Parent Handbook
 
Lincoln Youth Track Club is a competitive club that strives for maximum athlete development throughout the season. We measure success from week to week based on whether the athletes performed better against their own time from the previous meet. Lincoln Youth Track Club provides excellent facilities and experienced coaches to allow for proper training to benefit the athletes’ entire sporting life. There are a lot of things to know about track and field that are very different from any other club sport. The first is that it is more of a family decision than a club decision. We will do our best to allow for every advantage and chance to participate however if it does not work with your schedule, we will not punish the athlete by not allowing them to compete. We know that it is summer and there are other sports and family outings so we fully embrace the idea that what you put into track and field you will get out of track. 
 
Our track club is for kids ages 5-18. Our goal is to help kids grow their love of track by offering excellent coaches (most of whom competed at the college level) in each area and allowing them to compete with kids across the state in both USATF and AAU sanctioned meets and Jr. Olympic Meets on local, regional and national level. We encourage our kids to try different aspects of track and field to help them find their true passion and challenge them to do their best at every practice and every meet.
 
Our motto is, "You get out of track what you put into track and field". The ability for kids to "compete against themselves" provides more positive success than any other form of measurement. It is amazing to watch the kids who stick with it grow and become a part of the track and field family.
 
We will be offering two sessions this year. Information is located on our website. 

Track & Field Season – Coaches will focus on individual skills such as sprints, distance running, hurdles, throwing events, and jumping events. This is a competitive season and requires a USATF and/or AAU membership. Athletes will be provided with a uniform and entry fees will be paid by the club for club-selected meets. The season will start in April. Depending on if families/athletes qualify for USATF/AAU the season can extend into July/first week of August.COST: $105 with an additional $30 buyout donation to the club or fundraising to pay for the cost.
 
How do I register?
You will go to our website, https://www.lincolnyouthtrackclub.com/, click the registration link, follow the directions to complete the form, and pay your fee. 
 
You will go online to https://www.usatf.org/home/top-utility-nav-content/membership and click on become a member Join or Renew. Fill in the information and pay the $30 fee at the end. You will need to type your zip code and then select the club affiliation as Lincoln Youth Track Club (NE-29-0380). You will receive an email instantly stating that your child is a member. It will also say that they are not age-verified yet. You will upload your athlete's birth certificate. 

 

If you decide to do AAU you will need to purchase the $20 membership at www.aausports.org. This is optional and it might be best to wait to see if your family decides to do the AAU qualifier meet. AAU: UQNU5FDNG
 
Your child cannot start practice until the Email Verification, Registration Fee, and required forms are all completed. 
 
Our club focuses on USATF meets that we attend. You will need to purchase the USATF membership and pay your club registration fee before your athlete can practice. You are also responsible for age-verifying your child with USATF.  You will follow the instructions on the USATF website and upload your child's birth certificate or other documentation options as stated on the date of birth verification. Once your child is age verified, their membership card will state they are "age verified" and this helps with meet registrations. We ask that you do this sooner than later to help avoid issues later with signing up for a meet. You will only have to go through this process once. A video link is provided for you on the registration. 
 
If you need any help with the registration process please contact us at our email. If you are in need of financial assistance go to our website and click on Information to have access to the form to complete.

Email: [email protected] 
 
Fundraising

• Due to our 501C3 status, we must participate in fundraising events. We will try to provide different opportunities. If you have any ideas please do not hesitate to let us know. 
• At the start of the season, you have the option to either “buyout” for $30 or participate in fundraisers. After the turn-in date any new athletes that season will have to do the $30 buyout.
• If you have Amazon, you can use Amazon Smile and select Lincoln Youth Track Club for a percentage to be donated to our club.

What do I bring to practice?

• Water Bottle
• Running Shoes
• Spikes (optional)
• Sweats (pants, sweatshirt, and underneath should be running shorts and a shirt)

How do practices work?

• Practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, except for Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Fourth of July. 
• Practice starts at 6:30 P.M. – This means the kids take their warm-up laps together at 6:30 P.M. They should be at the track with shoes on and ready to start at 6:30 P.M. Please remind the athlete to use the bathroom before you leave your house. Any athlete late to practice will not get to warm up with the team and they lose a part of the team togetherness that helps them all succeed. They will have to run the laps on their own and will be playing catch up their entire practice. All athletes must check-in for attendance when they arrive.
• After the warm-up laps, we will stretch and do agility drills.
• Coaches will work on basic foundation with track drills, plyometrics, isometrics, and speed, strength, and endurance training for athletes. 
• 1st break-out session should be what your athlete wants to work on most. We will let them try anything, but we ask that if they want to try something new then they should try that second so they can focus on their main event 1st.
• 2nd break-out session – If your athlete does more than 2 things they should pick which one they want to work on that week.
• Lastly, the whole group comes back together and runs a few drills together to help them with their core and muscle strength. This is just as important to be a part of the end as it is the first part of the practice. This is where the team is built and we become stronger together. This is also done with the event your athlete is doing that practice.
• We are generally done by 7:45 P.M, however, depending on the day/weather/coaches we might have to call it earlier. There also will be weeks we will run to 8:00 P.M. to finish cool-down and stretching.
• Please be at the track by 7:45 P.M so that when the practice is over athletes are not waiting. 
• We understand that sitting at every practice is not always practical and it is a great time to run a few errands. However, keep an eye on the sky, storms come out of nowhere and we do not want your child to be standing outside waiting to get picked up. 
• We will call practice by 5 P.M. on the website, TeamSnap, and on Facebook. Sometimes if we don’t call it until 5, it is because we are watching to see how the radar will pan out. Just because one side of town is miserable does not mean the other side is as bad. 
• If we are in the middle of practice and we hear thunder we will call off practice. Please pay attention to the weather going on around you. Remember we don’t want to be stuck in bad weather if we don’t have to be.
• No parent/guardian is allowed on the field both during practice and during meets. If your athlete is struggling behaviorally, you may be required to join and follow your athlete to help. At the meets, there will be events like long jump, pole vault, and throws where there are specific spectators spots for you to watch that are at the event. Once that is over please ensure you are out of the way and back in the stands. To be allowed on the field a current USATF coaches’ card, SafeSport video, and background check must be done. This is USATF rules and all clubs using the insurance must follow the rules. If we were ever in violation of this, the club could be suspended and our kids would not be allowed to compete as a club until the issue is resolved.

 
After Practice Care – It is important that all athletes take care of themselves. Practices involve running and using muscles that they might not have used for a while. Some of the best home remedies are:

• A frozen Dixie cup of water - Rub directly on the sore muscle in a circular motion for 5 to 10 minutes. This will help get down deeper into the tissue and speed the healing process.
• Stretches - Going home and doing some more stretches later will help.
• Drinking water – Changing pop habits during the season will help in numerous ways. The more water a child drinks the faster their muscles will recover faster and it will also help them improve their time/jump/throw due to less carbonation running around in their system slowing them down.
• Energy drinks – These are a big no due to their uber-high sugar content. If you are looking for a quick burst of energy before a meet, look into what you serve for dinner the night before. The night before a meet is a great night for carbs. These will be converted into energy for the next day.
• Sports drinks – These become just as important as water as the temps get higher.  Since we do everything outside and the kids are very active it creates the perfect condition for dehydration. A sports drink like Gatorade or PowerAde helps replenish some of the electrolytes that will be lost. This should not take the place of water but be used in addition to aid in rehydration.
• A good night’s rest – If your child is not getting enough quality sleep they will never reach their full potential. Sleepovers, and/or playing video games/watching movies all night the night before a meet is not beneficial to your child’s performance. Remember it is an investment of your family’s time so treat practices and meets like the investment it is so your child can enjoy as much of the track season as they can.

What should my child be competing in?
We encourage the athletes to try different events throughout the season. We will never tell one of our athletes they can’t do something. What they might be good at this year might not be what they want to try next year. This is one sport where we will always cheer on our team no matter what. As long as our athletes' put forth an effort then we will continue to help them improve.
 
If you ask the coaches, “How is my kid doing?” They will ask you two questions in return. Is your athlete coming and working at practice? Is your athlete improving and beating their personal best time/throw/jump? If the answer is yes, then your athlete is doing great. The best thing you can do as a parent is to encourage your athlete. Go for a run/walk with them, time simple races to the end of the block, and verbalize their time as they run. No matter what event they are in, short burst sprints will be the most beneficial to them. Leg strength will help them in every event.
 
