This coming week is the last week of our summer training! I can’t believe it’s gone this fast. Even though we’re still technically on summer vacation, our team starts racing this week! On Tuesday, we have our Pre-Region Meet (Weber County Fairgrounds) and on Saturday we race the Freber Classic Invitational (Fremont High School). It will be fun to get the season underway! Because this will serve as the season introductory message, we’ll have a lot of information. Let’s get going!
I. Week 10 Recap
The two highlights of this past week were our Thursday run up at Snowbasin (and our breakfast/swimming at Sarah Hammond’s house afterwards) and the team competing in the South Weber Days 5K on Saturday morning. Allow me one quick anecdote about Snowbasin, and some results from South Weber Days.
On the Snowbasin run we had most of our team do out and back to the overlook from the Maples Trail, which 7 boys varsity runners went with me up around Sardine Peak. All seven of the boys dropped me multiple times on the trail. While it is not usual for our fast varsity runners to drop me, we have never had seven do it so consistently, haha. Of course, part of this is me getting old and not sleeping very well, but the BIGGEST part is that all seven of these young men have been extremely consistent this summer, and their progress is really evident. This may not be our fastest boys varsity team ever, especially since we have a number of younger runners, but we have a strong group who are very dedicated to the sport and to each other. It makes me very, very happy.
During the run, I recognized two individuals who have been particularly consistent and team oriented, and who, as a result, were appointed captains — Addison Waite (Sr.) and Mason Smith (Sr.). They have acted like captains all summer and have shown they’re ready for the responsibility of helping to lead the team. Congratulations, Addison and Mason!!
During the South Weber Days race, we had 25 of our runners compete in the race. Stephen Bentley (Sr.) took 1st overall in the men’s race and Evelyn Cook (So.) took 1st overall in the women’s race. Our other runners placed high in the field. But most importantly, we had a great showing as a team. We came out and ran in our uniforms, and people noticed. Thank you to everyone who came out and raced, AND ESPECIALLY to all of the parents who supported our athletes!
II. News & Announcements
We have a TON of news and announcements this week, as it marks the official start of our season. Let’s get into it!
A. Parent Meeting
We will be conveying most of the information about the season via these posts and GroupMe. However, we will be hosting a short parent meeting during the pasta dinner
B. Register My Athlete, Uniforms, and Fees
Here is the updated status of Register My Athlete and team fees. Remember, IN ORDER TO COMPETE IN RACES, RMA must be completed and team fees PAID.
C. Practice Times
We will continue to practice in the morning for the rest of this week. Next week, however, we will be practicing after school. This year we are trying something different — instead of starting practice right after school, practice will begin at 3:15 PM. The reason for this is to allow freshmen from North Layton and Sunset time to arrive after their school gets out.
I am sensitive to the fact that this will have kids getting home later. It’s not a decision we have taken lightly. Layton High has done this for the past year with success. We encourage the athletes to change and head to Coach Hutchinson’s room after school, where they will be able to have 45 minutes to work on homework before we start practice. It will also allow us to run practice more efficiently and not have to do workouts twice (once for high school athletes and once for junior high athletes when they arrive).
I know this is a change, but I think it will be one for the better. We will do our best to get kids home at a reasonable time, and encourage them to use the time productively.
D. Pasta Dinners
With meets starting up this week, so will our team past dinners!! Coach Hazard has put together a signup sheet for pasta dinners. They are generally the night before a meet, BUT this year, we’re trying something new. A handful of the dinners will be the evening OF a meet (so, we’ll meet for dinner the night of the meet, after it has already concluded).
This is something Maple Mountain High School did last year with success. The athletes appreciated some variety, and it gave athletes a chance to meet together periodically AFTER a race to talk and encourage each other. I think it can be especially good for athletes who may have struggled in their race, rather than isolating, to have a fun dinner in an encouraging team atmosphere.
In any event, we’re going to try it! The schedule circulated by Coach Hazard will have the dates for all the pasta dinners. The first one will be pre-race (tomorrow, Monday, August 11 @ 6:00 PM), and will be hosted by the coaches at Oak Forest Park. After that, we’ll rely on parent signups (as we always have), and appreciate your support! I know the first one (this coming Saturday, August 16) is short notice!!
I encourage 2-3 parents to sign up for each pasta dinner to spread the cost and workload. You can decide the location of each dinner (at one or your homes or at a park) and the start time. We will provide an estimated count for meal planning. Just notify us of the location and start time a couple days in advance so we can convey the information to the athletes. THANK YOU!
