Introduction to the FCHS Cross Country Program

CROSS COUNTRY 2007: August 13, 2007
HEAD COACH: COACH FLORCZYK
CONTACT INFO: florczcd@fchs77.stclair.k12.il.us
- Introductions
- Review of the Summer Running Program
- My General Philosophy about our Cross Country Program
o The sport of cross country is a team sport. Yet, at the same time, the individual is the key. Each of you will have a choice day in and day out: will you work hard OR will you be a slacker. Hopefully, all of you are out here to work hard! If that’s the case, we WILL be successful. The best thing about cross country is you really choose your destiny. If you work hard, you will achieve great things. If you don’t work hard, you will most likely fail and hurt the team. You have a choice!
o This is YOUR TEAM…I am just here to provide instruction, structure, and supervision. It is UP TO YOU to accomplish your goals and to have fun!
o I want all of you to have goals for yourselves and goals for the team. Be specific! Accomplishing goals is one of the best feelings in the world!
o FUN, FUN, FUN! You MUST have fun. I want you to look forward to coming to practice each and every day. Think of your time in practice as not just practice. Think of your time at practice as the following:
§ Spending time with friends
§ Talking, Laughing, Singing during slower distance runs
§ Working hard in speed work, but feeling really good at the end knowing that you accomplished something today.
§ Working to stay in great shape and knowing you really can eat as much as you want because you are running so much!
o Not only do I want you to have a great year, but I want to help you become life-long runners. I never went to state in high school, but I remember those days with great fondness and I still run today, setting goals for myself each and everyday.
o EVERYBODY is important to me. We are only as strong as our weakest link.
o Finally, to sum up my philosophy, here’s my TOP 10 LIST (Thanks Mr. Letterman) for reasons to come out for Cross-Country:
§ 10) Running keeps you healthy and makes you disciplined.
§ 9) You get a crazy team t-shirt!
§ 8) Running allows you to eat whatever you want without fear of gaining weight.
§ 7) To feel great after mastering the hills on Barber Lane!
§ 6) The Beautiful early morning runs on Fridays before school.
§ 5) Saturday fun runs (at Forrest Park, Carlyle Lake)
§ 4) For the Team Dinners and the Lock In!
§ 3) To make friendships that will last a lifetime
§ 2) To become a life long runner
§ 1) For the opportunity to run in Peoria the first Saturday in November at STATE!
- My General Philosophy For Workouts
o Our initial focus will be ENDURANCE AND STAMINA. The first couple of weeks will mainly be used for mileage with some hill workouts to start strengthening the legs and also to prepare for hilly courses like Edwardsville and Belleville West
o Once we get into the meets, then we will focus on not only endurance, but getting faster and stronger. At this point, we will start throwing in some speed work.
o Speed Workouts will include hill work, intervals (400s, 800s, etc), tempo runs, and fartleks
o Also, to break up periods of monotony and routine, I will throw in some days where we play “running games”
§ Examples would include Hares and Harriers, Scavenger Hunt, Capture the Flag, Ultimate Frisbee, etc.
o When we get into the peak of our training in mid to late September, a typical week is as follows:
§ Monday: Distance Run
§ Tuesday: Speed
§ Wednesday: Easy Run
§ Thursday: Speed
§ Friday: Easy Run
§ Saturday: Lots of Mileage
§ Sunday: Rest
· This is just an example...Factors such as health, weather, and the meet schedule will play a role in how weeks are structured.

- Who runs on the Varsity Team?
o The top 7 runners (top 5 count for points)
o We will have a time trial before the season starts to see who will run varsity for the 1st meet in Lebanon
o As the season progresses, the varsity squad will probably change due to injuries, improvements by individuals, etc.
o Just because you start on the varsity squad, doesn’t mean you will stay there all year…just because you don’t start on the varsity squad, doesn’t mean you can’t improve….it really comes down to you and the stop watch.
o Very important point….when it comes down to selecting the squads for Regionals, Sectionals, and hopefully State, I will not only look at times but also health of individuals and trends…who’s trending up, who’s trending down…
o One last point: for those that are new to cross country, everybody makes the “team” and everybody runs in all races except Conference and the postseason

