GREMLINS TEAM PAGE (8U)

Hi 8U Families,

Saturday is the last meet of the season for many of our 8U athletes. For our family, the season always feels slow at the beginning and then it’s over before we know it. The last meet is bittersweet- while I’m sure everyone will be happy to have their Saturdays back, there is also sadness to say goodbye to track and all the positive energy and competition that comes with it. I hope all of your kids had a great experience and will sign up again next year.

I want to let you know that I will not be there on Saturday because I have to be out of town. Coaches Whitney, Chris D., Chris K., and Charne will be there to take the lead.

The JV finals are open to all athletes. We will have sign up sheets at practice today and on Thursday. In order to participate in an event in the JV finals the athlete needs to:

1) have participated in that event at least once during the regular season (except for relays, an athlete need not have competed in a relay during the regular season to compete in a relay at JV.

2) have NOT qualified for that event in the Varsity Finals. If an athlete qualifies for an event at the Varsity Finals, they can NOT participate in that event at the JV finals. Also, the same event limit for the JV meet applies (maximum of 4 events- a maximum of 3 running events plus long jump).

In terms of logistics for next Saturday, the meet start time is at 8:30. Like last week, I ask you to please get your athletes to the stands at Fillmore by 7:45 so we can get the long jump started as soon as possible. Most of the kids participate in long jump and that event alone can slow down the entire meet so we appreciate your help getting this going first thing in the morning.

I also wanted to let you know that the Junior Varsity meet involves 5 conference teams so it will be a very long day. Please plan accordingly by bringing lots of food and water and applying sunscreen. Also, because there are so many athletes participating, they will be waiting in the stands for their events rather than hanging out in the field. Please help the coaches by knowing what event your child is doing and listening for the call for that event.

Also, I look forward to celebrating with your families at the end of season picnic on Sunday, May 7 from 12:00-3:00 pm at Buena High School.

Please text me if you have any questions, and thanks again for your support in making this a great season.

Finally,

Coach Mike

805-320-3421

!!! Quick update, please arrive at 7:45am tomorrow.

Hi 8U Families and Athletes,

Tomorrow, Saturday, 4/22 is our last regular season meet against the Oxnard Stars.

• Our meet is at Oxnard High School this Saturday. April 22nd.
• The arrival time of 7:45 is incredibly important for athletes doing long jump and 4×100 relay. The early time allows us to warm them up and get as many jumps as possible before the relays start.
• We will meet at the Gremlin tent on the visitor’s side of the field.
• It looks like we will have warm weather tomorrow, so please pack sunscreen in addition to extra water for your athlete. Please try to keep them hydrated throughout the day.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Go Tigres!

-Coach Mike

805-320-3421

Hey Gremlin Families!

This is a reminder that we will be taking a team picture tomorrow at practice (Tuesday April 18th). Please have your athlete wear their uniform to practice. See you tomorrow!

Coach Mike

805-320-3421

Hello Gremlin Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break! For this week:

• We are hosting the Camarillo Cosmos on 4/15. Long jump for thIs meet begins at 2;30, and check-in will be at 2:15 for all athletes.

Our season is moving along quickly and there are only 2 regular season meets left before we move into the championship season.  The championship season includes:

• The JV Meet on 4/29 (this meet is open to all athletes),
• Varsity on 5/6 (athletes must qualify during our regular season)
• Super Varsity on 5/13 (athletes qualify through the Varsity Meet). 

For most of our athletes, their last meet will be on 4/29. In order to qualify for the Varsity Meet on May 6th, an athlete needs to be in the Top 9 for the 100, 200, 400, and field events and in the Top 12 for the 800 and 1600. Their placement after the last meet is finished on April 22nd will determine their Varsity status. This is the top for the entire VCYTC League, and therefore making the Varsity meet is a HUGE accomplishment!

We would like to see as many of our athletes qualify as possible, so please take a look at the Top 20 lists (below) and see where the best opportunities for each athlete may lie. Athletes may want to narrow down their focus when choosing events to compete in over the next 2 meets if qualifying for the Championship meet is a goal of theirs.

We will also take top relay teams for the 4×100.

8U Girls

8U Boys

Please note that the above lists will change after the results from this weekend’s meet become finalized on athletic.net and will continue to change as the season progresses.

I know there will be many questions,  so please do not hesitate to reach out with questions

Thanks,

Coach Mike

805-320-3421

Hello Gremlin Parents,

We had a great meet last Saturday at Moorpark with lots of great effort and PRs. It has been really fun watching the kids race and jump.

Some important updates:

Our next meet is a home meet this Saturday April 1^st. We are hosting the Thousand Oaks flyers. Please arrive at 7:45 am to get ready to long jump. Coaches will be at the gate to lead kids onto the field and coaches will be handing out stickers and warming the team up.

NO Practice on Thursday, March 30th. Buena is hosting Ventura HS for a home track meet. If your athlete is available have them come cheer for the athletes at the meet.

If your athlete has not signed up for their events yet, please send me a text with what they would like to do.

I also have an important note about the meets. The coaches will be taking the kids off and onto the field. When the athletes are not on the field please try to stay near the Gremlins tent. Please do not send your kids onto the field after they have been brought off, the coaches will come and get the kids before their events. This will help us keep track of everyone and avoid situation where the kids are un-supervised.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday.

