Practices start Wednesday, March 15th  and will be held Monday through Thursday after school. All regular practices will begin at 4:00 p.m. and finish by 5:15 p.m. In order to maximize our practice time on these days, it is important that you report to 6th-grade multipurpose room or Field, dressed and ready to begin at our designated start time. Students will be able to use the PE locker room to change, although lockers WILL NOT be given out. Practice will be held regardless of the weather, so come prepared for all elements!

Regular attendance is mandatory for all athletes. You may be excused from practice if you need to be absent because of illness, religious, or academic commitment. All other absences will be considered unexcused. If you attend school, you attend practice! If you have to go home after school because of an illness you need to communicate that with Ms. Houser (6th) or Mr. Williams (7th) or else it is considered an unexcused absence. Do not have a friend tell coach for you.  Communication is crucial!

• 1st Offense: Athlete will be suspended for 1 meet.
• 2nd Offense: Athlete will be dismissed from the team.

All injuries which occur while participating in track should be reported to your event coach, coach Williams, and coach Houser. During the course of the injury, ATTENDANCE AT TRACK PRACTICE IS STILL MANDATORY. It is important that during the course of your injury you remain an active member of the team and support/participate in any way possible. Expect practice to be hard. You will be sore the first few weeks, but that is not an injury and not a reason to miss practice!

The selection of athletes into events/relay teams will be determined by performance, attitude, attendance, and team participation at meets. You will demonstrate your commitment to your team by giving 100% at practices and meets, and by supporting the team with a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, experimenting with new events, and cheering on your teammates. Everyone will participate in the meets! An important component of your commitment to your team is to stay at all track meets until the entire meet is over. Students who leave the meet early without a valid excuse in the form of a parent note given prior to the meet will be subject to the same offense as skipping a practice. 

All CMS dress code rules apply to track practice as well. Please keep in mind all stipulations in the dress code about tights/leggings, biker shorts, tank tops, and muscle shirts. Student-athletes are expected to come properly dressed for each practice and meet.  For practice, this includes running/athletic shorts, t-shirt, and athletic shoes. For shoes, make sure they are a good, solid pair of athletic shoes.  While it is not expected that athletes buy new shoes or track specific shoes, they should be wearing shoes that offer plenty of support and comfort to help increase performance and decrease the chances of injury.  For meets, athletes should come prepared with their team uniform, athletic shoes, and warm-up clothes, such as sweatshirts, jackets, and sweatpants.  As stated earlier, athletes should be prepared for all weather elements.  

Student-athletes are expected to do all CMS workouts with a high degree of effort and a positive attitude. All workouts are designed by our coaches to enhance overall athletic ability and maximize our performance as a team. It is unacceptable to not give maximum effort in all activities or to complain about the activities required. Student-athletes that consistently demonstrate poor effort or a negative attitude during practices will be subject to the following discipline policy:

• 1st Offense: Warning
• 2nd Offense: Athlete will be suspended for 1 meet and a meeting will be set up with parents and coaches. 
• 3rd Offense: Athlete will be dismissed from the team.

We understand that other sports are available for students to participate in during the spring season. We do not require that athletes only participate in track during our season, however, we do expect clear communication about any other sports that you’re practicing during the season, and we do expect that CMS Track will be your first priority.  Any meets or practices that are entirely missed will be treated the same as an unexcused absence and subject to our attendance policy. If there are scheduling conflicts that could require you to miss a portion of practices or meets, we need you to communicate that with us at least a week in advance. Repeated absences without communication will lead to dismissal from the team. 

There will be grade and behavior checks throughout the season.  To remain eligible you must uphold the CMS standard of having at least a D- in 7 out of 8 classes. School comes first. Track athletes will also serve as model students in terms of classroom behavior. It is expected that all athletes will represent themselves appropriately in class.  Disrespectful behavior directed towards teachers or peers will result in losing participation in meets and possible removal from the team.