1/31 update

Braves,

I don't know where to begin with this week's update. I felt like this week was extremely successful, from the work ethic, the attitude, and the energy, culminating with the meet on Friday and Saturday. I am very pleased with the effort shown at the meet this weekend. There were some great performances and seasonal bests. A particular shout out goes to our 4x400 teams: Julia, Elizabeth, Amelia, and Rachel; Bridger, Houston, Marcus, and Marmas. These 8 athletes not only ran well this weekend, but have shown exceptional effort day in and day out, particularly on the hills. Both teams gave everything they had at the end of a VERY LONG meet, and I hope that each one of you will look to their example of commitment and see where you can improve. Obviously that group isn't perfect, and they have work to do too, but this is an example of what a successful program is composed of.

This week is going to be another good one. We do not have a meet this weekend, which will allow us to get some quality work in on the hills, in the halls, and in the field house. Without giving away too much, you'll want to come to practice this Friday, it'll be a fun one for you (not as fun as hills, but "fun" by the traditional definition). Come this week determined to work hard and get better. May we continue to improve ourselves and each other as a team.

We are less than a month away from outdoor season so let's make sure we don't let up. Now is a good time to spread the word about outdoor and to get some folks that haven't been with us during the indoor season to come and join us this week. 

Thanks for all you do. When you work hard and give full effort it inspires me, and I appreciate it. 

Let's Go Braves!

1/24

Braves,

We had a short week but were able to get a few good days of work in, including on the no school day - Tuesday. The week culminated with some good performances at Weber State. Though many of you competed, Amelia, Elizabeth, Rachel, and McKade stood out for their determination and for the many events they continued to run in despite some fatigue. I was impressed with how they went out and competed event after event. I hope their example will be followed in our program, not just this year but every year. 

Ultimately, that culture is what we are trying to create here at Bountiful High. Our school has a tradition of excellence in many sports and academics, and we want to add to that with track and field. We are doing something new with indoor and it's you guys who are making this season successful, and I appreciate your work. I hope that you can renew yourselves this week and determine to be better, and add to the new culture we are creating, rather than detract. 

This week we have the indoor state championships at the Olympic Oval. This is the fastest indoor track in the state so I hope that we will all take advantage of it. We will get a good week of work in before events begin on FRIDAY. The throwing and field events, as well as the 1600 and the 400 are all competed on FRIDAY. The rest of the events are done on Saturday. You are welcome to sign up for as many events as you would like. We will be making a 4x400 team for both the guys and girls. We are going to be asking our top four runners to compete in those relays so we can get a mark for simplot. 

We will pay for the registration of this meet, as it is done online. Remember at the beginning of the season we talked about the fees not covering the meets that require you to pay in cash - hence each athlete had to pay at USU and WSU, but we are covering the costs for online registration here and at BYU.

Lastly, we will be ordering the jackets on TUESDAY of this week. Each jacket is $30. You must pay in the office (have them put it to indoor track) and bring me the receipt in room 23. This must be done by Tuesday at practice otherwise I won't place an order for you. Bring me the receipt as well as the size you want ordered. Also by Tuesday you must tell me what events you want to run so I can register you. Don't forget those two things by Tuesday.

Let's make this week great.

1/17 update

Braves,

This week was a very successful week in terms of the work that we were able to get in. Particularly the day on the hills. The week culminated with the meet at BYU where we saw a ton of season bests and PRs - including Coach Kason's impressive win in the coach's mile with a time of 4:37, beating two davis and Star Valley coaches by over 10 seconds. Working every day trying to improve is what leads to PRs, and for the most part we have been doing that. Those who have been committed to coming to practice and the meets are seeing improvements. Coach Kason and I appreciate your dedication and recognize the efforts you are making. If you find yourself missing practice without having communicated with one of us or skipping meets, we encourage you to rededicate yourselves and do what it takes to be your best. With Simplot rapidly approaching and only a few spaces we have to take of this into account. Use these next few weeks to get back into it and be committed. 

With the beginning of a new semester let's make sure that we are doing what we need to in the classroom as well. Your outdoor track eligibility will depend in large part on what you do in the 3rd term. Make sure you make up any "U"s and communicate with the teachers in whose classes you have been struggling.

