CLASS-CHARACTER-COURAGE 

PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY OF KING TRACK AND FIELD 

In developing a philosophy for our track and field program at King High School that would best serve our athletes, our coaches and our community: I have been influenced by a great number of people. Probably the most familiar name to everyone in athletics is former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. His ideas and philosophies run very deep in my beliefs and my standards. My college track coach Ron Mann, of Northern Arizona University taught me how to coach the sport. The impact of my high school coaches, Alan Rhodes, Joe Palicki, and Bruce Gove has been immeasurable. My first Athletic Director at Arlington High,  Sam  Pecchia taught me that you didn’t have to win the meet to be considered a winner. My philosophy is also deeply rooted in the words of my dad, who after every one of my high school competitions, asked “Did you give it your best?” All of these people and their views has contributed to the ideas I have come t call “The three C’s”--Class, Character and Courage.”

Because of these influences,  coupled with my own ideas and beliefs, I have come to believe that it is not the job of our program to produce wins or athletes. It is our goal, but not our job. It is our job to use track and field as a tool to help in the personal development of the student-athlete. There is more t life than winning and losing. There is certainly more to life than track. We want our young men and women to project an image of mature, disciplined, never-say-die adults. We hope that this can be accomplished regardless of winning percentages.

Some students-athletes will find that it is not easy to live up to Class-Character and Courage. I do not think that it is particularly hard but for a lot of today’s youngsters, it can be difficult. There are many who feel that athletics is a right owed to them. There are those who are not used to having rules or expectations to live by. There are those who feel that they are such fine athletes that the program cannot do without them and therefore, they are above the rules or exceptions will be made for them. In our program, these are unacceptable ideas and concepts and we let them know it. For some, the burden of living up to what is expected is too much and they quit.

Just what is expected??? We have four areas of emphasis that we consider the foundation on which the program has been built. Class….Character…Courage…Wolf Pack Pride. We want our student-athletes to live up to these four things and if they do, winning on the field and in life will take care of itself.

There is an old saying that “Class tells.” What it tells is what type of winner or loser you are. it tells how much respect the athletes and the coaches have for each other. What it tells is whether or not an opponent can expect a full effort from you and your team every time out, no matter the circumstances. Class means no talking trash, no finger waving at the finish line and not leaving trash behind on the field or on the bus. Class is all of us wearing the same uniforms and sweats. Class means accepting and cheering event he least talented of our teammates, no matter the outcome. So long as you have class, you’ll always be a winner.

Are you are whiner? A complainer? Is it always the other guy’s fault? Maybe the official or a coach or a teammate robbed you of your glory. Are you a showboat? A finger pointer? There is no place for such antics in King High Track. Trash talk and excuses are unacceptable. Humility is expected. Act like you’ve been there before. Working hard every day is expected. If we win, then we did our jobs and will congratulate ourselves within the confines of the team. If we lose, we will analyze our failings within the privacy of the team. These things are not for public display.  We will never give in and we will never quit. We will credit where credit is due to friend and foe alike. If you lose by an inch, then you lost by an inch. Can you answer the call to compete when you think you are least able to answer?  a solid character includes Honesty, Loyalty, Respect and Unselfishness. Fame is a vapor, popularity, an accident. the only thing that endures is character.

Courage is the willingness to work hard every day knowing that the possibility of failure is always there. It is the willingness to take on the favorite and battle with everything you have. Can you look in the mirror and say to yourself everyday, “I did my best today.” If you can, that is courage. Courage is looking at what you failed to do in order to be at your best. It’s not easy to be self critical-that takes courage. Going up against the best without excuse is courage. It takes courage t keep fighting when you are losing. Doing what you know you should do even if it’s scary is courage. Do you have the courage to fail? To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, “It is better to have tired and filed than not to have tried at all.” As one football coach once said, “Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”

Wolf Pack Pride is Wolf Family. It’s an attitude that “we are in this together.” Together, we can achieve great things. No matter your class, your talent level or your social status, we are a TEAM. Effort, individual and team, is how we measure our success. When it gets down to the end of the meet, we will all be out on the track t cheer our teammates.  We care about how each of us does because it leads to our collective success. We owe something to the tricksters that have come before us and that is our best effort every day. We have a home here. No matter where we go or what we do, we’ll always be a Wolf Track athlete.

