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- It is paramount that you come to the team with the proper attitude. There is no
room for bad attitudes or personal agendas on this team. We have team goals
that we are working to achieve. Make your contribution to this effort. Support
and respect your teammates- you are in this together. Respect your coaches.
Most importantly, have respect for the sport.
- You must refrain from the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products. Not only
is the use of these products illegal, but it will also have a direct negative impact
on your academics and your athletics. There will be no tolerance for the use of
these substances. A statewide drug-testing program is now being instituted for
all high school athletes.
- Hazing of any form is expressly forbidden and will not be tolerated.
- Maintain good nutrition and sleeping habits. In order to succeed as an athlete,
you must take good care of your body’s needs. Also, you must keep yourself
well-hydrated.
- Be sure to check the weather report to see if you need to pack any special
clothing and/or gear for practice or meets. Check your bag before you leave
home to see if you have everything you need, especially your running shoes.
Remember that it is better to have and not need, than need and not have.
- Get to every team obligation in a prompt fashion. This includes practices, team
meetings, and bus departures for meets. A good rule of thumb is to arrive at
least five minutes before practice or any other meeting time.
- Every workout is designed to make you a better athlete. In order for this to be
achieved, you must complete each workout exactly as designed to the fullest of
your ability.
- The pre-workout warm-up is an integral part of your workout and must be
treated as such. Running your warm-up laps too slow serves no purpose. You
must warm up in a thorough manner and should not need to be told to do so.
- The post-workout cooldown is an integral part of your workout and must be
treated as such. It cannot be skipped and must be given the proper attention.
You must stretch and re-hydrate before being dismissed from practice.
- General conditioning work will also be part of practice. This includes but is not
limited to push-ups and core/abdominal strength work and weight-room
workouts.
- Receiving outside coaching (personal coaches and/or track clubs) is not
permitted unless approved by the coaches. Each workout is part of the total
training plan. You will not develop properly by jumping back and forth between
training plans.
- If you are injured, you are required to inform the coaches and see the athletic
trainer for consultation. You are the only person who knows how badly you are
hurt. If you are in need of treatment, you are to notify a coach and consult with
the trainer. You are to return to practice after this consultation to report on your
status. Please keep in mind that there is a major difference between being sore
and being injured.
- Injured athletes are required to check in every day with the coach and to attend
all meets unless excused by the coaching staff. Injuries suffered on
ski/snowboadring/ice-skating trips or while participating in a club sport will have
a negative impact on your standing with the team.
- Keep in mind that we have limited entries in all of our meets. Many meets only
have varsity events, although some have freshman and novice events. Your
effort in practice as well as your performance in recent meets will determine
whether you will be entered in a particular meet. Seniors will not be entered in
any sub-varsity competitions. Do not expect to be entered in a varsity event if
you are not ready for that level of competition.
- You cannot compete in a weekday meet unless you have been in for a full day of
school. In order to compete in a Saturday meet, you must be in for a full day of
school the day before. To qualify as having been in school for a full day, you
must have been marked present during Period 1. This is not a team policy. It is
a school policy.
- In order to leave a meet with your parents, you must receive prior permission
from the athletic director. This must be done in accordance with school policy by
completing the online form found here.
- You must be a responsible school citizen, which includes acting in an appropriate
manner at all times. Remember that your behavior reflects on yourself, your
teammates, your coaches, the track & field program, and the school. The track &
field team has an excellent reputation, and it is up to you to uphold it.
- You are expected to give your fullest effort in athletics. It is just as important
that you do the same in the classroom. You are expected to meet or exceed all
guidelines set forth by your classroom teachers. You will be disciplined if you are
not fulfilling your academic requirements.
- Keep yourself out of trouble. Get to class on time. Detention will cut into
practice time, and Saturday detention may prevent you from competing in a
Saturday meet. If you cannot make a team obligation because you have
detention, you are letting your teammates down. We have seldom had a
problem with this in the past, and it is expected that it will stay that way. Again,
you will be subject to additional sanctions if you have become a discipline
problem in school.
- If you have a club meeting or an extra help or test make-up appointment after
school, you are expected to come to practice with a pass from the supervising
staff member. You are to let the coaches know beforehand. A coach will always
stay late with you to make sure you get the workout in as planned. The same
goes for doctors’ appointments. You cannot do that day’s workout the next
day. It was planned for that day for a reason and might actually impede your
development or performance in the next meet if it is done the next day. Mr.
Koegel and Coach McGriff both work in the school. It is your responsibility to
seek them out. Please remember that it doesn't take more than 45 minutes to
make up a test or quiz. Please make every effort to do so before school or
during a free period. We will check on your whereabouts if you are not at
practice.
- The use of cellular/mobile phones during practice is strictly prohibited, except in
the case of an emergency. Talking to your boyfriend, girlfriend, friend, etc., while
you are supposed to be stretching or working out is expressly forbidden. Text
messaging in the same situations is also not allowed. Leave your phone in your
bag during practice. You will not need it until practice is over. Call for your ride
when your workout is complete and you have been dismissed by a coach.
