Naperville North �Girls’ Cross Country

2023 ATHLETE – PARENT MEETING

Our Mission Statement:

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• The Naperville North girls’ cross country program seeks to create a positive culture where every athlete, regardless of natural ability, is committed to achieving her very best, and to selflessly aiding those around her do the same.
• We want every athlete to achieve the feeling of self-satisfaction that comes as a direct result of achieving her potential. We accomplish this through steadfast support for the fundamental value of each team member within strict adherence to the team concept.

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Our Coaches...

• Mr. Iverson (diverson@naperville203.org)
• Mr. Billish (dbillish@benet.org)
• Ms. Castner (castnerkim@yahoo.com)
• Ms. Donovan (mdonovan@naperville203.org)
• Ms. Ohst (janeth.ohst@yahoo.com)
• Mr. Sniadecki (msniadecki@naperville203.org)
• Mrs. Weigand (jweigand@naperville203.org)

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Stuff you can buy...

• Asics Uniform Shorts
• $20 per pair
• We will have samples at practice on Friday and Saturday.
• Team Sweats – Asics – the same as Track
• $90 per pair
• Spirit Wear
• This is not a requirement, but often nice gear to have throughout the year.
• ALL ORDERS MUST BE ENTERED INTO THE FORM ON OUR WEBSITE BY SATURDAY, AUGUST 12th.

Rule #1 – Be here.

• Attendance is expected at all practices and meets. We do meet six days each week.
• Practices are generally from 3:30-5:30 p.m., and Blackwell days are until 6:00 or shortly after.
• Tuesday morning practices are not mandatory for freshmen.
• Absences should be communicated to us PERSONALLY by the athlete via email or text, if not in person.
• Absences should be communicated to us BEFORE the absence if possible, and ASAP otherwise. We should NEVER have to seek someone out to find out the reasons for an absence.
• Join Remind if you are not a member. It is the quickest way to communicate!

Our website:�Be a regular visitor!�bit.ly/nnhsgcc�If it’s wrong on the website, it’s my fault, not yours!

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Join Remind! Link is on the website (or text @nnhsgxc to 81010). We use Remind a LOT to communicate.

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If you are not on the email list, but want to be, let me know!�

Rule #2 – Give effort.

• Each athlete is expected to give full effort all the time. Most of what we do is not particularly hard to do. “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect.”
• Consistently good attitude and effort go a long way.
• The foundational way that every athlete will contribute to the team is through daily attendance (rule #1) and effort.
• The Iditarod Award has an attempt to honor those who have made the commitment to make the team better through extraordinary commitment to each other, to her own improvement and to doing the right thing. As will be discussed later in the meeting, this is one way to earn a varsity letter, regardless of how fast one runs.

Also… get a watch! And bring it to practice! (it doesn’t have to be a fancy one! And it helps monitor your effort…)

I found some as I prepared this presentation for as little as $30, and a nicer one doesn’t need to be more than $60. Decent GPS-equipped watches can be found for $100-200.

Rule #3 – Control what you can control.

• This has almost infinite relevant applications to what we do, both as a cross-country team and has individual people.
• As it applies to basic expectations, we ask that, as families and as individual athletes, you order your lives during the season in such a way to be able to focus on what we are doing and to be available for team activities.
• We do understand that there are elements out of your control that may cause you to miss from time-to-time (i.e. major family events, unavoidable doctor’s appointments, etc.).
• Please do your best to control those elements that can be controlled to allow for the minimum possible impact on the season.
• As long as you do your best to control the impact of other commitments, we will certainly understand when they arise!

Rule #4 – you can always do more than you think you can.

• We will be in the business of working each day to improve.
• We expect every athlete to be the best at getting better. You all have different levels of “talent,” but you can all control the mindset with which you approach this.
• Each athlete must embrace the idea that we can all grow, and that growth comes from hard work and struggle. Therefore, she must seek each day to be open to new challenges every day.
• To get somewhere we have never been, we have to have the courage to push ourselves into uncharted waters of physical skill and stamina.

Rule #5 – Your best is always good enough.

• This one is a tough one to reconcile with Rule #4. How can our best be good enough AND YET, know that we could do more?
• Oddly, both are true. We can never ask – and never will – for more than the best an athlete can give on any day.
• Even “bad days” can be good when you understand you can ALWAYS give your best.
• It is in giving what we perceive to be our best that we can discover new pathways to finding our very best.
• And so, regardless of time or place, your best effort is all we ever require.
• Mistakes made in pursuit of your best are awesome, encouraged, and expected!

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A note on log books…

• Given Rule #4 and Rule #5, it is CRUCIAL that each athlete take ownership of her running.
• If an athlete is to improve, she must be aware of what her best is and has been throughout her training and racing.
• If an athlete is training at 8:00 /mile for her distance runs, then 7:45/mile at the same effort is improvement. The only way to remember and know this is to record it regularly.
• Identifying one’s best AND plotting a course into where you have never ventured are BOTH crucial.
• Therefore, logs are required. Each week, logs must be turned in by Sunday night. One missed log will mean missing the next meet. A second missed log will mean removal from the team.

