Rules & Expectations

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.

• Phones may be used during runs as a way to track performance and/or time and as a source of music. Headphones and earbuds are not permitted during runs as they inhibit athletes' abilities to hear vehicles. Phones and headphones/earbuds may not be used during warmups, cooldowns, yoga, or strength routines. If a coach reminds an athlete to put their phone away, this will serve as a warning for the team and further use may result in a one-day suspension and unexcused absence from team activities.

• 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 may not participate in practice activities but must remain within eyesight of a coach until he can be picked up by a parent/guardian or until he returns to campus via team transportation.

• If an athlete is suspended from the team, his parent/guardian will be notified of the reason and the length of the suspension at the head coach's earliest convenience. Most suspensions will either be one day or one week. 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.

Summer 5k: 

• Every athlete is expected to 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 which will fulfill this requirement and give athletes an opportunity to meet their qualification time. If you are nervous about meeting your qualification time, 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.

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 15 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.

    • Schedule conflicts need to be expressed to the head coach early in the season and will be more heavily scrutinized for excusal than other meets or practices.

  • Return uniform (jersey and shorts) after the final meet of the season.