Springfield South County Youth Club. Track and Field Program Guide

Transcription

1 Springfield South County Youth Club Track and Field Program Guide

2 Table of Contents 7075 Newington Road, Unit G Lorton, VA Phone: (703) Fax: (703) PURPOSE... 3 AGES/GRADES...3 SEASONS...3 PRACTICES...3 MEETS... 4 UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT...3 COACHES... 4 VOLUNTEER CREDIT... 4 CODE OF CONDUCT... 4 COMPLAINT PROCEDURES... 5 REGISTRATION AND REFUND POLICY... 5

3 PURPOSE The purpose of the Springfield South County Youth Club (SYC) Track and Field program is to introduce the area youth to the sport of track and field and running in general. The program strives to provide a fundamental understanding of running as both a hobby and a competitive sport. In addition, as with all SYC sports, the SYC Track and Field program promotes good sportsmanship, respect for all participants, and a good work ethic. The program is intended to support athletes of all skill levels. AGES/GRADES Children ages 6 through 14 (generally 1 st through 8 th grade) are eligible for participation in all seasons of the program. Athletes of all ages have the chance to succeed relative to their age group; however, we do separate the age groups occasionally for practice or meets. SEASONS Track and Field is offered in both the winter and spring months. Registration for winter track usually begins in late November and the season starts in early January. Registration for spring track usually begins in January and starts in mid-march. Both programs run for approximately 8 weeks. Because we do not have access to an indoor track during the winter months, our winter program is strictly a conditioning season. We will not attend any track meets; however, we occasionally participate in a local 4k race at the end of the season. During our spring season, we will participate in 2-3 local meets with other local youth clubs. SYC will host the t annual Legacy 4k Run and celebrate the end of season with the annual Medal Mile. PRACTICES Practices will be held on Sunday mornings at a local high school track. 1 st through 3 rd Graders: This age group will practice separately. Their practices focuses on the very basics of running including but not limited to: warming up, light endurance, stretching, running form, and keeping a steady pace. This age group focuses on fun, listening to directions, and learning to enjoy the sport. A typical practice is as follows: Warmup (learning dynamic drills, listening to directions) 1-mile jog around the track (focuses on running at a steady pace) Short workout (few strides at fast speeds) Game (Sharks and Minnows, tag, etc.) Stretching (learning static stretches and following directions)

4 4 th through 8 th Graders: This age group will practice 30 minutes longer and will generally be more intensive. We split this age group into two categories, sprint and distance. Athletes are able to switch groups each practice to find whichever side best fits them. A typical sprint practice is as follows: Warmup (learning dynamic drills) Sprinting specific warmups (focusing on form and speed) Plyometrics (promotes balance and reduce injury) Short warm up run Sprint workout (examples: 5x200m, 6x150m, or 400,300,200,100) Stretching (very important after a workout) If time permits we will play a game A typical distance practice is as follows: Warmup (learning dynamic drills) Longer warm up run Distance workout (examples: 4x400m, 3x800m, 400,500,400) Stretching (very important after a workout) If time permits we will play a game Note: At this age (elementary and middle school), it is not feasible or recommended to train these young athletes at intensives levels. Too intensive training early on can lead to burnout, injury, etc. and none of those will be beneficial to the athlete if/when they join a high school track program or move on to other sports. Track and Field as a sport promotes hard work, competition, and is inclusive to anyone gender, age, and skill level. SYC Track and Field embodies this spirit but focuses on getting our young athletes hooked on the sport so they succeed later on rather than burn them out now. Note: Occasionally SYC Track and Field athletes in 4 th 8 th grade will go on supervised runs off campus. It is critical that all participants follow the exact route given to them by the coaches, adhere to road signs and crosswalks, and let a coach know if there are any issues. Inability to follow the route, adhere to the rules, or otherwise put themselves in a dangerous situation outside the bounds of the program is unacceptable and will warrant removal from practice. MEETS SYC Track and Field will participate in 2-3 local meets during the spring season. Meets can last between 2 and 6 hours depending on the number of clubs participating and the efficiency of the meet. Generally, athletes will be able to choose to run the following events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1600m. For reference, one lap is 400m and four laps is a mile. It is recommended that athletes run no more than three events.

5 Medal Mile At the end of every spring season, we celebrate with the Medal Mile. Each athlete runs a timed mile, and receives a commemorative medal. Following that we typically have relays with large pool noodles, water balloons, and snacks. It is a fun way to end the season. UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT Each athlete receives a long sleeve t-shirt during the winter season and a running singlet during the spring season. It is highly recommended that your child wear proper running shoes to reduce the risk of injury. This means that basketball shoes, skater shoes, crocs, flip slops, are not appropriate. If the coaches deem the athlete s footwear dangerous we reserve the right to disallow them to practice that day (it is for their own safety). Some participates have chosen to wear track spikes in the past, we recommend that they only be worn during competition. During the winter season and early into the spring season layers are recommended. Sometimes it will be very cold early into the practice but as the athletes warm up they will want to remove a jacket or two. COACHES SYC Track and Field has one head coach that oversees the program, numerous parent volunteers, and a group of dedicated high school coaches from West Springfield High School. Typically, there will be one permanent parent coach grouped with the 1 st through 3 rd graders as well as a few high school coaches. 4 th through 8 th graders (sprint & distance) will be coached by the head coach directly with the help of the parent volunteers and high school coaches. We are always in need of dedicated parent coaches and volunteers, please contact track@sycva.com if you are interested. VOLUNTEER CREDIT Track and Field parent coaches who are registered with SYC as a volunteer coach are eligible for credit. To receive a volunteer credit, volunteer coaches must be registered with SYC for a background investigation submission. In addition, coaches are required to complete the concussion awareness training that is provided on-line via the SYC website. A credit of - - will be issued to volunteer coaches near the end or shortly after the season has completed. The credit may be applied to a future registration with any SYC offered sport. CODE OF CONDUCT Parents/guardians, spectators, players, and coaches shall adhere to the code of conduct as written in SYC policies and procedures. Code of conduct for players, parents/guardians, spectators, and coaches can be found on the website, under About SYC in Policies and Procedures.

6 COMPLAINT PROCEDURES Sport-related complaints should first be addressed to the coach. Since the coach will be the person most likely to understand the member s concerns, an or phone call to the coach should be the first level of address. Addressing a coach during a practice or game is discouraged as this has an overall negative effect for the children and families participating in the program. If a resolution cannot be found, the problem should then be brought to the attention of the SYC office manager. If the office manager is unable to resolve the issue, the complaint may then be directed to the SYC Board of Directors utilizing the Complaint Procedure. The Complaint Procedure may be found on the SYC web site at REGISTRATION AND REFUND POLICY SYC encourages families to register for SYC Track and Field on-line at however, a parent(s) or guardian(s) may come to the office during office hours to register their children for track. SYC cannot accept phone registrations. SYC Track and Field follows the SYC Refund Policy. To qualify for a full or partial refund of activity fees, participants will be required to fill out the online refund request form. For more information regarding the SYC Refund Policy, please refer to the REFUND POLICY found at