Hawks Track Season Coming to a Close

NOTE: PRACTICE ON MONDAY IS AT THE BOATHOUSE, THURSDAY’S PRACTICE IS AT RIVER CITY!

Alright Hawks, we are approaching the end of the track season. We have one more regular meet, next weekend at the Golden West Invite in Rancho Cordova. After that, we enter what we call “championship season.” In the past, we competed in the traditional USATF qualifying meets with the hope of qualifying for the Junior Olympics at the end of July. The thing is, the end of July is a LONG TIME from now and requires a significantly longer training effort. So this year, we have a lot of different options for Hawks to consider. This can be a little confusing, so I am going to try to describe the options here in our blog.

OPTION 1: End your season at Golden West. This is a good option for families who have lots of plans in June, who are ready to stop practicing regularly, or who believe their kiddos are satisfied with their season and don’t need any more competition this year. I think a good chunk of the team will probably fall into this category.

OPTION 2: The “traditional” USATF pathway. This includes competing at the Association Championship in Rancho on June 14-15 and placing in the top 8 of your age group. Then you compete at USATF Regionals in Fresno on June 21-22 and place in the top 5 to qualify for USATF Junior Olympic Nationals in Savannah Georgia at the end of July. While very few Hawks would likely qualify all the way through, I think the Association Championships in Rancho would be a good meet for a number of kids to compete in to finish out their season if they want one more chance after Golden West. Every athlete wanting to compete in these meets has to have a valid USATF membership, and that can take some time to complete so if you don’t already have one you need to get on it right away. If you are interested in learning more about this meet and I haven’t already talked to you about it, please contact me and we can discuss if I think it might be a good option for your Hawk.

OPTION 3: AAU West Coast Nationals. This meet, which is in Reno over the June 27-29 weekend, has a number of pros and cons. On the one hand, you don’t have to qualify for it so anyone can sign up, it isn’t too much longer into the summer so the training burden isn’t too bad, and it isn’t too much travel (as opposed to going to Georgia). On the other hand, the altitude can be tough on distance runners from our area – so it might be tough to run a PR. One could compete in the USATF meet on June 14-15 and the AAU meet 2 weeks later; if there is anyone interested in that option please see me because there are some logistics to coordinate.

I know this is a little confusing, but hopefully it creates a variety of options for kids to continue competing if they wish. Please reach out to the coaches with any questions.

Another reminder, we will have our end-of-season party instead of practice on Monday, June 9th, at Jackrabbit Brewery. Please sign up for the potluck per the Team Snap post.

This coming week our schedule is as follows:

MONDAY

Boathouse – 5:30pm

Tempo through the water park

TUESDAY

Stretch and Recover

WEDNESDAY

Bridgeway Island Throwing Practice – 5:30pm

or Run On Your Own

3-4 miles

THURSDAY

River City High School – 5:30pm

2 x 400, 3 x 300, 4 x 150m

FRIDAY

Stretch and Recover

SATURDAY/SUNDAY

Golden West Invitational

Cordova High School

Any questions, let us know!

Coach Eric