Beginning of season FAQs

As we get underway with our season tomorrow (Monday, February 24, 2014) quite a few questions frequently come up that I will answer here as best as I can...

To practice do I have to all of my registration materials in, including physical?
Yes.

Where do we meet for practice?
Along with most Mondays we will meet in room 3500/3550 (Mrs. Jones & Ms. Malson's room in VPA).
Most other days we will meet on the track. Pay attention to announcements at school and by text/email for changes.

What should I wear? 
Tomorrow and everyday you should have layers of clothing. Sweats on top; shorts and shirt underneath.
As far as shoes go, you will always want to have a pair of training shoes for the majority of things we do. Additionally, most athletes will want a pair of event specific shoes (i.e., spikes) and should have them out on the track most days, but those will not be needed tomorrow.
NOTE: our Spike Night will be on Thursday March 6th at Run Colorado. This is your chance to get your spikes, and other training shoes for the season at 20% off.

What time does practice start?
3:15 everyday

What time does practice end?
A general time we can give you is 5:30, but a lot of that is dependent on all of the things that we need to accomplish. We have lots to do to start the season, so I imagine some practices this week may not end until 6pm or later. As the season goes on please know that their is no set time for practice to end; each athlete's event coach will determine when practice ends based on the needs of the athlete/event.

Where do we practice?
Our practices are on the track. Whenever the weather is bad enough we practice inside. Please do not ever assume that practice will be inside and come without proper clothing. Have all the warm clothes you'll need, just in case.

Where can I find the JV and Varsity Schedule?
At the top of this page under the tab Meet Schedule

What kind of uniform will I receive, and when?
Your uniform will consist of a competition top and bottom. You will also receive a warm-up top and bottom. Each athlete is responsible for these items, and must be returned at the end of the season.

Will I run varsity or junior varsity?
That remains to be seen. The coaches will be collecting data over the next 2 weeks to separate JV and varsity athletes. No matter which team you are on, please realize that track lineups change all the time. Not everyone can run varsity, but everyone has a fair chance.

Do I have to compete or can I just practice with the team?
Yes, you must compete. The coaches take this sport seriously, and we want athletes that are serious about competing. It is not acceptable to use track & field solely as a means to train for another sport.

I hope you have found this helpful. I'll edit and add to this as I receive more questions.


Go Sabercats
Coach Nack

Predator Speed at Air Force High School Indoor Meet

Lonely girl

Lots of Predator Speed athletes showed up to compete yesterday at the Air Force High School Indoor Open. There were some really good performances by individuals that I could highlight, but the coaches want highlight how important this meet was for everyone. Just getting in this competition was super important for our athletes heading into the spring season. The majority of our athletes that competed had met one or more of the following criteria: never participated in a high school meet, never competed in an indoor track meet, or never competed in a meet period. Many of the athletes might not have loved the marks they earned, but that is fine. We don't want athletes to have their best marks now; we want them in May. I urge everyone, no matter how they performed, to have a mindset focused on growing and getting better each day.

No results have been posted on MileSplit yet. Check back here occasionally to see if/when posted.

Coach Versaw from CO Track XC has posted a ton of great videos of most competitions from the day. Check them out to see some video of yourself. You might learn alot.

Showed up 8min before her event, still jumped 11ft!

(Almost) Everything you need to know for this weekend's indoor meet at the USAFA

Today's competition winners, not to mention some of the many athletes
competing this weekend

All of the athletes I've spoken with in the last few days are now entered into this weekend's meet at the United State Air Force Academy (USAFA). A lot of athletes have worked really hard so far, and I'm pretty excited to see them in competition. Here's some basic information

Location: Cadet Field House at the United States Air Force Academy
Meet MileSplit page
Air Force High School Invite PDF 
Transportation: Athletes provide their own transport. If that is a problem contact a teammate or coach to get a ride.
Time: Field events begin at 10am, track events at 10:30. More precise time schedule:

