I cannot promise you that it will be easy.
I can promise it will be worth it.
It was so fun for your coach to see a packed classroom of athletes last Friday! It’s very exciting to start thinking about a great track season.
I truly love our sport. We are so fortunate to be a member of one of the greatest sports. Why do I think athletics–both track and distance running–are so special? There are many, many reasons I feel deeply in my soul, that are hard for me to completely articulate, but here are some…
- Track is the oldest sport, with it’s roots going back to prehistoric times. Running, throwing and jumping are natural for humans. These sports don’t need a lot of complex rules, just a line in the dirt and a challenge of ‘who can get to that tree fastest?’ or ‘who can throw this thing the farthest?’ The first recorded competitions were the ancient Olympics in ~700BC. We are part of that tradition!
- Athletes in track and field are not completely defined by winning and losing…sure, we would like to win every race, however if we fight hard and continue to improve our progress can still be definitively measured and the progress itself is something to be proud of. Ask any Olympian (or participant in the State meet), they are proud to be there, no matter where they place. In a ball sport, it’s hard to be too proud unless you win (which means someone has lost, too).
- Track athletes don’t have to share a ball (or playing time). To me, it’s kind of a contradiction…we talk about track as an individual sport, yet unlike the ‘team’ sports, in track and cross country we do not compete for playing time with our teammates. We all can go out and run the same race with the same conditions. In baseball, there are only nine innings to be played and those innings need to be shared among the team–so there is competition within the team about who is going to play those innings. In basketball and soccer and volleyball, there are only so many minutes to be shared…and you may or may not get the ball fed to you where you have an opportunity to score. In track, you can cheer for your teammates and hope they improve and never fear that the coach is going to say ‘hey, we are going to substitute you out, no room for you to run the 400m today.’
- I can’t think of any sport where the competitors at all levels are so respected by the elite, professional athletes. I’ve had the honor of being able to compete in events such as the Boston Marathon and the Fifth Avenue Mile and been on the same field at the same time with athletes such as Bernard Lagat, Ryan Hall, Desi Davila and Joanie Benoit…and we talk about our races together afterwards. Sure I got smoked! But there is mutual respect. I can’t imagine getting on the court with the Golden State Warriors…that just would not work! 🙂
So…I can’t wait for track season! I am always excited to see athletes return for another year, and it is always great to get to know new people and introduce them to our team and sport!
A few notes…
- First practice will be Monday, February 1. Please make sure that your physical paperwork is complete (both your parents‘ and your doctors‘ form), that your parents have entered you on the on-line registration, and that your parents have joined the Monta Vista Boosters for track and field. If you have already participated in XC or another sport, you don’t need to get another physical however your parents do need to join Boosters for each sport. If you are unclear on what to do regarding paperwork, you can always talk to Mr. Bonacorsi.
- Check back in January for our season schedule, we are still looking at invitational dates.
- Let’s make this the year we avoid shin splints! Check out the presentation (download below) from Friday’s meeting, with some suggested exercises. We took some time to think about issues we had last year, when many athletes at the end of the season were fighting sore shins, and went out to develop a preventative regime. Try to do these exercises every day for the rest of December and January and let’s see if we feel stronger in May! Check back here in a week or so for another posting on this.
- There are several groups of athletes that plan to work out together in January…so find a group to work with! Don’t get up off the couch on the first day of practice, that is not a path to excellence (and won’t be much fun!).
- Expectations: We expect you to show up every day and work hard–it really is that simple. Practice will be every day, 3:20-5:20, rain or shine. Your coaches won’t ask you to participate on a day when the weather is unsafe, however come to the track and check in no matter how bad the weather–don’t make your own assumption about whether practice or a meet is cancelled or not. We expect everyone to come to practice every day ready to work enthusiastically and hard. You need to make a choice and a commitment to track and field; if you have other interests that take a lot of time (a club, another sport, studies, a job) you probably need to choose what is most important to you. You can’t do everything! Most people can excel at school, have time for fun and their friends and family, and commit to do one other thing well. If that one other thing is track, great! If you are trying to do track, and a couple other clubs, and a musical instrument, and an SAT prep course, and a language, and volunteering…well, you are probably stretched too thin! We suggest you pick one or two things you truly care about and be really good at those few things. We think you will be healthier and happier if you choose to prioritize things you are passionate about; rather than not choosing what is most important to you, and trying to do too much!
- We will not cut you from the team based on your athletic ability, however we will cut for attitude and effort. Habitual lateness, absences, poor attitude or effort, or simply the coach’s judgment that an athlete is being a distraction or detrimental to the team can result in asking you to leave.
- PE credit will require you missing no more than five practices over the course of the season. You must compete at every SCVAL meet, and must attend all sessions of the EC and SCVAL championships and either compete or be a volunteer helper (if you do not qualify). If you are cut from the team for attitude, at the sole judgment of the coach, you will not receive PE credit. If you are a senior and you need PE credit to graduate, we suggest that you sign up for a PE class instead; track and field is not guaranteed PE credit, and if you are cut from the team, you will not graduate with your class in June. PE class is an easier path to graduation than being part of track and field.
- There are very few allowable reasons to miss a practice or a competition. If you are ill and you still come to school, you must also practice or compete. Taking a test, going to a club meeting or activity, taking an after school class of any type, is not a valid excuse to miss a practice or a competition. Your coaches may make an exception for what they deem to be a unique and valuable educational or life opportunity, however please note that this is the coach’s sole judgement not your judgment of what is a unique opportunity. We might make different judgments for situations and athletes that seem similar to you but get different answers–sorry, that really is the coach’s judgment, you will need to come to practice or the race or you may not get PE credit or stay on the team. Assume that you will have to be at practice, anything else is an exception that you can’t count on. An SAT test or a language study course are not unique and valuable opportunities, interviewing ex-President Clinton or the opportunity for performing with the London Symphony Orchestra would be unique and valuable.
Wow! OK that is enough for now. Check back here for updates throughout December, January and during the season. Email me at coachflatow@gmail.com if you have any questions about anything–I really like helping you with your training questions! (I’m less excited about questions such as ‘I really want to do track, but I also like X, can I come to practice three days per week?)
I hope finals went well for everyone! Have a great holiday, please stay in touch, help each other great ready for the season…and see you before you know it!
