Track & Field

Lange Track & Field 2023 

Practice Expectations

In order to attend practice, you must have a current physical AND proof of insurance on file. Forms are available in the main office. Please drop off completed forms in the main office to our ECA Secretary, Kate Forward, or email it to her at KForward@cpsk12.org. 

The first practice will take place on Monday February 28th for 8th grade and Tuesday March 1st we'll add 7th grade. We are calling the first week of practices a “Taste of Track” so that students can test out various running and field events to see what interests them and coaches can see where they may best fit. After that, students will be placed into smaller groups to practice with specific coaches. 

Practices will take place Monday-Friday from 2:45-4:30 PM. Students will be given time to change into practice attire if needed. 

There will also be some optional, but strongly encouraged Saturday workshops. 

Students may need the additional Saturday practices in order to have their 14 practices before the first meet.

Warm Weather Practice Gear: Shorts, t-shirt/ tank, socks, running shoes

Cold Weather Practice Gear: Wear sweatpants/ sweatshirt, gloves/ hat, coat

*Note: If it is going to be over 32 degrees, expect to go outside.*

All students should bring a refillable water bottle to practice, as water fountains will only be available for filling up, not drinking out of. Students should also get in the habit of carrying this with them at school and drinking throughout the day to stay hydrated for practice.

COVID Guidelines 

• Temperature checks at the start of each practice and meet for coaches and athletes
• No water provided, athletes must bring their own
• Athletes will be in stable groups

TEAM PICTURES 

Team pictures will take place in March/April. Date TBD. Students will get their uniforms on this date as well. Information on purchasing individual and team pictures will be provided closer to the date.

UNIFORMS

Uniforms and warm-up gear will be passed out on the day of the pictures and from this point, the athlete will be responsible for washing and keeping track of their own uniform throughout the season. Athletes can also purchase their own warm-ups and personalize them. More details to come on this.  

Uniforms = $75 if lost; Warm-Ups = $60 if lost. 

TEAM MEALS & SNACKS

For each meet, we will provide student athletes with a sack meal consisting of, typically, a sandwich, granola bars, fruit, chips, Gatorade and water. Students are welcome to bring their own meals and at some meets, food may be available for purchase. 

If you are able, you may help out by providing one of the two options listed below:

• Option #1: Donate $10-20 through cash or check (made out to Columbia Public Schools) or donate gift cards to local grocery stores, such as HyVee or Walmart.
• Option #2: Donate individually packaged food or beverage items to the team. Please bring in donations to the main office by the morning of the meet. A sign-up form will be sent out once the season begins.

Students will be added to the Schoology Group, ‘Lange Track & Field 2021’ to receive updates and more in-depth communication about meet events, 

Remind App will send short messages, such as rain delay, to athletes and families. Send a text to 81010 with the message @coachlazec to sign up.

Weekly emails, as well as meet information, will be sent to students and parents. This is the best way to communicate with Coach Lazechko.

Track & Field Team Policies

Please review the information below with your student athlete before signing the Track Team Policy Form.

Academics

• School is your top priority and track comes second. 

• • • Success in the classroom and positive behavior must happen in order to be part of Lange Track & Field.
    • We encourage athletes to have their schoolwork finished before meets.

• We strongly encourage athletes with difficulties in the classroom to get extra help from their teachers and talk to their coaches (we’re teachers too!).

• • • Ask for help before school, during lunch, Academic Lab or Zoom during Office Hours on Wednesdays.
    • Teachers may also provide after-school tutoring. Students will be excused from practice to attend this, but should let Coach Lazechko know in advance.

• Academic grades will be checked on a weekly basis by coaches.
  • Stay up to date on your grades via Home Access.
  • After a week, if a student has not improved any Fs, they may not be able to participate in an upcoming meet.
     

• Students with one F/ IE in a core class or two F’s/ IE’s in a non-core class from the previous report card (1/19) will be ineligible to compete.

