Welcome to the 2018 SSPJ Track & Field Season!

Hello all,

I want to welcome you to the 2018 SSPJ CYO Track & Field season. Welcome to our new members, along with the ones that have been with us for many seasons.

Our first practice for older kids (Grades 4-8) will be Thursday, March 1, in the SSPJ Gym from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Registered athletes will receive a notice from TeamSnap shortly with more details. If you haven’t registered yet, please do so quickly as rosters will close mid-March.

We’re going to use TeamSnap again to communicate this season. The site and app are free for users, and hopefully you’ll all be able to log in and find information without too much trouble. Please take care to update your child’s availability on the TeamSnap app or website. This was very helpful to the coaches last season as it helped us manage practice and meets. So your participation is much appreciated

For those of you not familiar with the previous communication, we have ~8 years of very helpful information on our regular blog sspjtrack.wordpress.com. Please review the FAQ there. Also, this season we will be bringing back our TrackCentral tracking of the kids individual and meet results. Check it out when you have a chance to see past season results, records, and top performances.

Practices will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the SSPJ Gym, for Novices/Minors/Cadets only. We’ll start the younger kids shortly after. We’ll do a parents meeting for grades 4-8 after the gym practice on Thursday, March 8th. We’ll move outside to Downingtown East’s track and include the younger group mid-March once it starts to warm up a bit and we have more daylight.

Thanks for your support this season and we look forward to seeing everyone this spring!

First SSPJ Track Practice Today (Novice/Minor/Cadet)

Hi All,

For those of you that haven’t acknowledged your Teamsnap invitations yet (please do so) please know that our first CYO Track practice is tonight in the SSPJ Gym from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.  This is for the older kids only (those born 2007 or older).

Kids should bring their running shoes, a bottle of water, and a great attitude!

Welcome to 2017 SSPJ Track

Hello!  I want to welcome everyone to our spring season of track at SSPJ.  Due to the weather, we’ll be practicing indoors at the SSPJ Gym for the first week or so.

Our first practice for the older group (those born in 2007 or before) will be this week – Thursday, March 2, from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.  Please be mindful of CCD (I think that’s more of a issue for Tuesdays) and don’t park in the coned off areas near the school.  Subnovices (those born in 2008 or after) will start practice in a few weeks.

We’ll continue to maintain this WordPress blog occasionally, but primary team communication this season will be through the Teamsnap website and app.  I’ve seen this used successfully for other teams, and I think it’ll improve communication for our group.  It can be accessed on the web or though the free app for iPhone or Android.  Registered team members, please look for an invitation to our team site in the next day or so from me or Coach Jeff Todd.

New members, please review some of the information on this site.  We’ll see anyone that can make it on Thursday.  The coaches and I are really looking forward to a great year.

2017 Meet Schedule

2017 Region 17 Track & Field Schedule

Practice Meet #1 – Sunday, March 26, 2017
Practice Meet #2 – Sunday, April 2, 2017
Practice Meet #3- Sunday, April 9, 2017
*Off Week (Easter) – Sunday, April 16, 2017
Practice Meet #4 – Sunday, April 23, 2017
*Penn Relays – Tuesday, April 25, 2017 (not full team)

Region Meet – Saturday, May 6, 2017 (Bishop Shanahan HS)
*Off Week (Mother’s Day) – Sunday, May 14, 2017
Area Meet – Sunday, May 21, 2017 (Plymouth Whitemarsh HS)
AOP Championship Meet – Saturday, June 3, 2017 (Franklin Field)

Practice Meets will be at Bishop Shanahan HS or Downingtown West HS, and I’d consider all of these locations as tentative for the moment.

Practice Meets start at 1:00 p.m., and you’re requested to be there and ready to go by 12:45 p.m.

2017 SSPJ CYO Track Registration Open

Hi All,

Registration for the 2017 SSPJ CYO Track season is now open at the CYO Website.  There are activities available for all boys and girls of the parish from first through eighth grades.

Practices are typically Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.  Meets are on Sunday afternoons.  Our season will start in early March and run through the first week of June.

There’s a spot on the team for all kids – from high level athletes to those just getting started.  The focus will be on having fun and working towards a goal – something every one of our teammates can do.

If you have any questions, please let me know at don(at)robsonind.com.

SSPJ Track Uniform Return

Hi All,

I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer.  I could use your help in collecting the remaining SSPJ CYO track uniforms.  If you have a uniform, can you please let me know (don(at)robsonind.com) that you’ll be able to return it to me this week.  You can drop it off at 507 Edgewood Dr., Exton.  I don’t have a ton of time to chase people down and would prefer not to have CYO cash the deposit checks, so I appreciate your help with this one.

