Organizing and Hosting
a Home Cross Country
Meet
Presented by Kevin Smith, Ken Reeves, and Bill Tokar
ksmith@oakparkusd.org
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Secure a Home Course
Standard Course—most courses a variation of these
distances
a.
S 1 mile elementary
S 3k middle school
S 5k high school
Considerations
b.
1.
Safety
Secure a Home Course (cont.)
2. Spectator friendly-loops, Figure 8, cloverleaf
a. Start and finish in proximity
b. Wide, straight start (125-200m)
c. Trails or path minimum 2 bodies wide (6 feet)
d. Make sure loops don’t overlap time wise
3. Restrooms-ability to bring in (rent) portables
a. One M/W for each 25 athletes
b. Custodial care and maintenance
4. Parking and Traffic Flow
a. Access for emergency personnel
Secure a Home Course (cont.)
5. Changing terrain and surfaces
a. Safe terrain (snakes, rocks, ruts, steepness of
downhill/uphill, etc.)
b. It is cross country
c. Have test race/practice on the course beforehand to test out
challenges
6. Availability of water
7. Ideally meet time at appropriate weather time
a. Standards of when to have meet and when to cancel
b. Heat Index- combination of temp and humidity
Head Coach’s Duties
A. Complete permits with appropriate government agency or put on
school’s master calendar
1.
B.
Request bus/district transportation or complete driver
forms.
Private Property, parks or Recreational Areas- add “Additional
Insured” to district’s policy
C. Notify rangers, police, fire, and EMT personnel.
1.Try to arrange for emergency responders to be on site.
2. Have a med kit accessible and emergency release cards.
Head Coach’s Duties (cont.)
D. Inform Administrators and invite them
E. Secure “Official Training”
1. Hire a firm- Royal Results
2. Parent/teacher volunteers- 2 timers (head and back up), chronomix,
head official, finish boards, data entry to post results, water jugs.
a. Access to electricity. May need to bring in a generator.
3. Old school sticks, tags, cards, check off chart
F. Organize Parent Volunteers, Assistant Coaches, Fellow Teachers/
Colleagues
1.Delegate responsibilities-traffic control, hydration stations,
restrooms, snack stand (?), clerk of the course, starter, course
monitors.
3 Weeks Out
A. Mail or Email Final Directions*. Include:
Driving and Parking Instructions
S Course Map**
file://localhost/Users/ksmith/Documents/Cross Country
2009/OAK CANYON PARK 2006 CC COURSE.doc
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Google Earth
Event Order
3 Weeks Out
Identify Key Locations: clerk, restrooms, start and finish,
emergency tent area
Pack meet day envelops: extra tags, trash bags, course map,
final instructions, race schedule
Parent and visitor information
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Cost if any of parking or entering the course
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Length of distance from parking to course
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Course restrictions (no dogs, bikes, etc.?)
file://localhost/Users/ksmith/Documents/Cross Country 2008/OP
Invite Letter All School.doc
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Meet Day Duties
A. Mark the course- chalk/flour, cones, posts, surveyor tape,
tennis balls, athletic tape or duct tape.
Proper course markings***
file://localhost/Users/ksmith/Downloads/Marking a Course.pdf
1.
file://localhost/Users/ksmith/Downloads/Finish Chute.pdf
2. Conform to the standards of the facility
3. Set up clean up for after the meet
Meet Day Duties
A.
Walkie-talkies on a secure channel
B.
Water jugs, cups, trash bags, ice for injuries
C.
Barf Buckets and latex/non-latex gloves for chute workers
D.
Confirm EMT staffing
E.
Set up packets
F.
MEET DAY CHECKLIST***
1file://localhost/Users/ksmith/Documents/Clinics/Meet Prep List.docx
Meet Day Personnel (Ideally)
S Starter
S Results staff
S Head timer
S Course monitors
S Head Finish Judge
S Split timer
S Chute stewards
S Packets
S Place card
S Commanding road/parking
S Tag remover
S Scorer
person
S Awards person?
Forms
A. Pre-meet letter
B. Course map
C. Meet check off list
D. Scoring sheets
E. Tag sheets*****
1file://localhost/Users/ksmith/Documents/Cross Country
2008/Tag Board Sheet 1-20.xls
Forms
A. Press release
B. Various instruction sheets
1.
2.
Instructions for starters
Instructions for chute workers
a. Placement map for them
3.
Instructions for course monitors
After the Meet
Send out results to local media and running sites
A.
1.
Ventura Star
a. Rich Romine: rromine@vcstar/sports.com
b. Rhinannon Potkey: rpotkey@vcstar/sports.com
d. www.athletic.net
e. www.directthletics.com
B.
Check the facility- leave it in better shape than you found it
C.
Thank you letters/shirts (Tee shirt buys the world)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Workers.
Facility people
Maintenance people
Teams that came
School Secretaries- the run the site
Administrators- They want to wear the gear of winners
Appendix
1.
Oak Park Invite Letter
2.
Course Map
3.
Proper Markings
4.
Meet Scoring Program
5.
Tag Board Sheets
FINALLY