Academics

You are a scholar athlete.  It is your responsibility to keep up with your academics.  Good athletes are great at time management and make their academics as successful as their athletics.  Use your time wisely!  

If you are failing a class, week one is your warning and you are on probation.  If you are failing after a second week, you are now ineligible.  

 

Lastly, if your teachers report an uncooperative attitude and lack of motivation or willingness not to work in the classroom, you WILL change the attitude or be dismissed from the team. 

Communication

Communication with coaches is extremely important.  Coaches are there to guide you and want you to be successful.  

1. You should keep the coaches informed of anything that may affect training such as prior knowledge of an absence from practice, any injury, conflicts within the team or with other athletes, academic problems or any other issue that may keep you from performing to your potential. 

2. Please let the head coach and your event coach know at least 24-48 hours in advance if you will not be at a practice because of a conflict. 

3. If you will not be available for a meet because of a conflict, please let your event coach and head coach know more than a week in advance

Practices and Attendance

Practices are Monday through Friday at 3:15 until approximately 6:00.  Currently Saturday practices are determined by the event coach.  Track and field requires daily training to be undertaken safely and successfully.  Practices are intended to help you achieve your best performances.  If you are at school, you MUST be at practice.

Please review the following attendance REQUIREMENTS carefully.  If you do not feel you can fulfill them, do not sign up for track and field. 

1. Practice begins at 3:15.  Athletes are expected to be on time, dressed for practice and ready at 3:15.  Remember: To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late.

2. If you can not be at practice please communicate this to the head coach.  Acceptable absences are illness (absent from school), a family emergency, and school sanctioned events or trips.  

Unacceptable absences: work, detention, homework, hair cut, forgetting clothes or shoes, and lack of a ride to practice are all unexcused absences. 

3. Being a part of the track team is a big commitment.  You may have a job, but it should not interfere with practices or meets.  

4. If you are unable to practice as a result of an injury, report to the training room before practice starts, then join the team after receiving care from Mr. Nissley.

5. Athletes must be at practice to be eligible for meets.  Athletes who miss practices before an upcoming meet will not compete, but are required to attend the meet and help the coaches. 

6. Athletes will be given ONE unexcused absence before they are dismissed from the team.  

7. Mr. Nissley provides the team with water throughout the season.  You must bring your own water bottle. 

8. It is spring TRACK SEASON.  This means: you attend our practices when scheduled, attend our lifting sessions, and participate in our fundraisers. 

Sportsmanship and Personal Conduct

Your conduct and attitude are a reflection of you, your family, coaches, teammates, and Donegal.  Represent them all in a positive, respectful and sportsmanlike manner with excellence and integrity. 

No one person is above the TEAM.  Everybody on the team is important – no matter how talented, and deserves your RESPECT and ENCOURAGEMENT.

1. Have a positive attitude and support, encourage, and congratulate your teammates. 

2. Respect your teammates and coaches.  Listen when coaches are speaking.

3. Always display good sportsmanship to the other team.  Congratulate and encourage your competitors.  Respect their effort for they go through the same things you do.  

This positive, respectful attitude needs to also be reflected in school; towards teachers, peers, & other faculty.

Track Meets

Participation in meets is our goal and reason to practice.  You are to be available for every meet!  Generally everyone will compete, but some meets are limited to the number of entries per event or are by invitation only. 

1. Athletes are expected to travel on the bus to and from dual meets. 

2. Athletes may travel to and from invitational meets with their parents if the parents have completed the Athletic Dept. transportation form.  The Athletic Dept. will make the head coach aware.  Letters from parents giving permission to ride with someone else will not be accepted. 

3. All track athletes will attend team huddles before and after dual meets.  Team huddles will be at 3:00 on home meet days and at the conclusion of all meets.  Athletes will only be dismissed after the team huddles. 

4. During a meet you cannot pull yourself out of an assigned event unless you receive permission from the head track coach.  You cannot leave a meet before the completion of the final event unless given Special permission ahead of time.

5. Athletes receiving an award must wear their team warm ups or jersey, or a T-shirt with the school name on it while receiving their award.

6. You are expected to cheer on your teammates; on the track, in the throwing area, and jumping pits.  They put in just as much time and effort as you do, show them your respect.  

7. Leaving garbage on the field or around the tent is completely unacceptable.  Be responsible for your belongings, including trash.  If our area is left a mess after the meet the entire team will have to deal with the consequences. 

8. ALWAYS wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt to warm-up.  Keeping your “engine” warm is vital for success and to prevent injury.  Olympians do it; you will do it too.

Injuries

You will have some aches and pains from training that is natural such as muscle soreness.  These types of injuries will dissipate with rest that will be built into the training program.  Persistent muscle soreness however can be a problem or lead to other problems

Any ache or pain should be communicated to the coach.  It will then be determined if the ache or pain is a natural outcome of training or if further investigation by the trainer is needed. 

1. Athletes are expected to communicate all injuries to their event coach before going to the trainer. 

2. Athletes unable to practice or compete should attend practice unless they are receiving treatment for their injury.  You can help at practice, support teammates, and receive event specific instruction

Equipment and Implements

Good running shoes are a must!  They help you stay injury free.  Spikes are the only meet apparel not provided.  They are not required, but will help your performance.  Please dress for the weather.  We will be outside, and you may want to bring clothing appropriate for the cold weather or rain.  Consider dressing in layers.  YOU MUST ALWAYS WEAR SWEATPANTS TO WARM-UP IN!

1. Athletes will be issued team warm ups, a singlet, and meet shorts.  They are for MEETS ONLY.  You are not to wear uniforms or warm-ups to school or around the community.

2. Athletes should only handle equipment specific to their event.  Even then, it should only be used when and how your even coach advises you. 

3. If you need equipment or track implements for meets, you are responsible for making sure it gets on the bus and put away when returning to the school.  Please keep track of our equipment at all meets!

Cuts are Permitted

Donegal Track and Field will now consider cutting students from the team for numerous reasons.  This is a competitive track team and athletes will be expected to demonstrate a high level of commitment.  Certain events only permit a handful of athletes, you may have to try out for a particular event.  If you do not qualify for the event you want, the coaching staff can determine a better fit.

This is not a jogging club or exercise group:  Do not come out for track solely to add a college application activity or for general fitness.

We will use our power testing on day one to determine event placement for athlete’s.  If an athlete tests negative on power, they will not be placed on the team to prevent them from suffering an injury.

Varsity Letters

Athletes can earn a varsity letter through the following requirements:  20 points earned at meets throughout the season.  In addition, District or State qualification will automatically earn an athlete a letter.   Unexcused absences, an uncooperative attitude with coaches, teachers, and other athletes will result in point deductions that can prevent an athlete from achieving a varsity letter.  The head coach reserves the right to letter athletes based on performance at meets & invitationals.

Goals

 

Athletes will be encouraged to set short term goals and long term goals for the season.  If it is your first year, your goal may just be to learn technique; do not count on being a state champion your first year.  Set standards that will push you and better yourself.  Goals should be realistic, specific, and progressive.  Make sure they are based on your training and fitness level at that time.  Work with your event coach to set goals that are achievable.  

Both the boys and girls teams will also set team goals.  Team goals give us a sense of unity and purpose. 

You will have to ask yourself if you are willing to make the commitment to achieve your goals and the team’s goals.  Are you willing to show up for practice each day, to work hard, and LISTEN to your coaches?  Are you willing to make sacrifices and go outside your comfort zone?  Do you look for ways to better yourself and your teammates?  If each person on the team does, we can reach our goals.

 

"A lot of people run a race to see who is the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more." ~ Steve Prefontaine