Meet sign up:

• ALL sign-ups will be done on the LINCOLN YOUTH TRACK CLUB PAGE, Click on Registration and select the date of the meet
• If something comes up and you cannot make a meet you signed up for you will have until Wednesday or Thursday night (2 days before the meet) to cancel with me via email.  DO NOT POST IT ON FACEBOOK.  Send an email, to [email protected], so we can respond and know you canceled in time. 
• If you do not cancel within that time frame you will receive a strike. We understand that family emergencies happen and sometimes it is impossible to know of schedule changes so we allow you two chances. After the second strike, you will be responsible for registering AND paying for your athlete's entry fees for the remainder of the season.

Day of track meet – What to expect:
We will always have the scheduled track meet. It might be delayed however, conditions might change quickly. Coaches cannot make any predictions on how long a delay will last. It is possible that a delay can last 10 minutes; it all depends on how quickly it takes for the current storm to roll through. Whether you go or not is a family decision. Remember if you signed up and you don’t go you only get two chances. After that, all entry fees will be paid by your family.
 
ALL meets will be through online sign-ups. The link will be on our website and due by 11:59 pm, on the Tuesday before the meet except for the state meets; those will be two weeks in advance. To help aid in the transition, ONLY that week's meets’ will be available for sign-up.  There will be no exceptions, if you do not sign up before that you must pay for your athlete's entry on your own for that week’s meet.  If something comes up and you cannot make a meet you signed up for you will have until Thursday night (two days before the meet) to cancel with us via email at  [email protected]. DO NOT POST IT ON TEAMSNAP or FACEBOOK. Therefore, we can respond and we both know you canceled on time. Heats are determined on Friday so to prevent the officials from having to redraw heats due to the club issues, any changes on Friday or after will result in counting as a strike.

• Expect – Weather changes. Crappy weather might happen at some point in the day.
• Be at the meet at least 45 minutes before the event starts. We will post the schedule as soon as we have it. Some meets run early, some run late, and some meets will flip-flop their events that morning. The coaching staff will get updates out to everyone as soon as we know something. However, “day of meet decisions” will supersede all pre-meet schedules and there is very little we can do about that.
• Your athlete will check in at the event during 1st or 2nd call, 3rd call means your child better be checked in so the meet can continue to run on time. If they are running a different event at the same time they will check in at their field event and finish their race first.  All running events take precedence over field events. Inform the jump or throw coordinator that you have a running event and return after. 
• As soon as your athlete is done with their events you may leave. If you know they placed 1st through 6th stick around to get their medal or ribbon if possible. It is so awesome to hear your name called over the loudspeaker and then go pick up your ribbon or medal. If you must leave before, ask one of the coaches from the team to pick up the item for you. Remember it is your responsibility to pick up your athlete's awards.
• Parents are not allowed on the field or track.  
• Your “photo/video proof” of your child finishing in a different place will not be accepted. The people who are tracking the race at the finish line know what they are doing and though your angle showed something different, you were at a different angle. Let your athlete use this as a learning experience and make them work harder for next time. If there is a complaint; you need to find one of the club coaches and discuss the complaint with them. They will decide if we file an official complaint.
• Carpools are great however, we cannot encourage them. Any parent/coach/volunteer who is helping a athlete has to pass a background check and go through the SafeSport video training. We realize this makes things hard sometimes and 99% of the time nothing will ever happen, however, we must always be aware of that 1% so Lincoln Youth Track Club will not organize carpooling.

What to bring to a track meet:
The old adage, if you don’t like the weather stick around it will change in 20 minutes is never truer than during track. We freeze together, we soak together and we roast together and we wouldn’t have it any other way! The following is an idea of what you could/should have. Please do not think you must run out and buy everything brand new. Some of the stuff can just stay in your car for the season and others your family will realize you want at every meet. Soon everyone in your family will just “know” how to pack the track bag. We as a club will have a tent/canopy as a central meeting place so we can cheer all of our kids on as a team.

Track appropriate food – Sandwiches, water, sports drinks, fruit, simple snacks (i.e. fruit roll-ups, cookie packages, animal crackers, yogurt, etc.) Food that is easy to grab and eat. Sometimes there are a few minutes of downtime so portable things are best. When to eat is more of a “learn as you go” thing. Some athletes are so nervous they won’t eat anything until they are done. Some athletes will only eat if they have over an hour in between events. This is a trial by error and we can make suggestions but it has to be what works for your athlete.

