2.05.2014

(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