Serious answer...Competitive HS track programs are large and diverse. To attract and maintain the largest possible roster, with the best athletes, you should do everything you can to make it as easy as possible for the athletes.
Moving practice to 5:30pm may be allowed, but it will almost certainly result in the loss of a few athletes (and potential championship points).
Most posts here are not serious, mostly ridiculous, definitely troll bait. I rarely answer directly to posters like this per say but usually to those dumb enough to consider the post and most of the responses that follow.
This response is correct for those non-teachers that want to coach hs kids. Anything other than 15-20min after the last bell is just telling them your sport isn't that important. The kids know how to get a late pass from a teacher they are getting help from. IF you start later, you are just telling the FB coach and anyone directing traffic in the bb gym that you aren't serious and they'll make sure the kids know they shouldn't waste their time on track. If you aren't willing to respect the sport or the kids time, don't expect a very good turnout. You'll definitely get what you give. Don't settle for the scraps either if you do get there after school. Go after the best athletes too that think they just want to lift weights for fb or play league bb. You wont get them all but the ones you get will help.
This is of course you are trying to be competitive. If not, don't bother. One thing is for sure, it's a constant game of winning hearts and minds of the kids, parents, co-coaches, other adults who want more of the kids time and to heck with you etc... Your AD will either help or hinder that process as well. I'd suggest working for a great mentor for awhile if you can until you're ready. Not always possible but it speeds up the learning process. Nothing wrong with being an assistant until then. Head coach title isn't what most people think. They usually dont have a clue what it takes to make a program successful and sustainable. Details......
This is one of the dumbest generalizations I have seen on here. I have a friend who coaches one of the top distance programs in his state. He teaches at another school and can't start practice until 45 minutes after school ends. He regularly has one of the biggest rosters in the area and, as I said, is one of the most successful distance programs. The kids love him and love his passion for the sport.
Seems like you don't really want to bemd in order to help your athletes. And still unclear if you are head coach of entire track team, just distance, and XC head coach. Your XC description males no sense.
OP: I guess I'm in the minority of opinion here, but I absolutely think you can practice at times others than right after school...will it hurt your numbers some....maybe. At the same time it will also weed out the kids that aren't serious about it/and or the parents just want a baby sitter for 2 more hours after school.
In the deep south there is no way you are hosting adequate practices for several months of the year if you are hosting at 3:00-5:00.....it's just too damn hot and humid. Successful programs can make practices whenever they want/within reason.
Belen Jesuit hosts practice as late at 9:00PM (atleast that's what I've been told) kids and parents will find/make a way if the program is good and they want success. That is my two cents worth.
Most posts here are not serious, mostly ridiculous, definitely troll bait. I rarely answer directly to posters like this per say but usually to those dumb enough to consider the post and most of the responses that follow.
This response is correct for those non-teachers that want to coach hs kids. Anything other than 15-20min after the last bell is just telling them your sport isn't that important. The kids know how to get a late pass from a teacher they are getting help from. IF you start later, you are just telling the FB coach and anyone directing traffic in the bb gym that you aren't serious and they'll make sure the kids know they shouldn't waste their time on track. If you aren't willing to respect the sport or the kids time, don't expect a very good turnout. You'll definitely get what you give. Don't settle for the scraps either if you do get there after school. Go after the best athletes too that think they just want to lift weights for fb or play league bb. You wont get them all but the ones you get will help.
This is of course you are trying to be competitive. If not, don't bother. One thing is for sure, it's a constant game of winning hearts and minds of the kids, parents, co-coaches, other adults who want more of the kids time and to heck with you etc... Your AD will either help or hinder that process as well. I'd suggest working for a great mentor for awhile if you can until you're ready. Not always possible but it speeds up the learning process. Nothing wrong with being an assistant until then. Head coach title isn't what most people think. They usually dont have a clue what it takes to make a program successful and sustainable. Details......
This is one of the dumbest generalizations I have seen on here. I have a friend who coaches one of the top distance programs in his state. He teaches at another school and can't start practice until 45 minutes after school ends. He regularly has one of the biggest rosters in the area and, as I said, is one of the most successful distance programs. The kids love him and love his passion for the sport.
45 minutes is quite different than 2.5 hours after school though.
Despite what the pretend college coach says, there actually are time restrictions in college. Almost no coach is going to hold practice from 9-3 because nearly every student has classes then. There may be some rule like get all your classes in by 3 or after 5. There may be 6 am practice before class, but there aren't no time restrictions - maybe for football.
Despite what the pretend college coach says, there actually are time restrictions in college. Almost no coach is going to hold practice from 9-3 because nearly every student has classes then. There may be some rule like get all your classes in by 3 or after 5. There may be 6 am practice before class, but there aren't no time restrictions - maybe for football.
Coach dahl is correct and his post onky further proves that he is a decent dnd successful college coach.
Colleges and ncaa do not have time restrictions. However, they do have a earliest and latest day of the seasonal calendar that you are allowed to meet fir team practices.
I see lots of other sports practice at different times. Wrestling at 6am, swimming at 5am, hockey at 8pm, even football at night. I wonder if morning would be better. Let's kids do clubs and activities after school (yes showers can be an issue) but parents would love idea of kids being able to work or do other things after school. Some practice times are also impacted by weather (see Arizona, florida heat). It's hard having a non-coaching job and coach. You can't do it all. And I'm guessing you don't have kids because you don't have to home for dinner or bedtime routine.