We need to get them back for the upcoming cross country season – speaking of which – you can still register for the fall season at SSPJ CYO Site.

Thanks again for all of your support this year and I wish you all the best of luck in this upcoming school year.

Green and Gold Family Meet

Hi All,

I hope you’ll be able to make it to our year end celebration and Family Meet, Sunday 6/12 at DEHS at 1:00 p.m.   I know we haven’t seen some of you for a month, but that’s okay, and it looks like the weather will cooperate.  There’s no need for the kids to wear green or gold shirts or uniforms to this family meet, anything is fine.

This is a great chance for the novice/minor/cadets to return their uniforms, washed, in a ziploc bag with their names on it.

We’ll run some relay races with the kids (including subnovices), and a bunch for family members, like the tiny tot 50m and the Parents 800m.  I see lots of parents running during practice this season so we should have a good crew.  We’ll possibly do a Parents vs. Coaches 4 x 100m, and feature a new game we played this year that everyone can play.

Bring a few chairs, and snacks and family-friendly beverages to share if you wish.

Archdiocese Results

Congratulations to our Panthers for a great job done at the Archdiocese Championships on Saturday.  It’s a big deal and a blessing to even be able participate in this meet.

2016 Arch Champs – Final Results

I’m proud of every one of our Panthers, and I hope that they are proud of themselves as well.

We’re going to re-attempt the Green and Gold Family Meet next Sunday 6/12 at 1:00 p.m., I hope you’ll be able to join us.  You’ll be able to return your washed uniforms (novice/minor/cadet), and participate with your kids.  New this year will be the inaugural Ball Ball Relay Tournament with both parent and child divisions.  If your kids have been to practice in the past month, ask them about this new contest sweeping the nation.  Or at least occasionally sweeping the side of the high school where the track is located.

More on that later, and I hope you all have a great week.

Family Meet Postponed

We are going to reschedule today’s family meet to next Sunday.  Fitting, right?  The forecast is iffy and the track is slick.  Maybe we’ll have better luck next week.

Archdiocese Meet

Hi All,

A change for this year – the Archdiocese Meet program will not be available for sale at the venue, but here it is to download and print.

16-AOP Champs Book

It’s free to print if you print it from work.  Sort of.

Congratulations to everyone that made it this far.  Below is a reminder of who is in the various relays in case you’re not sure.  In fact, if you’re not clear if your son or daughter is participating, it might be best to send me a little note.

2016 Area A Champs Final Results  (Qualifying teams/individuals in green)

Relay teams will stay exactly as they were for the Area Meet.  Run well.

2016 Archdiocesan Champs – Time Schedule

Here again is the time schedule, please be there in plenty of time.  The meet will go on, rain or shine.  Luckily, we’ll be under cover – aim for section SD (think San Diego or Scooby Doo.)  If there is thunder/lighting, the event will be paused as it was at Penn Relays.

Travel safe, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

**********

More Information from the Archdiocese:

We are back at Franklin Field this year, where the track layout and rules changes are producing:

• 3 heats of 5 teams in the 4x200m for every age group
• Athletes may NOT use the fly zone for the 4x200m per CYO Track and Field rules
• All 4x200s this year will be 2 turn staggers (first 2 runners in lanes, 3rd and 4th legs may break in)
• 4x400s will use a waterfall start from the gun. The 1st leg will not be run in lanes. There will be 2 heats.
• Lane preference at Franklin Field for all races run entirely in lanes: 6,7,8,9,5,4,3,2
• The “natural 400 meter” lane at Franklin Field is now lane 4. There will be cones between lanes 3 and 4 all around the track for the 4x800m, 1600m, 800m, and 4x400m. Please prepare your athletes for this in advance!
• Shot Put is outside the stadium, at the Rivers Fields (next to the turf Rhodes field). There will be signs directing athletes and spectators from Franklin Field. An open pit is held beginning at 9am for Shot Put athletes with conflicts later in the day. Directions to River Fields Parking Lot (for parking purposes only)

Teams must provide their own batons for all relay races.

Medals will be awarded to the to top 6 individuals and relays in all events. Team awards will be given out for overall scoring to top 3 boys and girls teams. Medals will be awarded from the alcove by the Northwest Gate (as we have in the past). Medals not picked up before the conclusion of the meet will be forfeited.

Results will be posted near the awards table.

Commemorative t-shirts ($15) and CYO track dri-fit long sleeve shirts ($20) will be for sale in the alcove near the Southwest Gate

Seating will be restricted to the South and part of the East Stands. The North stands (adjacent to Long Jump) are closed for renovations on the Upper Deck.