Rules & Expectations
Foundation of the Cross Country team:
Dedictation - what you do when no one is watching
Effort - ability is a gift, effort is a choice
Pride - caring enough about yourself (and others) to do the right thing
Respect - treating others the way you want to be treated
Rules:
Unacceptable/inappropriate behavior in the weight room, in study hall, on the bus, at practice, at a meet, or at a hotel/restaurant will result in, at minimum, an immediate suspension from all team activities.
Influencing a poor work ethic in your teammate(s) or being disrespectful to teammates or coaches is grounds for dismissal from practice, suspension for repeat offenders, or dismissal from the team if behavior continues after a suspension. This includes, but is not limited to, not giving your best effort during practice, including during warmup and cooldown activities.
Cross country is not a club sport. While the coaching staff encourages athletes of all abilities to join, those who do not put their best foot forward in practice and during races will be removed from the team.
Do not disparage your school, teammates, teachers, coaches, administration or other schools and their athletes at any time. This includes, but is not limited to, attacking comments on website forums, social media, and blogs. Violation will result in immediate dismissal from the team and a report of the infraction will be delivered to the Dean of Students.
If an athlete is dismissed from practice, his parent/guardian will be notified of the reason at the head coach's earliest convenience, likely after the conclusion of practice. If the dismissal occurs at an off-campus practice location, the athlete my not participate in practice activities but must remain within eyesight of a coach until he can be picked up by a parent/guardian.
If an athlete is suspended from the team, the suspension will be for a one-week period and his parent/guardian will be notified of the reason at the head coach's earliest convenience. In the event that an athlete is suspended from team activities, he is expected to continue to check the team website and follow the training plan and to report to his coach each day upon completion of his workout. A missed day will result in an additional week suspension and any further missed day will be an indication to the coach that being a part of the team is not important to that athlete and will be grounds for dismissal from the team for the remainder of the season.
Expectations:
Maintain good academic standing. Regardless of your athletic abilities, colleges cannot offer money to athletes whose grades and SAT/ACT scores do not meet requirements set by governing bodies such as the NCAA. If an athlete is struggling with a class, it is his responsibility to let his coach know so time can be made for you to get extra help. If an athlete is found to be in danger of becoming academically ineligible due to poor grades, the head coach reserves the right to suspend that athlete from the team to give him additional time to dedicate to academics.
Review the race schedule and let your coach know as soon as possible if you cannot attend a particular meet.
Watch your diet:
No soda, no empty calories, limited sweets
Vegetables, fruits and proteins should comprise at least 80% of your diet
The importance of hydration cannot be overstated. Poor hydration is one of the leading factors in poor performances in practices and meets. You are permitted to carry a water bottle in school; do so. There are water fountains in the school hallways; use them.
Sleep! Poor performance is a direct result of limited sleep. Less than 8 hours of sleep per night will have adverse affects on practice benefits and race times.
The cross country team is bigger than any individual; encourage each other to work hard, eat well, and study.
Communicate any questions and/or concerns with the coaches.
Summer 5k:
Every athlete must register for and run a 5k this summer. It must be a 5k with posted results so I can verify your times.
It can be any 5k, but many carry registration fees. For a free alternative, consider parkrun, for which you must register online and bring a barcode with you to the course. We will have one team parkrun on the schedule before our first meet to give athletes an opportunity to meet their qualification time. If you are nervous about this, considering entering a parkrun independently before this, as well.
Your time, combined with your experience, will determine which training plan you should follow.
Your time will also determine whether I will register you for a meet.
All athletes must, at minimum, break 30 minutes for a 5k before I will register them to compete* in a meet. Exceptions may be made for meets where the JV race is last.
The purpose of this requirement is to incentivize athletes to complete their summer training. If an athlete comes to me in August and cannot complete workouts and stay in a group, even one of the slower groups, I may have to dismiss that athlete from the team for safety concerns. If you can run a 5k in less than 30 minutes, that will not be an issue.
This also serves a practical purpose. Races at meets are usually spaced about 30 minutes apart. It is important to me as your coach that I get to see the beginning and end of your race and be available to help you warm up. If you are unable to complete a 5k in 30 minutes, this may mean I have to decide between seeing the end of your race and being able to help our next set of athletes warm up or even miss the start of their race.
*Exception: If the JV race is the last one contested at a meet, I will still enter athletes who have failed to meet the 30-minute qualifying standard as it will not interfere with my ability to see their full race and that of their teammates.
Varsity Letter Requirements:
No more than two unexcused absences for the season. A third unexcused absence will disqualify an athlete from earning a varsity letter.
How to avoid unexcused absences:
Communicate any planned absences ahead of time. Though your coach may not excuse absences due to detentions or due to participation in other sports (unless discussed and agreed upon before the season), any other absence will be excused if communicated to your coach.
Missing a practice without communicating with Coach ahead of time counts as one unexcused absence.
Missing a meet without communicating with Coach ahead of time counts as two unexcused absences.
Teammates are not responsible for informing Coach that you will miss a practice or meet - this message should only come from the athlete (preferably) or his parent.
Serving detention is not an excused absence and will count as one unexcused absence.
No more than 10 total absences.
Excessive missed practices and/or meets, even due to excused absences, will disqualify an athlete from earning a varsity letter and may result in dismissal from the team. Missing practices limits your ability to improve and can foster an unhealthy team atmosphere.
Summer run absences and absences between August 12 and the first day of school will be excused and will not count toward total absences. It is understood by the coaching staff that transportation can be an issue during these first weeks of practice. Athletes are still expected to follow the team's training plan on their own if they cannot attend practice.
Compete on or earn a varsity spot in at least 75 percent of our regular season, non-relay meets, and/or compete on varsity at the WCAC Championship meet.
Return uniform (jersey and shorts) after the final meet of the season.
Junior Varsity Letter Requirements:
No more than four unexcused absences. A fifth unexcused absence will disqualify an athlete from earning a junior varsity letter (see Varsity Letter Requirements above for information on how to avoid unexcused absences)
No more than 12 total absences.
Excessive missed practices and/or meets, even due to excused absences, will disqualify an athlete from earning a junior varsity letter and may result in dismissal from the team. Missing practices limits your ability to improve and can foster an unhealthy team atmosphere.
Summer run absences and absences between August 12 and the first day of school will be excused and will not count toward total absences. It is understood by the coaching staff that transportation can be an issue during these first weeks of practice. Athletes are still expected to follow the team's training plan on their own if they cannot attend practice.
Compete at the WCAC Championship meet.
Return uniform (jersey and shorts) after the final meet of the season.