Dear Tigres Family,

I can’t believe our season has come to an end, but here we are—ready to celebrate tomorrow at our farewell picnic!

On behalf of my fellow coaches and me, it has been an absolute blessing to get to know your kids, teach them, and hopefully inspire them to become better athletes and individuals. The progress they’ve made since the beginning of the season has been truly remarkable, and I couldn’t be prouder of their hard work and dedication.

Picnic Details & Reminders

📍 Location: Buena High School Courtyard ⏰ Time: 12:00 PM
• Youth & Intermediate families – Please bring a dozen bottles of your favorite beverages to share with the team.
• Lost & Found – Be sure to check for any missing items tomorrow; anything left behind will be given away.
• Borrowed gear – If you’ve borrowed a singlet, spiked shoes, or any other equipment, please return them to me at the picnic—I need to turn in my coach’s bag.

Looking Ahead
Most of you will be returning next year, and I know the Tigres will be ready to welcome you back. Some of you will be heading to high school and joining your school’s track team—we hope we’ve prepared you well for this next phase in your athletic journey.

Whatever path you take, I wish you the absolute best. Keep training, keep striving, and keep embracing the challenges ahead!

See you all tomorrow!

My best,
~Coach Brian

Good evening, Tigres Parents,

I’m sure you all saw today’s earlier message from our Head Coach and fearless leader, Ryan Nation, regarding Varsity practice for this week. I want to reiterate that this applies to VARSITY athletes ONLY. If your child is not on the following lists, they are excused from practice and can enjoy their off-season in preparation for their summer activities.

YOUTH DIVISIONS

| YOUTH GIRLS | YOUTH BOYS |
|—————————|—————————|
| Annabelle Nation | Avrick Neiggemann |
| Ava Schwarm | Caleb Isbell |
| Avery Gilbert | Dylan Ellison |
| Camille Swafford | Dylan Grimm |
| Eva Azer | Ethan Montgomery |
| Feliz Vergeer | Gregory Kuntz |
| Hope Molina | Jacob Nuckols |
| Josephine Elliot-Beamish | Jude Stepp |
| Julie Keitmann | Kyle Baier |
| Katrien Verboomen | Xavier Kolbeck |
| Kayla Madden | |
| Kinley Weir | |
| Madison Torres | |
| Maren Kuebler | |
| Raina Buck | |
| Sophia Anderson | |
| Sophia Dinelli | |
| Violet DeLeon | |

INTERMEDIATE DIVISIONS

| INTERMEDIATE GIRLS | INTERMEDIATE BOYS |
|————————-|————————|
| Amelia Andrade | Bryce Daw |
| Angelina Garcia | Chance Davis |
| Audrey Redmond | James Buenning |
| Cassie Patterson | Liam Berry |
| Laura Langley | Reese Fernandez |
| Savannah Allison | Taylor Kaiser |
| Sophia Frank | Zane Armstrong |

Please note the shorter practice times for Monday – Thursday, ending at 5:45 PM. This includes Monday, which differs from all other divisions, as we have invited a sprint specialist to assist our athletes—potentially requiring extra time.

Lastly, mark your calendars for our team picnic on Sunday, May 18th—our final gathering of the season! I want to make sure your athletes attend to receive their recognition and gifts. Stay tuned for future updates from the Tigres organization regarding time, location, and assignments.

Feel free to reach out with any questions. Thank you!

~Coach Brian

For all of our athletes who are not advancing to the Varsity Finals on May 10, today marked their last regular practice of the season—and for some, the end of their Tigres career. It was a bittersweet day, realizing that this weekend will be their final competition, yet it has been an absolute pleasure to coach them over the past four months. To celebrate, we wrapped up practice with fun relays and a well-earned stop at the Mr. Softee ice cream truck!

Saturday’s JV Meet at Buena High School
We have a full team set to race this Saturday at Buena High School, with many athletes signed up. However, around 20 athletes missed today’s practice or may have been caught up in the excitement and didn’t finalize their events.

If your child is competing at the JV meet, please confirm that they spoke with a coach about their events.

If they haven’t, please let me know their preferences as soon as possible so I can sign them up with the timer.

Remember, athletes can only compete in events they participated in during the regular season.

Meet Schedule & Preparation
The meet begins at 7:45 AM arrival time for 3200m runners, hurdlers, and 4x100m relay teams.

All other athletes start at 8:00 AM.

