1/21 update

Braves,

What an awesome day yesterday up at Weber State. There were some awesome races, new school records and other all-time marks, and 40 kids racing in a relay at the end of a long day. I cannot believe how long that meet went, but I love how positive you all remained as afternoon turned to evening, then night. I’ve never been to an indoor meet that went that long, and I’ve never seen that many relay teams from a single school. We are proud of this group because you aren’t afraid to compete, your patient, supportive, and make it fun for each other. Most schools only have one or two relay teams for a variety of reasons, but mostly because there aren’t enough people willing to run them. That is not a problem we have, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a dedicated bunch. In fact, I had to add a relay team during the meet because I had four more people who wanted to run. We appreciate your determination, it will help you to improve week in and week out.

There were a lot of PRs (personal records) yesterday but I also saw a lot of times that were about the same as last week, or even slightly slower. Obviously you always want to improve on your PRs, so it can be discouraging when you don’t see an improvement in the times. However, that is often how this sport works. Often you see similar times for several weeks before suddenly having a big break through and a big PR. So stay patient with yourselves when you don’t see improvements in every race every week, what that means is that you are going to be due for a break through.

This week we will be competing at the Olympic Oval in kearns (google map link can be found on our website). This meet is the biggest one we will see in Utah, so they break it into two days. On Friday they will race the mile, the 400, the 4x800, and all the field events. Saturday will have the other running events. Talk to your coaches about what events you should do. The registration is the same as with BYU/Weber and I have provided the link below. NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 11:59 PM.

We are excited about this meet because it is a great facility and because the racing experience you have had over the past few weeks will start to pay off for you. Once again, we will enter and pay for the relays. Please let us know if you want to do a relay or two (considering the 4x800 and 4x400 are on different days).

Let me know if you have any questions. Expect during this week or next some info concerning the Simplot games. And lastly, we have decided not to do the Boise State meet this season, but are open to it next year.

Schedule and info – https://www.runnercard.com/runner/data/184432/1001584/schedule/UHSTCA%20Invitational%20Championships1.pdf

Registration -  https://www.runnercard.com/e/runner.Main?meet=1001584

Coach Jacobson

1/4 update

Braves,

Another week of work is in the books. We have a short week this week with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday and teacher prep day on Tuesday (no school either day). We won’t be practicing on Monday, but we still encourage you to get out and run that day. On Tuesday, while there is no school, for those who are in town, we will be practicing that morning at 8 AM. It will be a bit chilly in the morning, but plan on being outside if it isn’t snowing. As it happens, Makayla’s birthday is Tuesday so it was proposed to have an after practice birthday pot luck party in my classroom that morning. If you can, bring a little something to share with the team and come hang out for a while.

We have been emphasizing improving each day, and that remains fundamental to our teams philosophy. Recently I have been thinking of a few specific things that I can change or improve to be a more effective coach, and help each of you have a positive experience on the team. We encourage each of you to set specific goals of things you can do better to make yourself a better athlete or teammate. They need not be huge earth shattering things, but rather small and simple things. As the great John Wooden taught, success is found in the details; attention to those little things leads to success.

We appreciate each one of you on this team for being determined athletes and for being coachable. It makes our lives as coaches so much easier when the team is dedicated individually and collectively and when you are coachable. We are lucky to be surrounded by some great kids.

This weekend we will be at the Weber State invitational. A map to the facility can be found on our website www.bravestrack.blogspot.com

The meet information can be found here https://weberstatesports.com/documents/2017/12/5/2018_Weber_State_Indoor_Invitational_Information.pdf

Once again, field events will be contested Friday night and the running events will be Saturday. Registration will be done on runnercard, just like for BYU, and the prices will be comparable. Here is the link for registration. https://www.runnercard.com/e/runner.Main?meet=1001577 You are allowed to sign up for the meet in person, but the cost is significantly more so we recommend signing up online.

As with BYU, we will pay for and enter the relays. There is a 4x400 and a 4x800 at this meet. If you would like to be entered in a relay please replay letting me know. If you are unsure whether you should do the 4x400 or the 4x800, talk to your event coach. We want everyone in a relay. It is a lot of fun when we field a lot of teams and we are out competing with each other and with other schools.

This meet typically is shorter than the BYU meet but because it starts at 9 rather than 7 it may end about the same time.

If you have any questions, please let me know. See you Tuesday morning.

