Athletes should bring a water bottle to practice (and school ... most teachers allow them). We often practice off site at the ISU track or Fairview Park and there is no water available at either site at this time of year. We have been emphasizing the need for all the athletes to hydrate ... at home, school and practice. Water is the perfect drink. An occasional sports drink may be helpful after a hard workout/race but not needed daily and they should try to avoid carbonated drinks or drinks with lots of sugar. An occasional exception will not hurt them but drinking these drinks daily is a bad habit.
We practice outside almost without exception. Ice and extremely cold weather may cause us to be inside but they should come to practice as if they were going to be outside for 2 hours. Temps can also drop considerably during our practice time. Please encourage your athlete to dress in layers. They need plenty of warm clothes for the spring weather and layers help them add or subtract as needed when they go outside or come in for weight training and ab work. They should also bring a hat and gloves everyday regardless of the forecast.
We have athletes experiencing soreness and even injuries as practice becomes more intense. Soreness is to be expected. Stretching, rest and hydration will help this issue. Injuries, however, may need specific attention from the coaches, trainers or even a doctor. If your daughter is complaining of an injury, please be sure they let myself or Coach Neisler know.
Although athletes cannot always avoid injuries, they can work to prevent them. Good training shoes for track are a must. I have spoken to a few athletes about needing to get new shoes. Shoes rarely last more than a season, especially if they are worn at times other than training. I have stated several times this year already, good shoes are much cheaper than doctor appointments. When you need shoes, I encourage you to consider going to Often Running or another store that has workers familiar with the demands of training and know how to properly fit a shoe. The type of running shoe needed depends on many factors and a store specializing in running shoes will know how to place the athlete in the proper shoe. Often Running offers our team a discount so be sure to ask about it. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me or Coach Neisler to discuss.
Spring Sports Meeting:
All student-athletes (and parents) trying out for baseball, soccer (girls), softball, tennis (boys), and track (boys & girls) should attend the Spring Sports Meeting on Wednesday, February 20 in the Large Gym. There will be a general meeting at 6:00pm followed by individual sport meetings. Please contact your sport’s head coach if you cannot attend this meeting. The coaches and I look forward to seeing you there.
