Braves,
I hope you have been having a great winter break. The days
always seem to fly by when we are out of school. We are lucky that our season
begins right after the break so we can jump right back in to things; that seems
to help cure the holiday hangover for me. When I think about our team I realize
how lucky we are that you are a great group of kids and we are happy to be
working with you. We have a lot of kids who sincerely want to get better, and
we have a very coachable group. Keep up the great work. I have several things to share with you before
we resume regular practices on Tuesday to help you be ready for next week’s
meet.
This past week we held two practices, and the attendance was
as expected considering many of you were out of town or had other commitments.
If you fall in that category, we understand. Nobody died from the early morning
workouts, but everyone there got stronger. Unfortunately many stayed at home in
bed and got softer. Now I’m not trying to make you feel guilty, and again, I realize
many of you simply couldn’t come – and many of you emailed me to tell me that,
which I appreciate. What I am trying to do is illustrate a point. The point is
that to get better and become your best self takes work. If we want to become
region and state champions, it is going to take work. For years I have heard
fellow coaches lament that “everyone wants to be the best, but few are willing
to put in the work for it.” We have to take advantage of each day and we can’t
let small things get in our way. Rather than finding reasons to avoid working,
let’s find reasons to work harder. It is
that concept that makes track fun. Seeing your teammates work hard makes you
work harder in return, and that is what makes this whole process enjoyable. Regardless
where you are now, or how many practices you have been to thus far, I invite
each of you, myself included, to think of one way you can work harder each day
at practice – and then of course, do it. Let’s start fresh in the new year and
get ready to work. If we each do that we will be able to reach our goals of
competing for region and state titles in May.
As I said before the break, we have put ourselves in a good
position heading into January, but we have only just begun, there are many
months ahead of us. Take it one day at a time, one practice at a time, one race
at a time and you will be surprised what you are able to accomplish, I have no
doubt of that.
Our first meet is next Friday and Saturday at BYU. I will do
my best to answer all your questions here, but if I miss anything feel free to
send me an email.
1)
You need to register for the meet online. Click here to
register. Remember, we will register for the relays so don’t worry about doing
that.
2)
Remember that indoor track is a club sport,
which means the district will not provide us with transportation. Each of you
is responsible to get yourself to and from the meet. Technically as coaches we
are not even allowed to facilitate carpooling because of liability issues. If you
have space in your vehicle feel free to share that information with your
teammates. Here is a map
to the facility.
3)
Friday night is when the field events are
competed, namely High Jump, Long Jump, Shot Put, and Weight Throw. If you are
competing in one of those events you can head down after school. Refer to the schedule
to get an idea of when things are competed. Scroll to the bottom to see those
estimates.
4)
Saturday is when all the track events are done.
There is not a an exact time schedule, but on the BYU website
you can see what time races in the past have gone. I imagine it will be similar
this year.
5)
We recommend registering for at least two events (that ends up being
$10). We also recommend running the 4x1lap at the end of the day IN ADDITION to
your other events. Please let me know by THURSDAY if you are able to stay until
the end and are interested in a relay and we will sign you up and pay for
those. We are hoping to have a bunch of teams. The relay is one of the best
parts of the day. Few things are better than running with your teammates on a
relay. (The reason it is called 4x1lap
is because the BYU track is ~321m around, so they simplify the relay and it is
a bit shorter than usual.)
We
want you to run these three or more events for several reasons. One of those
reasons is that we are early in the season and still are trying to build a base
for the remainder of the year. Competing in more races will help you build up
your stamina and strength. We are not trying to run our best race of the year
next week, we are trying to do that in May. Running more races now will help
you get there. Many of you are going to be competing is several events, on back
to back days, over the course of the indoor season (State indoor and Simplot),
and outdoor season (district, region, and state). If we don’t do multiple races
now, we won’t be prepared for it.
6) Talk to your coaches about what events you
should run. (Sprinters/Hurdlers, I’m going to recommend the 400m so be
prepared.)
7)
Upon arrival to the facility you will need to
check in to your race by highlighting your name (or whatever they ask you to do
this year) on a table near the “bullpen”. If you walk into the main area you
will eventually find it. We will be there to find you and direct you as well. There
will be areas where you can warm up, but make sure you know which races are
before your so you can go to the bullpen in time. the bullpen is where they
give you a heat and lane assignment, and you might be in the bullpen for a
while, like 30 minutes if you are one of the last heats, so plan accordingly. I
will clarify this further at practice on Tuesday.
8)
There are bleachers in the facility but they
aren’t very conducive to relaxing, so we will find a spot as a team where we
can sit together and support your teammates who are racing.
9)
This meet has a tendency to be longer than some
of the other local meets. Last year the relay finished at about 5 PM.
a. With
that in mind please bring plenty of food and drinks so that you are well
nourished and hydrated for your races. You will be much happier if you are well
fed (speaking from personal experience) so I recommend having an abundance.
b. I
also recommend bring something to sit on like a chair or blanket, and maybe a
pillow if you are the type that naps between races (as long as you are awake
with plenty of time to warm up of course).
c. If
you want you can bring some games to help pass the time between races.
d. Support
your teammates when they are racing. It surprises me how often kids say that
they started running faster when they heard a teammate yell for them. Support
each other and enjoy the day together. This season is short so let’s appreciate
each day and race.
e. Prepare
yourself mentally and physically for your race. Give yourself plenty of time to
warm up and be in the bullpen.
We appreciate your hard work. We are on our way to getting
better. I have put the links at the end here as well for those who may have
missed the hyperlinks above.
Schedule estimates - http://www.byutrack.com/various/Special/Meet_Info/2016-17/BYUHSIndoor/Coug-HSIN17.htm
Registration - http://www.runnercard.com/e/runner.Individual?meet=1000938
Map to facility - https://www.google.com/maps/place/Smith+Fieldhouse+(SFH)/@40.2473836,-111.6552114,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xe988d551777d2390!8m2!3d40.2473836!4d-111.6552114
Our team website – www.bravestrack.blogspot.com
Coach Jacobson