Field Events 
10:00 am Boys Pole Vault (start: 11'0") 
10:00 am Girls Long Jump 
10:00 am Boys Long Jump 
10:00 am Girls High Jump (start: 4'4") 
11:00 am Boys Shot Put 
12:30 pm Girls Triple Jump 
12:30 pm Boys Triple Jump 
12:30 pm Boys High Jump (start: 5'6") 
1:00 pm Girls Shot Put 
1:00 pm Girls Pole Vault (start: 8'6") 

Track Events 
9:55 am National Anthem 
10:30 am Girls 60m (33") Hurdles Prelims 
10:50 am Boys 60m (39") Hurdles Prelims 
11:10 am Girls 60m Dash Prelims 
11:25 am Boys 60m Dash Prelims 
11:50 am Girls 60m (33") Hurdles Final 
12:00 pm Boys 60m (39") Hurdles Final 
12:10 pm Girls 60m Dash Final 
12:15 pm Boys 60m Dash Final 
12:25 pm Girls Mile Run Sections 
12:45 pm Boys Mile Run Sections 
1:05 pm Girls 400m Dash Sections 
1:30 pm Boys 400m Dash Sections 
1:50 pm Girls 800m Run Sections 
2:10 pm Boys 800m Run Sections 
2:30 pm Girls 200m Dash Sections 
2:55 pm Boys 200m Dash Sections 
3:20 pm Girls 2-Mile Run Final 
3:40 pm Boys 2-Mile Run Final 
3:55 pm Girls Mile Relay Sections 
4:10 pm Boys Mile Relay Sections

What time to arrive: This is tough. The above schedule is just an estimate. They may run ahead, and they may run behind. I would just suppose they will be running on time, and show up 1 hour and 10 minutes before your event. This will give you plenty of time to take in the environment and to get in your warm-up.

What to wear: The indoor facility at USAFA is pretty sweet, but it can get a tad chilly sometimes. For this reason, I'd bring sweats for warming up in. Duh! As for uniforms where whatever shorts or tights you feel appropriate. Your awesome, caring coaches (with a tremendous eye for fashion) have purchased running tanks to wear at the meet (both mens and ladies cuts).
Swag/Loot: Every athlete at the meet is supposed to receive a meet T-shirt. I've heard this before, only to see that all the T-shirts are gone well before all of the athletes have one. If you really want one I recommend showing up early. Also, if you win your event or relay you will be the proud recipient of award watches. As the cellphone generation, you may not be familiar with watches. They go on your wrist. Pretty neat-o.

I'm a watch

Shoes: You can wear whatever footwear you use to train in. However, you might want to get some running spikes. They can be endlessly beneficial. Worried? Hey! I know a guy. Go see the fine people at RunColorado and tell them you are from CVHS (bring a school ID to confirm), and they will give you 20% off. They're really good people and help us out a ton throughout the season.

What to do to prepare:

• Eat healthy meals from the time you leave school on Friday until before you compete on Saturday
• Drink plenty of water
• Bring good food and water to consume between events if you are doing more than one.
• Get 7.5hrs of sleep or more Friday night
• Get to the meet early (at least 70min...I prefer more) to get used to the environment
• Warm-up as we do at practice. We do a variety of things so mix it up but be thorough. A good pre-competition warm up should take about 45 minutes.

Parents: This is not a middle school track meet, or even like some of our spring season meets: there are absolutely no parents allowed on the track. In fact, coaches sometimes aren't even allowed onto the track, so if you see Kuhn, Pfeiffer, Kriz, and I eating copious amounts of snacks in the stands a few seats away it's because we got the boot from the competition area.

Also, it is important to note that in the past bringing certain things into the field house was not allowed, namely outside food and drink containers (including water bottles), and computers. I've had to take numerous trips back to my car before to return forbidden items. You might think you can sneak these things in but there are sometimes security screening stations, including metal detectors and officers inspecting bags. Think TSA Lite. Might seem silly, but it is the US Air Force Academy after all.

That's all for now. I'll come back and add or edit if it becomes necessary

Coach Nack