Fall Sports - Season 1

Dear Parents/Guardians and Runners,

Welcome to the 2024 cross country season! We are excited to participate in another successful year of Wolverine cross country.

Coach Jarrell, Coach O’Neill, Coach Hand, and Coach Ensey will be on the field and ready to go on September 9^th!

We have high expectations for our runners. It is their responsibility to be at all practices and meets on time with the correct gear. Please read the handbook carefully and make sure that you understand its contents. If you have any questions, be sure to ask us at practice.

In order to participate in the first and subsequent practices, you must complete the following:

• ASB and cross country sports fees paid! This can be done online or with the bookkeeper.
• All of your PLMS sports eligibility forms must be completed online and turned into the office.
• Off-campus run form in order to run off-campus!

Please refer to your handbook for any question you may have; if you cannot find the answer, please feel free to send an email with your question to one of the coaches, preferably Coach Jarrell and/or Coach O’Neill.

Coach Jarrell can be reached through FinalForms and via email at:

jarrelln@issaquah.wednet.edu

oneille@issaquah.wednet.edu

Every day the coaches will be looking for three R.O.T.D.s (Runner of the Day). We will be focusing on different characteristics each day such as effort, leadership, improvement, helpfulness, etc. These runners “go the extra mile” to encourage others, as well as put in much effort to their own work ethic and attitude. The R.O.T.D. will receive a reward for his/her hard work and helpfulness.

End of season party - date to be determined!

The party is a very good time to turn in uniforms. Please clean all clothing and place it in a bag. Neatly write the runner’s name on the bag and turn it in to the location provided. Unreturned uniforms result in a fine placed to a student’s account.

Practices are a very important part of your success in cross country. All runners are expected to attend practices daily. In order to race in a meet, you must be present at practice the day before a meet (unless previously arranged with a coach).

Excused absences include illness, severe injury, and previously scheduled doctor’s appointments. Parents need to notify the coach if a runner needs to miss practice or leave practice early.

Practices will take place Mon, Tues, and Thurs from 2:45 until 4:05 and on Wed from 3:40 to 5:05. The activity bus leaves Pine Lake at approximately 4:15 Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and at 5:15 on Wednesday. 

Be sure to bring a water bottle to practice. You may also ask your 6^th period teacher if it would be okay to drink water from your bottle before practice so you are well hydrated.

Practice will not be cancelled because of weather. It will most likely rain during our meets and we need to prepare for this condition during practice. If there is thunder, lightning, heavy hail, or heavy winds we will make adjustments to ensure our safety, but we will not cancel unless conditions are extreme. Please bring warm clothes for practice and consider having an extra set of dry clothes for the ride home on rainy days.

If you need to leave practice early for any reason, please be sure to speak with a coach beforehand, and take all of your clothes and bag with you to practice. We will be locking the locker rooms at the beginning of practice. This ensures the safety of belongings while at practice.

All races are 1.86 miles (3000 meters) long

In order for the coaches to be able to focus on the meets in progress it is very important for the other runners to be responsible for themselves. You are expected to be ready for your race when it is time to start. You will be stretching and warming up in small groups prior to your race. The coaches will not tolerate misbehavior at the meet. Stay with the team and encourage your teammates. Misconduct will lead to written warnings.

It is also important to remember you are a representative of Pine Lake. Always be polite and thankful to the host school.

The bus ride to the host school is a time to focus. Stay in your seat quietly thinking about your race. Be sure to listen during attendance and instructions. Make sure to show respect for our driver and pick up all trash before exiting the bus.

Attention Parents/Guardians!

On the day of the away meet be sure to have a parent sign out with one of the coaches. If we do not have a parent sign a runner out, we will have no way of knowing whether or not you are supposed to ride the bus home.

We will do our best to let the runners know approximately what time the bus will be returning to Pine Lake. A good estimate is between 5:30 and 6:00. Keep in mind we will be arriving back too late for the activity bus so it is important that runners have someone to pick them up at Pine Lake upon our return.

**Coach Jarrell will send a message through final forms to families when leaving an away meet! Please be prompt when picking up your child as we cannot leave athletes unattended!

The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is an extremely resourceful animal. They get the job done any way they can. Although usually calm, the wolverine is one of the most aggressive animals when it needs to be.  Pound for pound, the wolverine is one of the toughest animals found in nature.

A runner who wishes to be successful should strive to embody the same characteristics that the wolverine demonstrates. Stay tough and have a great year!

Cross country is a privilege. In order to participate in cross country at Pine Lake you must meet the following criteria:

• Behavior in school must be appropriate.
• Behavior in cross country practice must be appropriate. Horseplay will not be tolerated.
• You must wear a complete uniform at all meets.
• You should have attended 8 practices prior to the first meet.
• You must attend practice the day before the meet. Important meet related information is shared with runners.
• Any off campus behavior issues will not be tolerated. If we have issues arise on off campus runs, you will not be allowed to participate and will have to run on the track.

***Please note that behavior problems and/or horseplay at practice or a meet may result in probation, suspension from the team, or being held out of a meet.

***Please speak directly to a coach AND have a parent email if you unable (for any reason) to meet the practice requirements.

All races are 1.86 miles (3,000 meters) long

We are scheduled to host two home meets this year. It is very important that you dress quickly and help set up any way you can since we have limited time to set up. The coaches will be asking various students to perform various tasks. Each meet requires setting up the start/finish line, as well as setting up cones in specific areas around the course. It is our responsibility to lead opposing teams in a walk-through of the course before the races. We cannot do this alone and will expect every runner to help.

When we host meets, we are representing Pine Lake. Please remember to be courteous and helpful to runners, coaches, managers, and fans from other schools. If you are not stretching or warming up, you should be encouraging the rest of your team and preparing for your race.

It is just as much work to put things away at the end of a meet, therefore it is required that you stay until the end of the race to help unless you have permission from the coach.

Keep in mind that the coaches will be extremely busy before and during home meets. If a coach is not able to help you at a particular time please keep in mind that we do care about you and your problem and will help as soon as we can.

The meets will begin as close to 3:30 as possible (depending on the location of the meet). There will be no activity bus the days we have home meets. Be sure to arrange a ride home after the home meets, as well as the away meets.

In order to have a healthy and successful year, please make note of the following items.

• Drink plenty of water before practice and meets.
• A proper diet is critical on practice days as well as race days; try to have a filling lunch, as well as breakfast!
• A warm up is equally as important as a cool down.
• Proper shoes will decrease the chance of injury. Please wear or invest in athletic shoes.
• Running may cause subtle injuries, such as aches and pains. If these symptoms persist, a trip to your family doctor may be necessary.
• Ice aches and pains for up to 20 minutes 2-3 times a day, if you are able.
• Try to run on grass, woodchips, or gravel, or of course the track instead of concrete or asphalt when you have a choice.

PLMS Cross Country Behavior Expectations and Off Campus Agreement