3/24 update

Braves,

We finally got our first official meet in and we were very pleased with the support you offered your teammates. Track is fun when you compete as hard as you can and you support your teammates when they are competing. It is a pretty simple formula. Of course, that doesn’t only apply to the meets, but it applies to practices as well.

We have a strong team this season, both boys and girls, but it is so early in the season it is hard to tell just how good we are going to be. Frankly, it is up to us. We have the talent and we have the people, but there is one obvious thing that is going to hold us back if we don’t improve in that area. The only thing that will make our team good, rather than great, is individuals missing practices.  

There are a lot of you who have missed practice for a week straight, or several weeks, and you may now be on the fence about wanting to come back or quit all together. If you are on the fence, I encourage you to return. Everyone deserves a fresh start, and as far as I’m concerned, if you haven’t been coming but you start coming regularly it will be as if you’ve been here all along. As always, we simply want to get better every day. If we haven’t been doing that, let’s start now.

This week we will be competing at the Davis District Championships at Syracuse High. The meet schedule is outlined at the end of this email. We are limited on the number of entries allowed per event so unfortunately not everyone will be able to compete in all of their events. We are, however, allowed to enter unlimited numbers of 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams. If you are someone is who isn’t entered, or is only in one or two events, we will enter you in one of those relays so you get a chance to race at this highly competitive meet. Entries will be finalized Monday after practice, so if you know you cannot go, please let your event coach know asap so we don’t use one of the limited entries on someone who won’t be able to make it.

I will email out the excuse time and bus departure time on Tuesday, along with the entries so you know what events you are entered in.

This is our final week before spring break, so let’s make it a great one. This is one of my favorite meets of the year. Looking forward, we will practice on a few late mornings (like 10 AM) over spring break for those of you who are in town.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Wednesday, March 27

3:00 Boys DISCUS

Boys HIGH JUMP (5'06")

Boys POLE VAULT (8'10")

Girls SHOT PUT

Girls LONG JUMP

Girls JAVELIN

3:15 Girls 100m HURDLES trials

3:20 Boys110m HURDLES trials

3:25 Girls 100m DASH trials

3:30 Boys 100m DASH trials

3:35 Boys 1600m RUN final

3:50 Girls 400m DASH trials

4:00 Boys 400m DASH trials

4:10 Girls 300m HURDLES trials

4:20 Boys 300m HURDLES trials

4:30 Girls 3200m RUN finals

4:55 Girls 200m DASH trials

5:10 Boys 200m DASH trials

5:20 Girls 4x800m RELAY final

5:35 Boys 4x800m RELAY final

Thursday, March 28

3:00 Boys JAVELIN

Boys LONG JUMP

Boys SHOT PUT

Girls DISCUS

Girls HIGH JUMP (4'05")

Girls POLE VAULT (6'06")

3:15 Girls 100m HURDLES final

3:20 Boys 110m HURDLES final

3:25 Girls 100m DASH final

3:30 Boys 100m DASH final

3:35 Girls 1600m RUN final

3:50 Girls 4x100m RELAY final

3:50 Boys 4x100m RELAY final

4:00 Girls 400m DASH final

4:05 Boys 400m DASH final

4:10 Girls 300m HURDLES final

4:15 Boys 300m HURDLES final

4:20 Girls 800m RUN final

4:30 Boys 800m RUN final

4:40 Girls MEDLEY RELAY final

4:50 Boys MEDLEY RELAY final

5:00 Girls 200m DASH final

5:05 Boys 200m DASH final

5:10 Boys 3200m RUN final

5:30 Girls 4x400m RELAY final

5:40 Boys 4x400m RELAY final

5:50 Girls 4x400m Exhibition RELAY

6:00 Boys 4x400m Exhibition RELAY

6:10 Presentation of Team and MVP Awards

3/17 update

Braves,

Our first official meet is going to be this coming Thursday at Box Elder. All who are eligible through grades and have completed register my athlete are welcome to go. Registration is done by the coaches, online, so I need to know who is and isn’t able to go. We will talk about that at practice this week.

We will be practicing tomorrow, although this is no school, at 2:30 PM. We need to continue to improve and get better every day.

There are a few on this email list who have stopped coming to practices, and in many cases you missed a few practices and then didn’t come back because you were embarrassed or something. I urge you to come back and be a part of the team. None of us are going to be perfect, and we all have our own flaws, we simply need to strive to be better each day. Even if you’ve missed most of the practices, but a part of you still wants to do track, we want you with us.

There are two months left in the season. It is going to go by fast. We start having at least 1 meet per week and it really makes for a quick season, so please enjoy each day with your teammates, make the most of each practice by getting better and making it a positive experience for those around you.

Next week, not this week, we will be going to Syracuse for the District Championship meet. We are only allowed a few entries per event so we need to get times and marks for as many of you as possible at Box Elder this week so we can make decisions for relays, and individual entries, so I hope you all can make it – although I know there is a choir conflict.

Looking forward to a great week with improved weather. Let me know if you have any questions.

Coach Jacobson

3/11 update

Braves,

The alumni meet turned into quite the experience when it started snowing a few minutes before we were slated to start. It turned out to be amazing because of it. After it became a huge snow storm we told the team before the mile that if you needed to go home due to the weather then you were free to do so (the roads were bad and some weren’t prepared with the proper attire for the cold). Even still we had over 30 people fight through the snow, compete, and support their teammates which made for a very memorable experience. It shows me that we have a group that is passionate about their sport and their team if they are willing to do that in such conditions. Check out our Instagram to see the pictures of the meet @bravestrackandxc. The Antarctic-mile and 5x400 relays were pretty awesome, and the 100m dash in the freshly fallen snow were unforgettable experiences for me. I love seeing that kind of heart and passion from each of you who were there.

Moving forward, we need to be prepared for rainy and cold conditions. Spring in Utah makes for a lot of rainy meets and practices. Official track meets will be cancelled if there is snow like that, and we will practice inside in the future with snow everywhere, but if it is rainy and cold then the meets and practices will go on as usual. Get in the habit of checking the weather so you know how to dress for practices and for meets. Dress warmer than necessary, with layers, so you are warm and dry in spite of the weather. I don’t want anyone out there freezing, so please, come prepared with the proper attire, like a rain jacket, that still enables you to run.

The good thing about bad weather is that it develops mental toughness, which is a key attribute of individual and team success in track and field. If we let rain keep us from practicing then we don’t get better. It’s all about getting better every day and supporting your teammates, and in my opinion, poor weather accelerates that process by increasing mental toughness at a faster rate than balmy weather.

Our first official meet is going to be Thursday at our track. All who are eligible with grades, citizenship, and register my athlete will be competing, and we will need everyone’s help to run the meet, by moving hurdles, helping time, etc. You must have registered through registermyathlete.com before being allowed to compete. I will have a list at practice tomorrow of those who still need to finish it. I recommend getting it started TODAY, it only takes a few minutes and will make my and your life much easier.

Please come up to the track immediately after school on Thursday to help set up for the meet. If it is snowing the meet will be cancelled, but knowing Utah weather it could snow all day and then stop and melt a few minutes later, so that call will be made between 12-2, most likely around 12:30 so we can notify the other schools. I will send out an email if the meet is cancelled. If it is cancelled then we will still be practicing, inside if there is snow on the track, or outside if it has melted.

Continue to encourage and support your teammates. This week I want you to focus on helping your teammates get better and have a positive experience; think less about yourself during each workout and more about each other. I’ve said this many times: being a great teammate is more important than being a great athlete. Let’s live that more fully this week.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Coach Jacobson