This week is a short week because of Martin Luther King Jr. day. Take Monday to relax and spend some time with family or friends. Even though there is no school on Tuesday either, we will be practicing at 2:30. It will be as long as the typical practice, nothing crazy, but be there if you can, and if you can't make sure you inform one of the coaches. With the meet at Weber State this weekend we have a lot of work we need to do in order to get ready. 

Let's make this week fun and enjoy putting in work together. Track is fun when we are dedicated as a group, working together to improve. Keep up the good work.

1/10 update

Braves,

We had an awesome week of work coming into the new year and that lead to a very successful meet at Utah State. I was very pleased with the work that you all put in this week. Let's keep up the effort, the energy, and the positivity.

21 athletes from Bountiful High made the trip to USU and for the most part I was very pleased by the effort. The first meet of the year is never easy but we now have good beginning marks for all who were able to compete. My wife and I enjoyed watching you all compete and cheering for you. I'm excited for this week leading up to the BYU invitational.

Some of the meet highlights included Julia stepping up in the 60m and running very well. She did cross country all fall and still showed some speed in the shortest race.Bailey threw the shot put very well and is poised to see improvement the next time she throws. On the men's side we saw solid performances from Bridger in the 60 and the 400 where he kept the other kid on his shoulder the entire race just to leave him at the finish. He executed the ideal race plan to win that race. It was awesome to watch. Marsaylis (Marmas?) battled a knee injury to still turn in some good races and jumps. I can't talk about each one of your performances, even though I would like to. I hope you know that I am very happy with all of you who made the trip up, but that we still have A LOT of work to do during this indoor season, starting this week.

Our next meet will be this Saturday at BYU. (Field events will all be held on Friday night). We have a good week of work ahead of us to get ready. The registration for this meet is done online and we will be paying the entry fees from the fees that you pay in the office for indoor track. Make sure you have paid that fee in the office by TUESDAY, or have spoken with me. Throwers plan on being in the fieldhouse on Monday and Wednesday. Sprinters, hurdlers, and jumpers be ready to be on the hills again one day this week. More than anything I hope all of you will be prepared to work and stay positive. I am glad with how we have been working thus far, but know we can continue to improve. Let's get after it this week!

Coach Jacobson

Last 2 things: if you know people who might be interested in joining the team be sure to invite them. If they don't like to run, tell them to come throw. If they like to run but are worried that they are too slow and don't want to look bad, remind them that track is about improving, and setting and working towards goals. We want to continue to grow as a team and program. I appreciate all you do.

Finally, I will post the results on the team website as soon as they are sent out, and I will update our team performance list also available on the website.

Braves,

I hope that you all had an excellent break and that you were able to enjoy some time off from school. These breaks always go by too fast for me, but with December coming to an end it means that the indoor season is upon us and I am excited for the season. 

We had some great practices during the break including some good short rest work in the halls, a day outside on the hills, and a hurdle clinic in Morgan. I'm pleased by the effort of all those who were able to come to the practices and the clinic. We have a solid core on our team and it's going to be fun to see how we progress as individuals, teammates, and a team during this winter. I feel optimistic about what we can do, but we still have a lot of work to put in to get where we want to be. Thank you for the effort and dedication of those who came during the break. If you didn't come or were unable to for one reason or another, that is ok, but let's use this week to rededicate ourselves and work to reach our goals. We will talk more about goals on Tuesday.

A couple of things before practice tomorrow (Jan. 4):

We will meet at the normal time, 2:45, in the cafeteria/commons area. On TUESDAY we will be meeting in my classroom (room 23) on the north side of the library (the other side of the library relative to the spiral) at 2:45. The commons will be occupied that day after school so they asked us to meet elsewhere.

Our first meet will be this upcoming Saturday at Utah State. I believe it starts around 8 or 9 AM; details tbd. I hope that all who can will go up to the meet to compete and see where we are. This is an excellent opportunity to get some beginning marks and see how we can improve. 

Lastly, many of you still have not paid the fee. This needs to be done THIS WEEK. If you have any issue or question about this, please come talk with me, I'm happy to work with you. Again, it's $50 dollars in the office, and tell the secretaries that it goes into indoor track.

Thank you all, let's keep up the good work and make this season memorable and positive for all involved. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Coach Jacobson