Coach Jacobson

1/7 update

Braves,

We had a great showing at the meet on Friday and Saturday. We had over 50 athletes compete in over 140 events (that was nearly 100 more than the next most from an individual school) and we had 9 relays to end the meet. These stats tell us a couple of things. First, we have a lot of kids who are willing to and understand the value of hard work. A lot of you did 3 or 4 events, and that is awesome. Race experience is invaluable at this point in the year, especially with how young our team is. Second, our TEAM is doing what it takes to get better. On many teams there are individuals who will work hard but true success won’t happen until the team works hard together. We don’t have 9 relays or 140 events unless the TEAM is committed to working hard as one group. Third, you are making this a positive experience for your teammates. Few things make our lives as coaches better than seeing each of you supporting your teammates while they are competing, and enjoying yourselves during the course of the meet, even when you have 3 hours between races, while still preparing yourselves for your own events. Not every team has that kind of support and positive attitude that I saw from this group on Friday and Saturday. Fourth, we have a team that wants to get better. This isn’t about showcasing how talented we are, but rather taking a step forward each day so that we can reach our full potential at the end of the year. Along the way we know you will have a lot of fun because of the high character individuals that abound on our team.

At the end of the meet on Saturday I mentioned the ups and downs of every track meet. There are always going to be good things and bad things, the trick is learning from the mistakes or struggles and getting better from there, while continuing to improve on the good results as well. Whether you had good performances, or poor performances, or a mixture in between, what we do on Monday doesn’t change: we get back to it, and get better. We learn from our good races and we learn from our bad races. We learn from the good marks and the bad ones. We get back on Monday and get to work to keep getting better.

The effort we saw on Saturday was as good as we could have hoped, and we are thrilled about that, but in the long run that won’t mean much if we can’t continue to build of it. Now is not the time to be complacent, just as it is not the time to be discouraged. We are excited to see what this team can accomplish if we can keep improving. We have been impressed with the work ethic thus far this season, but if we still must find ways to improve.

This week we do not have a meet, but we will the following week at Weber State. We will talk some about that this week due to the short week of school next week.

I hope each of you is proud of the effort you put in this weekend, because we certainly were. I didn’t see a single race where someone didn’t give everything they had. Keep that up and keep up the awesome effort you have been giving at practices. We took a lot of pictures at the meet, and if you took any you can add them to the album. Below is a link to the album, via our website, so you can view the photos. I apologize for missing some of you, and for the quality.

http://bravestrack.blogspot.com/p/2018-pictures.html

Coach Jacobson

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

Indoor Track 2017-2018

Braves,

Our first meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday 11/28 in the commons area at 2:40 (3:15 for junior high students). We are looking forward to a great season and a lot of fun, highlighted by our trip to the Simplot Games at Idaho State University. The last few years in track and XC have been very successful, and we look forward to continue to build on that.

Indoor track is one of my favorite seasons of the year. It is a unique sport and is really fun once we get going.

Feel free to sign up using the link "indoor track sign up form" on the right side of this page.

See you Tuesday.

Coach Jacobson

5/14 update

Braves,

Congratulations again on the region championship this year. The meet was a tremendous success not just because we brought home a team title but because of the effort level I saw out there on the track and the field over and over. There were so many awesome performances that it will be impossible to highlight all of them, but I will try and make a more comprehensive list to share in the future. As I went through the events before the meet and considered all the places that we had a chance to steal more points I saw ten different events where I thought we could move up. I spoke to a number of individuals and challenged them to try and move up. In almost every case, they did just that. One example is when I talked to Sam and Austin about battling to make it into finals of the 300H. I pulled them aside at practice and told them that I believed that we could get 5 people into the final (4 were “supposed” to make it, on paper) and challenged them to displace the 8^th ranked runner and try and move up. On Wednesday it turned out that Sam and Austin were in the same heat right next to each other. Sure enough coming down the home stretch they were neck and neck and clearly pushing each other to try and claim that last spot in the final. Ultimately Austin made it into the final the next day, and I don’t think either of them would have made it had they not been challenging each other. Sam was happy for his teammate and ran a solid leg for us in the medley the next day. Austin finished 6^th the next day after fighting his way into the final. Bountiful had 5 of the 8 people running in the 300H final and we ended up with 22 points from the event, the most on the day.