Rule #6 – Live the Life

• We expect every athlete to order her life so that she can enjoy maximum health and wellness.
• This is a SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE.
• We expect athletes to get enough sleep (8 hours), drink plenty of water, eat plenty of the right foods and to make good social decisions.
• This IS POSSIBLE with proper planning and communication.
• This is also why there is a place to reflect on nutrition, iron, water intake and sleep on your logbooks.
• IT IS POSSIBLE TO LIVE THE LIFE AND HAVE A GREAT SOCIAL LIFE, TOO! YOU SIMPLY NEED TO PLAN IT OUT!

Sleep

• This is primarily the athlete’s responsibility, but they will be told that a minimum of 8 hours of sleep is the target amount each night.
• When we get busy, this becomes difficult.
• We definitely encourage the girls to plan ahead, especially at their busiest, so that they have a fighting chance at a reasonable bedtime.
• Eight hours will not always be possible, of course, but PLEASE encourage them to talk to us if they are struggling on a regular basis (3-4 days per week ) to get any more than six hours.
• Research shows that getting sleep is directly related to a number of tangible wellness indicators (i.e. lower incidence of illness, poor grades and even running injuries)

Diet

• The girls will be encouraged to work together with you to plan your diet.
• A good breakfast is a must – they’ll have to get up early enough!
• Lunch should be planned ahead of time. Bringing lunch is better than buying it at school.
• Snacks are also really good ideas. Planning ahead with good, caloric, nutritious snacks is really important!
• I will have trail mix (with and without nuts) available for the girls in my classroom each day in case they need it (Room 101).
• The girls should also have a snack for immediately after practice!

Technology, Social Media and Sleep

• Every person is different, but here is what we suggest strongly to the girls…
• Turn off your phone at a set time each night (we suggest 8 or 9:00) and DO NOT TAKE IT TO BED! Also – do NOT have it with you when doing HW
• If you get REALLY busy, go to bed between 7-8:00 p.m. Then, you can get up at 3 or 4:00 a.m. and get 2-3 hours of uninterrupted homework time (when everyone else is asleep) after you’ve gotten plenty of sleep. This seems crazy, but it CAN work!
• Discipline with this is really important. Social media is a very important thing, but it must not stand in the way of good grades, enough sleep and focused training!

IRON

• It’s hard to get by a presentation from me without hearing about iron!
• High school girls are especially susceptible to iron deficiency and this must be closely monitored.
• Once it’s detected as low, it’s usually too late to save the season.
• Please check our website AND THE XC BOOK for a list of iron-rich foods and help do what you can to ensure that iron-rich foods are available in your kitchen!
• Supplementation is good, but natural food is much more effective!
• Regular ferritin testing is REALLY important! Any reading below 30 should be considered a problem for optimal performance.

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)

• Recognizes the diversity of factors that contribute to an athlete’s overall well-being
• The most relevant aspects of RED-S as it relates to young female athletes are as follows:
• Amenorrhea (The NEED TO GET THEIR PERIODS REGULARLY by at least sophomore/junior years.)
• Nutrition (They NEED TO EAT ENOUGH)
• IRON (See previous slides)
• The three phenomena are linked in young women runners.
• If they are not menstruating regularly, the body is not getting enough of the right nutrients (in most cases). This can be linked to some form of disordered eating (not necessarily an eating disorder, but this is something to be watching for).
• If the girls are not eating enough, she is likely not able to build bone (and the high school years are peak bone-building years). This can lead to stress fractures and brittle bones later in life.

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Social and Emotional Health is REALLY Important

• It is OK to struggle with this.
• But it is really important to ask for help when we need it.
• It is also important for us to look out for each other, and to reach out when we see a teammate struggling.
• We need to take care of each other.

Earning a Varsity Letter

• Make the State Team (generally the top 14 from DVC)
• Be a senior in good standing on the team
• Beat more than half of the fifth varsity runners from DVC schools at the DVC meet
• Earn 10 nominations for the Iditarod Award
• Coaches’ Discretion

Two Basic Truths...

• Women run faster than girls.
• 14-year-olds can be very fast.
• You never see 14-year-olds in the Olympics.
• Improvement over time is uneven
• Ups and downs over seasons are normal.
• When difficulty is encountered, perseverance is absolutely necessary!
• The journey is often a difficult one. But it is most easily navigated together, when we are working for the best in ourselves and for the best in those around us.

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The bottom line? Keep on moving forward, no matter the difficulty. You will be supported every step of the way!

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What should I do when I have a concern or question?

• Never hesitate to contact us. E-mail or Remind is best for that.
• Physical pain and soreness are normal parts of the sport, but it is always helpful to have conversation about what you are seeing at home versus what we are seeing at practice.
• The vast majority of issues that arise can be solved through a combination of rest, strength and flexibility.
• Of course, as parents, you all have the final determination on what course of action to take, but we definitely appreciate the opportunity to take care of issues in cooperation with each other as opposed to separately, wherever possible.

Nike Cross Regionals in Terre Haute

• On November 12^th, the team will compete as the North Naperville XC Club at the Nike Cross Regional Championship the week after state, at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course – this is where they often hold the NCAA Division I National Meet.
• We need parent help to make this a special weekend. There is an open race and a championship race, so EVERYONE can run!
• We want as many athletes who can and want to, to do so. It is a VERY exciting meet, and it is a chance for EVERYONE to experience a true championship meet during Championship Season.
• NXR INFORMATION

Thank you, parents, in advance for your support in driving your daughters, in cheering at meets (if possible) and In helping us to achieve our very best this year!