Hello 8U Tigres Families,
It was a great practice meet, and I am very proud of all our athletes who participated on Saturday. All the kids were trying their best, and I think they had a lot of fun. Thank you to all the volunteers who showed up and got their first taste at what it takes to run an event at the meet. Finally, thank you to all the assistant coaches who made sure the kids were ready and at the starting line (or jumping pit) so that they could compete. I am grateful for everyone involved.
IMPORTANT NOTICES:
- As usual, Practice this week (3/7 and 3/9)
- Saturday is our first meet at Buena High School please arrive at 7:45 am.
- On time arrival is important so that we can sort out last minute relay changes and get the kids starting long jump ASAP.
- Track meets typically run 5 to 6 hours. If you want your child to be finished on the earlier side, I suggest signing them up for events that are closer to the start of the meet. The 200m is the last event of the day that 8U athletes can run in. See the order of events here: https://www.venturatigres.org/order-of-events/
- Please do not come on to the track. Parents are not allowed in the track area while watching their kids. Parents are only allowed on the track if it is part of their volunteer duty. There will be a couple of team parents in the stands at the 8U popup tent who can go onto the track to find kids and coaches if a parent needs to get a hold of them.
Things were fairly smooth at the start of Saturday, but we are looking to help the meet run faster and there is some room for improvement. Thank you for your patience as we make some changes and look to improve throughout the season. A couple of notes:
- PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE FOR THIS WEEK: When you first get to the track, please find the coaches at the entrance to the track. They will guide the kids towards the long jump pit, which is were the kids will get their race bib (i.e. sticker). At this point the coaches will make note of their attendance, which will be important as we are looking for the kids during each event. Coaches will also start warming them up for long jump so we can get this event started.
- If kids have extra stuff parents can put it up in the stands at the 8U popup tent. After long jump and the 4×100 relay the coaches will bring kids back into the stands to sit at or near the 8U popup tent.
- This past Saturday went pretty fast because each age group only did a limited number of events. As a result, the 8U were brought down on the field and stayed there for a long time because once their first event was finished, they were already getting ready for the next. This made it difficult to go back into the stands to get sweatshirts and water. In the upcoming meets when we are competing against another club, everything will take longer. There will be much more time in between events and opportunities for the kids to come up into the stands between events. In fact, the kids will normally spend a lot of time in the stands waiting for their next event.
- In the upcoming meets, the coaches will have the names of the kids running each event. When that event is called, the coaches will go into the stands to the 8U tent and find the kids who are running. Please be aware of what events your kids are participating in and bring them to the team parents (i.e. this is a volunteer role) when you hear the calls for the events. It also helps to sit near the team tent if you can. For home meets, if you are volunteering and your child is in the stands alone, please have them sit by the team parent.
- Finally, one of the most challenging aspects of coaching Tigres is managing the relay teams. If your child is signed up, and you are going to be late or your child is going to miss the meet, it is very important to give me a heads up. You can text me at 805-320-3421.
Thank you again for your support! As you probably noticed, it takes a village to make a successful track meet and track season.
Coach Mike