- Letters at the end of the Year
o JV Letter: To receive a JV Letter, you must do the following:
§ You must attend practice regularly
§ You must run in a majority of the meets.
§ Should there be an injury, attendance at practices and meets during the injury will be heavily weighted.
o Varsity Letter: You can receive a Varsity Letter by completing one of the following:
§ Running in at least 50% of the Varsity Races
§ Running in the following races: Conference, Regionals, Sectionals, State ]
- OR you are a Senior Runner who has given great effort throughout the season.
Rules, Guidelines, and Responsibilities
- Your Responsibilities as My Athlete
o Have Fun!
§ If you can’t have fun, why come out??
§ You make your own fun. I will try to make fun workouts and do fun things with you as a team. However, there will be times when we have to really work hard. When we are doing 400 m repeats or hill workouts, you have to somehow make it fun. It’s not my job to make it fun. It’s up to you to make it fun!
o Work Hard!
§ This is the only way we have a chance at state.
§ We don’t have the talent to just “slide” by….we have to work get everything out of ourselves.
§ If you are out here to slack, I don’t want you out here. You are a liability to me and the team.
o Be prompt!
§ Practice starts at 3:30 everyday!
§ Saturday practices are not optional. Saturday is probably the most important training day of the week.
§ My policy is 3 strikes and you are out. 3 unexcused absences and you will be asked to turn in your uniform.
§ For an absence to be excused, you must do the following:
· Handwrite a note, explaining why are you missing practice or what you will do on your own to make sure that you are not missing the training that the team is doing that day.
· If you missed a day because you were sick, family emergency, etc., simply handwrite a note explaining the situation.
· I want you to “write out” everything because if you tell me, I am liable to forget.
o Respect the coach, the team, and the school!
§ I cannot effectively coach this team if you do not respect me.
· This should not, and will not, be an issue.
· Examples of disrespect: Challenging me on decisions/choices/philosophies, Talking when I am talking
· Also, remember this…respect goes both ways. I will respect you if you respect me.
§ Respect the team by cheering and supporting each other.
§ Respect the school by behaving and competing appropriately at meets and in the community.
· If there should be problems of respect, you will get 1 warning. The 2nd time you will be dismissed from the team.
- My Responsibilities as Your Coach
o To Make Your Experience Fun!
§ I will try to make each and every workout fun and enjoyable. Again, keep in mind…it’s up to you to make a 400 m or hill workout fun!
o Work Hard!
§ I will work hard to get everything out of you as athletes.
§ I will keep you up to date on stats, happenings, and information.
§ I will work as hard as I can to help us achieve our goals.
o Respect You!
§ I will respect you at all times. Remember, respect again goes both ways.
§ I want you to always communicate with me so we are all on the same page.

- Practice Routines (Normal School Day)
o 3:10: School Ends, Get Ready For Practice
o 3:20-3:30:
§ We will meet in my classroom (S-11) everyday for practice
§ During this time, you will update your training log binders (which you can keep in my classroom if you would like) AND sign-in
o 3:30
§ We will begin each practice with a short 5-10 minute meeting
§ You are to be seated by 3:30 (not 3:31). At this time, I will instruct you on your workout and give you any important information
o 3:40-4:00
§ Warm-up to Dave’s ‘n Back, Stretch
o 4:00-5:30 (time will vary depending on the workout)
§ Complete the workout for the day
§ After each workout:
· 6-10 Strides in the Grass
· Stretch
· Rock Exercises to prevent shin splints
o Before you go home each day….
§ You must do 2 things:
· Sign-out on the roster provided
· Verbally tell me, “I am checking out, Coach.”

- Fundraiser
o The fundraiser kickoff is Tomorrow
o We are selling Cookie Dough…Yum, Yum
o A company called Varsity Gold out of St. Louis/Belleville is distributing the cookie dough and will be offering lots of cash prizes as incentives…..really easy and a great deal! (Varsity Gold also is in charge of the football team’s fundraiser). They do a great job!
o Why do we need to fundraise?
§ We have $0 in our account – NOTHING!
§ We need money for anything that may come up – equipment, uniform needs, meal money should we get to state, etc…


- Schedule: Practices, Meets
o See handout
o Pay special attention to the following:
§ The 1st week of practice
§ Saturdays: Lock-in, Fun Runs, Meets


- Goal-Setting: Individual and Team
o See Handout
o Place in your training log binders

- Safety
o Access to water: Especially during hot spells, I will either plan workouts where a water fountain is close OR group leaders will be required to take a bottle or 2 of water with them on the distance run
o Always run with somebody!!!
o Never run to a place where you don’t know how to get back. Be familiar with the route.
o Alert me if you have a condition that could jeopardize your safety/health at some point.
o Communication: 1-2 people per each group need to take cell phones with them in case something happens
§ 2 very important numbers:
· Coach’s Cell: 444-7256
· The School’s Number: 539-5533







- Training Log Binders
o You will be required to maintain a training log binder.
o You need to collect the following in your binder:
§ Training logs
§ Handouts from Practice
§ Stats from Meets
o Purpose
§ To measure progress
§ As a souvenir!
- HYDRATION and Your Diet
o 80-120 ounces of water a day
§ Soda is not very good for you….a soda once in a while is ok (I have to have my ski periodically so I can’t be a hypocrite…)
o As a runner, you are burning a lot of calories. A good rule of thumb is that you burn 100 calories for every mile. You need to replenish your body.
o One of the best things about running is your freedom to eat a lot of food! Try your best to limit greasy/fatty/sugary foods. Obviously, treat yourself periodically, but load up on the good stuff.
- Shoes
o Be sure you have proper running shoes. It is recommended that you replace your shoes between 350-550 miles. Investing in good running shoes is the best thing you can do.
o Go to Mike Toolen’s Running Start in Shiloh!!! Ask for the student discount!
- Injuries
o Ice/Ibuprofen/Rest…that’s the best advice I can give you.
o If it persists, then it’s time to see a doctor.
o Also, educate yourself….runnersworld.com, webmd.com are great resources if you are hurting
- Rest
o Sleep is so important. You have to take care of yourself!
o Be especially cognizant of the amount of rest you are getting on nights before meets and long Saturday runs.
- Days of Meets
o Managers
o Warm-up, Stretch, Race, Cool Down
o Everyone rides the bus home! We win and lose together! Team Bonding!
o If it is geographically convenient or there is a family emergency, your parent must sign you out. You cannot go home with Johnny’s mom either…you go home with your parent only!
- T-Shirts, Sweats
o As a team, this is your responsibility
o Seniors will be in charge!
- Team Dinners and Buffeting
o I urge you to get together once a week or every other week