Legacy School
What is USATF and AAU?
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field and cross country running. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. The cost of an AAU membership is $14 in order to enter into meets you must be registered with Legacy Runners Athletic Club. Be sure to use our club code club code (7TT374N2). If you haven’t already, please register with AAU today!
How Will Coaches Communicate With Me?
If you do not have the group me app please download the app (it’s free). General questions about questions about uniform orders, payments, or meet information please contact Joi Johnson at Info@Legacyrunnersac.com.
Running Shoes and Clothing
It is recommended to go to a store that deals primarily with running footwear. These stores typically have experienced runners as sales persons who can help you choose the right shoe with the right fit for your athlete. If you need a list of stores that deal with this type of footwear, please contact one of the coaches. It is not necessary to purchase special running apparel for practice. Loose fitting t-shirts and shorts are adequate for daily training, and your athlete will be issued a team shirt, jersey and shorts for meets.
What Events Can my Child Participate In?
There are 5 individual races, 3 relays and 4 field events at the youth level of competition. The order of events is as follows:
- Field events: Long Jump, Standing Long jump, High jump, Shot Put.
- 100m Dash
- 200m Dash
- 400m Dash
- 800m Dash
- 1500/3000m Race Walk
- 100/110m Hurdles
- 200/400m Hurdles
- 4x100m Relay
- 4x400m Relay
How Can You help?
You may have wondered what to expect and how you can assist as a parent in terms of recovery, eating, sleeping, and mental attitude. A normal consequence of beginning to train is muscle soreness, which will soon go away. If your son or daughter has not competed in sports before, this may persist up to 2 weeks. They should communicate this to us so we can adjust their training. Any athlete engaged in intensive training and competition can be subject to injury. We can prevent most injuries when our runners tell us about their aches and pains before they become disabling, so we can have then treated by one of our coaches.
Practice Days and Times
Legacy Runners Elite TC will hold full track and field practice days on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. At Legacy we believe in practice. We believe every athlete needs to practice and the goal is for all member to attend as much of our practice as they can. We asked that if you can not make practice please let your event coach know as soon as you can.
Nutrition
A nutritious, well balanced diet is essential for an athlete. Especially on race days, fatty and fried foods, and carbonated or acidic drinks should be avoided. Small portions of easily digested food eaten at least 3 hours before competition are best, but water intake should never be limited. Most athletes feel best when they race a little hungry. You should see your runners gradually starting to eat more carbohydrates. Fruits such as bananas, kiwi, and grapefruit are great snacks to prevent muscle cramps after practice.
Preparing to Watch Your First Track Meet
Parents are responsible for travel to and from the meets. Please not there may be an additional entry fee. When you arrive at the meet, locate the Legacy Runners team camp, check your runner in, and verify what events you’re entered.
Each event will have a coach assigned to the event to coordinate warm up, getting to the start etc. This can be very hectic for our coaches with so much going on at one time. Please help by keeping an eye on the event schedule, when your runner’s race is approaching, and ensuring they check up with the assigned coach.
Event will have many heats and are mostly run by age. For most meets, this all gets coordinated at the start so it’s critical for a smooth flow of the meet that our runners are at the staging area for their event and stay there until their heat is to run.
As the event approaches, please do not expect the full attention of your son or daughter once we get to the meet. The athletes need time to warm up, be briefed by their coaches, and prepare for the race with their teammates. Many parents are initially surprised at the seriousness their son and daughter shows prior to and during a race. The intensity of competition may reveal a side of your young athlete’s personality you haven’t seen before.
During the race, you can move from point to point around the track to cheer the runners as they pass. Be careful, however, to stay off the track and out of their way. Rules also forbid running alongside a competitor to pace or encourage him or her. At the finish of the race, the runners will stay in place at the finish until their time is recorded and the official releases them.
Expect the possibility of some disappointment by your athlete after the race if his or her team did not win, and/or if he or she failed to achieve all goals. Athletes may need some emotional space afterward from both you and their coaches. Later on, they will need verbal support. Also, we ask that our runners not leave right away after their race is over, unless they have a pressing commitment. We often have information to provide afterwards and again, we want everyone to stay and support their teammates.
Parent Involvement
Without parent support, Legacy Runners could not do all the things that needs to be done each season.
Parental support is an important contribution to having a successful season!