Bethany Bronchos Track and Field 2010-2011 Team Handbook Coaching Staff Head Boys Track Coach Jon Arthur Head Girls Track Coach Adam Forester This handbook contains very important information regarding the Bethany Bronchos Track & Field team. Many of the questions you have during the season will be answered here. Do not hesitate to contact any of the coaches should you have any questions or concerns. Coach Jon Arthur can be reached by email (jarthur@bps.k12.ok.us). Coach Adam Forester can be reached by email (aforester@bps.k12.ok.us). Welcome Welcome to the 2011 Track and Field season. You are part of a rich tradition of studentathletes at Bethany High School, a tradition that most recently added a 4A Regional Team Championship in 2008. Track & Field and the discipline needed for the sport will provide ways for you to grow as an athlete and a person. Participating in track & field gives you an opportunity to set goals and then work hard over the course of a season to achieve those goals. You will find success by committing yourself to the process every day. If you do this, the outcome of your season will take care of itself. You will face adversity along the way. If you persevere, you will learn things about yourself that you will use for a lifetime. Team Goals As coaches, our goals are for every Bethany Broncho Track & Field athlete is to: Achieve a team GPA of 3.2 or above and become the State Academic Champions. Reach your full potential as an athlete. Help others around you get better. Represent yourself, family, team, and school with pride.
Oklahoma High School Track and Field Track and Field in the state of Oklahoma consists of 16 events in boy s and 17 events in girl s competition. They are separated into five categories: Throws Shot Put, Discus Sprints 100 Meter Dash, 200 Meter Dash, 400 Meter Dash, 4 x 100 Meter Relay, 4 x 200 Meter Relay (Girls Only), 4 x 400 Meter Relay Hurdles 100/110 Meter Hurdles, 300 Meter Hurdles Jumps Long Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault Distance 800 Meter Run, 1600 Meter Run, 3200 Meter Run, 4 x 800 Meter Relay Team Priorities As teachers, coaches and parents, we will use the following priorities when making participation decisions during the season. Family/Spiritual Academics Track and Field Other Activities Bethany Track and Field Mission and Philosophy To foster an environment where the student-athlete can reach his/her highest potential. To promote a positive family environment within the team. To help the student-athlete balance all aspects of life, including academics, family, sports, work, relationships, faith, and moral philosophy. Sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity - Winning is important, but secondary to an athlete s well-being and sportsmanship. To follow and enforce the rules and guidelines established by the administration and outlined in the athletic manual. To have coaches and athletes that are students of the sport of track & field. Every training activity is planned to achieve a desired result. If the result is not achieved, the activity should be change. Most people can achieve much more than they believe.
Forms and Participation Physical All athletes at Bethany High School are required by state law to have a complete physical form on file that has been completed by a physician. Physicals are offered on a Saturday every May at the High School for a small cost. If an athlete does not have a physical on file at the school they cannot participate in practice or contests. Sports Forms All athletes at Bethany High School have to have both an insurance form as well as sports forms on file. There is a transportation form that is included in this packet. If the parent wishes to allow the student to ride to and from the athletic complex with other students or to drive themselves they must sign this document in the appropriate place. If the parent wishes the student to ride to and from the athletic complex only with school personnel they must sign this document in the appropriate place. In that case the student will board a bus in front of the school every day before 7 th period. There are no excuses for not getting on this bus. The student will have 5 minutes to get from their 6 th hour class to the bus, which leaves the school at exactly 2:15 PM. There is also a no tolerance policy for students who must be riding the bus. If it is found out they are getting to stadium any other way they will be disciplined and parents called.(note: District policy states that freshmen must ride the bus to the athletic facilities unless they are riding with an older sibling, no exceptions.) Attendance Policies and Procedures Attendance It is expected that all the participants will attend all practices, meets, team functions or any activities deemed mandatory by the head coach. The practice schedule is designed to help the athlete improve as well as stay injury-free. Therefore, missing practice could hinder the athlete s progress and increase the risk of injury. Missing any practices will lower an athlete s level of preparation for competition. Therefore missing practice for any reason may result in not competing in a meet. Examples of excused absences are: death in family, doctor/dentist, illness from school, religious holidays, academic requirements or any other extenuating circumstance the coaches deem appropriate. Examples of unexcused absences are: lack of transportation, homework, Saturday school, oversleeping, other sports, detentions, non-academic school activities, and jobs. Whenever possible doctor appointments, family outings, or other activities should be planned for times that do not conflict with your track and field commitment. You will be given a meet schedule and are expected to attend all meets. During the season: Athletes will be dressed and ready to go by 2:30 (M-F on the track). Any absence jeopardizes an athlete s position or standing on the team. In order to compete, an athlete must participate in practice prior to a scheduled meet. Under no circumstances are athletes to leave the athletic complex before 3:00 on any day. There will never be a time when athletes will be released to go home before 3:00. The only change will be on meet days or special circumstances when an
announcement will be made over the school intercom. The announcement will tell athletes where to go 7 th period. They will still be at school until 3:00 regardless. Consequences One unexcused absence will result in the athlete not participating in one meet. Two unexcused will result in the athlete not participating in two meets. Three or more unexcused absences will result in the athlete being excused from the team. One unexcused tardy will be a warning. Two or more unexcused tardies will result in the athlete meeting with the coaches to discuss the reasons for the tardies and ways to solve the problem. Excused absence procedure Communication with head coach is always essential. Athlete will contact the coach and explain reason for absence. The coaches can be contacted in person, by phone, or by email. Coach should be contacted as far in advance of the absence as possible. Please provide written notes for doctor appointments. Meet Attendance Athletes are expected to travel to meets on the team bus. You may ride home with your parents, but the coach must talk to the parent in-person. If there is a known conflict with travel on a team bus, notify the coaches with a note signed by a parent/guardian at least one week in advance. At a minimum, athletes should plan on remaining with the team until the completion of the meet before departing via separate transportation. Injuries that require immediate medical treatment and family emergencies are notable exceptions. General Athlete Expectations Expectations 1) When traveling to meets, athletes will be quiet and use the time to review strategies, consult with their coach, rest, etc. 2) Relay events take precedence over individual events; no athlete is too good to run in a relay event to help the team. The coach sets the lineup for the meet and it is not up for discussion or changes unless the coach makes the change. 3) At the meet, athletes will stick together, sit together, and cheer on teammates. No athlete should be in the tent while another Bethany athlete is participating in an event. 4) Mile Relay Rule All athletes must be in position to cheer on the mile relay teams at the end of the meet. No Exceptions. 5) Do not disrupt other athlete s concentration when preparing for competition. 6) Compete with class and sportsmanship. Be a graceful loser and a gracious winner. 7) Members of the Bethany Track & Field team will communicate with coaches and other team members when conflicts arise. Coaches are available after practice as well during the day.
