Clyde Hart Training Manuals

Here are a couple of great reads from one of the best 400m. coaches in the World:
400 Meter Training
Baylor Sprint Relay Exchange (Warning before you print.  It's over 60 pages!)

and if you want to spend some money, you can also check out his videos:
Clyde Hart's 200/400M Sprint Training Program
Clyde Hart's Speed Development for Track and Field

Los Gatos All-Comers results (January 28th)

http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/2012/LGAC4/lgac_4.htm

Pictures from the meet:  http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/2012/PICS/LGAC/lgac.htm

Triple-jumping to Olympics

In today's San Mateo Daily Journal (Palo Alto HS graduate Tolu Wusu):
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=227580&title=Triple-jumping%20to%20Olympics

CCS "Top 8" Track and Field Classic Info

Different venue this year.  Here is all the info:
http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/2012/top8info.pdf

Track and Field on TV today (Sunday)

U.S. Open at Madison Square Garden will be shown on ESPN2 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

Also, great article in today's Boston Globe about endorsements by shoe companies of potential Olympic hopefuls including former Soquel HS runner Maggie Vessey.
New Balance, other shoe companies bet on Olympic track and field hopefuls

and a new record for former Alisal HS runner Diego Estrada:
NAU Roundup:  Estrada smashes NAU mile record

CCS Returning State Meet Individual Qualifiers

Event 2  Boys 1600 Meter Run
  1 Chris Waschura            11 Woodside               4:19.00  
  2 Grant Foster              11 Los Gatos              4:21.44  
 
Event 3  Boys 110 Meter Hurdles 
  2 Kamara Biawogi            10 Prospect                 14.66   
  3 Markell Stine             11 Los Altos                14.73   
 
Event 4  Boys 400 Meter Dash
  None
 
Event 5  Boys 100 Meter Dash
  1 Jourdan Soares            11 Gilroy                   10.66   
 
Event 6  Boys 800 Meter Run
  1 Chris Waschura            11 Woodside               1:56.61  
  3 Cody Johnson              10 S.L.V.                 1:57.79  
 
Event 7  Boys 300 Meter Hurdles
  2 Kamara Biawogi            10 Prospect                 38.87  
  3 Markell Stine             11 Los Altos                39.39  
 
Event 8  Boys 200 Meter Dash
  None
 
Event 9  Boys 3200 Meter Run
  1 Kevin Bishop              11 Monta Vista            9:08.74  
 
Event 11  Boys High Jump
  1 Stephen Dorsey            11 Monterey               6-09.00   
 
Event 12  Boys Pole Vault
  2 Marc Toney                10 St. Francis           14-06.00  
  3 Austin Decker             11 N.M.C.                14-00.00   
 
Event 13  Boys Long Jump
  2 Jourdan Soares            11 Gilroy                22-09.00   
  3 Khalil Johnson            10 St. Francis           22-04.50  
 
Event 14  Boys Triple Jump
  1 Ricky Strehlow            11 Wilcox                45-06.00    
  2 Dubem Awuzie              11 Oak Grove             44-04.00    
 
Event 15  Boys Discus Throw
  1 Cody Bickham              11 St. Francis             174-10  
 
Event 16  Boys Shot Put
  3 Cody Bickham              11 St. Francis           56-00.50  
 
Event 18  Girls 1600 Meter Run
  1 Nikki Hiltz               10 Aptos                  4:51.94  
  2 Allison Sturges           11 Mountain View          4:55.32  
  3 Anna Maxwell               9 S.L.V.                 4:57.42  
 
Event 19  Girls 100 Meter Hurdles
  2 Cydney Leath              11 Mt. Pleasant             15.05  
  3 Paige Haar                10 Mitty                    15.21 
 
Event 20  Girls 400 Meter Dash
  1 Asheley Bamberg           11 Andrew Hill              56.02  
  2 Iesha Hardiman            11 Wilcox                   56.18  
  3 Ellisa Bryant             10 Piedmont Hills           56.25    
 
Event 21  Girls 100 Meter Dash
  1 Alexandria Diaz           10 Piedmont Hills           11.95   
  2 Shelby Smallwood          09 Valley Christian         12.02   
  3 Tekeya Todd               11 Piedmont Hills           12.19   
 
Event 22  Girls 800 Meter Run
  1 Nikki Hiltz               10 Aptos                  2:12.65  
  2 Allison Sturges           11 Mountain View          2:13.80  
 
Event 23  Girls 300 Meter Hurdles
  3 Crystal Yen               11 Saratoga                 45.63  
 
Event 24  Girls 200 Meter Dash
  1 Alexandria Diaz           10 Piedmont Hills           24.92   
  2 Iesha Hardiman            11 Wilcox                   25.01   
  3 Asheley Bamberg           11 Andrew Hill              25.14  
 
