Cross Country Policies and Procedures
Rules
BE ON TIME ALL THE TIME
- This includes practices, games, team functions, and bus times
- To coaching staff, officials, school staff, teammates, classmates, and parents
- Bring appropriate apparel (practices and meets)
- Pay attention to the weather!
- Be ready to outwork other teams in the state
Eligibility:
Per IHSA policy, all athletes are subject to weekly eligibility reports. Any athlete not passing 5 classes in any given week will be ineligible for one week (Monday through Saturday of the following week). Any student who is ineligible for three weeks will be subject to removal from the team. Additionally, athletes are subject to an eligibility review after the first semester. If an athlete fails to pass a minimum of 5 classes in the first semester, they will be academically ineligible for the second semester per IHSA policy.
Practices:
- Practices are mandatory. If your daughter will not be at practice, you must notify Coach Cook prior to practice that day. You may email or call, but email is the preferred method.
- If there is no communication, a practice is considered unexcused. An athlete who has 3 unexcused absences is subject to removal from the team.
- If your daughter is late to practice, she must have a note from a parent, teacher, or administrator.
- Other sports, clubs, and work are not excuses for missing practice. Try to schedule appointments around practice and competitions. If your daughter has potential conflicts, please fill out the conflict form and turn it in to Coach Cook.
- Please make arrangements for your athlete to be at practice the entire time, as well as at meets. The team expectation is that the athletes remain with the team until the practice or competition is over. If you have a special circumstance, please talk to Coach Cook ahead of time.
Meets:
- · Meets are mandatory. If there are conflicts with meets, please complete the conflict form and submit it to Coach Cook. The only excuse for missing a meet is an emergency or unavoidable situation. In this case, you must notify Coach Cook prior to the absence.
- · If you wish to take your daughter home from a meet, you must submit the release waiver to the athletic office prior to the meet. These forms can be found on the website or in the athletic office.
- · Athletes are expected to remain at the meet until the final event has concluded. It is important to have the entire team together from start to finish.
Practice Attire:
- · Athletic shorts, t-shirt, sports bra, socks, running shoes
- · Warm clothes to go outside (hats, gloves, layers)
- · Athletes will warm up with long pants and sleeves, regardless of weather
- · NO: tank tops, short shorts, jewelry
Meet Attire:
· Uniform with sports bra
· Warmups/Oswego East Gear (Oswego East gear or colors only)
· Athletic shoes and spikes (spikes to be worn during competition only)
· NO: tank tops, short shorts, jewelry, gear from other schools, etc
· Warmups/Oswego East Gear (Oswego East gear or colors only)
· Athletic shoes and spikes (spikes to be worn during competition only)
· NO: tank tops, short shorts, jewelry, gear from other schools, etc
Shoes:
· Athletes need a good pair of running shoes for the season. If your daughter is still wearing shoes from last year or cross country season, it is time to get new shoes! Many leg injuries are caused by inadequate shoes.
· If you have questions, please see a coach about which shoes to buy. (*Recommended brands—Nike, Asics, Brooks) To buy shoes, check out the Oswego Cyclery, Naperville Running Company, or Dick Pond Athletics.
· If you have questions, please see a coach about which shoes to buy. (*Recommended brands—Nike, Asics, Brooks) To buy shoes, check out the Oswego Cyclery, Naperville Running Company, or Dick Pond Athletics.
Spikes:
- · Athletes should have event-specific shoes to wear for competition, called spikes.
- · The spikes refer to the shoes in general, as well as the metal implements that are screwed into the spike. It is important to buy the shoes with removable spikes, as some track surfaces do not allow the metal implements.
- · Spikes vary depending on the event. For example, a high jump spike is very different from a distance spike or sprinter spike. If you are unsure what events your daughter will be competing in most often, you can wait until that has been determined, or you can go with a more generic, multi-event spike.
- · Spikes can be purchased at the Oswego Cyclery, Naperville Running Company, or Dick Pond Athletics as well.
Athlete Conduct/Sportsmanship:
· The team comes first. We promote a positive and competitive environment, in which the athletes work to achieve success on a daily basis. Our team must work together and support each other in order to achieve that success. Problems must be left at the door, and conflicts with other students and/or teammates must be handled appropriately.
· The Oswego East coaching staff reserves the right to consequence players for conduct which is determined to be detrimental to the team. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, reduction in participation, suspension, and removal from the team.
· We have a zero tolerance policy for hazing, bullying, and inappropriate behavior among teammates. Athletes will immediately be removed from the team if there is any evidence of such actions.
· We encourage our athletes to be responsible and respectful with social media. Inappropriate use may warrant action.
· The Oswego East coaching staff reserves the right to consequence players for conduct which is determined to be detrimental to the team. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, reduction in participation, suspension, and removal from the team.
· We have a zero tolerance policy for hazing, bullying, and inappropriate behavior among teammates. Athletes will immediately be removed from the team if there is any evidence of such actions.
· We encourage our athletes to be responsible and respectful with social media. Inappropriate use may warrant action.
Communication:
- · Communication is key!
- · If you have conflicts, you must communicate them to Coach Cook (see the conflict form on the website).
- · Decisions will be made with consideration of the team and your daughter’s best interest. If something were to arise, your daughter should contact the coach and communicate the concern. After this contact is made, a parent contact is warranted. Open communication is the best method, and we encourage your daughter to advocate for herself.
Health/Nutrition:
- · Track and Field and Cross Country provide an excellent platform to encourage good health and nutrition in young adults. It is very important to eat a balanced diet and fuel your body for what it needs to do each day. This starts with breakfast, and needs to be continued throughout the day.
- · See the Nutrition pdf on the website for more details!
Parent Participation:
- · We are looking for more parent support! See the sign-up sheet if you are willing to volunteer this year. We want our coaches to be able to coach! If you are willing to help mark, record, time, rake, or something we haven’t thought of, just let us know!
- · We would love to have help at meets, in addition to:
- o Concessions
- o Photographers
- o Pasta Parties
- o Senior Night
- · We appreciate all your help, and we attribute much of our success to the parents that support us! Thank you!