Frequently Asked Questions
1. What equipment does my child need to compete in Track and Field?
Short Answer: T-Shirt, Shorts, Running Shoes, Water Bottle
Long Answer: A uniform will be given by the program to compete in Track and Field meets. This will only be a top and shorts.
Aside from quality running shoes, athletes should invest in event-specific spikes/shoes. All throwers should purchase throwing shoes optimized for shot put and discus. Long/Triple/High Jumpers should get spikes for those events. Sprint spikes will cover the 100m, 200m, 400m, 100/110m Hurdles, and 300m Hurdles. Distance spikes will cover the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. Athletes should purchase additional 3/16 pyramid spikes to use on all track surfaces. 3/16 needle spikes will work at most meets, but some will restrict to only pyramid.
Athletes should also purchase foam rollers, a roller stick, and a rolling ball. These are ideal to loosen the muscles following and prior to intense workouts. This helps reduce cramping and muscle fatigue/soreness/tightness.
Additional clothing is recommended as well. Sweaters, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and a warmup suit. Those additional items will be available to purchase each season through a fundraiser until we can generate enough donations to purchase a bulk order and make part of the yearly uniform.
It is recommended that all Track athletes have a sizeable Track bag to store their belongings, preferably one that is water-resistant or waterproof as it may rain at meets or practices with little shelter.
2. Does my child need to attend practice everyday, including weight room?
Short Answer: Yes!
Long Answer: Our practices will run Monday-Friday with exception of holidays. On holidays we will offer voluntary workouts. Some coaches will provide voluntary practices on Saturdays for event-specific training. Athletes and families should always anticipate practices to go from 3:45-6:00PM each day. Practices incorporate a combination of warmups, drills, event-specific training, and weight room.
Our program works through progressive training to allow athletes to hit peak recovery, endurance, power, and speed by the time we hit our championship season in late April and early May. It is vital that all athletes are in attendance as it allows for our team to have the best chances to compete for league titles as a team as well as put together competitive relay teams that can vie for a spot in CIF.
Missing one practice is akin to missing an entire week of work. An athlete should anticipate that each day of event-specific training and weight room is unique for that day. Missing one practice will force an athlete to not train that movement and weights for an entire week.
3. If my child will miss practice or a meet, what should I do?
Short Answer: Communicate with any coach.
Long Answer: Join our communication app Stack Team App to be able to get direct messages and communication with our coaches. You can also follow our Instagram page @tc_titans_track. Both options will provide a parent the opportunity to directly communicate with a coach of the program. Additionally, athletes or parents can reach out by email communication or before/after a practice regarding these issues.
The most important thing is communication regarding missing meets and practices. Keep in mind, even if several are excused, missing more than 3 meets or practices may result in an athlete being dropped from the program. Our team must be able to rely on an athlete at all times. The uncertainty of being present can have financial penalties at some meets as well as potentially change the transportation costs for our team.
4. What events will my child participate in? How will they know?
Short Answer: Any event they want, but a maximum of 4 per track meet.
Long Answer: We have several events for an athlete to participate in:
100m
4x100m relay
100/110m Hurdles
200m
300m Hurdles
400m
4x400m relay
800m
1600m
3200m
High Jump
Triple Jump
Long Jump
Shot Put
Discus
Some Saturday meets, also called Invitationals/Relays, will include some more unique events as well for athletes to participate in. An athlete is able to choose the events they would like to focus on and dedicate their time. As coaches, our philosophy is that an athlete who chooses their event may try to excel the most and train harder to improve that skill set. Nonetheless, there are times where coaches will guide athletes to different events as there could be greater potential. We typically seek for athletes to choose TWO events that they want and coaches will help determine TWO more events that an athlete has potential in.
If an athlete is uncertain, they should speak with coaches about guidance for events. Athletes will get plenty of exposure in practice and at several meets to dial in an event as we hit League Meets and our League Finals.
5. How will my child know if they are Junior Varsity or Varsity?
Short Answer: Coaches will enter athletes for meets and place them in appropriate spots to be competitive.
Long Answer: We have our specific times and cutoffs for Varsity and Junior Varsity levels for each event. While we will try our best to adhere to these standards, obviously, we want our athletes competing in League as much as possible. Therefore, based on yearly competition and what we see, an athlete may run Varsity even if they are below our standards.
An athlete can also move up during a season by improving their marks/times. Coaches are always paying attention and always looking at ways to maximize our team size at the Varsity level. Ideally, we'd love to only run a Varsity team, but we also want our athletes to be competitive and have opportunities to compete against athletes at the same level.
6. Are there tryouts?
Short Answer: Not Yet!
Long Answer: Our philosophy is that we want as many athletes out as possible. Track is at its best when kids from all abilities and for all different reasons are out to compete. We want athletes to excel and compete for League and CIF titles, however, we most desire for athletes to become a better them. Our success is built off of an athlete feeling better, working hard, and seeing improvements in their events as well as in their health and day-to-day life.
The only time there may be tryouts is if we get beyond our reach of available uniforms, but we do have plans to mitigate that. So, until then, all are welcome!
7. How long are Track meets and does my child need to stay the entire time?
Short Answer: Saturday meets can last for 8+ hours. Dual meets typically 3 hours. All athletes must stay the duration for home meets.
Long Answer: Track meet lengths can vary for a variety of reasons. Saturday meets typically begin around 8am and will last as late as 5pm. This depends on the number of schools, entries, and how fluid the meet is operated. Dual meets and meets during the week, typically start at 3:15pm and will last until about 5:30pm if ran very effectively. Nonethless, anticipate any weekday meet to go until at least 6pm.
For Saturday and Away Meets, an athlete may leave before the end of the meet. While we desire that an athlete stay the entire duration as would be the case for any other team sport, we do understand that an athlete may finish their events and sit for hours waiting around. If an athlete is going to leave a meet early, the following must be done, there will be no exceptions to this:
1. Communicate ahead of time with one of the head coaches.
2. Print out the Transportation Waiver sheet and have it turned in at the beginning of a Track meet or the day of. This is necessary for us to inform transportation if we do not need the same number of busses returning.
3. Prior to leaving a meet, the athlete and athlete's parent must directly communicate with one of the coaches.
An athlete is NOT allowed to go home with anyone other than a direct parent. An athlete may NOT drive themselves and may NOT leave with a friend's family. This is a major liability to coaches and the school. Any violation of this can result in an athlete being removed from the program immediately. All athletes are to ride the bus transportation to every meet. Transportation waivers must be filled out and submitted PRIOR to Saturday meets for a parent to transport an athlete themself to those meets.
For home meets, all athletes are expected to stay for the duration of the meet. This is imperative as we are the hosts. All athletes are responsible for assisting the track meet by placing hurdles, removing hurdles, cleaning up, setting up, marking, measuring, etc. There is NO exception to leaving the track meet early. Again, an athlete who leaves a home meet early may be removed from the program immediately.