John Corona

Head Track coach

All athletes in the King High School Boys and Girls Track teams will adhere to the following code of conduct or be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal from the team. Said actions/dismissals will be evaluated and determined by the King Coaching Staff.

I. The King Track and Field Code of Conduct is based upon the three C’s-Class,

         Character and Courage. The King Track and Field athlete is asked to adhere to

         the following simple rules---

A.    Do not conduct yourself in a way that will be an embarrassment or demeaning to yourself, your family, your school or this program.

A)    Be on time to all team practices, meets and team buses.

B)    Respect the coaching staff, your opponents and most of all, each other.

C)    COMMUNICATE with your coaches and your captains.

D)    Adhere to the CIF/King  Athletic Department Code of Conduct

E)     Show a positive attitude and sportsmanship at all times.

F)     The athlete must complete the season in GOOD STANDING.

G)    The athlete MUST finish the season with a minimum 2.0 GPA

Because of the tremendous size of our team, keeping accurate records are both laborious and necessary. It takes time from actual conditioning and training of our athletes. The following attendance policy has been put into place to maximize practice time and to better keep records.

A) For the student-athletes to be considered an athlete in GOOD STANDING at the end   

      of the season they must adhere to the following attendance policy:

Each athlete is allowed 6 weekday absences and 1 Friday absence for whatever  reason they wish. They will not bring a note or get these absences excused. This is  much like sick leave in working for a company. However, after they go over their limit, disciplinary action will be taken by the King Coaching Staff. This discipline could range from suspension from competition all the way up to dismissal from the team. The more you are at practice the better athlete you will become and the better chance of lettering you have.(Please see lettering policy).   

B) Long term absences need to be discussed with Coach Corona at the earliest  

      possible time.

C) Athletes who are injured and physically able are expected to attend practice for roll call and participate in alternate workouts every day. This will aid in rehabilitation and maintain conditioning. Injured athletes are expected to attend HOME meets and help with the running of the meet.

D) Suspended athletes or injured athletes will not make road trips on the bus.

E) Athletes who miss more than two days of practice in a week will be ineligible that week.

F). Tardies will count as a half day absence unless excused. Tardies will be excused with  a note from the appropriate adult. No note-no excuse. Excessive tardies could result in dismissal from the team. Tardy athletes will go thorough positive physical conditioning prior to their stretching.

G)  Exceptions to this rule will be made for family emergencies or for religious obligations.

A)    Students may leave early from meets IF arrangements have been made with the head coach at least 24 hours ahead of time. Student may still leave if those arrangements have not been made but there will be an appropriate penalty.

B)    Practices begin at 2:45 pm. and end around 5:30 pm at the latest. Dual meets will begin at 3 pm and be over around 7 pm depending on meet management. Invitational times are to be announced.

C)    The King track athlete will not leave practice early without permission of the coaching staff.  You would not leave a basketball or a football game before it was over. Why would you do it for a track meet? Failure to stay for the entire meet without having made arrangements with the head coach or athletic director will result in suspension from the next meet.

D)    If a student-athlete qualifies for CIF but does not compete at CIF, they cannot  

      finish the season in GOOD STANDING and therefore be eligible for team

      awards  

All King Track and Field athletes are expected to ride the bus to away meets and invitationals AND come back on the bus. This is per RUSD and CIF regulations. It is time we all realize that we are in this together and that we need EVERYBODY’s support. There is nothing much sadder than a relay team competing at the end of a meet and nobody is there to cheer them on. This is especially true for league finals and CIF competition

A)    Exception to this rule will be made if arrangements have been made and approved with the head coach at least 24 hours prior to the meet.