Stobbe was entered in the high jump but had a rough day and ended up no-heighting and he was clearly frustrated. Determined to make up for the points that he lost we placed 3^rd in the javelin, ran a crucial leg in our 3^rd place 4x100m, and battled his way into 5^th in the 100m after he was ranked 8^th going into the final. Isaac Bills had an enormous meet coming into the shot put event ranked out of the top 8, but had a monstrous PR to finish second. None of the coaches were really surprised by that result as we have seen the type of work he has been putting in – like getting up early during spring break and making his way to the ring to get some more practice in while most kids his age were still sleeping or trying to keep their snap-streaks alive. Ashley had a huge meet qualifying for state in in both hurdles, and earning top ten honors all-time at Bountiful in both events. She took a hard fall at the end of the 300H final which messed up what seemed like was going to be yet another big PR. She didn’t allow anyone time to think as she quickly jumped up and finished the race, then ran a leg of our 4x400. I love seeing that kind of grit and determination.

The more I write the more I want to talk about everyone but I can’t do it. I will share more at practice tomorrow. The last thing I wanted to point out was the final race of the day, the girls 4x400. Due to some crazy occurrence they had to stop the race half-way through, which means that two of our girls had run, and would have to run again. Ashely ended up hurting her leg at the end so we were allowed a sub, and Amelia Tew stepped in, yet again, to run an awesome race. I don’t know how she can have a huge pr in the medley 800 and then be anxiously ready to run the 4x400. That’s a tough turn around but one that she clearly enjoys. Laurie was the one that ended up having to run two 400s in 30 minutes time due to the mix-up and she ran extremely well. I don’t know if many people could even finish a second 400, let alone excel at it. Rachel got the baton in 4^th place, and we needed to at least stay in 4^th to make it to state. She had run 6 races over the last two days and it was clear there was some lingering fatigue. I knew she was somewhat tired, but I also knew she was going to give every last bit of energy she had. After 150m into the race she was still in 4^th and I started to trot across the field to see the finish. While jogging over I said, to no one in particular, “she’s gonna get second; write it down.” I said it a few times to make sure I had witnesses. On the final straight away she and the 3^rd place girl had closed the gap on the second place girl and it wasn’t clear how it was going to shake out over the final 20 meters. For a moment it kind of looked like Rachel might not be able to pass them. As she has done countless times over her career she showed a mental toughness that is unique to her. She describes running the 400 like this, “you run as fast as you can, then at the end, you run even faster.” That is literally the only way to describe that race, and sure enough she went by those girls, finished second, and collapsed across the finish line. Half of our team then came over and gave her an ovation in what I felt was a gesture of appreciation, not just for that race, but for years of giving everything she’s got.

The kind of mental toughness that I have described in a few of our athletes here is present in so many of it. It is contagious, and our team has gotten stronger and stronger over the course of the year. Without some extreme mental toughness over those two days our team would never have won. I’m proud not just of what we accomplished, but of what our team is becoming. We are mentally stronger now than we were at the beginning of the year.

Moving forward, we have the jv region meet on Tuesday at woods cross. All those not competing at state are welcome to compete there. State is Friday and Saturday, and a list of those who have qualified for state is below. All our relays have qualified so some of you who did not qualify individually will still be entered in a relay.

On Monday the SBOs are hosting a pizza party for the track team in Mrs. Ludwig’s room during lunch. Come on up and enjoy some pizza and hang out with the team. On Wednesday, the Nielson’s have invited the team to their home for dinner. That will be at 5 PM, and I will send more information out on this in the next day or two.

Can’t wait to get back to practice tomorrow and be ready for an awesome state meet.

If I have left anyone off this state qualifying list, please let me know.

2017 State Qualifiers by athlete 

Rachel Whipple 

100H 

300H

High Jump

Tashena Ashby

                Discus

Norris Tukuafu

                Shot Put

Nathan Losee

                Discus

Adam Amott

                110H

                300H

Julia Miller

                Long Jump

Kohle Newbold

                400m

                200m

Ashley Wilkinson

                100H

                300H

Laurie Murphy

                1600m

                800m

Dallin Mason

                3200m

Anna Sophia Rorrer Warren

                3200m

Bailey Basinger

                Discus

                Shot Put

Ben Marlette

                110H

Hunter Munk

                300H

Blake Nielson

                400m

                800m

                High Jump

Davis Stobbe

                Javelin

Isaac Bills

                Shot Put

Nainoa Medeiros

                Discus