Welcome to St. John Vianney Track and Field 2015
On behalf of the entire St. John Vianney Track and Field staff, I welcome you to another exciting year of
competition. We have several returning letter winners and conference champions, so we are looking forward to being
competitive throughout the season at all levels, in the M.C.C Championships, and beyond. We as coaches have set high
standards for ourselves and look for the best in each athlete. We expect devoted and committed young men willing to
perform at their peak ability and to do what is necessary to be successful. The following is a brief overview of the track
program for this season.
The Coaching Staff:
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Coach John Mohr
Coach Mike Bishop
Coach Adam Hamilton
Coach Mike O’Fallon
Coach Chris Zoeller
Head Coach, Distance
Hurdles, Jumps
Sprints, Relays
Shot Put, Discus
Pole Vault, Jumps
Before any athlete may practice or compete, a valid physical must be on file in the main office or athletic director’s
office. Valid only if completed after Feb. 1, 2014.
 Practice Schedule:
 All practices on early dismissal schedule will begin at 3:00. Please be aware that we will
practice on special schedule days.
o Practice begins Monday, March 2. We will practice Saturday, March 7, 9:0011:00 am.
Normal Practice Schedule: 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. daily
*Please note Home meet dates; these are command performances*
*All Athletes are required to be in attendance*
Mandatory Spring Break Practice: F 2/13: 1:00-3:00 pm; W-F, 2/18-20—9:00-11:00 am.
Athletes may miss only three (3) practices on days when they attend school. Athletes must attend practice
the day before each meet if they expect to compete (special exceptions for school related activities).
Athletes may miss only one (1) meet on a day when they attend school. Excessive absences will mean dismissal
from the team; attendance will be taken daily. If poor grades or class performance becomes an issue, the athlete’s
participation on the team will be restricted. Please be aware of the school’s academic stress policy regarding
athletics; any student with at least one failing grade will not compete until the grade is brought up. Please also
have work schedules cleared and doctor’s appointments set to not interfere with athletics or academics if possible.
I ask all athletes not to leave any meet before all competition is complete if at all possible.
 All Home meets are command performances for all athletes. If a team member is not competing, he will be
administering. We will have work schedules posted before each home meet. We host two major invitationals each
season—Jim Farrell Invitational, April 28, and Vianney Freshman Invitational May 4—for which we must have
all athletes’ help.
 Uniforms and warm-ups will be distributed before the first meet. Athletes will be responsible for the full monetary
replacement of all lost or stolen articles once these have been dispersed. Please keep equipment stored safely at all
times. Uniform turn in for anyone not competing at the Sectional or State meet is Tuesday, May 12. Please help me
by having uniforms cleaned and ready on that date. Line Dry all parts of the uniform and warm-up for longer life.
Seniors and juniors are not exempt from this due date! Juniors and Seniors will not have grades released without
uniform being submitted.
 For each practice, athletes should have comfortable, stable running shoes, shorts and shirt—sweat clothes, stocking cap
and gloves for cool and inclement weather, supporter, towel, toiletries and a lock and locker for their belongings.
Spikes and/or shoes designed for specific events are highly encouraged during the season. The school cannot be
responsible for items not secured, so keep “track” of all personal equipment.
 No participation in other track-like activities during the season, including road races. Please limit other sporting
activities to fit the MSHSAA guidelines; no two competitions in the same day. Please inform your event coach if
you know you will miss practice or meet or must leave early prior to that event. Do not send a
message through another student/athlete.
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Please also be aware of behavior not conducive to proper health and hygiene of young athletes. Today should be your
last day for soda, fried foods, chips, and unhealthy snacks. Please be aware of your intake of dairy and fatty foods.
Please be aware of all you do outside of the school day that may affect your performance. Your conditioning should
have begun by now; do all you can to be ready for the first day of competition. Alcohol/illegal drug consumption and
tobacco use are strictly forbidden. Supplement use should be minimal if at all (beyond sports drinks and energy bars).
Coaching Philosophy:
We coach with the principals of a Marianist/Catholic high school in mind, and in a close, familial, and supportive
atmosphere. We as coaches strive to create a competitive team on all levels. We hope to create a safe and respectful
environment for the student/athlete. We strive to create a cohesive unit of committed, competitive, and sportsmanlike young
men.
Team Goals:
We as coaches hope our teams are competitive in every meet. We hope to have full participation in as many events and
meets as possible. We hope to finish in the top three at the MCC Relays and Championship meets. Our goal is to have
qualifiers for the Sectional and State meets every season.
Transportation:
Generally the school will provide round-trip transportation via contracted school bus to most away meets. Underclassmen
meets, especially those involving a fair amount of travel, will most often have transportation both to and from the meets. We
encourage all athletes and parents to attend the meets and ask that athletes please inform the coaching staff in advance if
athletes will be leaving any meet at its conclusion with parents.
Safety:
Generally track and field is a safe sport, but as with any activity there are injury and even fatal risk factors. Some events,
pole vault most notably, have a greater chance for injury, but all events can be dangerous. We ask a lot of our athletes and
expect them to practice and perform at a high level and to the best of their abilities. Some events are very stressful on the
body, the distance team will often leave campus and run on local (busy) roads, and implements used in the throws can cause
injury, if athletes are careless or not aware, so just please note this and be aware of the risks involved.
Grades: To compete athletes must not be failing any course through the two progress reports. Any failure will result in the
athlete enduring a probationary period in which he will not be allowed to compete, until he has shown proper improvement
and at teacher’s discretion. A student/athlete must meet all school and MSHSAA academic requirements.
Year End Awards:
 Team Captains (experienced seniors-selected before the first meet)
 Track Athlete of the Year
 Field Athlete of the Year
 Most Valuable Athlete (as voted by the team)
Varsity Letter: attend practice on a regular basis, compete in a majority of the varsity meets and in major invitationals OR
compete in and score in the conference, district, sectional or state meets at the varsity level.
 Only athletes placing in scoring position in meets earn points toward the varsity letter.
Junior Varsity Letter: attend practice on a regular basis, compete and/or score in a majority of the varsity and/or junior
varsity meets
Freshmen Numerals: attend practice on a regular basis, compete and/or score in a majority of the freshmen meets.
Activity Points: points are earned through practice and participation in meets. To earn full points, athletes must follow
attendance policies for practice and competition. Only athletes who fully participate in practice and meets will earn the full
amount of activity points.
Our awards’ banquet is tentatively scheduled for the last full week of May, prior to the State meet. There is a per-person fee
for this event. All equipment/uniform must be returned or fees paid to receive any award or participate in the banquet.
If you have any questions or concerns, or need to report an absence from practice or competition, please contact Coach Mohr
at 314-348-4923 or email jmohr@vianney.com