Nativity of Our Lord
Track and Field
The Junior CYO Track and Field program participates in the Region 11 division within Area C of the Archdiocese. It is open to all Nativity School and PREP students in grades K -8th. Both boys and girls can participate.
Season
The Region 11 Track and Field season runs from March 1st through the first weekend in June. There are 5-6 practice meets scheduled for March and April. The Region 11 Championship meet held on a Saturday in May (Sunday for Bantam) and the Area C meet held on a Sunday in mid-May are qualifying meets for the Archdiocesan Championship held on the first Saturday in June.
Age Groups
Athletes are categorized into age and gender groups. At times, age groups and/or genders
may be combined for an event. An athlete’s time and rank will only be determined within their own age group and gender. Athletes should remember they should set their own personal goals (a PR – personal record) and try to beat their OWN times/PR on a weekly basis.
The age groups are as follows:
Bantam Age Group (born in 2015-2018)
Novice Age Group (born in 2013 or 2014)
Minor Age Group (born in 20011 or 2012)
Cadet Age Group (born in 2009 or 2010)
Practice
Practices will be held at Nativity Gym Starting in the beginning of March and move outdoors as the weather permits. Practice locations will vary between Warminster Community Park, Log College Middle School, and William Tennent Hight School. Notice of Practice locations will be updated by your coach as that information becomes available. Early in the season, the weather could be cold and windy; therefore athletes should dress in layers (shorts and sweatpants, t-shirt and jacket/sweatshirt, hat/gloves if appropriate). A good running shoe is also encouraged. All athletes should have a water bottle.
There will be no practices held on blackout dates scheduled by Nativity of Our Lord, Region 11, Area C or the Archdiocese CYO organizations. These blackout dates can be found on the Nativity of Our Lord CYO website. If practice needs to be cancelled due to the weather an email will be sent prior to practice. I will try to have the email sent out at least 45 minutes prior to practice time. It should be noted: Track runs in rain or shine, cold or hot weather.
Conflicts with other commitments
We are aware that many of our athletes are also involved in other activities such as PREP, PAWS, spring sports, cheerleading, dance etc. We expect and understand any conflicts that may arise during the season. Athletes should attend practice when they are available. We would like athletes to attend at least 1 practice per week. We have found the best way to coordinate all activities is through good old fashioned communication. Coaches do NOT have to be advised if your son/daughter knows they are going to miss a practice. However, if they are unable to participate in a meet or need to arrive late or leave early we ask that you let us know prior to the meet. Keep in mind, as with anything in life, you only get out what you put in. Practice builds a foundation for a track and field athlete. A strong commitment in March and April translates into a successful May. Coaches will take participation in the program into account when selecting year end awards.
Locations & Schedule
Please check the Nativity of Our Lord CYO website or TeamSnap for addresses of the locations of Practices, Practice Meets, Championship Meets and Penn Relays.
Running Shoes
A good running shoe is also encouraged. Regular running shoes should be used for practice. Racing spikes or flats can be used for competition.
Track shoes come in two different varieties – Sprinting and Distance, please make sure if you are purchasing track shoes that you purchase the proper type. They may look similar but are not.
Note: Taken directly from the Archdiocese Track and Field packet
Spikes and shoes that take spikes will be permitted in CYO competitions if the track facility permits spikes. On an all-weather track, spikes no longer than 1⁄4 inch will be permitted. If the track facility chooses to make the restriction on spike length greater (that is, no spikes longer than 1/8 inch) the teams must abide by the rule or risk disqualification from the meet. On cinder or dirt tracks, spike lengths are to be determined by the individual competitor. Spikes should not be worn in the grandstand.
Arrival Time for Meets
Athletes should arrive 30 minutes before every meet. When your child arrives they should run at least 2 jogging laps. DO NOT go and sit in the stands or worry about getting labels. 15 to 20 min. before the meet start the coaches and 8th graders will gather everyone and do stretching as a team and then take a final lap around the track. Athletes should do additional stretching if a significant amount of time has passed between stretching and their event.
What to Bring
Athletes should ALWAYS bring sweat pants and sweatshirts (hats/gloves if appropriate) and they should be worn immediately after completing their event. Please make sure ALL clothing is labeled with the athlete’s name. All athletes should bring plenty of water to keep hydrated throughout the meet. Because most meets run several hours, you are encouraged to pack snacks and/or lunch. Most of the meets do have concession stands.