Event 25  Girls 3200 Meter Run
  1 Anna Maxwell               9 S.L.V.                10:46.48   
  3 Vanessa Fraser            10 Scotts Valley         10:51.58  
 
Event 27  Girls High Jump
  1 Michellie McDonald-O'Bri  11 St. Ignatius           5-05.00  
  2 Kylie McKown              11 Mountain View         J5-05.00  
  3 Nikki Myashita            11 Aptos                  5-03.00   
 
Event 28  Girls Pole Vault
  1 Rachel Bolton             11 Homestead             11-09.00  
  2 Thresa Vinson             11 Aptos                 11-06.00  
  3 Taylore Jaques            09 Presentation          11-00.00  
 
Event 29  Girls Long Jump
  1 Kristin Sato              11 Valley Christian      18-03.25   
  2 Cydney Leath              11 Mt. Pleasant          18-00.25    
 
Event 30  Girls Triple Jump
  2 Cydney Leath              11 Mt. Pleasant          40-06.00    
  3 Marisa Kwiatkowski         9 Wilcox                36-09.50    
 
Event 31  Girls Discus Throw
  1 Brielle Rowe              11 Mountain View           125-02  
  2 Krystal Alnas             11 San Benito              123-00  
  3 Brianna Cueva             10 Watsonville             122-00    
 
Event 32  Girls Shot Put
  1 Samantha Sinclair         11 Mountain View         40-09.50  
  2 Tyhana Cooper             10 Sacred Ht. Cath.      40-07.00  
  3 Brielle Rowe              11 Mountain View         38-00.25  

Ohio Association of Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches clinic notes

Handouts and videos from former University of Colorado coach Jay Johnson can be found here:
http://www.coachjayjohnson.com/2012/01/2012-oatccc-clinic/

Or you can check out the following individual links:
6-page handout
http://coachjayjohnson.com/assets/clinics/2012_OATCCC/handouts_1st_2nd_talks_6pages.pdf
Color version of 13 week training schedule
http://coachjayjohnson.com/assets/clinics/2012_OATCCC/handout_13_weeks_color.pdf
13 week Training Schedule video
http://www.slideshare.net/coachjayjohnson/13-week-training-schedule-11297607
Third Presentation:  Threshold Training Handout
http://coachjayjohnson.com/assets/clinics/2012_OATCCC/handout_threshold.pdf
Threshold Running video
http://www.slideshare.net/coachjayjohnson/threshold-running-3185613
13 week General Strength and Mobility document
http://coachjayjohnson.com/assets/clinics/2012_OATCCC/handout_GSM_13_weeks.pdf
General Strength for HS Distance Runners video
http://www.slideshare.net/coachjayjohnson/general-strength-for-hs-distance-runners

Coming up...

This weekend, I will post all the returning state meet qualifiers from each Northern California section.  It will be interesting to take a look at all the contenders heading into the start of the 2012 track and field season.

If there is something else you would like to see posted on this site or have a great idea, please feel free to post it in the comment section below or email me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

I love it!

As a trackless track and field coach, I would love to have this at my disposal.  Plus how great would this be for distance workout.


By the way, this was posted by Malmo on www.letsrun.com.  This is found at Christ's College in Central Christchurch.  


Today is the anniversary of Peter Snell's world record of 3:54.4.  Although that wasn't run on grass, his 800m. world record of 1:44.3 was which is an amazing time run on that surface.

Legendary Runners posts from the past

Great article in this month's Running Times about former New Zealand runner Peter Snell which you can find at this link:
Peter Snell:  Gentleman, Athlete Scholar

I wrote about Peter and a few other legendary runners a few years ago.  You can find my list of the top 10 legendary runners at the following link.  They may not have been the best but I believe they were the most influential (scroll down for the top 10 list).
http://www.crosscountryexpress.com/search/label/Legendary%20Runners

League Entries to CCS 2012

http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/2012/ccs_auto.htm
and
CCS Time Schedule for semis and finals (draft)

Thanks to Hank Lawson and www.lynbrooksports.com for the above information.

We are #54!

Top 100 Running Blogs of 2012

Track and Field Starting Dates

San Francisco Section:  Monday, January 23rd
Central Coast Section:  Monday, January 30th
North Coast Section:  Monday, February 6th
Sac-Joaquin Section:  Monday, February 6th
Northern Section:  No official first day
Oakland Section:  Waiting to confirm.