AND I WANT TO EMPHASIZE: Those athletes going to 8th grade and under who have been running with us during the summer are, as far as I’m concerned, part of the team, and ARE WELCOME AT ALL OUR PASTA DINNERS.
E. Meets & Transportation
Our meet schedule is now final.
This week we have two meets: (i) our Pre-Region Meet (located at the Weber County Fairgrounds), and (ii) the Freber Classic Invitational (located at Fremont High School).
Almost all of our meets this year will be hosted on the SportTrax platform. Parents and athletes should both download the SportTrax app if you haven’t already done so. The app will have all the information about the meet, including the race schedule, course map (if available), results, and any additional information the race director wants participants/spectators to know. Once you have the app installed, you can follow your athlete and other athletes from our team, and their results will be automatically delivered to their app as soon as they are available (which is usually almost in real time).
Here are the SportTrax links for this week’s meets:
Both meets start early, with the first race at 8:00 AM!! That means we want to be there around 7:00 AM. The team will be riding a bus to both of these meets. The bus will leave at 6:30 AM from Northridge High School. I want all athletes on the bus by 6:25!!
F. Expected Conduct at Meets
Last year (and this is reflection of my inexperience as a coach), I felt that our team conduct at meets left quite a bit to be desired. I’m not speaking of sportsmanship…but I felt that we were fragmented and not as together and supportive as I hope our team would be. Again, I feel that this is a reflection of inconsistent messaging and uncommunicated expectations on my part. So, I’m trying to do better this year.
Here is what I expect from our athletes at meets:
- When we are taking a bus to meets, we expect athletes to ride the bus to the meet. We will make exceptions in extraordinary circumstances, but we want our team to be together on the bus and to arrive as a group.
- We expect all athletes to contribute in helping to haul and set up the tent, tables, water jug, and other team gear. Last year that was often left to 1-2 willing athletes for the entire season, which is simply unacceptable.
- We expect all athletes to cheer on their teammates while they are racing. That means that warmups and cooldowns should generally be run along the course (so that they can encourage runners as they go by), and those athletes who are not warming up or cooling down should be on the course cheering.
- Coaches will coordinate to have at least two coaches to be at the starting line and finish line of each race, with the others cheering along the course or responding to athlete needs as necessary. Each athlete is expected to check in with a coach at the finish line. If the athlete is distraught about the race, conversation about the race can wait until later.
- All athletes are expected to stay for ALL RACES and AWARDS ceremonies (if we have athletes who have won awards). After the meet is completed (this may be before or after official awards), we will meet back at the tent as a team, where we will recognize athletes for awards and effort.
- We expect all athletes to help take down and load equipment onto the bus or into vehicles (for races where we didn’t have a bus) before leaving. Many hands makes light work here. If it’s left to coaches, it can take an hour.
This is what a good team does for each other. We will consider some exceptions in extraordinary circumstances. But to be clear, we expect athletes to manage their schedules to meet these expectations. We know it is not always easy, but that is a life skill that we all need to develop and maintain. I recognize that it may, at times, involve individual sacrifices for the benefit of the team…but that is what makes teams that are not only great, but great to be a part of.
Thank you for your support in this!!
G. Fundraiser
Our fundraiser is winding down. Please, please encourage your athletes to sell at least something. We have a minimum number of orders that we need to fill. As Coach Hazard mentioned earlier today, the amount raised will be matched by my company. Last year, with the match, we raised almost $5,000…which is a huge benefit to our team! I’d love to outdo that this year. Send any questions RE the fundraiser to Coach Hazard or Coach Hutchinson.
III. Weekly Training
The training and racing schedule for this week is shown in the table below, with the detailed training information found in the linked PDF.
| Date | Location | Time | Type of Training Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 11, 2025 | Northridge High School | 7:00 AM | Pre-Race |
| Tuesday, August 12, 2025 | Weber County Fairgrounds | Meet at 6:15 AM @ NHS to catch the bus | Race Day! (Pre-Region) |
| Wednesday, August 13, 2025 | Weber River Trail | 7:00 AM | Recovery Day |
| Thursday, August 14, 2025 | Northridge High School | 7:00 AM | Light workout + weights |
| Friday, August 15, 2025 | Northridge High School | 7:00 AM | Pre-Race |
| Saturday, August 16, 2025 | Fremont High School | Meet at 6:15 AM @ NHS to catch the bus | Race Day! (Freber Classic) |
| Sunday, August 17, 2025 | N/A | N/A | Rest |
IV. Other/Points of Emphasis
No video today! It’s hard enough just to get this out. Thank you for your patience!