Cross Country information for 2020
Important websites:
SJA athletics – resource for
rules and online paperwork (FinalForms)
Cross country website – www.sjaxc.blogspot.com
Results websites – www.baumspage.com and oh.milesplit.com
The basics…
1.
No-cuts based on
ability. Only time people are removed
from the team would be for grades, attendance, or attitude.
2.
No experience
necessary. We have 5 training groups
based on background, injury history, etc…the coaches will work with athletes
individualize their plans.
3.
Communication is
paramount. If you have to miss a
practice, please inform the coach AHEAD of time and do not tell a friend on the
team to tell me. We encourage parents to
put the responsibility of communication on their daughter when
appropriate. We want our athletes to become
self-sustaining and develop as functioning people as well as athletes.
4.
Our website, www.sjaxc.blogspot.com, is a useful
resource, especially for looking up old results and records. It will have our meet schedule and summer
training calendar posted to it.
5.
Everybody
competes at every meet. If you are
injured, you are still expected to come to the meets and practices that have
cross training involved.
6.
We have our
normal meet schedule, but we are also devising an alternate schedule of dual
meets through September if large gatherings (like invitationals) are still
restricted. This will be posted when
complete.
7.
Practices:
a. During the summer, when we are allowed to meet, we
will be meeting either at SJA or the South Mastick Picnic Area in the Rocky
River Reservation, which is 3 miles south of SJA.
b. During the school year, the majority of our practice
locations will be at SJA, Mastick, and Memorial Field in the Rocky River
Metropark, which is 2 miles north of SJA.
There will be other locations, on occasion.
c. A weekly schedule will be sent out each Sunday. Sometimes we vary times and locations due to
weather, construction, etc…
d. For off campus practices, the girls are allowed to
drive themselves and may take a limited amount of girls with them (based on
family/state laws). We have assigned
cars for this so that we don’t have battles for seats. If there aren’t enough seats, coaches can
drive a van of athletes to the practice location as well. Parents are more than welcome to drive their
own athletes if willing.
8.
Parent
involvement:
a. Usually a senior parent will help organize the
following;
i. Pre-meet pasta dinners held at SJA the day before
meets. Usually a few parents chip in
each week due to the size of the team.
ii. Bringing bagels, juice, etc…for post-meet refueling.
iii. Senior night food (we all pitch in here)
b. Parents are always welcome to take and share pictures
c. Generally, parents have not practiced with the team,
but we do not discourage extra eyes on the trails!
9.
Equipment needed:
a. First and foremost are good shoes! This can be a decent-sized investment, but it’s
worth it. Kohl’s does NOT sell “real”
running shoes. Second Sole of Lakewood
is a great local resource, as well as some other shoe stores. Dick’s also has good deals. And if you know exactly what make, model, and
size you want, you can get great deals online
b. Comfortable running clothing is pretty important for
the hottest days as well as the coldest days (hat, gloves, tights, and long
sleeves). On the hottest days, a tank
top, or non-cotton shirts that can “breathe” can make a big difference in
preventing over-heating. These are great
birthday gifts!
c. For competition, SJA provides a top that must be
returned at the end of the season, but the girls can buy and use their own
shorts. For our team, the shorts MUST be
all black – no white stripes, or anything and just one small logo (the OHSAA is
a stickler). The shorts can be
volleyball-style tight shorts, or they can be running-style shorts. Both are allowed – its individual preference.
d. For competition, spikes are highly recommended. Running trainers are great for practice, but
on rainy, muddy, hilly courses, cross country spikes can make a HUGE difference
(versus sliding around everywhere with no footing). Unless there is lightening or completely
impassable footing, cross country doesn’t get canceled.
e. Each season, the team gets a team t-shirt (typically
less than $20), but freshman year, athletes can purchase a warm-up jacket and
pants that they’ll get their name on and keep for all 4 years...if it’s done
right, this is a one-time purchase. If
some part is lost, you can get a new one the next season.
10.
Injuries – there are injuries associated with all sports. The best way to battle injuries is to focus
on prevention, but even then things still happen. An injured runner is a sad runner.
a. Prevention
i. At practice we warm-up (static and dynamic) daily, and
stretch after. We also dedicate 2 days
per week to strength training.
ii. Athletes are split into groups based on ability and
injury history. They need to communicate
what issues they have had in the past and know what may have led to previous
injuries so the same mistakes aren’t made again.
iii. Good shoes….can’t say this enough – good shoes make a
difference.
iv. Proper diet…athletes that don’t enough or don’t eat
the right things can be more susceptible to injuries and illnesses (and
recovery can take longer). Proper fuel
and recovery foods help over the course of months and years.
v. Proper hydration…running on muscles that are
dehydrated can lead to strains, not to mention the possibility of passing
out. This is something we want our
athletes to do all the time in school and out.
vi. Communication…if an athlete feels something that’s not
quite right, if she says something early it may force her to sit out a few
days, which is better than sitting out 3 weeks if she lets it get out of
control due to stubbornness.
vii. Form matters.
Early in the season we will watch video of some practices and races to
watch our form, especially when tired.
When form breaks down, it can cause bad posture and bad mechanics,
leading to injury. Athletes can always
work on this aspect of their training/development.
b. If an injury happens
i. The first thing to do is tell the coach, who will make
note of it then direct the athlete to the school’s trainer. We need to know about all levels of injury!!!
ii. There are a variety of treatments that may happen at
the suggestion of the trainer.
1. Rest, ice, strengthen, new shoes, tape/wrap,
anti-inflammatory meds, etc…are all common suggestions. The trainer is NOT a doctor and cannot make
diagnoses, just suggestions.
2. If severe enough, the trainer will suggest making a
doctor’s appointment. She can help expedite
the process because there can be a wait to get in, and time is not on our side -
the season goes by quickly. The sooner a
doctor can be seen, the sooner the athlete may be cleared. An athlete cannot return to competition until
cleared by a physician.
a. There are many types of doctors/professionals to see
for runners.
i. SJA has a partnership with Orthopedic Associates for
common joint and bone injuries.
ii. Chiropractors are valuable for posture/strength
assessments, especially for weak and developing teens. There are good chiros, and there are others….
iii. Massage therapy can be very valuable for muscles that
are in knots. This requires somebody
with experience and not necessarily the $20 half hour with spa music in the
back ground J
iv. For feet and ankle issues, there are some reputable
podiatrists that can be consulted (not to mention for warts, bunions, spurs,
etc…)
3. If an athlete is injured, she is expected to come to
all the meets to help the coaches. For
practices, she is expected to see the trainer daily and follow the course of
rehab that has been prescribed. On days
the team meets at SJA the athlete should participate where possible. Injured athletes do NOT have to travel to
practices that are off campus.
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