Awalt and Mountain View coach Cooke was a mentor to many

http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_19805130 (interesting link to Track and Field for your historians out there)

Pole Vault Summer Results

http://www.ucsspirit.com/about/current-results.cfm/type/315DAF9D-9DFD-4A06-8361-C829C12614A1

Skyline All-Comers Meet Results (Saturday, January 21st)

http://adkinstrakwest.com/Meet_Results/Results_20120121.htm

California HS Indoor Invitational

Results:  http://www.flashwest.com/12Meets/12RFDhs

Video of boys' 800m. race with Nick Ratto of St. Joseph Notre Dame winning the race:

Kind of reminiscent of the following 800m. race except not quite as dramatic:

Run For The Dream Indoor Track and Field Invitational (January 20th/21st)

http://www.runforthedream.com/

UHS Cross Country

Mention in today's New York Post about NY Giants coach showing video of University runner Holland Reynolds crawling to finish line at the 2010 CA state XC championship.  

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/coach_recruits_patton_for_inspiration_0QozNzWzbWl3vL1wXTOFDO

Go Niners!

Bring Back the Mile

http://bringbackthemile.com/welcome

How do you all feel about running the mile instead of the 1600?  What about running the 1500 in high school?

The Martinez/Tim Bruder Relays You're Invited!

Dear Coach,

On March 17, 2012 the 80th Annual Martinez/Tim Bruder Relays will be held at Alhambra High School. We invite you to join in the tradition as we celebrate the oldest relays in California.

All events are relay(4 person track event, 3 person field event and 2 person pole vault) with medals awarded to the top 5 places. Each athlete may participate in a maximum of 4 events. Starting heights of the pole vault will be Varsity Boys-10'6", VG-8', F/S B 9'0", F/SG7'0". We are also asking participants(including throwers) to follow the National Federation Rules regarding uniforms(NO football jerseys, sandals etc.PLEASE!)

In addition, we will once again hold The Tim Bruder Memorial Steeplechase exhibition.This event is open to coaches and spectators who have the courage!

I have attached an entry form for your convenience. We hope to see you and your team in March! 

Interested in a discount please call me regarding volunteer opportunities!

Best of luck to you in your 2012 season

Angela Paradise

Head Coach Track and Field/Cross Country

Saturday All Comers Results

UC Berkeley:  http://www.rtspt.com/events/cal/11412/ (Nick Ratto 1:55.07, Parker Deuel 4:23.26)
Los Gatos:  http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/2012/LGAC2/lgac_2.htm

More will be posted as I find them.  If you have links to any results, send them to albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

Why Runners Should Lift More and Run Less

Please check out the following link and share your thoughts on what the author is "selling".
Why Runners Should Life More and Run Less

Former Aptos HS runner Brett Gotcher Interview

http://www.flotrack.org/article/9958-Brett-Gotcher

49er left tackle Joe Staley and his track background

For those of you that watched the 49ers game on Saturday, you may have noticed 49ers left tackle (Joe Staley) sprinting down field to get one of the key blocks that led Alex Smith into the end zone.  For a guy who is listed at 315lbs, Staley was moving a pretty good clip and here's why.  He participated on the track team in high school and surprisingly he was not a thrower.  According to the following article, Staley ran 21.9 for 200m. in high school which has to make him one of the fastest tackles in the NFL.  He's gained a significant amount of weight since HS but still.
http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/01/rockfords_joe_staley_turns_in.html

Here is the play and Staley is #74:

Bay Area Cross Country Challenge Results

Resolution Road 5k:  http://www.rtspt.com/events/misc/baxc12/5krr.htm
Women's 6k:  http://www.rtspt.com/events/misc/baxc12/w6k.htm
Men's 8k:  http://www.rtspt.com/events/misc/baxc12/m8k_res.htm
Community 4k:  http://www.rtspt.com/events/misc/baxc12/4k_res.htm

All results courtesy of www.recordtiming.com

and there was also a Football game today...

It was a great day for the marathon and 49er fans!

U.S. Olympic Trials (Marathon) on tv today...

You can find a replay of today's races on NBC today 12pm to 2pm.  Yes, the teams have already been determined and if you can't wait until then, here is a link to the results including former Aptos HS runner, Brett Gotcher:


Women's Results
Men's Results

Pre-race article in Santa Rosa Press Democrat about Julia Stamps Mallon:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120113/NEWS/120119709

All Nor-Cal cross country honor for SVHS senior Conner

http://www.sonomanews.com/News-2012/All-Nor-Cal-cross-country-honor-for-SVHS-senior-Conner/

Shot Put Drills

http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DIcR_95MzCMg&ct=ga&cad=CAcQAhgAIAEoATAAOABAg7XB-ARIAVgAYgJlbg&cd=HqNmVvxQcJg&usg=AFQjCNFrMT3M8CNX_-nASF2rjwdjaeEKuw