I see lots of other sports practice at different times. Wrestling at 6am, swimming at 5am, hockey at 8pm, even football at night. I wonder if morning would be better. Let's kids do clubs and activities after school (yes showers can be an issue) but parents would love idea of kids being able to work or do other things after school. Some practice times are also impacted by weather (see Arizona, florida heat). It's hard having a non-coaching job and coach. You can't do it all. And I'm guessing you don't have kids because you don't have to home for dinner or bedtime routine.
what you're missing is they don't practice 5 days a week at the awkward time, usually more like twice, and it's usually after parental work and dinner. i used to do select soccer at 7 or 9 under lights, yeah. but by then i could go home from school on the bus, do some homework, get a meal, and my parents could shuttle me back and forth after work. so there is rest/homework/meal time in there.
you hold it at 5 after school and that's not the same.
Despite what the pretend college coach says, there actually are time restrictions in college. Almost no coach is going to hold practice from 9-3 because nearly every student has classes then. There may be some rule like get all your classes in by 3 or after 5. There may be 6 am practice before class, but there aren't no time restrictions - maybe for football.
i think there're daily and weekly caps on practice hours. i know for a fact d3 has them. i think the cap goes up for d1/d2. but i think the d3 limit was like 20 hours of practice soccer a week which would already be nuts. when our dude did 2-1/2 hour training i thought that was nuts and usually shut down effort at a point.
As others have pointed out, I think 3:30 is reasonable. A 5:00 start time is not reasonable at all. For me school got out at 3:00 and we started at 3:30, if we didn't start until 3:45 I don't think it would have been a big deal. If this were cross country, I'd say have them start at a normal time and have them do a 2 mile warm up at the beginning of every practice and you'll be there when that's over.
I honestly cannot believe the responses this post is getting. When I was in high school, track practice started at 5 because the coach had a job and could not get there earlier. There was a study hall after school so kids could hang around and get their homework done. It was inconvenient but not the end of the world.
My response: set the practice as early as you reasonably can. I don't think it needs to start at 3:30.
Last week I was informed that I am now the head coach for the high school I coach at. I’m very excited, but I wanted to seek input on one element because I’ve been going back & forth in my mind about it for awhile.
Track practice at this school has traditionally always started at 3:10 (half an hour after school ends), and on-paper I like it. The problem is, I work a full-time in-person job outside the school system. It’s pretty flexible but getting out of work early enough to arrive at the high school by 3:10 would still probably be a big reach.
So I’m curious if any other coaches on here start practice later (5:00-5:30 range) and the reactions they’ve gotten with that. I would prefer to keep it as it was because obviously it’s more convenient for the athletes and just how it’s been, but I do think a later practice would work okay. The cross country team, which I also work with, practices off-campus at 5:30 PM, in a park that’s about 20 minutes away from the school. It’s a smaller team, but it’s never been a problem for them. Plus I feel like this would be even simpler as most people naturally will live pretty close to the school as they’re zoned for it.
All in all, it sounds good, but I still think it might be problematic because people are used to the other way and some may feel like it’s (understandably) redundant to drive home from school and return two hours later for practice. I also dont know about the school’s rules on this, but I know football practices way early in the morning and other clubs practice later, so I’m guessing I’m fine on that front at least!
If you were already coaching there, and they always practised just after 3, when did you practise before you got promoted and when would you have practised if you were not promoted? How would his be a new problem? Also, you should know.how one negotiate training times so forgive me if your post sounds totally confused.
This is one of the dumbest generalizations I have seen on here. I have a friend who coaches one of the top distance programs in his state. He teaches at another school and can't start practice until 45 minutes after school ends. He regularly has one of the biggest rosters in the area and, as I said, is one of the most successful distance programs. The kids love him and love his passion for the sport.
45 minutes is quite different than 2.5 hours after school though.
If I had 45 empty minutes between class and practice, I’d spend it by smoking weed and banging chicks.
It’s been at around 3 o’clock at just about every HS, for many, many years. Parents aren’t going to put off dinner until 8:00, to accommodate a 5:30 practice time. Would your school even support such a late start?
Yes, it was always just after school that I've ever experience as a kid (and later as an assistant coach for a season). I recall at my high school (mid-'80s) it was actually earlier at around 2 pm because if you did any school sport, it started in 6th period with no academic classes taking place in that period at my public school. I remember going to the gym right after 5th period with no waiting around before practice.
Practice has always started at 3:10. Imagine a new teacher after being hired saying they can't teach classes until 10:00 AM. Parents have children in high school for exactly 4 years. They love when the family all returns home at 6 for dinner.
This is one of the dumbest generalizations I have seen on here. I have a friend who coaches one of the top distance programs in his state. He teaches at another school and can't start practice until 45 minutes after school ends. He regularly has one of the biggest rosters in the area and, as I said, is one of the most successful distance programs. The kids love him and love his passion for the sport.
45 minutes is quite different than 2.5 hours after school though.
Exactly I'm not completely certain when the op is saying he can be there is he saying late like 30 to 45 minutes or is he saying 5:00 is the earliest
30 to 45 minutes is just changing and drilling you don't need to be there for that