B)    Inability to adhere to the bus transportation rule will result in the student’s failure to end the season in good standing.

C)    According to district policy-miss the bus-miss the meet.

D)    Student-athletes must meet the competition standard to make road trips

E)     If an athlete is picked up more than a half hour after the team arrives at school from a road trip-that student will not make the next bus trip.

 our goal is that our student-athletes are as well rounded people as possible. We encourage their involvement in their school and in their community. I have always said and will continue to say that “Track should not be the focal point of their lives.” However, I will not allow the King Track program be taken advantage of or disrespected by parents, the adult leaders of other  on-campus and off campus organizations, and sometimes even the athletes themselves because we foster that idea. We are NOT shutting the door to outside activity or competition but we are asking that the athlete and the parent discuss with the Coach Corona schedules, time commitment and how it will affect the athlete’s participation in meets/practices. If a compromise can be reached to make this workable-great!!! If it does not appear that can happen, the student-athlete will have to make a choice as to whether King Track is really what they want to do. We will take each individual case on its own merits and background.

A) King Track and Field athletes will not compete, either individually or on a team, in any competitive event during the track season without having first discussed and obtaining permission from Coach Corona.

B) Exceptions to above will be made for student athletes who are in the process of completing a prior interscholastic sport.

C) “Competitive event” shall be defined as, but not limited to 5/10K runs, club team competitions, travel ball, etc.

1)  This will include, but not limited to, participation in school functions and

     organizations such as choir, drama, cheer, DECA, band, PROM Fashion

     Show.etc.

Part of being a first class program is that we all look the same in our dress. There is little that is more imposing for a track team, than for another team to step off the bus looking all the same in dress, and attitude. To that end, it will be a requirement of the program that each athlete have the same sweats and uniforms. When we show up to meet, we WILL NOT look like Napoleon’s army crawling back from Moscow.

King Track has a policy that the King Track athlete will his/her own sweats and uniforms. That way, athletes can keep the same for the remainder of their years in the program. Granted, kids grow and lose equipment and they will have to purchase new sweats or uniform pieces, but will not have to buy them every year. We charge only the cost of the garment. There is no mark-up or monetary profit going to the King Track program for the purchase of these clothing items.

We understand that there will be athletes and families for whom this is a concern. Please contact Coach Corona ASAP in regard to this policy.

We will hand out gear on Friday, February 27, 2010. For those athletes needing to purchase new uniforms and sweats the cost will be

Sweats-(tops and pants)---$35.00

Uniform-(top and shorts)--$35.00

The proper footwear for the track athlete is a must. Generally, the athletes needs a pair of shoes to practice in during the week and another pair in which to compete in. Practice shoes should be along the line of “cross-trainers” or a shoe built especially for problems. Vans brand shoes, basketball, or other specialty shoes with just cause physical problems. We do not recommend working out at practice with spikes as it could lead to shin splints, but each athlete will wear spikes for competition. For those in field events specialty shoes are available if one desires to purchase them. Extra spikes and spike wrenches for our runners and jumpers are recommended as the surface on which they will compete will change on a weekly basis. They will certainly need 3/16 inch needles for most all weather surfaces. Cost of these shoes will vary depending on what store you go to get them. Below is a list of stores from which you can purchase track shoes

Each pair of competition shoes will need to have removable spikes. This is vital as the surfaces upon which we will compete will be different, usually dirt or all weather. You will find that most campuses are dirt although there has been a growing trend to build all weather facilities on high school sites. All of the invitational meets will be on all weather tracks and so will two dual meets this year. A good general one size fits all sort of removable spike is the 3/16 inch or 1/8 inch size. If at all possible, please get out to dealers or supplies before the beginning of the season as they will most definitely run out

-          Dick’s Sporting Goods off the 91 freeway in Weir Canyon has a great selection

-          The Sport Chalet by the Tyler Mall area would be a good source

-          The Running Center in Redlands caters to Distance Shoes!!! Sprinters do not bother trying to find spikes here.

