Track & Field
Handbook
2012
South Orange County Wildcats enhances opportunities for track and field athletes
to participate in and develop skills beyond their school-based programs.
Founded by a 21-year track and field coaching veteran, our USA Track
& Field (USATF) sanctioned club addresses the needs of a range of youths –
from the elite athlete to the beginner, and all levels in between. Regardless
of their level, each South Orange County Wildcat is trained to maximize his/her
individual potential.
Our elite athletes benefit from sophisticated cross-functional
coaching, specialized, event-specific training and peer group sessions designed
to push them to the next level.
Our competitive youth athletes – ages 8 through 18 – learn the
various aspects of track and field with event-specific skills training.
Age group participation, along with specialized training techniques help
Wildcats’ youths enhance their performance in
competition.
Our general fitness athletes find track and field a great was
to increase fitness levels, or get in shape for sports such as soccer, football
and basketball. Regardless of their motivation the South Orange County
Wildcats Track and Field Club provides a safe and fun environment for everyone
to get moving.
Creating Success
Success to the South Orange County Wildcats is more than
just winning a race, or setting a new record in the triple jump -- it’s about
developing character. Our positive coaching philosophy is designed to
bring out the best in each of our athletes. Communication and priority setting
are integral to our club’s and athletes’ success. We work
with our athletes and parents to establish appropriate priorities for track and
field, school and family life.
Track and field may not be everything to everyone,
however competitive track and field can be an extremely valuable part of a
young person’s life. The focus, self-motivation and sportsmanship that
result from disciplined training, carries through to all aspects of life.
Not every child can be a world-class athlete, but every athlete can
benefit from an organized and well-directed track and field program, whether or
not they ever win a race.
The South Orange County Wildcats program will teach every
athlete that in order to reach their full potential they must apply themselves
intelligently and consistently. Providing a healthy, learning atmosphere that
stresses this will positively impact our athletes for a lifetime. That’s the ultimate measure of success
It’s very
important to attend all practices when possible. But if you cannot do so, please try to make 2
– 3 practices per week. Most practices will
run
Location and Times
·
JSerra/El
Toro/Dana Hills High School and other locations in South County
·
First practice starts Jan 17th 2012 (Monday) Jan & Februarys (Practice
offsite locations)
·
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
·
4:00pm to 5:30pm (After daylight
savings (6pm-7:30pm)
Preparation
Athletes
should come with running shoes, water bottle, sweat shirt and sweat pants
(layered over T-shirt and running shorts), track spikes (each coach will
discuss this with the athletes and parents)
Drop-off
parking
lot for drop-off and pick-up. Practices
start and end promptly. Each child must
check out with the coach. Please be
courteous to the coaches by not being late to pick-up your child. The Head Coach will stay until all athletes
are picked-up.
Weather
We will always practice unless
otherwise notified. Light, misty rain
will not cause us to cancel practice; but heavy rain will be reason to
cancel. Look to our website www.socwildcatstrackclub.com or
mass email/Wildcat hotline 949.713.3965 for latest information.
Clothing
Especially early in the season, the
weather will be cool during our evening workouts. All athletes must bring a sweat shirt and
sweat pants to wear over their T-shirts and shorts. And, very importantly, LABEL YOUR CLOTHING
and SHOES clearly. Many items of
clothing and shoes are going to be identical, so mark your property
clearly. Your child should have a track
bag for carrying his/her equipment.
Uniforms
Athlete must purchase own uniforms. They consist of a jersey and running
shorts. Athletes are required to wear
this uniform in competition.
Training
While we’ll be having a lot of fun,
we’re also going to get this group of young athletes in the best physical shape
of their lives. This requires a great
deal of conditioning and specific training.
During the first 4 weeks, practices will seem pretty tough. There will be sore muscles and it may take
some extra dedication and encouragement to keep them from getting discouraged
by the hard work at first. But the sense
of accomplishment, growth and self-confidence that comes from working beyond
one’s limits and achieving goals that seemed unreachable just a few days
before, are rewards well worth the quest.
We want all of our participants to come away from our program not only
as better athletes, but more confident in themselves and stronger in their
ability to overcome challenges. If your
athlete does incur any type of injury during the course of practice (such as
sore or pulled muscles), please bring it to the attention of the coach
immediately.
Shoes
Shoes are the most important piece of
equipment an athlete will need for track.
Most well known manufacturers (Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Asics, etc.)
supply quality shoes.
Team
Shoe order with RoadRunner Sports
Training
shoes
Each athlete must have a pair of good
training shoes. The shoe will need to be
specifically made for running. Cross
training, basketball or mid/high tops will not work and may cause injury. Check that the upper part of the shoe is
mounted squarely on the shoes and not lopsided, and that there is enough
padding to absorb the shock of running.
Spikes
“Spike” shoes are racing flats with
spikes. They are optional and can be
used by Bantam age level and up. There
are specific spikes for sprint and distance runners, as wells as jumpers. You should wait to purchase these until you
know what events your athlete will compete.
