Welcome to the 2019 Season
- Details
- 15 Jan
1) Welcome to the 2019 Season!
2) Introduction of the coaches
Gretchen Parejko This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 428-4698 (head coach, pole vault, sprints)
Ben Nordman This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (shot and discus)
Zion Mason This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (hurdles, sprints)
Bruyn Yunk This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (middle distance/distance)
Wayne Hartmann This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (long and triple jump)
3) Team expectations
-Be a team member in mind, body, and spirit
-Be here because you want to be here
-Challenge yourself, learn goal setting and follow-through, try an event you never thought of competing in, etc..
-Respect yourself, your teammates, and your coaches
-Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
What should an athlete do if she can’t make a practice or a meet?
Remember it is the athlete’s responsibility to let her coaches know she will not be at
practice or a meet. Email is the best way to communicate with the coaches. If an athlete is the one who is letting the coaches know she cannot be at practice, we would like the athlete to “cc” her parents when sending the coach an email about missed practice or a missed meet. In addition, if the athlete participates in multiple events, she should email all the coaches she works with about the absence. We don’t get a daily attendance list for all day absences from school, so we don’t know if you have stayed home sick. Please send the coaches an email if you have stayed home sick or have left school early due to an illness.
Excused vs Unexcused Absences
In order for an absence to be considered excused, the coaches must receive an email on the day of absence, days prior to absence if it is a planned absence, or the day following the absence. The Girls NV Track and Field team allows 5 excused absences. On the 4th absence, the coaches will contact the parents to let them know the amount of missed practices the athlete has had. On the 5th excused absence, the coaches will have a conversation with the parents and athlete about the athlete’s commitment to the team with a possible consequence of dismissal from the team.
Athletes may be excused for the following reasons
-Dr appointments
-Academic Reasons (group work meetings, to get additional help from teachers, etc…)
-Illnesses/Injuries- these do not count toward the athlete’s 5 excused absences, but an email to communicate either of those is needed. If an athlete is excused from practice by a doctor for an illness or injury, please provide a doctor’s note, so we can work together to get the athlete back to practices again in the most efficient and safe manner. This may also include working with our school athletic trainers.
Athletes may not be excused for the following reasons
-Missed practices/meets with no communication to the coaching staff
-Oversleeping for morning practices
The first unexcused absence may result in the athlete missing the next upcoming meet. A conversation will be held with the coaching staff, the athlete, and the parent on the first unexcused absence. On the second unexcused absence, a conversation will be held with the coaching staff, the athlete, and the parent where the athlete may be asked to leave the team for the season.
4) Here is how track and field works for the girls’ team…
-There are no tryouts, but there could be conversations with the coaches on whether or not track and field is a good fit for the athlete.
-Usually, track and field doesn’t work out for someone because of
-commitments to work
-commitments for school
-commitments to other activities
Athletes should consider her own varied commitments to make sure she can dedicate herself to the time track and field needs for practices, meets, and team building. To help see if an athlete can make the commitments to the meets we participate in, please fill out the meet conflict sheet that will be made available to you in the future.
-Follow the calendar: The calendar can be found at www.nvgirlstrack.com.
The coaches and I will update the calendar as the season goes on, so practice changes, bus departure times, etc will be made available. The coaches communicate best through email, but the website is another good way for all to be informed. If an athlete needs a hard copy of the calendar, please send Coach Parejko an email asking for one.
-On the first day of your practice, you need a current physical on file at school and to be registered online. Within a week, a charge for $200 will appear on your push coin account that will need to be paid in order to continue with the team. Any athlete absolutely may not participate in any practices or meets if she has not met these minimal requirements.
-If you are joining our team on any other date than January 15th…
Our registration closes when we have the number of girls registered equal the number of uniforms we can supply- usually we close registration at the end of the first week of practice. If you are participating in a winter sport, please communicate with Coach Parejko on when you will be joining the track and field team. Athletes may not come out only for the outdoor part of our season. Athletes should also finish the activity (ie Speech) before attending practices for the track and field team.
Since the events in track and field require specific training to compete at a meet, the coaches reserve the right to hold an athlete out of competition until she has completed enough practices to compete in the events she is training for.
-We like to find a ‘home’ for everyone. An athlete can complete in many different aspects of track and field. For instance, if she wants to throw shot and discus and also run, she can do that, BUT she will have to communicate with both coaches of the areas she desires to participate in. They will best know which event she should practice with and where she should report to practice.
-The events you can participate in are: sprints (55m [indoor season only], 100, 200, 400, the 4 X 100, 4 X 200, 4 X400, 4 by 1 Lap [Indoor season only]), distance/middle distance (800, 1600, 3200, and the 4 X 800), jumps (high jump, triple jump, long jump), throws (shot and discus), hurdles (55m [indoor season only], 100m, 300m), and pole vault.
-We have a Varsity and a JV team. Any of the four years (fr, soph, jr, senior) can be on the Varsity or the JV level. In fact, the coaches and I often find ourselves placing athletes in a JV meet one week and a Varsity meet the next. The athletes will receive an email at least a day in advance of a meet with the lineup, including which level she will participate on.