With six teams competing, it will be a long day—proper preparation is key!

Athlete Prep Recommendations: ✔ Rest well the night before. ✔ Stay hydrated daily leading up to the meet. ✔ Eat nutritious food the night before and in the morning. ✔ Pack a healthy snack to enjoy between events.

Team Setup & Spectator Info
Due to space limitations, athletes will NOT be allowed to camp on the field. Our team will set up a tent on the grassy knoll on the visitor’s side, which will also provide track access. This will be their home base for the meet.

Spectators are welcome to sit in either set of stands. The Gremlins will have two canopies in the stands, and the rest of the club will be joining us on the grass.

Final Reminder
There will be a specialty practice tomorrow, and I look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!

~ Coach Brian

Good morning, parents!

I took a look at our practice schedule this morning, and we are set to run a shorter schedule today, and for our “more fun” practice on Wednesday. As Coach Kristin acknowledged, “…all of our practices are fun!”

Please expect the kids to be finished by 5:45 PM today and Wednesday. Thank you.

~Coach Brian

Hi Guys! We are at our last conference meet coming up this Saturday against Newbury Park at NPHS. This is especially important for those who are chasing the Golden and Platinum Batons. Those are for athletes who compete in 10 and 12 events respectively. If your child is missing an event that they haven’t done, then this is the last time to do it.

In addition, it is important for our post-season races. We will have two meets left after Saturday’s meet. We host the league finals West on May 3rd, where six teams will be competing on the same day. This meet is only for non-Varsity competitors. However, one can only compete in events that which they participated in during the regular season. If they want to run a particular race or do a field event that they haven’t done yet, then they will need to make sure that they sign up for it for this Saturday’s meet in Newbury Park.

On May 10th we will return to Newbury Park for those that qualified for Varsity competition at our conference championship. There are certain rules for this that we will be monitoring as soon as the names of the qualifiers come out over the weekend or early next week. Stay tuned for them as they will affect the JV Finals too.

As of this writing I still have 19 kids who have yet to sign up for Saturday’s race. Please speak to your children and if they haven’t signed up with me or Coach Kristin this week, then get their desired events and let me know ASAP. Especially if they are interested in the 4x100m relay. The cut-off, as always, is noon Friday, tomorrow.

Other than that, thank you for all of your help all year-long, and I look forward to seeing our athletes this Saturday at the NPHS track on Reino Road at 7:45 AM for the 3200m, hurdlers and 4x100m runners, everyone else by 8:00 AM to collect their event stickers. Thank you!

~Coach Brian

The time is now! We must place the order for the kids’ secret gift to be distributed at our end-of-year picnic. However, I need you to open the link below and complete the Google Doc Form for the sizing of their gift. We don’t want any child to be left behind, so please do this immediately. We will be placing the orders by the beginning of next week. If you have any questions about the process, please contact me immediately. If you have sizing questions, please contact Josh Spiker of Mile 26 Running Store. (805) 628-9501. Time is of the essence, so take the 1 minute or so to complete this form. Thank you!

If this link isn’t “live” for you, please cut and paste it into your browser.

https://forms.gle/HtUFpunmi6jU7B8Y7

Also, please keep this as a secret between you and me. I want to surprise the kids.

~Coach Brian

Final reminder that we will have photos today. Please have your kids wear their uniforms and be on time. The photography will not wait, and there is no make-up. After the photos, will be our regularly scheduled practice. They can bring a change of clothing for that if they wish, otherwise, they can practice in their uniforms. I hope to see their big smiles today! Thank you.

~Coach Brian

I’m giving you a heads up that you will be receiving a link to a Google Doc Form soon. I have made arrangements with Josh Spiker at Mile 26 Running Company to order a year-end gift for our athletes. I am expecting the link to be sent to you in the near future. Please watch out for it and complete the sizing portion as fast as possible. We want to make sure that your child is not left out of this gift.

Also, as a quick side note, you know that we will not have practice tomorrow due to the Buena High School track and field being used by one of their sports teams. That doesn’t mean that they should eat a bowl of ice cream and take the day off.

For Sprinters

Warm-Up (10 Minutes)
– **Light Jog:** 5 minutes at an easy pace.
– **Dynamic Stretches:** Include high knees, butt kicks, walking lunges, and leg swings to loosen up and activate the muscles.

