Sunset Cross Country Season Information

The Oregon High School Fall Sports season begins on August 16. With it, we begin mandatory practice.

A full schedule of the season is available here:

XC Season Schedule 2021

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Here are our rules and expectations for the season, including the planned absence form (required from all participating athletes):

XC Rules and Expectations 2021

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We get some questions about the season, especially from new families. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:

What do I need to bring to practice? Wear comfortable workout clothes and running shoes. A water bottle is helpful. Take a look at the weather forecast and pack accordingly with additional needs: sun screen, pants, rain gear, etc. A simple watch with a chronograph is important, too. There is no need for a GPS watch, just one that has a timer.

How long are practices? About two hours.

How far do I need to be able to run before I can join? None, though we'd love for you to get started as soon as possible. We meet every athlete at their ability level. While some of our veteran runners may run as many as 10 miles in a single practice, or more, our novice runners may run as little as 1 or 2 to start while we work on building aerobicism and athleticism through other means. We expect that nearly every athlete will find the athletic demands of cross country accessible.

What kind of shoes do I need? Good running shoes are a must. We encourage everyone to buy at least their first pair of running shoes from a specialty running store (Foot Traffic on Cornell offers discounts to Sunset athletes at any time of year). The cost of a good pair of running shoes starts at $100. We discourage purchasing from a catalog or online retailer unless it is known that the shoes are a good fit for you in your development as a runner.

How long are races? Most races are 5 kilometers in length. In the early season, there are some shorter races. Beginning in October, all races are 5km.

What does race day look like? Some of our meets have many races but each athlete will only compete once. As a team, we arrive at a meet and depart. We watch and support each other in the races we aren't running.

What about uniforms? Sunset Cross Country provides a racing uniform (singlet, shorts, and a warmup jacket). Athletes wear the uniform in competition. Jackets are worn only on race day. Athletes will be given the opportunity to purchase season apparel which they can keep soon.

Please reach out with any additional questions: daniel_neeway@beaverton.k12.or.us

On behalf of the Sunset Cross Country coaching staff,

Coach Dan Neeway

TF Week 4

Sunset Track Athletes and Families:

Please let me lead with my sincerest apologies for the unforeseen troubles last Thursday. Thank you for your patience with athlete drop-off at the school on the first day of in-person hybrid instruction (what a mess!). And thank you also for your patience with the late evening return from Beaverton. The late night can most likely be blamed on some first-meet-in-two-years difficulties at the host venue. Whatever the cause, Thursday’s late bus return is certainly an anomaly and not typical for our sport.

Another unexpected difficulty? That was the first track meet where the next day’s classes were the same ones that had student had attended on the morning of a meet. Every other year that any of us has been a coach at Sunset, even days have followed odd days, and vice versa. We are asking out athletes to make every effort to plan and use their time wisely next week. I assure you that the time schedule of our home meet will improve things, too, especially if we can get some help in the field events…

PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

In order to stage a successful home meet, we rely heavily on our parent community to volunteer in the roles of meet workers. There are no better views provided, especially of the field events. With enough help, all roles can be shared. PLEASE: if you plan to attend, please consider helping out in one of the available positions. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080C4BACA82FA5F85-shs2021. Thank you in advance for your willingness to help!

THURSDAY TIME SCHEDULE

2:45-3:20 COVID pre-screening / athlete check-in

3:30 team meeting on high jump apron (no late arrivals!)

4:00 pre-meet 4x100

4:15 field events begin

4:30 4x100m relay

for a schedule of events, see our team page on athletic.net

7:30* estimated finish time / dismissal

*this is usually when our home meets wrap up, sometimes earlier, based on years of experience

Note: ALL athletes are expected to remain at the track meet until its conclusion, regardless of their event and/or schedule. Only in exceptional cases should this not be the case. In these instances, athletes must communicate with Coach Neeway BEFORE Thursday. Early departures without expressed permission will result in not competing in the next meet.

UNIFORM EXCHANGES

Have the wrong size? Missed uniforms last week? Last chance for uniforms is Monday between 2:50 and 3:00. PLEASE NO EXCEPTIONS. (We have no more medium boys shorts. If you are a varsity athlete competing in half-tights, please consider returning the medium shorts you won’t be wearing this spring for another athlete to use. Thank you!).

On behalf of the Sunset Track Coaching Staff,

Coach Neeway

GO APOLLOS!

TF Week 3

Canvas course: All athletes should enroll in the Canvas course: https://bsd.instructure.com/enroll/6XDYAM. Practice plans, important forms, and other important information is kept here.

Uniform Handout:

Team uniforms will be handed out at practice on Monday and Tuesday to start practice from 2:50 until 3:10 in the team room (outside the 3-hall doors across from the weight room). Still unsure of the location? Ask at check-in. Monday uniforms are for SENIORS, THROWERS, THOSE WHO ORDERED T-SHIRTS AND/OR SWEATSHIRTS, and likely VARSITY ATHLETES. All others will collect uniforms on Tuesday.

Team Apparel Arriving Monday: Those that ordered apparel can pick up their apparel at practice this week when uniforms are being distributed.

Which Events Am I Competing in on Thursday?

Coaches would like to know the answer to that question. ATHLETES please fill out this Google form before practice on Monday: https://forms.gle/Da4Tdm7NT7hugeBc8.

TRACK MEET @ BEAVERTON:

We have our first meet of the season on Thursday. ALL athletes are expected to be at the track meet from its beginning to its conclusion. Check-ins begin at 2:15 for a 2:30 bus. Early departure from 4th period has been arranged by school administration. Note: Early departure is also scheduled for our meet with Mountainside on May 6.

Events begin at 4:00 pm. We anticipate concluding between 7:30 and 8:00 pm. At this time, there is no information about spectators. An order of events is published on our athletic.net home page near the bottom in the "blog".

Buses: The maximum number of riders on a bus is 40. Athletes have the choice not to ride the bus. Athletes choosing not to ride must:

• Fill out a BSD form ("BSD Private Auto Waiver") that is posted in the Canvas course*

• Check-in in person at Sunset on the day of the meet as usual

• Arrive at the away facility at the same time, entering the opposing facility as part of the team

• All athletes depart the meet at its conclusion at the same time as the rest of the team

*The form must be completed and given to Coach Neeway prior to Thursday's meet. Please fill out ALL highlighted sections of the form. Only one form is required for the whole track season.

Athletes who are licensed drivers may drive themselves. They may also drive siblings.

Attendance is taken at the conclusion of the meet. An athlete's inability to meet these expectations will result in not being allowed to compete.

Attendance/Practice Times and Dates: We are no longer giving attendance warnings. See the notes from last week's post about attendance. Athletes who do not attend practice as expected will not compete.

ATHLETES REPORT ALL ABSENCES USING THE ATTENDANCE LINK IN THE CANVAS COURSE. Donations: Please note that we are not conducting a formal fundraiser this spring. We are asking all families to consider making a donation to our team to help with expenses. Please use the online payment system and select "Track Donation" from the submenus. Thank you for your support! Go Apollos!!! -Coach Neeway