Thank you to Coach Dave and all the coaches for stepping up to fill-in, while I was away for work last week! I received lots of good feedback, regarding practicing relays!
Great practice for all the athletes that came out today. Keep working on your form during those warm-up drills and don’t be afraid to ask a coach if you need help. My arms are a bit sore this evening after our crab-walking-sharks-and-minnows variation.
This Saturday is our practice meet here at Buena, please make sure your athletes sign up for the events they are interested in by this Wednesday at practice. I will be around after practice if anyone has questions. This year, we’ve transitioned away from paper sign-ups and are getting the App to our coaches (Thank you, Coach Ryan for setting this up!!!). If you’re unable to make it, please reach out to me via email or text (contact info below) by Thursday, so ewe can ensure our athletes get into the events they want.
AND…
We are so excited for Saturday’s practice meet, where our athletes can finally compete (even if it is against only Tigres). The team has been working hard in practice, and Saturday is the first chance to see the payoff!
A few quick logistical things:
Please have athletes meet in the end zone near the gate at 7:45 sharp. Please do your best to be on time, as we will cover important information for the athletes.
Please be sure to wear your uniform and bring extra warm clothes. If you have not had a chance to pick up a uniform, they will be available Saturday morning before 7:45. However, there will only be a tiny window on Saturday morning, so please do your best to be on time.
Please bring sunscreen (maybe wishful thinking?) and water. No food or drinks (other than water) are allowed on the field.
For parents and athletes, the purpose of this meet is to “practice” for our regular season meets. Athletes will be exposed to listening for event calls, warming up for events, and the staging process. Many of the new Tigres might feel a bit nervous about not having competed in a track meet – it’s OK. After Saturday, they’ll be experts! Our coaches will be actively involved to help everyone.
For parents, this meet is to train our volunteers in their positions so the meet runs smoothly when we host another team. Things will NOT run smoothly; there will be delays and possibly a lot of standing around, feeling unneeded. Please be patient! Once we have a real meet, we’ll look like a finely tuned machine (fingers crossed).
The events our 10U team will be allowed to compete in are a subset of a typical meet. Our athlete’s options are:
4×100 (relay)
1600
400
100
4×400
Long Jump
For the practice meet, athletes can compete in 2 running events and the Long Jump. They aren’t required to do 2 running events but can not do more than 2 running events. The exception to this is the 4×400, which is always free.
A significant area of focus for our team is sportsmanship. We are asking our athletes to work on congratulating competitors by shaking hands after races, saying thank you to volunteers, being helpful teammates, etc. Please watch for your athletes showing sportsmanship and reinforce this at home.
We can’t wait to get our season started on Saturday!!!
If you have any questions, please email 10U@venturatigres.org or call/text 805-822-9341
Coach Stephen
P.S. Coaches note: We have a very strong Coaches to athlete Ratio (this is a GREAT thing, thank you!) For this meet we’ll have one coach that is dedicated to help in the staging area for relays AND one coach that stays in Long Jump, while our 10U athletes are jumping.
P.P.S. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all our VOLUNTEER coaches for their dedication, enthusiasm and investment of time at the practices. YOU are the reason our athletes are doing so well, Thank you!