Hi Everyone! I can't believe it's already time for cross country practice to start next week - the summer went VERY fast. So here's the first of our email "newsletters" to maker sure you have access to results and upcoming events. I apologize in advance that these are always so wordy.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get ready for Monday afternoon. Info below includes:
- eligibility
- practice schedule
- required equipment
- meet schedule
- parent meeting
- pictures
- Run for Aidan
1. GET ELIGIBLE: Once again... All returning athletes MUST be eligible by Monday August 20th. No exceptions. That means if your paperwork is NOT taken care of by today, you MUST get yourself to the athletic office early Monday morning to be sure you are cleared to practice by the afternoon. Time remaining to turn your forms in at the Commons are: Today (August 17th) 7am to 7pm. Monday (August 20th) 7am to 11am. Remember, the rule this year is: if you are not cleared to participate by August 20th you cannot participate this year! This rule is established by the athletic office, so I cannot make ANY exceptions regardless of how fast you are or what a great kid you may be.
Freshmen and athletes new to cross country will be allowed to turn in eligibility paperwork until the first week of school. However, all new athletes should also try their very best to be cleared by the 20th so that they will have the required number of practices prior to our first meet.
2. PRACTICES: Our practice schedule for the first week follows:
Mon- 3pm NHS Track
Tues - 3pm Robinswood Park (http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/robinswood_park.htm)
Wed - 3pm Robinswood Park
Thurs - 3pm Wilburton Park (http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/wilburton_hill_park.htm)
Fri - 3pm Robinswood Park
Sat - 9am Cougar Mountain Redtown Trail Head (http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/parks/cougarmountain.html)
I'll email practice schedules each weekend. And Andy Cheng will post them on our website as soon as he can (THANKS ANDY!!!) (www.newportxc.com)
Transportation: Off-campus practices are an important part of our program. They allow the athletes to get in lots of training, but on soft surfaces to prevent injury. I know getting to off-campus practices in the summer can sometimes be tricky for younger athletes. We'll talk at Monday's practice to see if we can get some of our older athletes or parents to meet younger ones without other rides at school to carpool. We will establish carpools and distribute permission slips for off-campus practices that occur during the school year on Monday. (We can discuss this at the upcoming parent meeting as well).
3. EQUIPMENT: Please make sure you have a good pair of running shoes before the first day of practice. FootZone and Super Jock 'n Jill are great places to go and talk to knowledgeable people who will help you find the right pair for you. It is also really great (although not required) to have a watch that has a stopwatch on it. It's really helpful to be able to time your runs and keep track of your progress. Finally, make sure to bring WATER to practice.
4. MEET SCHEDULE: The updated meet schedule for this year is attached.
- Schedule Change: Please make note of the change to the invitational that we will be attending on September 8th. (NOTE: an invitational is just a non-league meet that we go to on a Saturday to compete against different schools). Because of space constraints the Bellarmine Invitational needed to limit their invitational to schools that had attended in the past. We'll be attending the Edmonds Invitational instead - a great alternative. The meet will take place at the Edmonds School District Stadium. This race is open to all athletes on the team. The JV race will start at 8am and varsity races (which are for the top 10 athletes on each team at this meet) will start at 9:15. Please put this in your calendars so that you can be sure to attend.
- Salt Creek: The Salt Creek Invitational takes place in Port Angeles and is an overnight trip (leaving 9/14 returning 9/15). The top 20 girls and top 20 boys (based on results in early season meets) will be invited. More information about this meet will be provided shortly. (meet website: http://www.paathletics.com/salt_creek/index.html)
- Nike Pre-Nationals: We will be attending a Nike-sponsored meet in Portland, OR on September 29th. This race will be for all varsity and the top JV athletes. More information will be provided shortly. (This race will be run on the same course as the Nike Team National XC Championships!) (Meet website: www.nikeprenationals.com)
- HOME MEET: Our first home meet will be on Wednesday September 19th at Wilburton Hill Park. That will come up quick, so we'll need to make sure we have plenty of parent volunteers. Please mark your calendars.
- Also please note that the Bellevue City Meet will be held at Kelsey Creek Park. We are actually the meet hosts this year, but because Wilburton Hill Park can be a tight fit for four schools we will be holding the race at the Bellevue HS course. However, we will still need lots of parent volunteers.
5. PARENT MEETING: This year's parent meeting will take place on August 28th. There will be a large group presentation for all ports at 7pm in the Main Gym and we will then break off into a cross country specific meeting at 8pm. We won't meet for too long, but it is an important opportunity to discuss key aspects of the program and allow you to ask questions.
6. PICTURES: team pictures will be taken at 4:45 on Tuesday September 19th. I'll remind you about this again.
7. RUN FOR AIDAN!!! Last, but very important is some information about Saturday's Run for Aidan at Wilburton Hill Park. As I mentioned in the previous email, I hope as many Newport XC athletes as possible will be able to attend and support the Leffler family. Information is available at http://www.newportxc.com/forms and on the Newport Activities website.
Thanks! And see you Monday!!