Cooler – For your food to keep things cool and bug-free. A small wheelie cooler works great!

Hand Sanitizer and/or Wet Wipes – It gets a little dirty out there and sometimes the closest water is too far away.

Blankets–A good rule of thumb- one per family member plus one more; these work for sitting on, shielding the sun, and keeping warm.

Umbrellas & Ponchos – The big golf ones are a great investment however don’t feel like you have to buy one. You could buy a poncho, one for every member of your family, and have them in every car that might go to the meet. Towels in the car are also a good thing to have around.

Chairs – Quad chairs are great because they are cheap and have a nice carrying case with them so everyone can carry their stuff.

Sunscreen and Baseball cap/hat– Even if the day starts cloudy, this will help to prevent your child from getting burnt. 

Layers – Sometimes in the morning it is windy and cold and by the afternoon it will be hot OR it can start beautiful and end in a cold wet windy mist. Winter coat- Staying outside all day in 50-degree weather with a breeze can feel much colder than just walking from your car into a building.

Cash – Admission fees for those who do not have a USATF card and money for concessions. There might be a meet that takes debit cards, but it’s important to have a backup plan just in case. USATF YOUTH MEMBERSHIP CARD--This is your athlete's admission card to meets. You do not have to show it most times as your athlete wearing their uniform gets them in the meet. 

Directions – To the meet/Google Map, anticipated schedule of events. This link will be posted on our TeamSnap and sent through emails each week as soon as it is available.

UNIFORM – TOP & SHORTS, ALL LINCOLN YOUTH ATHLETES MUST WEAR CURRENT UNIFORM Change of shoes/spikes, change of socks - Especially for long jumpers. Must have warm-ups over this, sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Tape and/or Sharpie – Especially for marks, safety pins for bibs. PLEASE NOTE if you bring your own implements i.e. shots, javelins, etc. ALL must have access to it. If you do not want others to use it please do not bring it to the meet. 

Don't forget– As needed for athletes, prescriptions such as inhalers.
 
Regional and Nationals Meets

• Your athlete has the potential to qualify for 1 Regional and 2 National meets. The 1st National meet is the USATF meet and your athlete qualifies by obtaining a certain mark, jump, throw, time. Every meet will have a handout that has the qualifying mark for each division. Once your athlete has a q by their name that means they are a qualifier.
• Jr. Olympic Regionals are determined by the top 8 at State JO can advance to the next round.
• Jr. Olympic Nationals are the top 5 qualifiers at Regionals who can move on to the National meet.
• You can attend any of these if your athlete qualifies. The club will pay for the entry fees and if there is money available, a stipend MAY be paid to help with travel expenses. This money is paid after returning from Nationals and/or is given to you at Regionals by the coach to ensure that the money is being used for the event. All expenses except the event entry fees are the families’ responsibility.
• As a club, we will do everything we can to reserve a block of room at a reduced rate for Regionals. If you choose to participate in Regionals and plan on staying please let your coach know as soon as possible so enough rooms are booked. If you have a room reserved, you will call the hotel in advance and give them your personal card information.

Common Questions –
Who is Lincoln Youth Track Club?
For over 50 years our club has been committed to helping any kid that wants to try out track and field. Our kids love to run/jump/throw when other sports use running as a "training" method. Some kids come out just for practice and never compete, some kids compete just for conditioning, and some take their love of track to the college level and sign scholarships at colleges around the country including Michigan State, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, and Doane University just to name a few. We will never discourage a child from trying something new and celebrate with them when they succeed.
 
Does my child need spikes? 
Answer – Your child needs spikes if they are going to do the high jump. For everything else, they are not required to have them. We do have some spikes if they fit your child; however, it is more important that your child learns the proper form before adding spikes. In short, if it is your first year, don’t worry about spikes just yet. There are different spikes for each style of event and it is not necessary for kids to have “the right spikes for each event”. A good-fitting pair of tennis shoes and proper socks are more important than an expensive pair of spikes that your kid will outgrow in a season.
 
How do I know what my child’s track age is? 
Answer - The age of your child on Dec 31st of this year. Yes, that does mean that your child will be competing against kids 2 years older depending on their birthdays however, over time it all evens out.