Relay 101

Sprint Relay Exchanges.

Hi All,

This is a system that Paul Wright shared with me 20 years ago and I have seen it be very successful year after year with the GRCI teams.  It is simple and you can have teams making very good passes in the first practice.

Feel free to use the system and if you have any feedback for me please shoot me an email.

The meets begin this week at JHSS!  Looking forward to a great season for the GRCI crew.  It is the biggest team we have had in my 22 years at GRCI.  GO Rens GO!!

Cheers,

Coach G

What lies ahead??

Hi Everyone,

I have not posted much over the last few years for a variety of reasons.  My focus in life has shifted away from optimal strength and performance training  to a more holistic view of optimal living and vitality.  Happy and healthy to the age 100 is something that has always been a  dream of mine.    I was very fortunate to find several new and exciting concepts, products and people in the last year that I will be sharing in a 2018 summary post over the next little while.

Check them out if they are interest to you.

Cheers and all the best in 2019!!

Coach G

Power Fit – 2014

Here are the clips for the GPP – General Physical Preparation as well as the stretching and mobility circuits for the start of the year.

The other staple of many of the programs is the Matrix.

Have a great workout!

Cheers, G

Let Kids Play Many Sports

Hi All,

A friend of mine sent me this link a few days ago and I wanted to add some of my own experience to the mix as well.  In my 30+ years of coaching and teaching I have seen a trend for earlier and earlier specialization.  Children 8, 9, 10 years of age are being labelled as the next phenom in a certain sport.  That label can be a recipe for a very short career and also limit the level to which the child can develop.

The best thing for kids growing up is to play many sports and to be involved in as many activities as they are comfortable doing.  There is a former athlete of mine who is now in the NHL and he played Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton and competed in track and field until he was 16.  By the way he competed at the highest level in ALL of those sports.  He also played some lacrosse in the summer.  I am not advocating that every athlete needs to be as busy as this athlete was, I am pointing out that this diversity allowed him to develop more athleticism that helped to make him a better hockey player when he decided to specialize.

Mike Boyle, who is the strength coach for the Boston Red Sox, has talked about getting athletes to play many sports for years.  Now this orthopaedic surgeon is confirming what many coaches have talked about for years.

http://www.cleveland.com/dman/index.ssf/2013/02/noted_surgeon_dr_james_andrews.html

Cheers,

Coach G

 

Track & Field – Real social networking

Hi All,

I saw this video today and it inspired me to share it with you and to comment on some of the many reasons why I love track and field.  At meets it is a great time to reconnect with people I have not seen since the last season and it is a great opportunity to meet new people.  I am always amazed at how helpful the track and field community is as well with the coaching of athletes from other schools as well as the sharing of equipment to help an athlete have a better experience.  I also enjoy seeing the students from GRCI making friends with athletes and coaches from other schools as they go about competing and networking as the meet goes on.

It feels less competitive and more cooperative than other sports with which I have been involved.  There is a real sense to me in the Region that people really want to see Track & Field excel regardless of who gets the credit.  One of may favourite parts of the high school season are the debriefing sessions that I am part of with Gary Wilson, Jeff Anderson and Scott Curtis after the meets where we discuss what went well, what didn’t and what we can do to make it better.  The progress that has been made for T&F in the Region has been greatly influenced by these sessions where notes are sometimes taken on an old file folder or scrap piece of paper.  The synergy that we share it a true social networking that helps to make the experience better for the talented student athletes that we have in the area.  Scary to think that amongst the four of us in the timing hut that there is over 160 years of T&F experience.

This is just one aspect of the social networking that takes place during the track and field season that I really enjoy.  I love the face to face discussions that take place throughout the day.  I could branch off into talking about the WCSSAA/D8 committee but I will hold off for now as I am out of gas for now.

Enjoy your true social networking and best of luck during the rest of the season!!

Cheers,

Coach G

Track and Field – Meet Preparation

Hi All,

As the first Maxi meet approaches I am reposting an article that I created for my first web site 6 years ago so here is the latest version.

Cheers,

Coach G

Mr Galasso’s Guide to Successful track and field performance.

This is the start of the guide.  Please pass on to me (Mr. G) any wisdom that you think can be added to the list.

•Please thank the officials for running their events.  The meets would not happen without their efforts.

•Before you go to bed make sure that you have packed all of the things that you need for the next day! This is your clothing, food, chair, umbrella.

Meet Prep

•Make sure you know your schedule for the day.  Be prepared for any type of weather:  hot, cold, wet, dry, sunny cloudy, snowy etc.  Some suggestions for clothing – wind breaker, wool hat, mitts, winter coat, wind pants, rain gear, extra socks & T-Shirts, fleece top, tent, plastic garbage bag, umbrella – good in the sun and rain

•Check the link for the weather to see what the weather may be like for the meet

• Water & food – fruits and veggies and lighter snacks are better.  Do not rely on the people running the meet to feed you.  The concession stands rarely offer healthy food.

•Drink a lot of water throughout the day (stay away from sweetened water drinks – they dehydrate you more than they help.)

• Get to the meet well ahead of when you compete.  1 to 1.5 hours ahead of time minimum.  Meets can run ahead of schedule.

• Get your number from the coach for Track Wars, WCSSAA and beyond – numbers are not needed for Maxi meets.

Numbers are always stored in the med kit in the team tent.

• Bring some extra safety pins to secure your number.  There may not be enough supplied by the meet director

• Check out the event sites where you compete.  Make sure that they are safe and look for any areas to avoid.  ie.  a long jump board that sticks up above the runway on one side.

• Warm up well, even on a warm day. (30 to 60 minutes)

• Check in to your event well ahead of time. Find out where you are in the competitive order for field events.  On the track get your heat and lane assignments.  Check in for field events is usually at the event site.  Track is often at an announced marshalling area.

 

ALL Athletes

•Make sure you have your complete uniform before you leave your home.  This includes your singlet, spikes, shorts, running shoes and all the rest of your gear for all types of weather.  Remember that we live in Canada!!!

Runners – listen to the starter to see if he or she has a pattern that they follow.  Do they fire the gun really quickly or do they make you wait in the set position.  This can help you to prepare for a good start.  React compared to guessing.

•Track events always take priority over field events so if you need to be in 2 places at once make sure that the officials at both events know that you are moving back and forth.  If you see from the schedule that you may find yourself in this situation please see one of the coaches to get the details on how to handle this situation.

Double knots in your laces are a great idea!  You want to make sure that your shoes stay tight for the entire competition!!!

Field Event people – find out where you are in the order so that you can stretch and do a stride before your next trial.  This is usually done 5 or 6 athletes ahead of you in the competition.

Throwers – make sure that you have had your implements weighed so that you can use them in the competition.  WCSSAA and beyond.

•make sure you have a measured approach for Javelin.

• Bring a couple of pairs of gloves to keep your hands warm and dry.

• make sure that you take the implements first from GRCI then off of the bus or van when you get to the meet and gather them up and return them to the school at the end of the meet.

Jumpers – make sure you have a measured approach.

•Have a couple of things you can use to keep your mark. (Tape, chalk, a tack or a piece of wood with a nail in it.)  A shoe can be easily kicked or moved.

•Make sure the landing area is safe

•Pay attention to the strength and direction of the wind as you practice your approach so that you can compare it to when you are competing and be able to adjust your approach accordingly.

• Put your sweats back on between trials and have a seat.

• Sit close enough to the officials so that you can hear the names being called.

•Bring a collapsible chair and umbrella.  They are very handy to have.

•All athletes cool down after you have competed

•#1 PRIORITY IS HAVING FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!