Sprinting Workout (30-40 Minutes)
1. Short Sprints for Explosive Speed:
– Sprint 20 meters at maximum effort.
– Walk back to the starting line for recovery (approx. 60 seconds).
– Repeat 6-8 times.

2. Longer Sprints for Aerobic Capacity
– Sprint 100 meters at about 70-80% effort.
– Jog or walk 100 meters for recovery.
– Repeat 4-6 times.

3. **Hill Sprints (We are not in short supply of those in Ventura. Perhaps at Arroyo Verde Park, if not a quiet neighborhood street):
– Find a slight incline and sprint uphill for about 15-20 seconds at full intensity.
– Walk back down for recovery.
– Repeat 4-6 times.

Cool Down (5-10 Minutes)
– Light Jog/Walk: Gradually bring your heart rate down.
– Static Stretches: Focus on hamstrings, quads, calves, and hip flexors.

For Distance Runners

Same warm-up as the Sprinters

– Then do an easy jog to a hilly location. (I like Petit Avenue, North of Telegraph Road). Start at the bottom of Telegraph Road with an easy jog up the hill, increasing their speed each block, until they are at 90% of a sprint at the last block at Foothill Road. Really focusing on their form and breathing. Keeping their heads and shoulders relaxed and swinging their arms back and forth without crossing their bodies. Keep their fingers relaxed by lightly touching their forefingers to their thumbs as if they are holding a potato chip that they don’t want to break. Walk/jog back to the beginning (they should be fully recovered), then immediately do it again for a total of only TWO times.

Cool Down (5-10 Minutes)
– Light Jog/Walk: On a flat grade. Gradually bring your heart rate down.
– Static Stretches: Focus on hamstrings, quads, calves, and hip flexors.

For Both Categories:

Tips
– Focus on Form: Encourage the athlete to maintain proper sprinting technique—drive the knees high, and focus on the turnover, meaning pushing your feet back to the ground as fast as they can, pump the arms, and stay relaxed.
– Hydrate and Rest: Proper recovery and hydration are key to building strength and avoiding injury.

Thank you,
~Coach Brian

Thank you to many of you for responding to my request for event preferences for your athletes. We just have several more to complete. If you haven’t reached out to me, then please do so today.
A few things to know for this weekend at Moorpark High School.
1. For the second away meet in a row, there will be no team camps on the infield. Athletes should only be on the infield for warmups and competition. We’ll have two tents in the stands, and another two tents on the grass at the end of the track between turns 3 and 4.
2. Except for water, no food or other beverages are allowed on the track or infield. Please help monitor the athletes.
3. There will be shaved ice available, but otherwise, their snack bar is going to be closed. Pack a healthy snack for your kids, please. They will get hungry if they are running in the later events.
4. Keep in mind that Moorpark, like us, is known to run an organized meet and therefore expect the meet to be running on-time if not quicker. If you are showing up later in the meet, give yourself enough time to not have your athlete miss his event.
5. Please help clean up your team camp at the end of the meet.

On a different but important topic for those kids striving to earn a golden or platinum baton this season, they need to make sure that they will have their requirements completed by the last regular season meet. After tomorrow, they will only have two qualifying meets left. The Golden Baton is for an athlete who competed in 10 of the 12 available events. The Platinum Baton is for those athletes who participated in all 12 events over the season. It is very important that some of these events require a specialty coach to approve the athlete in order to compete in the event. This means that your child must attend the specialty practices on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, in order for the coach to assess their ability and ensure they are safe to go, especially in high jump, hurdles, and shot-put categories. I mentioned this to the kids at our last regular practice, but not everyone was there, so make sure that your kid knows and understands the procedure. Thank you!

~ Coach Brian

With so many interruptions with our practice schedule this year, it has been a challenge for all. Administratively it has become more demanding to get the kids signed up for their race day events. We did a good job collecting preferences on Monday, but we are still 30 kids short of full enrollment for this Saturday’s meet at Moorpark High School. Please help me to make sure that your child is entered into their desired events by contacting me via email at Youth@VenturaTigres.org or by text at (805) 746-7023. Especially with our relay groups, as I noticed several sprinters who have not let us know of their intentions. We have to set those groups together by Friday.

Other than that, please make sure that your 3200m, hurdlers, and 4x100m athletes are at the track by 7:45 AM to ensure a proper warm-up. For others we expect you to be there by 8:00 AM to get your athlete stickered up and make sure that there aren’t any errors with their events. Thank you!

~ Coach Brian