The Sonic Track Club Member &Parent Handbook 2008

Subject to change without notice

ELCOME TO THE

Sonic Track Club!

Thank you for being apart of The Sonic Track Club. We are looking forward to working withyou and your family. We anticipate that your experience will be positive, enriching and fun.The Sonic Track Club offers opportunities for girls and boys of all ages and talent levels. Our club is based in Celina, Ohio and holds memberships in both the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Our club's aim is to develop in eachof its members a sense of work ethic and pride in their accomplishments. Setting attainable goalsand working to achieve those goals is the foundation of our organization.Our expectation of every member of The Sonic Track Club is that they apply themselves toalways be the best that they can be. We hope to instill and develop a work ethic and other positive qualities that will be applied equally on and off the track.This handbook provides information about our program. Please take a moment to read thehandbook closely and complete the membership application.

MEMBERSHIP FEES

hip FeeFamily Membership

– The Sonic Track Club has no official membership. However the following fees are mandatoryfor paticipation with The Sonic Track Club in AAU and USATF sanctioned events. These pricesas of 2008 are as follows.

Mandatory Fees

1. USATF (USA Track and Field) youth membership $19.952. AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) youth membership $12.00 or $14.00 added benefit3. The Sonic Track Club Uniform $35.00 singlet and running shorts

(royal blue and white)

Optional Fees

Sonic Track t-shirts, hats, warm-up suits and other accessories may be purchased through LimaSporting Goods at 419- 222-1036.

Other related fees

Registration fees vary from meet to meet and will be the responsibility of each individual athlete.

Atypical meet may have a fee of $12-$15 per athlete and include entry into 3 or 4 eventsdepending on age group.

Birth Certificates

Each athlete member must provide the club a copy of their birth certificate (no originals) or other proof of age (passport, baptismal certificate, or driver’s license). Proof of age is required for Jr.Olympics meets and may be requested at any youth meet.

PRACTICE SESSIONS

Outdoor practice days are Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Celina High SchoolTrack. M

embers under the age of six can be limited to practice only on Tuesdays at thecoaches’discretion.

Members are expected to arrive no later than 6:00 p.m. and immediately begin their warm-ups.Warm-ups should be completed by 6:15 p.m. Workouts and practice sessions will begin promptlyat 6:15 p.m..Workouts are customized based on the number of coaches, number of athletes, the ages andskill/conditioning levels of athletes, weather conditions and the time available for practice.Members are expected to workout on their own on off days. Coaches will provide workouts for off days.

If an athlete feels any physical discomfort during practice or meets, please tellone of the coaches immediately.Practice Expectations

Practice with the club is a required part of the track and field program. Athletes whose shared parenting or other visitation and/or living situations conflict with the standard practice schedulewill be offered other practice opportunities. These opportunities can be initiated per the requestof the athletes parent or legal custodian.

Practice and Rain

Rainy weather will not be a reason for canceling practice unless the rain is extremely heavy or there is lightning.Hot weather will not be a reason to cancel practice. Workouts will be modified as dictated by theweather.Appropriate precautions will be taken to insure the safety and health of our club members. The body acclimates, to an extent, to the heat. Training in the heat will assist in that acclimation. Asthe temperature rises, the coaches will decide how much to decrease the volume and/or intensityof the workouts.Athletes should bring their own cold water and/or sports drink to practice each day. Every day,drink plenty of water and other liquids throughout the day. Drinking frequent small amounts of water during practice is recommended.

Wear lighter clothing to practice on hot days. (Always bring your warm-up gear/sweats.) Wear light colored clothing that will reflect rather than absorb heat. Drills and stretching will beconducted in shady areas whenever possible on hot days..

MANDATORY ATHLETE MEETINGS

A meeting of coaches and athletes will follow every practice session. Important informationabout upcoming meets and other matters will be provided at these meetings. This is the time for members and parents to ask questions of coaches - not during practice.

MEET ENTRIES

We are a traveling team and our meet schedule from 2008 is attached. It is the parents discretionwhich meets they wish to have their child participate in. If parents can not attend the meets or provide transportation, we will do our best to secure transportation for them.

It is not arequirement to participate in all the meets. However some of the meets are required toadvance to regional and national finals.You Sessions

The club will provide a meet entry form to be completed for each club member prior to mostmeets. These entry forms will indicate the date on which it must be returned to the club. Allcompleted forms (and entry fees for those meets for which the club does not pay the fee) must bereturned by the stated deadline and will be submitted to the meet by the coaching staff.The club assumes that those not returning the entry form to the club on a timely basis havechosen not to participate in the meet.

EQUIPTMENT

Sweats:

Sweats for warming up are required for all practices and meets. Wearing sweats isessential to a good warmup routine and a good warm-up is essential to a good performance onthe track or in the field events. Even during May, June, and July, the temperatures at morningmeets and evening practices could be cool and sweats are needed to keep the muscleswarm while warming up and, sometimes, during workouts. This will also aid in the prevention of injuries.

Track Bag:

Each member should have a track bag for meets and practice containing thefollowing: track or running shoes

towel, rain gear, water bottle with water or sports drink.Change of clothes and other personal gear.