Ø Spike
lengths:
o Tartan
Tracks & Runways 3/16”
Needles
Shoe
store
It’s
a good idea to buy from a store that can help fit and recommend a shoe. The following stores offer a team discount on
track shoes.
Snails
Pace
Located at
VS Athletics
Retail Store:
Nutrition
Water is very important. Please send a large bottle of water to all
practices and meets. Athletes should
come to practice having had a small, light meal. Heavy meals, especially ones with fried
foods, are not appropriate fuel for a productive workout. Indeed, they can make the athlete quite
miserable during practice. Milk products
are also to be avoided as much as possible before a work out. Pasta is a good example of a food that works
well prior to workout. After the
practice, the athlete may want a light snack, and then should get to bed
early. Proper rest is a principal
requirement of the recovery period that physical training demands.
On the Track Meet days, please do NOT
bring potato chips, soda, candy or other similar snack foods to the meet. Fruit and fruit juices are much better
solutions to satisfy the need to snack during the race day.
Club Dues
Club dues of $50 per month per family
are due on the first of each month
Refund Policy
·
All refund requests must be in
writing / email.
·
100% refund if requested before 3rd
Week after 1st practice started.
·
50% refund if requested before 4th
Week after 1st practice started.
·
No refund if requested after 4th Week
after 1st practice started.
Track meets will
be held at a High School or College track facility in the LA area. All meets will start promptly at
Track
(running) Events:
100 Meters – a sprint of one straightaway on the track. Starts from blocks and is run in lanes.
200 Meters - a sprint of one curve and one straightaway. Starts from blocks and is run in lanes.
400 Meters – One lap of the track. Blocks are optional and is
run in lanes.
800 Meters – Two laps of the track. Standing start.
1500
Meters – 3 ¾ Laps of the track. Standing start.
3000
Meters – 7 ½ Laps of the track. Standing start.
Low
hurdles – 80 or 100 Meters for midget and youth. A sprint over 30” hurdles.
Field
Events:
High
Jump – A running jump over a horizontal bar onto a foam pad
Long
Jump – A running jump for distance into a sand pit.
Triple Jump – A running hop, step and jump for distance
into a sand pit.
Shot Put – A throw of a steel Ball for distance.
Discus
Throw – A throw of a discus for distance
Javelin
Throw – A metal spear-like object to be thrown for distance
Relays:
400
Meter Relay – A four person relay one lap around the track. Each person runs 100 Meters.
1600
Meter Relay – A four person relay. Each
person runs 400 meters.
All
running events finish at the same location of the track.
Running
events run in this order: SBG, SBB, BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB (*deviations
to this order are shown in parenthesis) “B1”
Schedule (1 day meets)
3000 Meters (MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB)*
80 meter hurdles (MG, MB)*
100 meter hurdles (YG, YB, IG, IB)*
200 meters
800 meters
400 meters relay
(4x100)
3000RW
1600 meters relay
(4x400)
High Jump (BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IB, IG)
Long
Jump (SBG, SBB, BG, BB, MG, MB,
YG, YB, IB, IG)
Shot Put (BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IB, IG,)
Turbo Jav (BG, BB,
MG, MB)
In
“B” Meets, place ribbons will be awarded for 1st through 8th
finishers per heat. A “heat” is the
division of an event into groups according to their times and amount of
lanes. However, sprints at the
Invitational and Finals have place ribbons for only the overall best 8 in all
heats, and all others receive participant ribbons.
In
distance and field events, place ribbons are provided for 1st
through 8th
Ribbons/Medals
will be picked after the meet has ended and passed out during practice. It is
the athlete’s responsibility to get them from the Head Coach. Top athletes at Invitational or Final meets
will also receive special recognition medallions.
Any
athlete that participates in the meet can be considered for this award for the
criteria of most improved, positive characteristics, and overall good
grades.
At
the end of the regular season, there are separate meets for the “Qualifying
Athletes” and for “non-Qualifying Athletes”.
To qualify, an athlete must have met a “Qualifying Standard” for each
event. Both meets are championships and
treated as such.
A
parent, spectator, coach, or another athlete is never allowed to pace a
competitor by running, or taking a position along the track for the purpose of
coaching or assisting him or her. The
competitor will be disqualified for any such act.
The
Wildcats Track Club has one major goal – to present youth track in a wholesome
and competitive environment. Personal
conduct of spectators, officials, coaches, and participants must, at all times,
be beyond reproach. Physical and verbal
abuse will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Adults or participants unable to display
acceptable behavior will be directed to leave the competition site by the Head
Coach or the Meet Director. All involved
individuals are advised to carefully consider their words and actions. The stress of competition often brings
intemperate behavior. We must keep one
thing in mind: our words and actions, if inappropriate, only make children think
that it is acceptable. Let’s have fun
and remember that we’re out there for the children.
Athlete Instructions
Organizing athletes (children) is a
complicated task. Please adhere to the following:
The Coaches choose
in which events your athletes will participate on a weekly basis. They will sign-up for the events in which
they will be participating in on the Monday 2 weeks before the meet. If an athlete signs up to be part of a relay
team, they must stay for that event.
Meet fees are due 2 weeks before the
meet