Time Trial and Parent Meeting Recap

Hi all,

First I want to congratulate every girl who ran yesterday! We had 35 girls start the race, 33 finished. Six girls finished their very first 5k ever! The conditions were miserable. It was very hot and very humid for the entire girls race. As I mentioned in our parent meeting yesterday, weather and course conditions play a major factor in performance and thus times alone cannot be used to gauge the performance. I am incredibly proud of how our girls performed yesterday. I will have results available to look at on paper at practice, I have also attached the times below. As the season gets going I will refer you to our website (http://svhsgirlscc.wixsite.com/home) to view times from the races.

A review of our parent meeting:

- Cross Country is a 3.1 mile (5000m) race over an array of terrain. Seven girls make up a varsity race, 5 gain points for the team, 2 push other team finishers further back. Points are awarded based on place finish in the race. The girl who finished 1st earn one point for her team, the girl who finishes 15th earn 15 points. The team with the lowest score wins.

- On our team the varsity members change from week to week allowing every girl the chance to earn a varsity spot as she progresses.

- Attendance in mandatory. We are a team and cannot operate as a team in a member is missing. If an athlete has more than 3 unexcused absences she will be asked to leave the team. Please refer to our team handbook for more on this.

- I still need middle school forms from middle school athletes, as well as many of you have yet to pay your athletic participation fee ($50 to your school's bookkeeper)

- We have a reputation and expectation of excellence on our team. Athletes are expected to live up to the legacy set before them. Provided all athletes are giving a personal best effort and showing progress they will be welcomed as members of the team. This is what it means to #takeupyoursword. Athletes are electing to accept the charge of giving their personal best and hard work which will lead to team success. Since we are a team and our actions are for the betterment of the team rather than personal gain, you will also see us use #formysistersformyteam this season.

- Sign up for SAT/ACT testing on non meet weekends. If you have to miss a meet let me know ASAP. If you wait to communicate it won't go over well!

- Cross Country cannot happen without support from parents. We will need volunteers to assist in the following ways:

• A Team Parent - this person will help coach to ensure snacks and drinks are being provided for athletes at meets, will assist in organizing team dinners and support Amy Kittrell in making sure all volunteers needs are met for the Oct 13 CiCi's Sandhills Invitational. I will not be able to organize these extras this season in an effort to continue to focus on providing the best possible athlete training. If a parent is unable to fill this position there will not be team dinners or snacks at meets.

• At each meet we will need: 3-4 parents to time both boys and girls races, 3-4 adults to monitor the finish line and finish chute, 2-4 adults to record the results of the boys and girls races.

• A Tent Master - Our team has a wonderful team tent that goes with us to meets. If you have a heart for the girls and want them to have a shady place to wait for their race, then this job is for you! You will be in charge of bringing the team tent to each race, setting it up and then taking it down at the end of each meet. (Invitationals or Saturday mostly)

- FUNDRAISING - Our booster club pays approximately $3000 each season for a portion of the hotels, buses, meet entry, team t-shirts, and scholarships to meets and camp. **If each girl raises $100 we would exceed this cost.

Paul Westfall suggested that we consider a corporate sponsorship with Groucho's. THIS IS A BOOSTER CLUB DECISION - YOU ARE THE BOOSTER CLUB. Please let me know if you might be willing to work on this for our team.

Other possible options include:

- a swap shop/garage sale

- Football concessions - we made $600 for the team last year, PARENTS DID THE WORK, but we had a good time, made a visit to Henry's after for some soda pops.

STUFF I SKIPPED DUE TO THE RAIN:

-RUNNING SHOES - proper training shoes can not only protect feet from rocks and stumps but prevent injury and enhance performance. Running shoes only last 300-500 miles. We run an average of 25 miles a week - that means if the girls only wear their running shoes at cross country practice the shoes will only last 1 season. If they wear the same shoes to school as they do to practice the shoes will only provide that injury preventing cushion for about 4-6 weeks. I know shoes are expensive but a quality pair of shoes can mean the difference between tendonitis or a stress fracture and a healthy runner.

Spikes are a performance shoe designed to be worn for short periods of time. They are lighter at the expense of the cushion but offer traction to the runner. These are specialty shoes that are generally worn only in races. If your daughter is hoping or is expecting to be a top 10 or top 14 runner this season I recommend spending the money on spikes. Because they are worn less often, they can typically last 2 or more seasons.

We have access to Athletic Trainers (ATC) before and after practices. If an athlete has an injury or something is bothering them I will refer them to the ATC to be evaluated. Often when a injury is addressed quickly by our staff we can prevent the injury from keeping an athlete out of competition. If you have a question for our head ATC contact Julie Sandy jsandy@richland2.org or 803-699-3500 ext 69908

Is anyone interested in a nutrition for athletes talk from Dr. McCallum? I know last years talk didn't go exactly as I had hoped. In an effort to make sure we are getting quality information, Dr. McCallum has offered to share his knowledge.

I do have a few bumper sticker quality stickers that are of our logo. I will make these available for purchase at practice. I have green, yellow and white. They are $5. I can offer smaller ones at a reduced price if you need one that is smaller.

I know this is a lot of information, thank you for bearing with me!

GO VIKINGS!

Coach Rachel Lindman