8) Your uniform is for team activities only. All athletes will wear team issued warm-ups and/or team t-shirts at meets. 9) All runners are expected to give their best effort in the classroom 3.2+GPA or higher is the goal. 10) Athletes are expected to represent the Bethany Track & Field program in a positive way during the school day. Therefore, all athletes are expected to adhere to the school s student code of conduct of conduct policies. Be leaders in our school. 11) Athletes will adhere to the prescribed training program. Always consult with coaches before doing additional or alternative training activities. 12) Only a coach may remove an athlete from an event. 13) There will be no use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco at any time by any member of the Bethany Broncho track team. If this conduct is observed it will be reported to the proper authorities, parents, and school administration. Due to the nature of track and field and for your own health we cannot allow you to participate in activities that seriously jeopardize your body and how you can handle training. Consequences The first violation will result in a meeting with coaches to discuss the problem. Two or more violations will result in the athlete not participating in one meet and loss of position on team (captains and/or varsity). More than four violations will result in the athlete being excused from the team General Parent Expectations 1) Support student/athlete goals and provide a structure to assist in accomplishing their goals. 2) Prepare meet day food for athlete (so they can bring with them to meets) ex. water or Powerade, healthy snacks crackers, apples, bananas, carrots, sandwiches, etc 3) Before and after events, talk briefly with your child and then allow them to be with their teammates. 4) At meets, parents are encouraged to cheer for their child as well as all other Bethany athletes. 5) The team camp area should be kept for runners and coaches only as much as possible. Injuries A team goal is to do everything possible to allow everyone to complete the season injury-free. Communication with coaches and trainers is the key to achieving this goal. It is inevitable that you will experience some soreness and discomfort during the season. You should be concerned that you might be injured if: The pain is particularly strong. The pain gets worse from one day to the next. The pain lasts for more than one or two days. The pain is present even when you re not running.
The pain is concentrated in a very small area. Talk to a coach as soon as possible if you think you might be injured. See the athletic trainer with injury questions. He will send you to a sports injury specialist. Your primary care physician is not a specialist on sports injuries. Sometimes rest is not the best thing. See a sports specialist. Always follow instructions given to you by trainers or coaches. You can always ice for 15-20 minutes after any workout. Setting Records Personal Records The letters P.R. to an athlete stand for PERSONAL RECORD. A personal record is your best individual performance ever during meet competition only. PR's also serve as goals, something to lock on to and focus all your energies towards. Goals are meant to be achieved. When you reach a goal, set a new one. Another interesting thing about PR's is that they are everlasting. Former track athletes remember their very best performance. They could probably also tell you when they did it, where they did it, the weather conditions, and who they competed against. If you don't believe this, ask a former track athlete. By knowing your PR and comparing it to others in your event, you can better prepare for the competitions. PR's are an integral part of track & field. They give you something to improve on and when you get a new PR you are a winner and it doesn't matter how you finished because you've improved and you are ready to go back to work on another PR. Season Records The coaches will award special recognition for the best performance in each event for that season at the end of the year. This is a record that will remain in the school record books throughout the future. School Records Records are kept for all events. See the coaches for current boys/girls records. In order to break a record the performance must be during an official track meet or invitational. Those athletes breaking a record in an event during the season will receive some sort of special recognition. Duel Sport Athletes Athletes will be allowed to participate in track and field even if they are participating in another spring sport at Bethany high School, in fact, due to the nature of track and field this situation seems to work very well. There are two conditions that must be met for this situation to work: The athlete must meet Coach Arthur or Coach Forester at the track facility two mornings a week beginning February 20. This will be designed to train you for the events you will be competing in. We assume that the other sport you are involved in will have adequate conditioning. These morning sessions will be
mainly technique and training. This session takes place from 6:40 AM 7:30 AM on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. The athlete must sit down with Coach Arthur (Boys) or Coach Forester (Girls) prior to the start of the track season and make a list of what track meets conflict with the other sport. The athlete and coach will then decide on a course of action for those conflicts. Athlete Pre-Meet Checklist 1) Running Shoes (Flats/Spikes) 2) Extra Pair of Socks 3) Spike Wrench 4) Towel 5) Extra Shirt/Sweatshirt, change of clothes if a wet or cold day. 6) Tights/Compression Shorts Must be black only (No Exceptions, NFHS Rule) 7) Long sleeve shirt Must be black only (No Exceptions, NFHS Rule) 8) Small plastic garbage bag for wet clothing or for covering belongings. 9) Always have money just in case you have to buy anything (Meals). 10) Uniform (If given out prior to meet). Boys No boxers under uniform, black compression shorts only. 11) Team sweats if issued. 12) Bring Gatorade, snacks, or food if you need it.