Elementary Track and Field

Coaches: Graeme Fell, Byron Jack

This age group encourages athletes to try all event areas both in practices and competitions. Early season includes sprint training, introductory plyometrics, circuits and agility activities with a emphasis on fitness but fun. Starting in December, after the completion of the cross-country season, athletes are offered four training sessions a week. Practice time is 1 1/2 hours in duration. Competitions run from March through to July and are offered throughout the Lower Mainland and around BC. While athletes are encourage to compete, this is done while taking into consideration their physical and emotional maturity.

Graeme's Elementary Group

Email: graeme@thunderbirdstrack.org

From Mid- November onwards, following the completion of the Cross-Country season, we will be offering 4 practice days. Each practice will include some sprint, aerobic and general fitness components and will gradually focus on more event specific skills. Athletes are encouraged to attend all of the practices so that they can develop good, all around skills and fitness. The practice schedule is as follows:

Monday: 6pm at Lord Byng

Wednesday: 6pm at Lord Byng

Thursday: 4:30pm at Point Grey

Saturday: 10am at Saint Georges

Please make sure that you come dressed for both inside and outside training, as, weather permitting, we will head outside as often as possible for warm-ups, hills and warm-downs.

From Mid--March onwards practice times are still to be determined but will likey be similar to last year:

Monday: 4:30pm at Point Grey – Long Jump + Hurdling

Wednesday: 4:30pm at Saint Georges – Javelin + sprints/conditioning

Thursday: 4:30pm at Saint Georges – High Jump + Shot/Discus

Saturday: 10am at Saint Georges or Competition (Note: there will be no workout on a competition day)

Meet Schedule:

The focus for the Elementary/JD Program is to gradually introduce athletes to competition.  There will be two low key Intra-Club Meets held to introduce the athletes to competition.  The competition season for clubs overlaps that for schools; the school season ending in late May, the club season ending in late July; the major meets being the BC JD Pentathlon Championships and JD Championships. (see details below for sample from last year)

The focus for the athletes all meets should be on enjoying the experience and learning how to do their best in a variety of events and challenging themselves to improve their own marks. We will be encouraging the athletes to pursue Provincial Crests that can be earned by establishing marks in a variety of events. We will be providing the following opportunities for the athletes to compete. Those in bold will be meets that Thunderbird Coaches will attend. On these days no practice will be held. The other, non-bold, meets are opportunities that exist but not ones the club is focussed on (coaches will not be at these meets).

Emails inviting athletes to sign-up for meets will be sent out and entries for all meets must be done through the club meet registrar Mrs Lo at:  run-mlo-run@shaw.ca

The following is last year's schedule. This year's will likley be similar.