Alright, as I investigated a bit more, I figured out how to make it easier for everyone to register. Now, you have the option of creating a password on your own. This should make things a lot better.

Friday's Meeting at the Main Building

This week, we held a couple of informational meetings at both buildings. The turnout was really great - I counted 64 men at the main campus and another 30 or so at the gold building. We gathered some information from guys interested in joining the squad; if you are not yet part of our team’s email listserv and would like to receive more info, email Coach Kennedy.

There were many new faces at the meeting, and we anticipate somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 athletes trying out for our team during the initial two-week period. As in years past, we’ll be capping off the tryout period with an intrasquad meet in Sterling, Illinois, on Friday, January 30. Parents are welcome to attend as spectators or help as volunteers.

Our program is pleased to announce the hiring of Gary Raike as our new assistant throws coach. Please visit the coaches page to learn more about coach Raike and read his bio.

Informational meetings about the upcoming season and the tryout process are scheduled for 7:01am on Thursday at the Gold Campus and on Friday at the Main Building. Athletes interested in becoming members of our squad should plan to attend one of the meetings this week.

Additional information about the season will be posted shortly. Please contact any coaches if you have any questions.

Coaching his way to acclaim!

Two months from today, the Track and Field season will begin at Neuqua Valley!

New Throws Coach
We are pleased to have Coach Gary Raike join our staff as our new throws coach. Coach Raike brings a great amount of knowledge of the throws, strength, and conditioning to our program. We want to wish Coach Lee Russell the best of luck in his new position with the Secret Service and we thank him for all of the great things that he did for our team.

Dave Pasquini Award
Congratulations to Coach Jaime Janota on receiving the Dave Pasquini Award for Achievement as an Assistant Track and Field and Cross-Country Coach! Coach Janota will receive this much deserved award at the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Clinic on January 10th.

Physicals
Athletes planning to participate in Track and Field will need a current physical that runs the entire course of the season. (January 19th - May 30th) Physicals are only good for one year. I have attached a list of local places where a sports physical may be obtained as well as the physical form from the IHSA. Appointments fill up quickly during winter break, so please make an appointment now if you need to do so.

Download the IHSA Physical Paperwork
Download a list of offices offering sports physicals this season

Registration
Track and Field registration will take place on the following dates in the main building commons.

Tuesday, January 6th (6:00 PM - 7:30 PM)
Wednesday, January 7th (4:00 PM - 5:30 PM)

Well, it’s 10:36 on a Thursday night. I should probably be grading papers, watching The Office, or taking Sawyer (my dog) for a walk in the below-zero temperatures. Instead, I’m wide eyed and working on updating our team’s site. The inspiration for this entry comes not as a mark of good faith that I’ll be contributing regular updates, but, more importantly, from the rich history of our team.

While you’re taking some time to register and explore the new site, click over to our team’s records or, more impressively, our history of appearances at the IHSA state meet. Please let me know of any suggestions or things you’d like to see on the site.

I’ll have more updates soon - keep checking back!

Perhaps you’ve noticed that this site has changed a bit. I have been hard at work trying to add some functionality to the site. Look for significant updates in the near future, as I’ll be continuing with the site overhaul.

In the meantime, you’re welcome to click around on the few things I’ve got up. If you’d like to leave comments on the site either now or in the future, register for the site by following the link on the menu to the left.