• • Report cards for the third quarter may also affect eligibility. Teachers have to input grades by the morning of Tuesday, April 6th. 

Attitude and Conduct

• Student athletes are expected to be leaders in the classroom.
  • All classroom conduct issues will be handled on an individual case by case basis. We want to give students opportunities to improve and learn from their mistakes. 
  • If classroom behavior is consistently disruptive or off-task, students will lose opportunities to compete in relays and meets.
  • Behaviors that lead to conduct referrals resulting in ISS/ OSS will result in loss of competition time. Additional conduct referrals resulting in ISS/ OSS will result in missing opportunities to compete in meets and/ or may be asked to leave the team. Ultimately, the administrative team has the final say on athlete eligibility.
• Be a great teammate. Please be kind and encouraging to all members of the team. At the end of the day, we are a team and need to work together, not against each other.
• Be coachable. Trust also that your coaches have your best interest at heart. Disrespect, rude commentary, and complaining will not be tolerated.

Attendance Policy

• Compete hard at every practice and every meet.

• • However, in order to participate in the first meet, 14 practices are also needed (MSHSAA Rule).

• Athletes must contact Coach Lazechko via email or through the Remind App at least 30 minutes before practice if they will be absent. 

• • All athletes are expected to be at ALL practices unless they have been excused by Coach Lazechko.
  • If contact is not made, the practice will be considered unexcused and athletes may become ineligible to compete in the next meet.
  • If an athlete has more than four unexcused practices, they will be asked to leave the team.

• Athletes should change and be ready for practice by 3:00 PM. No loitering outside by the buses or in the halls will be tolerated.
• Practice will end at 4:15 PM and students need to take the activity bus home, walk or have a ride to pick them up. Coaches cannot leave until the last student athlete does, so please be on time.
• Athletes will be expected to participate in every meet they are eligible for. Please communicate early on with Coach Lazechko if you have a conflict with a track meet.

Parents & Family

• We highly encourage your support at our track meets - whatever that may look like this year. Good sportsmanship is expected of parents just as it is of our athletes.
• If you have concerns about your child, please feel free to contact Coach Lazechko via email, phone or set up a meeting. However, we will never talk about meet participation.
• Please do not approach any of the coaches following a track meet unless it is to say something positive. 
• We also do not want parents to coach from the stands.  Many times our athletes have a hard enough time following our directions, so it is best not to cause additional distractions by trying to coach them from the stands.  
• We know that your child’s wellbeing is the most important thing to you. However, please keep everything in perspective and keep in mind that our main goal is to teach the fundamentals of track and to instill values that will help your child be successful in school and in life. 
• We see your child perform every day in practice and have a good grasp on how he/she fits into the team chemistry. Our assessment of your child may be vastly different from what you see, think, and expect.

Meets

• Athletes and managers must present themselves as safe, respectful and responsible while representing Lange and the coaching staff at meets.  
• On meet days, we will have athletes wear their warm-ups and school issued uniform jersey and bottom. If athletes purchase any Lange track gear, they may also wear this over their uniform.
• Athletes are expected to know their events and report to them promptly.
• Athletes will be placed in events and on relay teams by the coaches.
• Athletes waiting for their events to be called should be supporting their teammates and preparing for their event.
• Medal meets are limited entry and all athletes will not be able to participate.

Meet Transportation

• Transportation to meets will be limited to one bus per student.
  • One kid per seat as long as we are in hybrid 
  • 26 athletes and 1 coach on bus
  • If we move to 4-day or 5-day in person (where all students come to school each day), then can have more than one kid per seat
• Parents/ guardians can, and are encouraged, to transport their own athletes to and from meets. 
• There will be no transportation provided back to LMS from in-town meets.
• If a meet is out of town, athletes will ride the bus home with the team unless a parent/guardian checks the athlete out with a coach. There will be a check-out binder at each meet.
• Please pick up your child at the appropriate time. The coaches cannot leave until every athlete has been picked up.   

Head Coach: Stephanie Tranmer

STranmer@cpsk12.org