12/31 update

Braves,

I hope you all have a happy new year and that you are ready to get back at it on Tuesday. Over the break we had some solid practices with those who were able to make it. I can confidently say that everyone who came to those practices got better each day, because of the quality of work they put in. On Friday we did 20 short rest 200s and there was some outstanding consistency and effort. I was impressed by the entire group, both the attitude and the determination to give their best on each rep. I couldn’t help but notice a few of our young runners, Grady, Olivia, and Karalyn, all doing an outstanding job of finishing, then simply getting back on the line. When you have a tough day it is easy to try and make excuses for why it is too difficult, why you’re having a bad day, or why you can’t finish the workout, etc. These athletes (and many others that I haven’t mentioned here) avoided those excuses and simply walked back to the line to get ready to go again and again. In fact, our entire team did just that on Friday, and it was awesome to see. This team keeps showing what it takes to get better every day, and that is the key to our, and any team’s, success.

This week we compete at the BYU invite, which has events on Friday and Saturday. Field events and the 3200m are on Friday, and everything else is on Saturday. I have included the links to go on and register, the meet information, and the map to the meet at the end of this email. In the past, this meet has lasted into the evening hours. At the meet info link you can see at what time each event was competed in years past. This year, I anticipate it ending significantly earlier because they are starting earlier, and the two mile is on Friday. The meet director’s goal is to be done by 4 pm on Saturday, but that may or may not be the case, so I plan on a long day.

Indoor track meets can be long affairs due to the huge popularity around the state, and the limited track space. We encourage you to make the meet fun between your races by supporting your teammates in their races, and bringing things to pass the time like homework or games. These meets are way fun, in my opinion, and I thought that as an athlete years ago, and now as a coach.

Because indoor track is a club sport (outdoor track is a school sport) each individual will have to sign themselves up. Before you sign up, talk to your event coach (either through email or at practice on Tuesday) about what events you should be doing. Coach Caitlin can be reached at cpjacobson19@gmail.com. Registration closes on Thursday, but don’t procrastinate or you may end up like a few kids last year who kept procrastinating then missed it all together.

Lastly, BYU’s indoor track is 321.5m around. At the end of the meet they do a 4x1 lap instead of a 4x400 for simplicity. We hope to have as many of you as possible run the 4x1 lap at the end of the meet. Last year we had 5 Bountiful teams compete, which was the most from any school, and this year we would like even more. The relay at the end is one of the most fun parts of the meet, and it is a fun and great opportunity for sprinters and distance runners to get better and race together.

DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE RELAY ONLINE. We will sign up the relays and pay for them. EMAIL ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A RELAY. I ask you to email me so I can get a count of how many teams I need to register and pay for. Again, we want to have an awesome group there this next weekend competing and getting better. Last season we had the second biggest team in the state at these indoor meets and I hope that we can continue that tradition of dedication and determination.

If you have any questions about the meet, don’t hesitate to ask.

Coach Jacobson

Registration: https://www.runnercard.com/e/runner.Main?meet=1001576

Meet info: http://www.byutrack.com/various/Special/Meet_Info/2017-18/BYUHSIndoor/Coug-HSIN18.htm

Map to the meet: 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

12/24 update

Braves,

I hope you have all had a great time during this break. With the extended time off I began reading the book “Mindset” by Carol Dweck, who is an important person in educational psychology, particularly over the past few years. There is too much in the book to give a complete rundown here, but in my reading a certain paragraph stood out to me which I felt was applicable to our team.

“Billie Jean King says it’s all about what you want to look back and say. I agree with her. You can look back and say, “I could have been…,” polishing your unused endowments like trophies. Or you can look back and say, “I gave my all for the things I valued.” Think about what you want to look back and say.”