NCS MOC Track & Field Management Committee Minutes 1/10/12

Courtesy of Keith Conning and THE CONNING TOWER:
http://theconningtower.blogspot.com/2012/01/ncs-moc-track-field-management.html

Mtn. View track coach resigns in frustration

http://www.losaltosonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41985&Itemid=54

3rd Annual Redwood Empire Eggnog Mile

They are not quite as open minded in Ohio:
Teacher in trouble for 'Eggnog Challenge'

Indoor State Qualifier Meet-Cal All-Comers Meet @ UC Berkeley (NC)

Here is the information and schedule for the meet this Saturday at CAL:
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/cal/sports/c-otrack/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/011412AllComersUpdated.pdf

A Dormant Alliance: HS and Club T&F/XC programs by David Bayliss

Building relationships with youth T&F/XC programs creates priority mindshare and counters the pull of athletes into other sports

  

It’s both sad and funny. Whenever I speak with high school track & field or cross country coaches the topic of youth programs inevitably comes up and it’s regularly accompanied by a grimace or general sense of unease. Often, in the same conversation, these coaches will lament about the encroachment of other sports, e.g. soccer, lacrosse, or rugby on their school’s student-athletes.

As a former high school coach and current USATF club coach, I find it extremely ironic to hear these two sentiments voiced at the same time. When I probe coaches about their uneasiness regarding youth programs I often hear concerns about meddling club coaches, worries about burning out/over training young athletes, or sometimes they are unable to articulate what has them concerned. Yet when I ask them about the other sports that are “taking” their athletes, they almost unanimously say that kids get “hooked” at an early age due to club programs. Hmmm…does anyone else see a missed opportunity here?

For too long high school coaches and youth coaches have simply not communicated. Ask yourself, do you know if there are any youth T&F/XC programs in your area? If so, do you know the coaches and when is the last time you spoke with them? What are the most common youth programs? There are middle school programs, CYO programs, as well as AAU (yes, it still exists!) and USATF programs. Middle school and CYO programs vary greatly depending on district/parish, often being relatively unstructured with little in the way of trained coaches. In contrast, USATF clubs are required to have at least one USATF certified coach and most clubs have multiple coaches with extensive coaching credentials. Regardless of what type of program(s) exist in your area, I highly encourage you to begin an ongoing dialogue with coaches of the program(s).

Why should you reach out to youth coaches? Simple—they are the one who are creating the first impressions and opportunities for your future athletes to experience T&F/XC. Don’t you want to help make those experiences as good as possible so that kids start to think of T&F/XC as priority sports vs. the sports they’ll do if they don’t make another sport? Worried about that meddling club coach that you’ve experienced or more likely simply heard about from another high school coach? Guess what? If you’ve got an ongoing dialogue with the youth coaches in your area, then chances are that you’re not going to have the “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario because you will understand each other and respect each other’s program, even if you would do things differently than the other. (How many high school coaches share the same philosophy or execute training programs in the exact same way?)

What about burn out and over training of youth athletes? I’m glad to say that if this were an episode of MythBusters, this is one myth that would typically be “busted.” The vast majority of youth programs do not advocate or offer training sessions that are likely to cause burn out or over training. Most youth programs offer between 2 to 4 practices a week, with 2-3 meets per month during the main competition season. Are there programs that encourage their athletes to do more and coaches/parents that push their kids too much? Of course there are, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In most of these cases, the coaches/parents encouraging excessive training or pushing kids too hard are the ones that have the least coaching experience. Here too is another opportunity for the high school coach to take advantage of communicating with the youth coaches (and parents) to share his/her coaching knowledge through direct conversation, books, clinics, or other methods.

I tell parents, coaches and the athletes I coach that our program is the one that says “yes, you can” instead of “no, you can’t.” We don’t have required practices and we emphasize that it’s a very social activity (I tell athletes that they’ll be able to talk with their friends 90% of the time—the other 10% they’ll either be listening or breathing too hard!). We also stress that while we are a team, it’s all about individual progression. We have kids as young as 1^st grade come out from time to time, but we typically don’t let kids under 3^rd grade participate regularly – defined as twice a week. From there, we offer up to four days a week of practice for our middle school kids. In rare cases, we work with our 8^th graders to occasionally incorporate a 5^th day of training if T&F/XC is going to be their primary sport in high school and we are trying to help make a gradual acclimation to the training load they will see as freshmen. We also know and communicate regularly with the high school coaches in our area.

