Roxbury Junior Track & Field - (Succasunna, NJ)

Fall Cross Country

Cross country is long-distance running in which teams of runners compete over open or rough terrain. The significant difference between cross-country running and track and field running is the variability of both weather and footing. The courses may include grass, sand, hills, mud, woodlands, and water.

Program Information:

The Roxbury Junior Cross Country team is a member of the Lakeland Junior Track & Field League which is comprised of about 15 other teams from Morris County. Meets are held in September and October at Central Park of Morris County (Greystone). This program is considered a Travel Sport. We are traveling out of town and competing against other Morris County teams. The top

Eligible participants must be between the ages of 6 and 15 on December 31 and must not yet be in high school.

What equipment does my child need?

Each athlete must bring a bottle of water to all practices and meets.

Your child should wear a good pair of running shoes. We recommend checking out Runner’s Haven in Randolph. As athletes get older, they may choose to run in XC spikes during the meet but please speak with the Head Coach before investing in spikes.

All the athletes should make sure to wear weather-appropriate clothing. Shorts and a T-shirt are usually fine for early in the season. However, as the season progresses, layers of breathable garments plus hats and gloves might be necessary.

Please label all clothing and water bottles with the athlete’s name.

Expectations for athletes:

· Communicate positively with coaches and teammates.

· Be ready to listen, work hard, and learn

· All Runners MUST attend at least one practice during the week to participate in that week's meet. Unless otherwise discussed with the head coach.

· Fully participate. This is XC, expect to run a lot!

· Clean up after themselves.

· Keep their hands off others

· Be on time for practice and meets.

Expectations for parents:

· Open communication with coaches

· Be on time for practice and meets

· If you child is sick, please not bring them to practice or meets

· Please be ON-TIME to pick up your child when practice is over

· DOWNLOAD the TeamSnap APP onto your cellphone

o Pay attention to TeamSnap for updates

o Click YES or No on the schedule for availability

Practice Information:

Practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays 6-7pm at Horseshoe Lake

Athletes will warm up, workout, cool down plus stretching.

Check in with a coach when arrive and leave

Communication:

All schedule changes and cancellations and other information will be communicated via TeamSnap. Please check routinely and prior to practices and meets.

**TeamSnap Chat – Please keep this forum open for the head coaches to provide important updates. If you have questions, please side message JUST the coach via TeamSnap or email roxjrtrackcoach@gmail.com.

Inclement Weather: Always assume practice is on. If practice is cancelled, a message will be sent via TeamSnap within 30 minutes of the start time of practice. Please DO NOT message coach's regarding the status of a practice or a meet

Meet Information:

All meets are on Sunday mornings at Central Park of Morris County in Morris Plains. The first race starts at 8:45am with the boys (age 6-8) and is followed by the girls (age 6-8). The next age group (9-10) then competes and so on. The last race (girls aged 13-15) typically ends by noon.

Runners compete with others in the same age group. An athlete's age group is determined by the age the athlete will be on December 31st of the current year. For example, if a runner is 10 years old at the start of the season and has a birthday of November 1st, his age group is 11-12 because he will turn 11 this year.

What to expect: Arrive early; Check in with a coach to get your bib; Coaches will lead warmup, Run race, Do cooldown. Athletes may leave once their race finishes.