Meet Registration
During every meet, all athletes will need to sign up for each event they would like to participate in. This happens through the coach during the week leading up to each meet. For Region 11, Area C and Archdiocese Championship Meets coaches will enter all athletes. It is the responsibility of the athlete/ parents of the athlete to get to the start of their event on time.
Athletes do not have to sign in to be present or show up at the beginning of the practice meet. Athletes may come and go if they can anticipate when the event they want to run will occur. The running events scheduled below do not have any starting times and may be sped up or delayed based on many factors. Some parents may leave and call other parents to determine if they can make it back for a particular running event. If an athlete cannot make the entire meet then we strongly encourage attending whatever is possible.
Volunteers
Track and field meets are 100% run by the coaches and volunteering parents with the exception of championship events. Please consider volunteering, even if you do not plan on staying for an entire meet. You do not need prior experience with track & field. We can quickly teach you all you need to know to do the assigned job. Without an appropriate amount of volunteers, a meet will not begin. Please contact the coach if you can volunteer.
For the safety of the athletes, we ask that all spectators and athletes not immediately participating in an event remain in the stands. Also, please remember to pick up any trash and water bottles before leaving so we can continue to utilize the track and field public facilities.
Championship Meet
Novice, Minor and Cadet Athletes are eligible to compete in the Region 11 Championships. Athletes may only compete in three events, with the exception of Cadets who may compete in four events. Only Cadets are allowed to compete in the Triple Jump. No runner may run more than 3000m, including relay events. All athletes will be assigned their events to compete in by the coaches in an effort to provide the team the best possibility to win a team championship and the individual to medal.
Based upon individual results an athlete may move onto the Area C Championship and then the Archdiocese Championship. Bantams will have their own individual championship at the Region level.
The top six (6) in individual running events and the top four (4) in relays events will move onto the Area Championship from the Region Championship. The top eight (8) in individual running events and the top four (4) in relays events will move onto the Archdiocese Championship from the Area Championship.
It is crucial to our team success that all athletes compete at the Region 11 championship. We are limited to the number of competitors we can have and scoring is kept at these meets (10 points = 1st place, 8 points = 2nd place, 6 points = 3rd place, 4 points = 4th place, 2 points = 5th place, 1 point = 6th place). If you commit to competing we will be counting on you to be at the meet. Not showing up would be taking an opportunity away from someone else to compete or if you are on a relay team it would cause the other three runners to disqualify.
Penn Relays
Penn Relay teams will be coached by Mr. Joe DeColli. Athletes are chosen to participate in the Penn Relays by the coaches. There will be a run off to select the teams. All athletes selected will need to make a commitment to attend additional practices. Penn Relay practices may be on Wednesday, Sunday or before/after regular scheduled practices. Each parish will each enter individual teams. There can be four teams from each parish: two boys and two girls. The Penn Relay trials are held on a Tuesday night at Franklin Field and the Finals are Friday morning at Franklin Field. Tickets are not required for Tuesday night trials but are required for Friday finals.
Once at Franklin Field we will sit together as a team. Please make sure you have someone’s cell phone number in order to find us at Franklin Field. After the athlete runs his/her race they may leave, although most stay to cheer for the other members of the team.
If any relay teams make the top eight qualifying time then the finals will take place on Friday morning. In the past public transportation has been taken. Tickets will be required for Friday morning entry into Franklin Field.
The age groups are not necessarily the same as the Catholic League CYO track age groups. Runners may move up in an age group but cannot move down.
The age groups are as follows:
| Junior Age Group | (born in 2012, 2013 or 2014) |
| Senior Age Group | (born in 2009, 2010 or 2011) |
Picture Day
Nativity of Our Lord CYO now offers individual and team pictures. These pictures are
included in your registration fee. We do ask that all team athletes attend the picture session in order to get a complete team picture.
Other questions
If you have any other questions not addressed here, please feel free to ask one of us. We are committed to your children and love teaching them all about track & field. Our enthusiasm for the sport also carries over to our parents. If you want to learn more please ask us!
Please feel free to contact any of the coaches:
Head Coach - Michael Sock mdsock08@hotmail.com
Assistant Coaches - Jen Sock, Phil Moat, Lori Rink, Danielle Wojtusik, Jerica Janiszewski