-There are 3 awards that could be presented to the athlete at the end of the season banquet.
-Certificate of participation/track and field pin: An athlete will receive a certificate of participation if they only compete in 1 Indoor All-Comer’s meet and 1 Outdoor All-Comer’s meet.
-JV letter/track and field pin: In order to earn a JV letter, the athlete has competed in one or a combination of the following: JV Indoor Conference, JV Outdoor Conference Meet, at least one Indoor JV Invitational and at least one Outdoor JV Invitational, at least 2 All-Comer’s Indoor meets and 2 All-Comer’s Outdoor meets and has met the team’s attendance expectations.
-Varsity letter/track and field pin: In order to earn a Varsity letter, the athlete has competed in one or a combination of the following: Varsity Indoor Conference Meet, Varsity Outdoor Conference Meet, at least one Indoor Varsity Invitational and at least one Outdoor Varsity Invitational and has met the team’s attendance expectations.
The coaches have the final decision as to what letter/certificate the athlete will earn.
-There are many factors that go into deciding the lineup for meets. They include but are not limited to and may change depending on the meet:
-attendance and participation in practices
-times/distances/heights
-area of need in the meet (especially if she participates in many different events)
-type of meet (is it a limited entry invitational or an all-comer’s meet?)
The coaches make the final lineup, although we do ask for events the athlete may be interested in doing for an all-comers meet (sign up through Google doc).
-What is needed for an athlete to compete in a meet
-enough attendance days as determined by the coaching staff at practice for the event she trains in
-Payment for the season
-Current physical on file
-Signed/dated team expectation sheet from the athlete and a parent/guardian
5) Season vs Seasons: We have one season that is made up of the indoor season where we compete on indoor tracks and the outdoor season where we compete on outdoor tracks.
-By signing up, we are expecting you to be here until May 25th.
6) Practices -From January-the end of March
We practice Mon-Friday, with Saturdays on an as needed basis. Coaches will let you know by Thursday if practice will be held on Saturday.
Practice Times:
Mondays 2:45-5:00 (all events)
Tuesdays 2:45-5:00 (all events)
Wednesdays 5:30 am-6:45 am (all events)
Thursdays 2:45-5:00 (all events)
Fridays 5:30 am- 6:45 am (all events)
Where to meet?
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays- we meet upstairs by the senior class house at the main campus
Wednesdays and Fridays- see your event coach for meeting places
***NOTE: We do have gym space available in the aux gym on certain days. Your events coach will let you know if your meeting place has changed and where you should report.
-Spring Break
Practices over Spring Break are not mandatory; however, we will have practice for those athletes in town tentatively planned on Mon., Wed., and Fri., of Spring Break (time TBA). Workouts will be given to those traveling over Spring Break. More specific information will be provided as Spring Break approaches.
-From the first day after Spring Break until the State Meet in May
We practice Monday-Friday from 2:45-5:00 except on days of meets. Saturdays are on an as needed basis.
Where to meet? We will meet outside on the track unless the weather calls for something different. You will be notified of a change in practice location by email, the website, or a sign will be posted on the athletic locker room door.
Practice Do’s -Bring workout gear for indoor and outdoor practices (Having a good pair of trainers is essential. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good pair. We suggest trying Naperville Running Company or Dick Ponds, because they will work with you on finding the right pair of shoes and will even take back shoes if they are not working for you.)
-Bring a water bottle (not mandatory but highly suggested)
-Bring a watch (not mandatory)
-Be on time! - practice starts either at 5:30am or 2:45pm, so please plan to be at your practice at least 5 minutes before the start of practice.
-Communicate to your coach if you need to be late or miss a practice. You are responsible for this- not your friend!
-Bring a positive attitude!
Practice Don’ts Don’t bring your cell phone unless told to do so by a coach. Don’t bring your music to listen to during the workout. This is time for you to be with your teammates.
7) Meets- All meets are listed on the team calendar and website as we know them so far. Some meets are all-comers meets and some meets are invitationals where we are able to bring only a limited amount of participants. The types of meets are listed on the calendar.
8) Lockers Please put your clothes in any open locker for right now. We will get assigned lockers when the winter sports teams are done with their seasons. Please see the sheet in the locker room for lockers that will eventually be only track and field. DON’T FORGET TO LOCK YOUR LOCKER EVERY DAY!!!
9) Grades In order to participate in track and field, you needed to pass 5 classes from first semester. You also have to pass 5 classes each week throughout the season. Grades are pulled on Thursday, so it its very important to check your grades consistently. If you are struggling with your classes, please talk to your coach, so we can work on a plan together. Remember you are a student first!
10) Health
Good health is essential to being able to compete in track and field. That means fueling your body with good choices at all meals of the day. I am a big proponent of pushing lots of water throughout the day and striving to get 8 hours of sleep. If you are injured, you should tell you coaches immediately and we will work together for the best treatment of your injury.