-          Sport Mart and Big 5 may be sources as well but their selection is limited

A lot of athletes depend on catalogues, ordering their shoes through the mail or online. Eastbay seems to be very popular athletes can see Coach Corona for these types of sources.

1. FUNDRAISING GOAL---------------------$120.00—GOES TO COST OF 

1. SWEATS(TOP AND BOTTOM)----------$35.00-GOES TO ATHELTE
2. UNIFORM(TOP AND BOTTOM)--------$35.00-GOES TO ATHLETE
3. BUS FEE----------------------------------------$35.00-GOES TO RUSD (FEE IS WAIVED IF STUDENT IS ON FREE LUNCH PROGRAM

King High School Track and Field Fundraising Options

  As mentioned before, if the King Track and Field program is going to continue on it’s current road of success, we will need every team member to make the attempt to fund raise. We are making available to the student athlete and their families five ways in which they can meet their goal (120 dollars) for our program and raise enough money to pay some of the costs like team t-shirts, invitational meets and equipment. Please check options below and see which one best fits your needs. Please refer to the appropriate paperwork in the following pages.  

1. CAR-WASH-A-THON 

This year the car-wash-a-thon is scheduled for Saturday, Feb 27th, 2010 at Farmer Boy’s on Van Buren Ave. We will begin at 8:00 am to about 12:00 noon. We WILL wash 100 cars. Once we have washed 100 cars we will be done for the day not matter what time of the day it is. Prior to that the athletes will go out and get pledges of 10 cents per car. Once the car wash is completed, they will return to the people who pledged and collect 10 dollars. If for example, you have 12 pledges at 10 dollars comes out to 120 dollars.

Your goal is to raise 120 dollars for the King Track Program. The Coaching staff will collect your car wash money for three weeks after the car wash. All the money is expected to be in by. Everyone is expected to be in attendance at the car wash and do their part. If you cannot be there, excused or not, expect that you will be taking part in a work plan that will keep the program running in a daily efficient pace. Please see the attached sponsor form for the car-was-a-thon.

You can also raise money through corporate sponsorships. You can approach a business and ask that they sponsor our program for 160 dollars. This price is for new sponsors.  Sponsors that are renewing from last year will only have to donate 120 dollars. Their tax deductible sponsorships will give them a banner that will be displayed within our stadium during all home track meets as well as a banner advertisement on our web-site (limited to 50 characters) and our Soph/Frosh Invitational. A link to their website can be attached to their banner. Of the 160 dollars- 120 goes toward the program

to meet the students goal and 40 is spent in manufacturing the banner. Sponsorship money must be turned in by March 7th, 2010 in order to have time to get the banners made and ready for our full home meet schedule. We will make sponsorships after that date but the sponsors need to be told that they may not get a fill home season of advertisements. Please see and use enclosed sponsor form(s). Please be aware that even if you go this route, you will be expected to work the Car Wash.

            Students can engage in a letter writing campaign requesting donations from whoever they think will donate 10 dollars to their cause. Please find the sample letter enclosed, mail it out to as many people as you can think of so that you meet your goal of 120 dollars. Please remember that if you decide to go this route you will still be expected to work the Car Wash. Excused or Unexcused your absence from this event will result in your taking part in a daily work program that will keep the program running in a daily efficient manner.

  If you choose, you can simply donate 120 dollars in the name of your student athlete.

         Through the purchase of what are basically gift cards for restaurants, grocery stores,

and untold stores and services, you can get money for the program AND build credit for your student-athlete while spending money that you would ordinarily spend. With the use of any gift card, a certain percentage goes back to the King Track and Field program in the name of your student athlete. 50% of that becomes a “credit” that families can use to make any track related purchases. This would include things like uniforms, sweats, banquet tickets