Welcome to Watauga High Cross Country. This is general information about the program
for parents and athletes.
The coaching staff has had a lot of
success training athletes of all abilities and we feel we have a good system in
place. We realize not everyone will
adapt as quickly as others and we do adjust as we see a need to so we expect everyone to follow our program. If the athlete or parent has any questions
regarding our system please feel free to talk to the coaches after practice or
call Coach Mac at home or at Hardin
Park.
We practice five days a week and
some Saturdays. As long as each athlete
comes to practice everyday, on time, and with all the necessary equipment, we
do not “cut” anyone. We are not a social club. We are a varsity sport. We do require everyone to participate in the
meets. We do try to have fun along the
way, but our practices are not designed to be fun, they are planned to make
every athlete excel and improve. We try
to bring beginners along slowly so as to lessen the chances for injuries. We also try to help runners get through their
racing phobia.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Equipment needed:
Good
pair of training shoes (two would be better)
Comfortable
running clothes (shorts, t-shirt/tank top, non-cotton socks, sweat suit)
Warm
clothes for cold weather and to put on after practice during warmer weather
Watch with stopwatch function
Water bottle
We
will supply ice water (and occasionally Gatorade or chocolate milk) and injury
ice and bags but no cups (our way of helping the environment) NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO DRINK OUT OF
ANYONE ELSE’S CONTAINER.
PRACTICE
We
will practice after school until approximately 5:30 PM. A few days may be
shorter and a few longer. Practice schedules will be posted on the websites. These tell where practice is each day. 90% of the practices are at the Greenway and
we will meet at the stadium. Occasionally we travel to Bass Lake in Blowing
Rock, Watauga River Rd. in Cove Creek, or Roby Greene Rd. in Green Valley. A bus will take the students that need a
ride. It should arrive back at school between 6-6:30. Runners
can be picked up at the venue or at school.
Any student not picked up at the site when the last coach leaves will be
transported back to school. Runners often ride with other runners. If anyone has a concern please speak to Coach
Mac, Coach Hoyal, Coach Quick or Coach Pack.
MEETS
No
one sits the bench in track and cross country.
Everyone on the team will participate in the weekday meets provided they
are healthy, have followed the rules, and have been to practice regularly. The only limitation for having everyone run
is lack of transportation.
- Athletes are required to ride the bus to meets unless prior arrangements have been made with Coach Mac (test last bell, previously scheduled appointment, not doing well in last bell). On these occasions a parent must transport the athlete to the meet. ATHLETES MAY NOT DRIVE THEMSELVES.
- Athletes may ride home with parents provided they check out with a coach. We usually stop to eat on the way home so food money will be needed.
We
will travel to several invitational meets on the weekends. Some of those meets require overnight stays in hotels. Money will be collected from each student for
his or her part of the room. They will
also need food money. We try to stay in
hotels with continental breakfast as much as possible. These meets often sell t-shirts also. Any athlete with financial concerns can speak
to Coach Mac. We do not
like to leave any eligible athletes at home due to financial constraints.
The
conference meet is the last meet of the season before the regional and state
meets. We have to cut down to the top seven
on each team.
RULES
1.
Practice will
begin at 3:50 on most days. Anyone not
ready to practice will be sent away with an unexcused missed practice. Practice ends between 5:15-6:00. Anyone leaving early without permission or
finishing practice will be charged ½ unexcused missed practice.
2.
Home from
school is excused. If you are not at
practice and not on the absence list or sign-out sheet you will be charged an
unexcused missed practice. Notify a
coach if you know you will miss. Cross
training must be set up with a coach or it will count as a miss.
1st unexcused missed practice -- a warning will be given.
2nd unexcused missed practice-- warning and one meet
suspension
3rd unexcused missed practice-- dismissal from team
3.
Detentions will
need to be served in the time the teacher requires (even on meet days). Just because you are an athlete does not mean
you do not have to serve detentions. If
you are tardy to practice because of a detention you will be allowed to
practice provided you told a coach in advance.
Each detention counts as ½ unexcused absence. Make arrangements to get to practice after
the detention or it will become a full missed practice. Or better yet don’t get detentions.
4.
Respect
others/treat each other with respect.
5.
Hazing will not be tolerated in any means. This means on the internet also. The principal will deal with this offense.
6.
Captains are an
extension of the coaching staff. If you
cannot talk to a coach talk to a captain.
Also respect what the captain tells you to do.
7.
No offensive
clothing.
8.
All distance
runners will run in groups of no less than 3.
9.
We clean up
after ourselves. We are guests wherever
we go, especially other courses and the national parks. It does not matter if you left the trash—pick
it up. We leave our areas at the meets
cleaner than we found them. We will also
leave the buses clean after every away meet.
10.
Everyone pulls
his or her weight on the team. This
includes carrying water and tents in and out of meets, cleaning, or any other
duties the coaches or captains assign.
11.
No athlete may drive to or from a meet or ride
in a car driven by another athlete or student. Failure to follow this rule will
result in automatic dismissal from the team.
PARENT DRIVERS ONLY.
12.
Talk to Coaches
about injuries. We have channels to
follow to get you going again. It will
be unexcused if you just don’t come to practice because of injury.
13.
Athletes are
now subject to random drug testing. This is not negotiable. If they don’t want
to take part, they cannot take part in the sport.
14.
This is
something I tell the runners: ‘You
are a student/athlete; student first athlete second. If you don’t behave in the classroom, you
will not be an athlete in Watauga CC and Track & Field.”
15.
Uniforms areissued
or purchased. $30 for shorts and
singlet.