The biggest concerns and leading causes of burn out and over training that I’ve encountered in nearly 30 years of coaching are young athletes doing too much physical activity from multiple sports and too much intensity in any one sport or across all of the sports the athletes are involved in. I advocate that parents and coaches look at the total number of hours of physical activity that young athletes are doing. It’s pretty staggering in some cases. For example, competitive club soccer players will average 4-6 hours of practice plus 1-4 hours of games per week! Add to that other sports and it’s very easy to see elementary and middle school kids logging 10-20 hours of physical activity a week! In comparison, the NCAA limits student-athletes to 20 hours per week of “countable athletically related activities,” which includes practices, ancillary training, competitions, meetings and more. Additionally NCAA athletes are required to have one day off from athletic activities per week.

How do we help prevent young athletes from over training? Again, one of the best ways I’ve advocated and seen used is to openly communicate with all coaches and the parents. Often they are unaware of what the other programs are doing. Once information has been shared, it’s not uncommon to see coaches acknowledging the training effect from the other sports and having the athlete work on a sport-specific skill versus doing more “conditioning.”

So what does all of this communication and effort get high school coaches? I strongly believe that the lack of alignment between youth T&F/XC programs and high school programs is one of the reasons high school programs are seeing attrition of athletes to other sports. By establishing an alliance with youth programs, high school coaches are helping to create more opportunities for elementary and middle school athletes to experience track & field and cross country. Increasing participation at the elementary and middle school levels will translate to larger numbers of participants at the high school level and more highly skilled athletes choosing to participate in T&F/XC when they enter high school. All of this is due to creating mindshare in young athletes that T&F/XC are priority sports. Working with youth programs will also serve to decrease the incidents of “meddling coaching” by club coaches once athletes enter high school as coaches from both programs will have an understanding and respect for one another. Finally, better alignment between the programs will also help to reduce incidents of over training as coaches and parents communicate, share knowledge and better understand what is being asked of youth athletes. Is it guaranteed to help your program—almost certainly in one way or another. What do you have to lose if you don’t try—just your athletes.

Ideas

·         Invite local youth coaches to have coffee or a beer in order to meet and get to know each other

·         Share information about coaching clinics with youth coaches

·         Encourage youth coaches and their teams to attend high school meets/invitationals and do something special during the meet to recognize them or have them involved (can you say, volunteers!)

·         Let youth programs have access to your facilities after your practice (if practical). Most youth programs are non-profit and can’t afford to rent facilities, but most will be able to provide insurance coverage, especially if they are a USATF club.

·         Mentor youth coaches. Let youth coaches come to your practices and shadow you or other coaches on your staff.

·         Be open to learning from youth coaches! Some youth coaches have extensive athletic and coaching backgrounds. They just may be that perfect assistant coach you’ve been looking for, or may be an ideal sounding board that can offer a fresh, objective opinion.

·         Add youth races to your meets. It’s easy to do and is within the CIF rules.

·         Put on a youth clinic/meet that uses your high school athletes as instructors/aides. This could be a fundraiser.

Resources

·         Pacific Association of USATF web site, www.pausatf.org, lists all clubs and can be sorted by youth and location

·         Contact me directly: David Bayliss, davidbayliss@yahoo.com or (650) 492-1754.

David Bayliss
Pacific Association USATF Youth Cross Country Chair
www.pausatf.org

Founder/Head Coach Oak Hill Athletics & Racing
www.oakhillathletics.net

Best motivational video - Momentum 2012

These two videos are just awesome!

Teenager to run marathon for slain father

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/teenager-to-run-marathon-for-slain-father/article_82068fb0-3b46-11e1-b462-001871e3ce6c.html (Justine Capoot Wood HS SJS)

The 4th Anual NorCal Distance Coaches' Collaborative Round Table

Fleet Feet Menlo Park (859 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park CA 94025)
and
www.CrossCountryExpress.com present:
The 4th Annual NorCal Distance Coaches’ Collaborative Round Table

Here is who will be attending:
Albert Caruana Crystal Springs Uplands School (CCS)
Chris Puppione Eastside Catholic School (Wash.)
Jason Oswalt Amador Valley High School (NCS)
Josh Small Valley Christian SJ (CCS)
Peter Brewer Northgate High School (NCS)
Walt Lange Jesuit High School (SJS)
Doug Chase Scotts Valley High School (CCS)
Hank Lawson Lynbrook High School (CCS)
Tim Hunter San Ramon Valley High School (NCS)
Vince Sturgis Evergreen Valley High School (CCS)
Laura Schmitt Redwood High School (NCS)
Nicholas Frank Berean Christian (NCS)
Mike Puncsak San Lorenzo High School (NCS)
Andrew Hutchinson Sequoia High School (CCS)
Marty Beene Alameda High School (NCS)
Chris Williams Dublin High School (NCS)
Craig Stern Albany High School (NCS)
Noel Mattern Granada High School (NCS)
Matthew Lai Priory School (CCS)
Ernie Lee Gunn High School (CCS)
Keely Gabbert KIPP San Jose Collegiate (NA)
Brad Alban Miramonte High School (NCS)
Dan Oren Los Altos High School (CCS)
Tony Fong St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
Eric Sun Mayfield School (SS)
John Pelster De La Salle School (NCS)
Rob Collins San Lorenzo Valley High School (CCS)
Pamela Borg Yreka High School (NS)
Frank Hunt Aragon High School (CCS)
Nino Hernandez Alameda High School (NCS)
Liz Gottlieb Marin Academy (NCS)
Jon Bretan Marin Academy (NCS)
Chuck Woolridge Campolindo (NCS)
Bill Gregg Davis (SJS)

