Hi RushFam –
The hard work your athletes have been putting in at practice is about to be showcased this weekend! Our first track meet is on Saturday, March 18th at Simi Valley High School in Simi Valley. Directions to the school can be found here.
The full season track meet schedule has been posted and can be found on our calendar here. Please keep in mind that due to unforeseen circumstances, locations may change and any changes will be posted on our calendar by the prior Thursday.
Uniforms
Uniforms will be passed out at Thursday’s practice to athletes who have paid their balance in full or have otherwise made payment arrangements. Uniforms can only be picked up by parents/guardians. If you don’t get your uniform on Thursday, they will be available at the meet on Saturday.
Below are some details of what to expect and recommendations on what to bring to prepare for the eventful day.
The Night Before
Following are some tips to prepare in advance for the meet:
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
- Check your spikes – for the meet you will need to have 3/16” pyramid spikes
- Bring spikes AND tennis shoes or slides. Immediately after an event, your athlete should change into their tennis shoes or slides
- As a reminder sub-gremlins (born 2017 or 2018) are not allowed to wear spikes
- Put your athlete’s name on all pieces of track equipment (e.g. clothing, shoes, bag, etc.)
Arrival
Please arrive at Simi Valley High by 7:30 am. This allows the athletes’ time to get their event stickers (each athlete will get one sticker for each event they are participating in) and to warm up before the meet begins. The track meet is run on a rolling schedule,” which means that the next event starts immediately after the previous event.
Due to the number of events being offered and the large number of participants, parents should expect to spend up to 5-7 hours in the stands in various weather conditions and we strongly recommend you come prepared. Bring items that will allow you and your child to be comfortable for that duration of time. Recommendations include:
- A cooler with ice, water, Gatorade, fruit, granola bars and other light snacks for you and your athlete. There may be a snack bar selling additional items.
- Hat or visor, sunscreen and sunglasses
- Stadium chairs and/or a small blanket
- Dress in layers – it will most likely be chilly in the morning and warm up to a predicted 66 degrees.
- 10×10 pop up tents can be placed on the top row of bleachers on a first come, first serve basis.
During the Meet
Keep your athlete out of the sun as much as possible, this will help reserve much needed energy for their race or field event.
Breathing is very important while running — oxygen needs to get into your athlete’s body so they don’t pass out or become light-headed. While running, athletes should focus on long, steady breaths and breathe in their nose and out their mouth; this will also help prevent cramps.
Athletes need to keep their sweats (jackets and pants) on, when they are not running in their event, to keep their muscles warm (even in warm weather). This will help prevent injuries and enhance performance.
Below are some additional guidelines your athlete should be prepared to follow:
- Listen for event calls and be ready to report to the staging area or your field event on time
- Always look in both directions when crossing the track. Never cross the track when any race is in progress
- Avoid any area between finish line and start line, as officials and timers need clear view of the starter located near the start of each race
- Never walk through the javelin or shot put area when competition is in progress. This can be extremely dangerous
- Be quiet when you are at starting line; make sure you stay in your lane, as instructed by the head starter, during your race.
- If you are scheduled to compete in a field event and track event at the same time, you must first check-in with the head official of your field event in order for you to be able to compete in that field event when you have completed your track event
- When leaving a field event to take part in a track event, you must first inform (check-out with) the head official in charge of your field event
- Be respectful of the facility that hosted the event and try to leave the track as you found it.
Order of Events
Sub-gremlins (SG) and Gremlins (G) can run a maximum of 3 events. Bantam (B), Midgets (M) and Youth (Y) can compete in a maximum of 3 individual events and 1 relay or 2 individual events and 2 relays. Intermediate (I) and Young Women/Men (YW/YM) can compete in any 4 events. Coaches will pick the events for your athletes. The track meet will be run in the following order.
| Order of Track Events (Track events begin at 8:30 am) | |
| 3000 Meter: | MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| Hurdles: | MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| 4×100 Relay: | SGG, SGB, GG, GB, BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| 1500 Meter: | GG, GB, BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| 400 Meter: | SGG, SGB, GG, GB, BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| 100 Meter: | SGG, SGB, GG, GB, BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| 800 Meter: | SGG, SGB, GG, GB, BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| 200 Meter: | SGG, SGB, GG, GB, BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| 4×400 Relay: | BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| Order of Field Events (Field events begin at 8:30 and run concurrently) | |
| High Jump: | BG, BB, MG, MB, YG, YB, IG, IB |
| Long Jump: | SGG, GG, SGB, GB, IB, IG, MG, MB, YG, YB, BG, BB |
| Shot Put: | YB, YG, IG, IB, BG, BB, MG, MB |