PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
- Students must be good academic standing (see page 14 of the Hale Student Handbook - LINK)
- Online registration must be completed - LINK
- An up-to-date physical must be on file with the nurse's office. The physical must have been conducted within the past 13 months, and needs to be replaced with a newer physical if the 13-month period expires mid-season. I will give you advance notice if this will affect your athlete.
- An athletic user fee of $55 must be paid before the first meet. This can be paid through the district's online payment center (LINK), or via cash or check. Please make all checks out to Hale Middle School, and submit any physical payments to the main office.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Practices will be held three days a week this year: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. This is due to my class schedule, and I am unfortunately without an assistant coach this season. In an effort to make up for the lost day, practices will run 15 minutes longer than last year, ending at 3:45pm. Please let me know if this doesn't work for your schedule, so we can arrange a compromise.
I will be posting workouts for Tuesday & Thursday on this page - for the most part, they will be easy jogs, but I may assign a harder day if I think we need the extra work.
- Meets are our competitions - a link to the schedule is on the left of this page. Home meets are held at Hale, starting and finishing on the field behind the school. I will provide an address for our away meets a few days before. The school will provide bus transportation to and from our away meets, but you are welcome to arrange your own transportation. I will send out more details when our first meet gets closer.
- We will be participating in the state Middle School Championship again this year. That will be held on Saturday, November 5 at Willard Field in Devens - mark your calendars now! Participation in this meet is optional, but everyone who wishes to enter can run that day, and I think it's a really cool event. There is a link on the left with more information, but please feel free to e-mail me with any questions.
- Prepare to go outside - I like to practice outdoors every day, rain or shine. If bad weather cancels a scheduled meet, it is very likely we will be having practice. Keep an eye on your e-mail for updates should the weather look threatening.
- From the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Handbook, the governing body of all state interscholastic athletics:
Bona Fide Team Members - "A bona fide member of the school team is a student who is consistently present for, and actively participates in, all team sessions (e.g. practices, tryouts, competitions). Bona fide members of a school team are precluded from missing a practice or competition in order to participate in a non-school athletic activity/event in any sport recognized by the MIAA."This means that the school team comes before any town or club teams you may belong to. If you have any questions about recognized sports or the Bona Fide Team Member Rule, please don't hesitate to contact myself or the district athletic director, Tania Rich (trich@nrsd.net).
PRESEASON PREPARATION
To prepare for the upcoming season, I'd recommend starting to run; get out for an easy jog a few days a week until practices begin. Try to limit your distance - if you're new to distance running or dreadfully out of shape, try to work your way up to a mile without stopping; if you've been on the team before or are in great shape, try to get up to a 1.5 miles. These runs are more about distance than speed - I want you to be able to complete the run at a pace where you can maintain a conversation without stopping to take breaths.
Make sure you have a good pair of shoes - if your current pair is getting worn out, I'd recommend getting a new pair. Additionally, make sure you're prepared for the weather - we will be practicing into late October / early November, and as I mentioned above, I'd prefer to practice outside.
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I'm sure I've missed something important, so please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail. I'm happy to answer any and all questions - blangelo@nrsd.net.
Looking forward to another awesome season!
- Coach Ben
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