- If you are causing a distraction or your presence is otherwise interfering with the
proper function of team activities, you will be sent home. Do not cause drama
and do not get involved in it.
- You are not allowed to listen to a personal audio player during practice,
especially if you are running on public roads.
- Maintain a positive attitude. Do not do anything to disparage the opposition.
There will be no unsportsmanlike displays. Respect your opposition, your
teammates, and your coaches. Give respect, and you will get respect. Work
hard and you will reach your potential.
- If you are not working your hardest in a particular workout, you will be kept after
practice to do additional work. You are required to give your fullest effort in
every workout. No less will be tolerated. Taking "bathroom breaks" in the
middle of a workout in order to give yourself extra recovery time will also not be
tolerated. You were given that particular mode of recovery (walking, jogging,
timed recovery, etc.) for a reason. It is part of the workout. If you alter that,
you are altering the workout. You may be made to start your workout over.
- We spend a significant amount of time running on public roadways and
sidewalks. You are required to obey all traffic regulations and to stay off private
property. Cutting road loops is unacceptable. If you are found to be cutting
road loops, you will be doing all of your training on the track, under the watchful
eye of a coach.
- You will not be entered in any meets until you have earned the entry. This
includes, but is not limited to, being able to finish all of your workouts as
prescribed by your coach.
- Varsity athletes are to ensure their ability to be present at and to compete in all
championship meets. Your teammates are counting on you to be there. Do not
let them down.
- You are responsible for the replacement costs of any team-issued apparel if lost,
damaged, or stolen.
- We have two coaches on our staff for the winter season. Whether or not you
work out in his event group, each coach is still your coach and a coach of the
entire team. If that coach tells you to do something, a reply of, "you're not my
coach" is completely unacceptable.
- Varsity athletes conduct themselves in a certain manner. Do not expect to be
entered in varsity competition if you are not fulfilling the expectations held for a
varsity athlete's behavior.
- Be honest about the workouts you do and the performances you have attained.
Part of the beauty of track & field is the objectivity used in evaluation. We use
stopwatches and measuring tapes. Nothing else. If you ran four miles today in
practice, don't tell people you ran six. If you ran 12 x 400, don't tell anyone you
did 24 x 400. Embellishing your workouts will not make you a better athlete.
- All team members must aid in setting up equipment for practice.
- Sharing lip balm and/or water bottles is not allowed. This is not hygienic, and
quite frankly, it is disgusting.
- Make-up, perfume, etc. are not to be applied at practice and/or meets.
- Anyone participating in a club sport or going on skiing/snowboarding/ice-skating
trips during the season will be ineligible to be named captain or MVP.
- The decision as to what constitutes an excused absence rests solely with the
coaches and not with the athletes. Team members missing practice without a
legitimate excuse will do extra work to make up the missed practice. Ski trips
and club sports practices and competitions are not excused absences. Hair cuts,
manicures/pedicures, shopping trips, and babysitting are also not excused
absences.
- If any championship t-shirts, etc. are ordered, the order will be limited to varsity
letter-winners, coaches, and related administrative personnel/support staff.
Dressing Appropriately for Practice and Meets
- The most important thing is to have your running shoes at practice everyday.
Going home after school because you forgot your running shoes is not
acceptable and will be treated as an unexcused absence. If you forget
something, make arrangements to have it brought to the school. Borrow clothes
if you must, but try your best not to borrow running shoes. Wearing someone
else’s running shoes to run can lead to injury.
- Weather conditions will dictate the type of clothing and/or warm-ups to be
worn. It is your responsibility to stay current with the weather report to know
what to pack for practice. Check your bag before you leave home to see if you
have everything you need, especially your running shoes. Remember that it is
better to have and not need, than to need and not have.
- You must assume that we will be going outside everyday for practice. Bring
indoor and outdoor practice clothes everyday. Start with a t-shirt and shorts,
and add layers on top of that. A hat or ear-warmer band and gloves are a must.
- Clothing with inappropriate text and/or graphics cannot be worn to practice or
meets. This includes clothing that advertises products not for use by those
under 21.
- Appropriate undergarments are to be worn to run. Girls must wear proper-fitting
sports bras that provide adequate support. Boys must not wear boxer shorts,
as they do not provide any support and wearing them while running can result in
injury.
- No dangly jewelry. This includes hoop or large earrings, loose bracelets and
anklets, and dangling necklaces. Fashion watches are not to be worn- only
sports watches. No jewelry at all can be worn during meets.
- Long hair must be tied up before we start warming up. Please do this in the
locker room before you come to practice. No one wants to run behind someone
whose hair is flowing wildly. You may think that it looks good like that, but
chances are, you will be the only one holding that belief.
- You must wash your uniform after every meet. Also, please wear clean clothes
to practice every day.
