1. Consistent practice and competition attendance: Each athlete is expected to attend all practices and competitions on time. If the athlete has a valid reason for missing practice (emergency or illness), a parent/guardian must notify the coaches prior to the practice that will be missed or within one day. If an athlete is absent from school, they are excused from practice and do not need an email or note excuse. If an athlete must regularly miss practices due to another sport or activity, they should complete the “Multi-sport Athlete Agreement.” Athletes will only be allowed to miss or leave early from a maximum of 2 competitions due to conflict. If an athlete has more than two conflicts with meets they will be excused from the team.
1st unexcused absence (from practice and/or meet) = warning
2nd unexcused absence = missed meet
3rd unexcused absence = off team
2. Consistent effort at practice:
If an athlete cannot participate in practice for three days in a row because of injury, they need a doctor’s note to return to practice.
Athletes must respect the warm-up, workout, and cool down by participating to the best of their ability. If an athlete does not give full effort, the coach shall give them a verbal warning. On the third warning, the athlete will sit out for the remainder of practice. This will result in an unexcused absence. See attendance rules.
3. Practice/meet apparel: Each athlete is required to wear running shoes, shirt, and shorts or pants/tights to practice. A water bottle is also required, and a running watch is highly recommended. Do not bring valuables to practice. Coaches are not responsible for lost or stolen items. (Athletes will have a gym locker to store valuables and school items during practice.) At meets, athletes must be in Amherst gear at all times. During races, athletes must wear the school-issued uniform. Any visible undergarments (excluding female sports bras) must be solid black with only one logo (smaller than 2 inches). Cross country or distance spikes are optional for races and some hard workouts.
4. Athlete conduct: Comet Cross Country team members are expected to show exemplary conduct at all times! Athletes are expected to conduct themselves in a mature manner. In addition, cross country meets and practices are not dates. Please avoid PDA, and conduct yourself appropriately at cross country and school and on social media.
5. Transportation to and from competition: Athletes will be transported from AJH to away competitions via district bus. Athlete’s must also return to AJH via district bus or be released to their legal guardian at the competition site. If an athlete is not returning to AJH with the team via district bus, the legal guardian must text the coaches on the Remind app stating that they are taking responsibility for their child. (Don’t delete the Remind message thread. Keep it readily available in text messages.) Athletes will not be released from meets to anyone other than a legal guardian. Friends, relatives, neighbors, etc. are not legal guardians. In extreme circumstances, an athlete may be released to a non-legal guardian if the proper paperwork is completed and signed by the guardians, transporters, and athletic director. Failure to follow these procedures will result in a warning or other disciplinary action.
6. Meet eligibility: To be eligible to compete in meets, an athlete must complete 10 practices, including 4 hard workouts without walking. Athletes must complete the last hard workout before a meet to be eligible, unless excused by the coaches. For meets with a varsity race, the 7 fastest times from the previous meet will run varsity. In extreme circumstances, exceptions may be made at the coaches’ discretion.
7. Captain Requirements: Any 8th-grade student who ran cross country* last year may serve as a team captain if they fulfill the following requirements:
Miss no more than 3 regular practices for sports/other activities.
Miss zero meets for sports/other activities. (This includes leaving before races are done.)
Captains will help lead the warm-up and stretches and keep open lines of communication between athletes and coaches. There may be a vote for captains depending on the number of athletes who meet these requirements.
*Athletes who did track & field last spring may be considered if there are not enough candidates.
8. All athletes will abide by the rules set forth in the Amherst Parent and Student Athletic Handbook.
9. Consequences:
1st Offense = warning
2nd Offense = missed meet
3rd Offense = off team