Ladies,

So this is it. We start a new season, one filled with a great deal of promise. Many of you gave your summer to the sport, and we managed to keep everyone running the whole time. That's great! We also saw growth in all of you, so I'm confident we are set for a great beginning.

I will have forms tomorrow. There are three we deal with: physicals, handbook, and trainer consent. The physical forms you download from the IHSAA site and take to your doctor; the others I give you. All three will need to be signed and returned, though only the physical is immediately required before you can start practicing.

Let's lay the ground rules out there before I go any further:

1. Practice is mandatory. If you are going to miss, you need to contact me immediately. This is not an activity or a club sport, it's a team and you owe it to yourself and your teammates to do your best to make it a better sport. 
2. Practice will typically last no more than 1 1/2 hours, with rare occasions going longer. This of course depends on you. If you get dressed and out on the field in an expeditious manner, there should never be cause to be held over. Be on time!
3. You will respect one another at all times. No bullying, harrassment, etc. This is handbook stuff, so I won't labor the point. 
4. You will be responsible for equipment (uniforms) issued to you. 
5. I am the coach, and I alone will determine who will run varsity any given meet. This will typically be the 7 fastest girls at meet time, but this can be altered if there are rules violations or health issues. Missing practices can be cause for losing a spot at a meet (or more, if the problem persists). 
6. All runners who complete the season doing what I ask will receive varsity points, whether or not you are in the top 7. Make the practices and try your hardest and this will never be an issue. 
7. You are student athletes, not athlete students. Grades matter, and will be monitored. 

There will be more to follow, but this covers the bulk of what is likely to crop up. 

Practice this week:

• Monday-Wednesday at Parkview track, 8 AM
• Thursday-Friday at BNL, 3:30 PM
• Saturday 8 AM, location TBD

Remember girls - you have to have 10 regular practices completed before you can run a meet. I will keep track, as will the Athletic Department. Sometimes missing practice is unavoidable, I understand, but the more consistent you are, the better you will be. Make every effort to be at every practice.