When she says “endowments” she means natural abilities. In other words, we can look back on any facet of our lives and say “I could have been… if only….” (I could have been a brain surgeon if I had wanted to) or we can look back and say “I became a… because I gave my all…” (We became region champions because we gave everything we had day in and day out). This is a simplistic explanation, but the first response is said by those who are afraid to try, for fear of trying and failing. For many of us it is a scary thought to try as hard as we can, and still fail. Instead, it is easier to not try so if we fail we have a built-in excuse (I could have won, but I didn’t try that hard). The second response is said by those who habitually give everything they have, without fear of failure, because they have an understanding that “failure” isn’t what they are, rather, it is something that happens on the path to improvement (e.g., I am a failure vs. I failed this time…). I hope that we can understand that failure is not something we are, but something that happens. May we always give our best effort each day recognizing that success is something found through consistent effort, and not something that is given to us because of our “endowments” (natural abilities).

We are excited for racing season to begin. Our first meet is next weekend (1/5-6). I will give a better explanation on how to sign up in an email later this week. Talk to your event coaches about what events to sign up for.

We will practice this week as a team on Wednesday 12/27, and Friday 12/29 at 8 AM. Your best bet is to enter the building on the third floor back doors by the fieldhouse/tech center. Hope to see all of you there who are in town. If you can’t make it, and on days we aren’t meeting, we strongly encourage you to get out and run so that you don’t take a step back before we get back next week.

Enjoy the remainder of the break!

Coach Jacobson

12/17 update

Braves,

This indoor track season is flying by and we have seen some pretty awesome improvement over the first three weeks of the year. As we approach the winter break it is important not to get complacent or to relax on your commitment. We have less than three weeks before our first meet, and a week and a half of that will be during the break. Let’s keep getting better one day at a time before that first race.

We will practice Monday and Tuesday but will not practice on Wednesday during the early out. During the break 3 times: Thursday 12/21 (this week), Wednesday 12/27, and Friday 12/29 of next week. I understand that you have things going on with family or being out of town so these practices are not mandatory, per se, but we encourage you to come if you are in town. We will be prompt so that you can get to the activities that you have planned during the day. We are deciding between 8 AM or 9 AM, so if you have a preference please let me know at practice today.

While we will only be meeting three times during the break, we encourage you to get out and run and be active so you don’t lose what you have gained over the past month. Spend time with family and friends doing things you enjoy away from school, and make sure to get plenty of sleep.

Again, we are extremely excited about this team and how well you have been working over the first three weeks. We are off to a great start, but as with every team, we certainly have room to improve.  Recommit yourself to give you best each day, starting today.

Coach Jacobson 

12/10 update

Braves,

We’ve had 8 practices and only have 11 or 12 practices remaining before our first meet at BYU. For the complete schedule please visit www.bravestrack.blogspot.com

Every year and team is a little different than the previous years, and this season we are impressed with how hard you are willing to work as a group. We have had some tough workouts, but as a group you show up ready to work day in and day out. Individually, each of us can improve in certain aspects. In order for our team to improve we have to find ways to improve on an individual level, whether it is effort on individual sets, taking advantage of long runs, putting in a few more reps on the weights or in the ring, getting enough sleep, or eating a little better. We can all find small things to do to make ourselves better, which will make the team better as well.

This upcoming week is our last full week of practice before we race, so be ready to get after it. We appreciate all your efforts to keep getting better and we are looking forward to a great week and a half before the break.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Coach Jacobson

12/2 update

Braves and parents,

We had a great showing during the first week of the indoor track season. With only two full weeks until the Christmas break we have to take advantage of every day. Our first meet will be the week following the break, which means we really only have three full weeks of training until we race. (to see the schedule please visit www.bravestrack.blogspot.com)

We were impressed with how hard you were all willing to work during the first week. The trick will be continuing to work hard day in and day out. It is easy to be good for one day, the key is to be good day after day, and week after week.

As a reminder, if you choose to order any clothes (the order form is attached here) please pay in the office and bring me the receipt by Monday at practice. Furthermore, be sure pay the $50 participation fee in the office by Monday as well.

We are excited about the team that we have. We have a good group that already is showing that they are willing to work hard and challenge themselves. I’m amazed at the work ethic that you have already demonstrated and if you keep working you will see a lot of improvement over the course of the season. Let’s enjoy this journey and keep getting better each day.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Coach Jacobson