readers may have noticed that the tentative schedule posted on web site changed tonight.  Because Easter is quite late this year, the Sectional Meet, usually held a week before the Diocesan Meet, had been tentatively scheduled for the weekend after Easter.  


This season the Relay Meet will move from its usual spot in the middle of the season to the weekend after Easter when many schools are on Spring Break.


The location of each meet for the CTK/SC/SS teams will not be announced for about a month as the league coordinator needs more information about team counts and the availability of certain venues in order to complete the schedule.  Our meets this season will take place at some combination of DVC, Ygnacio Valley High School, Granada High School, and perhaps San Ramon Valley High School.

2011 CTK/SC/SS Track Sign-up Announcement

Greetings,

Happy New Year!

Sign-ups for the 2011 Christ the King, St. Catherine, and St. Stephen CYO track season will take place on Thursday, January 20, and Monday, January 24, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Christ the King School in the 6th grade classroom. The address is 199 Brandon Road, which is at the corner of Brandon and Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill.

We'll begin practice on February 1st, and we plan to hold the usual Tuesday and Thursday practices starting at 5pm. We'll be practicing at College Park High School track again this season.

There will be meets every Saturday from March 5th until the diocese meet on May 8th, except for the Saturday before Easter (April 23rd). What I already know of our meet schedule is posted on the web site.

The fee this season is going to be $65 for each athlete, or $55 if your athlete's T-shirt from last season will still work for them. (Families finding the fee difficult should contact me privately.) Please bring your calendar to the sign-ups as we will once again expect you to sign up for five volunteer work assignments and leave a $50 deposit to encourage you to follow through.

As usual, we are very interested in having parents (experienced or not) sign up to coach with us. We usually end up with upwards of 200 kids on the team and coaching so many athletes requires plenty of help. We are particularly interested in finding parents with experience in our field events (long jump, high jump, and shot put) . Please contact me if you have any questions.

If you are interested in more information, please contact me or check the team web site, at www.ctktrack.org. If you spot any mistakes on the site, please let me know as I've just updated it for 2011 and have probably made a few errors. The Handouts page, for instance, has the forms you'll need to sign up.

Finally, if you are interested in helping out at one (or even both) of the sign-ups evenings, please contact me. We usually manage to draw quite a crowd and having plenty of experienced track parents on hand to answer questions helps a great deal.

We are looking forward to another great season on the track.

Best regards,

carl

--
Carl Godkin
CTK/St.C/St.S Track & Field Coordinator
280-9748
Visit http://www.ctktrack.org/