Track and Field

Daily attendance is required to be on the team. Two tardies and/or unexcused absences will result in removal from the team. If you have an appointment or other excused reason to miss practice, you must notify your attendance coach during the school day (preferably at lunchtime). If you have an excused absence from school, show your attendance coach your re-admit slip the day you return to school. Academic reasons or extracurricular activities are NOT valid excuses to miss practice.

All school rules apply at practice. Additionally:

• Athletes must dress out in P.E. clothes or appropriate athletic attire. Your clothing must comply with school dress code guidelines. Athletic footwear is REQUIRED. Spikes, however, are optional; be aware that our dirt track quickly wears down spikes!
• Check the weather daily and dress appropriately. Practice on rainy days is possible, so listen for announcements. If it is cold, bring sweatpants and a sweatshirt. On sunny days wear sunscreen.
• Bring a reusable water bottle with you everyday. Make sure it is clearly marked with your name.
• Keep our school clean and pick up your trash at the end of practice each day. Athletes are required to help put away equipment before being dismissed from the track. A mess left behind on the field or track results in extra laps for the entire team. Do not head to the locker room until directed by a coach! Stay and clean up, then wait until dismissed by a coach.
• Simply joining the team does not mean that you are guaranteed to attend any meet. Coaches will hold qualifiers to determine which athletes will participate in the meet. Qualifiers will be announced at practice. Practices the day before a meet are reserved for those who have qualified.
• Since track is a team sport, each athlete is expected to practice and participate in at least 2 events.You are not limited to a category of events (i.e. jumps; distance; sprints; throws).
• Practice ends at 3:30 Monday/Tuesday and at on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. Students need to be picked up by 3:45 p.m Monday/Tuesday and on Wednesdays 4 p.m. at the latest.

We expect that you will come to practice every day with a positive attitude. To encourage proper behavior and participation, we follow a “three strikes” policy. Examples of strike-worthy offenses/infractions include:

• Ignoring coaches’ directions, failure to follow instructions, or acting in an unsafe manner
• Having a disrespectful attitude towards other athletes or coaches; displaying bad sportsmanship
• Failing to participate 100% in stretching, conditioning, or at an event (ex. sitting/talking on field)
• Failure to be picked up at the end of practice -- make sure your ride is on time!

Consequences:

• One strike = warning and punishment given by coach (leaving the event; running laps)
• Two strikes = disqualification from participation in upcoming meet
• Three strikes = removal from the track team for the remainder of the season

*Any extreme, dangerous, or defiant behavior will result in immediate removal from the team.

**Any unsportsmanlike conduct at a meet will result in immediate expulsion from the team.

Participating in athletics is a privilege, not a right. In order to qualify for meets, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA with no Ds or Fs. 3rd quarter report cards will determine academic eligibility to attend practice. 4th quarter progress reports will determine eligibility for division and section finals (playoffs). Students who do not meet minimum academic requirements at the progress reports will be dismissed from the team.

Athletes who qualify for a meet will be assigned a jersey for the duration of the season. You must take proper care of the jersey. Wash it after each use & before returning it at the end of the season. Students who damage or lose a jersey will be charged a $30 replacement fee. Unreturned jerseys are treated like a library fine – you may not attend dances or end of the year field trips until the jersey is returned or paid for if lost.

All meets begin at 3:30 p.m. Typically a meet follows this format: 

• Hurdles (e.g., 65m Hurdles for boys and girls)

• Sprints
  – 100m Dash
  – 200m Dash

• Distance
  – 1600m Run (commonly known as the mile)

• Middle Distances
  – 400m Dash
  – 800m Run

• Relays
  – 4x100m Relay
  – 4x400m Relay

Athletes are responsible for listening to all announcements, knowing the schedule of events, and being at their individual events on time. Also:

• Bring your own bottles of water, healthy snacks, sweats, sunscreen, etc. 
• Keep an eye on teammates’ belongings. Keep our area clean. No junk food is allowed.
• Be respectful toward all other athletes, coaches, & officials. Always be a good sport.
• Stay off the track and away from the jump & throw pits unless you are warming up or participating in an event. Be a spectator from the bleachers or other permitted viewing areas.
• Notify a coach IMMEDIATELY of any injuries or other serious concerns (examples: event coordinator does not have your name or information &/or won’t let you compete; disqualifications/cheating; dispute over timing/measuring; unsportsmanlike conduct from other athletes/teams; etc.).
• ALL athletes MUST personally check out with a coach. Do NOT have a friend or another athlete tell us! We need to be able to account for all athletes’ whereabouts for safety reasons.
• Failing to inform a coach that you are unable to attend a meet, missing your event(s) at a meet, or not checking out with a coach will disqualify you from participation in future meets.