Location:  Crystal Springs Uplands School
400 Uplands Drive
Hillsborough CA 94010

Date:  Saturday, January 7th, 2012
• Session I: 9am-12pm
• Lunch: 12pm-1pm
• Session II: 1pm-3pm

Round Table Leaders
• Chris Puppione – Clinic Co-Director
o Eastside Catholic School
• Albert Caruana – Clinic Co-Director
o Crystal Springs Uplands School
• Jason Oswalt – Clinic Co-Director
o Amador Valley High School

Round Table Features
• Everyone is a clinician, everyone is a student.
• Round table topics selected by attendees in advance via email..
• All attendees receive “A Packet of Nuggets”—a compilation of coaching gems from each attending coach.
• Attendees will also receive a collection of training programs submitted by the other coaches in attendance.
• Cost for the round table discussion is FREE.
• Event is open to the first 30 coaches to register.

Contact Chris Puppione (coachpup@gmail.com) to register for the event, as well as to receive further information. This event is for HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ONLY.

Please contact Chris ASAP as spots are filling up fast. Some of the best coaches in NS, SJS, NCS, and CCS will be at this Round Table. Don't miss out.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ROUND TABLE. KEEP READING!

November 22, 2011

Dear Coaches,
Now that cross country season is almost in the books and the track and field season looms on the not-so-distant horizon, we would like to invite you to join us for a clinic unlike any other in the state of California.

On January 7th, 2012, we will be hosting The NorCal Distance Coaches Collaborative Round Table in Hillsborough at Crystal Springs Uplands School. The event is scheduled to kick-off at 9am and will be attended by many of the finest coaches from our part of the state. This clinic is unique in format and conception.

Many of us have attended clinics over the years, and although we have been lucky enough to hear some great speakers, the part most of us look forward to is the aftermath—sitting around with your peers, swapping stories, discussing training ideas, asking questions, all while enjoying some good food and drink.

We have decided to get rid of the lectures and ditch the conventional while getting straight to the good stuff—some high-energy shop talk with some of our sport’s finest coaches in a relaxed environment full of friends and soon-to-be friends. At this event, the attendees will choose the topics. Whether you want to rehash the last cross country season or talk about the track season ahead, you tell us and we will put it on the agenda.

1. Limited to the first 30 coaches to sign-up via email, this round table discussion is completely based on the contributions of all attendees. Here is how it works:

2. Coaches are asked to email Chris Puppione (coachpup@gmail.com) to sign-up for the event.

3. Upon receipt of your email, Chris will ask you to submit the following for the clinic by December 21, 2011:
a. Topics and ideas you would like to discuss or gain knowledge about at the clinic (training, recruiting, nutrition, state of the sport, etc.)
i. This is an absolute necessity, as these suggestions will function as our agenda for the day.
b. A 1-3 page installment (or “nugget of knowledge”) describing something you do with your athletes that you feel is key to your program’s success (i.e. a particular workout, coaching philosophy, mental training, etc.)
i. All coaches are expected to contribute with this—consider it as Part I of your entrance fee!
ii. These “nuggets” will be compiled and all attendees will receive the full collection of notes at the clinic in both print and digital formats.
c. A copy of your training plan and notes from the past cross country season or the upcoming track season.
i. This is Part II of your entrance fee, and coaches are to submit these so that they may be shared with other attendees for review, critique, and to foster discussion of training methods.
ii. These training programs will be sent out to all attendees in digital format, and you are asked to print them out prior to the round table and make notes on them for discussion purposes.
iii. By submitting your training ideas or plans in advance, you can have your season’s training discussed by some of our sport’s greatest coaches, so don’t miss out on this opportunity.
d. All submitted information must be sent in either MS Word or MS Excel docs so that they can be easily formatted for compilation.

4. A running tally of coaches who commit to attending the round table willbe maintained on Albert’s website (www.crosscountryexpress.com) so everyone can prepare any specific questions that they may have for their fellow coaches.

