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Road to the State Meet
On February 5, 2003, Coach Bruhn attended the winter meeting of the NSCIF Track
& Field and Cross Country Committee, and wanted to relay two initiatives
that are new this season to you.
Men's and Women's 4 x 800 meter Relay at the Northern Section Championship
Meet at West Valley
State officials want to add this event to the state meet,
after sections have implemented it at their level. Accordingly, these relays
will be run at the Northern Section Championship Meet this year, during the
field events competition and immediately preceding the start of the running
events. There will be no requirement this year to qualify from a league or
division championship meet; any school that enters a team will be able to
compete. This initiative results from a desire to provide a means by which more
cross country runners can advance to, and compete in, their section championship
meets. Currently, it is possible for only three or four exceptional middle
distance/distance runners to garner all qualifying spots to advance to their
section championship meet; thereby leaving everybody else out in the cold.
This leads into the next topic, the path athletes will follow this year to
advance to the NSCIF Championship and California State Meets.
The Road to Gold...
- Only the top three athletes in each event at the Butte View
League (BVL) Championship Meet will automatically advance to the Northern
Section Division II Meet (comprised of the ten total Butte View League and
Westside League teams). The Westside League will advance four athletes in
each event from their league championship meet. After the BVL and WSL
championship meet results have been compared, the person with the next best
mark in each event will also advance to the Division II Meet as the "At
Large" eighth and final competitor in each event.
- There will also be one alternate designated from the BVL
and one from the WSL for each event. This means that if you finish fourth in
your event at the BVL meet and do not have the 8th best mark after
comparison with the WSL results, you will go the Division II Meet and check
in with the Clerk of the Course. If one of the three competitors who
finished ahead of you at the BVL Meet scratches or fails to show up, you
will be able to compete. You cannot, however, replace a missing WSL athlete.
- Only the top two athletes in each event at the NSCIF
Division II Meet (BVL and WSL teams) will automatically advance to the NSCIF
Championship Meet at West Valley.
So, our philosophy this season will be:
- Defend our men's and women's varsity BVL championship
titles;
- At the BVL championship meet, advance as many athletes as
possible to the Division II meet;
- At the Division II meet, advance as many athletes as
possible to the NSCIF Championship Meet; and,
- At the Northern Section Meet, hopefully advance one or more
athletes to the State Meet, and enter both men's and women's 4 x 800 meter
Relay teams to complete in an exhibition race at this meet.
Selecting Track Spikes
- Get a shoe with a nylon upper.
- The lighter the better. The single easiest way to improve,
other than to get in better shape or compete better, is to wear lighter
shoes for racing. Compare the listed weight in ounces for the different
models you are considering. Make sure the listed weights are for the same
size-shoes among models. (Obviously, larger shoes are heavier than smaller
shoes.)
- If you run sprints (400m and below) and jump, do not get a
shoe with a heel, as it is unnecessary weight.
- If you run middle distance or distance events (800m to
3,200m) you need a shoe with a heel or you will get cramps in your calves.
Sprinters run on the balls of their feet. Middle distance and distance
runners land on their heels, roll forward on the outside of their feet, and
drive off the balls of their feet. If you run these events, you need shoes
with a heel to cushion your heels against repeated impact with the track,
while preserving your calves from cramps.
- Get a shoe with metal spikes which you can remove/replace
with a t-shaped wrench. Most schools with all-weather track surfaces will
not let you compete unless you have spikes which are 1/4" or shorter;
to minimize damage to the surface of the track. Conversely, if you are
running on dirt tracks (and particularly if they are muddy) you will need
longer metal spikes to get the best traction/prevent your feet from
slipping.
- Don't wait until the last minute to obtain spikes. If you
order by mail, and the spikes don't fit, you will need adequate time to
return them to the store and reorder. Some shoes are sized a little big or a
little small.
Note: We have provided three
sources for obtaining spikes by mail. An alternative is to talk to other
athletes on the team to learn about local sources. |