Go Gremlins!

Coach Mike

805-320-3421

Hello Gremlin Families and Athletes!

We have our third meet tomorrow at Moorpark High School.

Please arrive at 7:45 am at the track and we will start warming up for long jump at 8:00 am and to start jumping at 8:15 am. Having our team there are ready to go will be important for getting the meet started and finished in good time.

When you arrive please look for the coaches at the entrance to the field and send your athlete out to meet us. They will get their stickers on the field. They can leave their bags in the stands under the Tigres tent. Please set up your camp near the tent as this will help us round kids up for the various events.

Finally, please let me know if ASAP if your athlete is signed up for events, but will not be there. This is very helpful for relays.

See you tomorrow and Go Gremlins!

Coach Mike

805-320-3421

Hi Gremlin Parents and Athletes,

We had a great meet last Saturday at Newbury  Park. There we a lot great moments where the kids were pushing themselves, trying hard, and competing. I am proud of how well they are doing and how much they are improving with all of their hard work.

Due to the rain and wind we will be canceling practice again today (Tuesday 3/21/23). I look forward to seeing everyone out on Thursday.

Coach Mike

805-320-3421

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Gremlin Families and Athletes!

We have our second meet tomorrow at Newbury Park High School.

Please arrive at 7:45 am at the track. The Newbury Park Panthers asked us to start warming up for long jump at 8:00 am and to start jumping at 8:15 am. Having our team there are ready to go will be important for getting the meet started and finished in good time.

When you arrive send your athletes onto the field for warm-ups. The will get their stickers on the field. They can leave their bags in the stands under the Tigres tent. I suggest that you write your kids names in their jackets, sweatshirts, and on their water bottles. This will help me get them back to them if they forget them.

Finally, please let me know if ASAP if your athlete is signed up for events, but will not be there. This is very helpful for relays.

I am looking forward to another fun meet and cannot wait to see the Gremlins compete.

See you tomorrow!

Coach Mike

805-320-3421

Hey 8U Families,

It looks like we are in for significant rain all day tomorrow (Tuesday 3/14) and we are going to cancel practice. See you on Thursday.

Coach Mike

Hello 8U Tigres Families,

It was a great practice meet, and I am very proud of all our athletes who participated on Saturday. All the kids were trying their best, and I think they had a lot of fun. Thank you to all the volunteers who showed up and got their first taste at what it takes to run an event at the meet. Finally, thank you to all the assistant coaches who made sure the kids were ready and at the starting line (or jumping pit) so that they could compete. I am grateful for everyone involved.

IMPORTANT NOTICES:

• As usual, Practice this week (3/7 and 3/9) 
• Saturday is our first meet at Buena High School please arrive at 7:45 am. 
• On time arrival is important so that we can sort out last minute relay changes and get the kids starting long jump ASAP.
• Track meets typically run 5 to 6 hours. If you want your child to be finished on the earlier side, I suggest signing them up for events that are closer to the start of the meet. The 200m is the last event of the day that 8U athletes can run in. See the order of events here: https://www.venturatigres.org/order-of-events/
• Please do not come on to the track. Parents are not allowed in the track area while watching their kids. Parents are only allowed on the track if it is part of their volunteer duty. There will be a couple of team parents in the stands at the 8U popup tent who can go onto the track to find kids and coaches if a parent needs to get a hold of them.

Things were fairly smooth at the start of Saturday, but we are looking to help the meet run faster and there is some room for improvement. Thank you for your patience as we make some changes and look to improve throughout the season. A couple of notes:

1. PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE FOR THIS WEEK: When you first get to the track, please find the coaches at the entrance to the track. They will guide the kids towards the long jump pit, which is were the kids will get their race bib (i.e. sticker). At this point the coaches will make note of their attendance, which will be important as we are looking for the kids during each event. Coaches will also start warming them up for long jump so we can get this event started.
2. If kids have extra stuff parents can put it up in the stands at the 8U popup tent. After long jump and the 4×100 relay the coaches will bring kids back into the stands to sit at or near the 8U popup tent.
3. This past Saturday went pretty fast because each age group only did a limited number of events. As a result, the 8U were brought down on the field and stayed there for a long time because once their first event was finished, they were already getting ready for the next. This made it difficult to go back into the stands to get sweatshirts and water. In the upcoming meets when we are competing against another club, everything will take longer. There will be much more time in between events and opportunities for the kids to come up into the stands between events. In fact, the kids will normally spend a lot of time in the stands waiting for their next event.
4. In the upcoming meets, the coaches will have the names of the kids running each event. When that event is called, the coaches will go into the stands to the 8U tent and find the kids who are running. Please be aware of what events your kids are participating in and bring them to the team parents (i.e. this is a volunteer role) when you hear the calls for the events. It also helps to sit near the team tent if you can. For home meets, if you are volunteering and your child is in the stands alone, please have them sit by the team parent.
5. Finally, one of the most challenging aspects of coaching Tigres is managing the relay teams. If your child is signed up, and you are going to be late or your child is going to miss the meet, it is very important to give me a heads up. You can text me at 805-320-3421. 

Thank you again for your support! As you probably noticed, it takes a village to make a successful track meet and track season.

Coach Mike