Information for Parents

Hinsdale Central High School Boys Track & Field

Team Information

2020

Team Rules

-Be present. The most important ingredient to success in our sport is simply consistency.

-Be on time. Time is incredibly valuable. We will not waste it. Every minute of practice should be purposeful.

-Do your best. It is expected athletes give 100% effort each day. Any team member who is obviously not trying their hardest in practice will be asked to leave.

-Support your teammates. What makes our time purposeful is that we are all working towards the same goal: to improve our personal bests, and to help the team become more competitive.

-Respect your opponents. The way we show respect to our opponents is by bringing our best when we compete against them.

-Respect the sport. No footballs, Frisbees, radios, grills, etc. should be brought to the track. We will seek to minimize distractions for the benefit of those practicing.

Team Philosophy

-Success is determined not only by who wins, but by individual improvement; to the extent one can run faster, throw further, or jump longer or higher than they have before, that individual has succeeded.

-Our Track & Field program emphasizes TEAM. There is a great sense of purpose in working towards a common goal. In our case, the goal is to win at the conference meet, and to have 100% of our athletes improve upon their personal best.

-Be a contributor, not just a participant. A participant is one who signs up to be a part of something without giving anything to it; a contributor is one who finds meaning in their association to an organization precisely because of what they have given to it. Your experience will be more meaningful if you know you made a meaningful contribution to the team culture. You can do this simply by trying your best each day.

Away meets

Buses will transport runners to the meet site AND back to Hinsdale Central after the meet. All runners are to return home on the team bus. If it is necessary for a parent to drive their son home, you will need to let Coach Westphal know ahead of time and then sign out at the meet. A student cannot leave a meet with a teammate’s parents unless they have received preapproval. This is a school-wide policy.

School Issued Uniforms and Equipment

-Athletic lockers with combination locks will be assigned to each runner in a Track & Field only locker room. ---Competition running singlet, shorts, warm-up, and warm-up pants will be issued to each athlete. All athletes are expected to return each piece of the uniform that was issued to them at the end of the season (except in cases where the athlete has purchased their uniform).

Recommended additional Equipment

-Students should training outfits appropriate for all types of weather. There are times in the indoor season when we may run outside (those in the distance group will almost always practice outside). During the outdoor season (starting in early April) we will be outside every day except for cases of lightening. So, students should have both short and long sleeve shirts, shorts, tights or training pants, coats, hats, glove, etc.

-Athletes should invest in a pair of track spikes to be worn on meet days. These are specific to event (high jump spikes are different than sprint spikes which are different than distance spikes). Athletes will be at a competitive disadvantage if they do not have spikes.

-Athletes should have a good pair of training shoes, which they wear each day to practice. Again, these should be specific to the events that athlete is training for. It is important to purchase new training shoes every few months, as the soles wear out which can lead to injury.

-All athletes should have a wrist watch with the ability to keep splits. The ‘timex ironman’ is a good, relatively inexpensive watch.

-We recommend that each athlete have an athletic bag to carry all their clothing and equipment for meet days. Make sure your bag and everything in it is labeled.

**If purchasing equipment for your son for track represents a financial hardship, please contact the coaching staff as we may be able to provide assistance.

Security

-Hinsdale Central provides each athlete with a locker and a lock. It is up to each athlete to see to the safety of their belongings by locking their locker at all times. Missing items rarely come from lockers that are broken into through vandalism, but rather from unlocked lockers or book bags left on the locker room floor.

-Locker rooms remain unlocked during team practice sessions and they are not supervised. This is necessary for those athletes who may be late for practice, or for those athletes who need to leave practice early. Valuable jewelry and large sums of money should be left at home. Never leave valuable items in the locker room.

Practice times and locations

Practice times and locations will always be posted on the home page of our team website. Check there first.

We will hold a all-team meetings every day, Monday through Friday, in the Senior Cafeteria at 3:15 p.m. We will take attendance, review the day's workout, and share important information and updates for team members.

Balancing academics and athletics

As per school policy, athletes must be passing their classes to be eligible to practice and compete in Track and Field. We will try to help students develop time management skills and in the importance of rest. Students can meet with teachers after school for extra help when needed, but are expected to report to practice after.

Hazing

Hazing is unacceptable and grounds for immediate dismissal from the team. The coaching staff will strive hard to create a positive and encouraging environment, and to monitor athletes when possible. However, we cannot be all places at all times, so we implore any team member who has witnessed or been a victim of hazing to report that incident to us, so that we can address the situation immediately.

What Parents/Guardians can do to help

-Make sure your son has proper equipment, including training shoes and track spikes.

-If possible, try to schedule doctor, dental, haircut and other appointments so your son does not miss practice or meet days. Daily attendance at practice is essential for improving and for maintaining a positive and cohesive team environment.

-Communicate with the coaching staff as soon as possible if you know your son will have to miss practice or a meet. With rare exceptions, athletes are expected to stay to the end of all Track Meets.

-Volunteer to help out at our home meets, especially with concessions (revenue generated by concession sales goes to the team).

-Volunteer to help plan the team banquet.

-Come cheer the team on at our meets.

-Encourage your son to have a regular sleep schedule and to get at least 8 hours per night. This can be a tough battle among our population, but being well-rested is the key to excelling in all other areas of one’s life.

-Promote the team. If your son has a good experience, please encourage friends and neighbors who have boys in middle school or high school to come join us! Our best source of recruiting is from our athletes and their families.

**Parents willing to help volunteer, please contact Mary Kay Doorhy at bdoorhy@comcast.net