5. Prior to the event, Chris and Albert will release a schedule that will outline the topics for the day so that each coach attending may come prepared to participate and contribute.

6. THERE ARE NO LECTURERS AT THIS EVENT. We are not presenting a seminar—this is an opportunity to expand the discussion and for everyone to be a student and a teacher.

7. Attending coaches are encouraged to bring any information they wish to discuss or share to the event. We will have overhead projectors, LCD projectors, as well as AV equipment—bring it all.

8. Also, we would like all coaches in attendance to bring their laptop computers with them, as we will be using internet connections to access information during discussion periods. Please be sure to have your flash drive or memory stick with you so you can steal/borrow info from other coaches.

9. Sign-in on January 7th will begin at 8:30am with the round table beginning promptly at 9am. We will section the day into topics picked by our attendees,

10.  Break for lunch at noon, and then reconvene for further discussion starting at 1pm. The round table ends when either you go home or they kick us out of the building at 3pm.

11. While this is an open discussion, we have designated the following coaches as leaders for the event:
a. Chris Puppione, Eastside Catholic School
b. Albert Caruana, Crystal Springs Uplands School
c. Jason Oswalt, Amador Valley High School

12. These coaches will act as guides for the discussion, keeping the round table focused while moving the group through the agenda and moderating input from all coaches. They will offer their insights as well, but they are not clinicians or panelists.

13. On the day of the event, all attending coaches will receive the following:
a. “A Packet of Nuggets”—a compilation of coaching gems from all attendees
b. A collection of all attendees training programs
c. Great conversation with amazing colleagues

It is our belief that this collaborative round table will be of great benefit for all coaches—rookies and veterans alike. Please join us for this amazing event by emailing your registration to Chris Puppione (coachpup@gmail.com).

Be a part of the excitement—be a part of the conversation. Join us January 7, 2012 at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, CA for The 4th Annual NorCal Distance Coaches’ Collaborative Round Table.

Yours in running,

Chris Puppione
Albert Caruana
Jason Oswalt

Reid column: At Mountain View, a coach's saga all too familiar

Mountain View track and field coach Steve Kemp resigned Dec. 14. It had to be a tough decision for Kemp, who had a good chance of winning the school's first Central Coast Section girls track and field championship in the spring.

"I thought about it for a long time," said Kemp, a native of Canada.

Kemp's saga is typical of what all coaches, not just track and field coaches, encounter. Kemp's story, though, is a bit different in that he has gone a combined 24-0 in both boys and girls Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division dual meets in his two seasons. The boys were second at the CCS track and field meet in 2010, Kemp's first season.

The Spartan girls were second to Mount Pleasant-San Jose by four points at last spring's CCS championship. Every girl, but one, that scored for Mountain View is returning. That includes a discus champ, a shot put champ, an 800 and 1,600 meters runner-up, plus a high jump runner-up. Three of four runners from a second-place 1,600-meter relay team return.

You want to win a CCS girls track and field title in your first year? The job is open, but be careful. There are land mines along the way. I talked at length with Kemp last week about his plight. On MyUltimatePotential.com, the website he uses for his personal training business, "Born to Win," Kemp sent a letter to his team and their parents outlining the reasons why he stepped down.

To read the rest of this article, go to the following link:

http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_19678702

Scoring Well On and Off The Course-Lloyd Jones-Rocklin High School Athletes

There have been articles written on high school and college athletes who balance their success in sports with similar achievements academically, but it’s rare when it involves an entire team.

The top seven boys from the Rocklin High School cross country team put together some outstanding numbers this season. Although they did well at their meets, their most important scores came from the classroom.

Typically, the highest grade-point-average achieved in high school is a 4.0. However, some students also take advanced placement classes (college level courses.) When those grades are factored into a students GPA the number can go as high as 5.0.

The Thunder cross-country team’s four seniors – Ravi Sharma (5.0) Ryan McCormick (5.0) Ryan Jones (4.80), Alex Macchietto (4.40), junior Connor Hensley (4.66), and sophomores George Miao (4.57), and Ty Medd (4.66) are in that category. Their collective grade-point-average is an very respectable 4.73.

“Wow, I knew their school schedule was tough, and their grades were good, but I didn’t know they were that high,” said Rocklin cross-country coach Dan Pereira, “very impressive.”

All seven have tough classroom schedules to include advanced placement courses in calculus, physics, chemistry, literature and composition, and biology.

“These are exceptional young men who have a great sense of self-discipline, both on the track and in the classroom,” said principal David Bills. “Rocklin High School is proud of them.”

Although they didn’t make it to the state meet, their athletic season wasn’t anything to be ashamed about. The Thunder placed seventh out of 24 teams at the CIF Sac-Joaquin Sections Meet held in Folsom. Their average time was 17:28 running over the tough, hilly 5,000 meter Willow Hills course.

Pereira thought the team might place higher because of their outstanding achievements throughout the season, but he wasn’t disappointed with their performance.

“We are in a very competitive section with some of the top teams in state,” said Pereira. “I am very proud of them for what they have accomplished.”

And, too, were the boys. They ran well as a team, sometimes with the top five of them placing within a minute of each other. Cross country is scored by the total time it takes for a school’s top five runners to cross the finish line.

“We had a good time all year,” said team captain Jones. “We got along well. It was a good fit for all of us.”

Pereira said his club’s performance in academics, as well as athletics, is a reason this will be a team he’ll always remember. Although he will lose his seniors through graduation, he never had to worry about their academic eligibility. And, he has three scholar/athletes who should return next season.

“This group has a special place in my heart,” said Pereira of these seven young men, “and I will always remember their dedication to both their academics and athletics.”
Lloyd Jones

Lee Webb steps down as James Logan track coach

http://www.mercurynews.com/high-school-sports/ci_19677896

UC Davis All Comers Meets

UC Davis has posted their All Comers schedule:
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ucda/sports/c-track/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/AllComersMeets.pdf

Northern California Track and Field Records

Here is a not quite complete list of school records for CCS teams:
http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/RECORDS/records.htm

Does your school have a current list of school records for your track and field team?  What is your oldest school record?  What is your most impressive school record? 

2011 Northern California High School Girl's Preview

Courtesy of Keith Conning and THE CONNING TOWER:
http://www.theconningtower.blogspot.com/2011/12/2012-northern-california-high-school_30.html

2012 State Track and Field Championships At-Large Standards

Boys Girls
100 10.66 11.88
200 21.60 24.54
400 48.65 55.99
800 1:53.32 2:13.62
1600 4:15.79 4:58.86
3200 9:08.89 10:42.57
110/100H 14.40 14.31
300H 38.32 43.75
4x100R 41.90 47.48
4X400R 3:18.44 3:51.77
High Jump 6-05.00 5-05.00
Pole Vault 15-03.00 11-08.00
Long Jump 22-05.00 18-02.00
Triple Jump 46-06.00 38-07.00
Shot Put 55-01.00 41-05.00
Discus 168-11.00 135-11.0

Toughest standard for next season?

Best of 2011 Newspaper articles cont.

Livingston's Garcia ran away with Western Athletic Conference (Sac Bee)
Atwater's Heckman set the pace in Central California Conference (Merced Sun Star)
The Best of San Carlos Sports in 2011 (San Carlos Patch)
The best of 2011:  A walk down memory lane (Gilroy Dispatch)
Bush, Vacaville High School football top local sports stories for 2011 (The Reporter)
2011 - A year to remember in sports (Red Bluff Daily News)
Empire's banner year (PD Preps)
The Best of Redwood City Sports in 2011 (Redwood City Patch)
2011:  A year in sports (San Mateo Daily Journal)
Monterey County's Year in Sports (The Californian)
Fall sports scene 2011 (Inside Bay Area)
The Best of South City Sports in 2011 (South San Francisco Patch)
2011 prep season one for the ages (SF Examiner)

3rd Annual Redwood Empire Eggnog Mile RESULTS - pictures/video to come?

1) Alex Wolf-Root: 5:25.7 *New Empire Record, old record 5:35.9

2) Epi Nunez: 5:27.9 *also betters previous Empire Record

3) Vojta Ripa: 5:41.3 *3rd fastest performer/4th performance in Empire History

4) Tyler Harwood: 5:59.9

5) Nick Specter: 6:02.8

6) Zekaryas Mebrahtu: 6:07.5

7) Luis Luna: 6:17.8

8) Spencer Hall: 6:30.9

9) Chloe Hall: 6:34.6 *New WORLD RECORD, old record 6:39.8

10) Brian Alvarado: 6:35.8

11) Daniel Hauptman: 6:43.3

12) Harrison Luft: 6:56.7

13) Adam Harwood: 7:22.9

14) Duncan Bradley: 7:28.8

15) Jake Luft: 7:33.2

16) Harrison Wistock: 7:33.6

17) Holmes Futrell: 7:45.8

18) James Nicolas: 8:20.0

19) Gus Murray: 8:25.1

20) Eli Rosen-Durran: 8:35.4

21) Josh Peck: 9:35.9

2012

Best of luck in 2012.  Feel free to share your goals for this upcoming Track and Field season and what Invitationals you are looking forward to attending.