Dear Track Athlete,

Welcome to our TRACK & FIELD program and congratulations on your decision to join the WHS team!  I personally am looking forward to (as are the other coaches on our team) working with you and in helping you develop your skills and abilities in our sport!

TRACK has been very successful at WHS over the years (151-44 lifetime record for the boys and 168-27 for the girls).  Track not only provides great opportunities to its athletes to develop into elite performers in league, CIF and State competitions, but also experience high school sports, become physically fit, meet and make new friends, and learn the skills to become future elite track and field performers.
  
Our athletes on the past squads have valued the fun, excitement, and lessons learned during their time in TRACK & FIELD and have used the discipline and self-confidence gained in our sport to also succeed in the other aspects of their lives.
  
This will be our first week of the season.  We want to welcome all of you that have joined us for the season and ask that each one of you will do the following:
  
1)  Enjoy the experience of being on a high school athletic team.
  
2)  Take advantage of the opportunities available in track & field to improve as an athlete, make new friends, have fun, achieve some athletic success, and mature as an individual.
  
3)  Complete your clearance card and all the other requirements expected of our track athletes (read below).
  
4)  Make plans to attend the parent/athlete meeting on Monday, February 11, 2008 where we go over the Track and Field Guide and other details about track and field.
  
5)  Recruit at least 2 other WHS students (your friends) to join the team for the season.

6)  Start your 3 laps of warm up at 2:20pm each day even if the coaches are not on the field yet.
  
7)  Go to the weight room at the end of our practices Wednesday and Friday of each week.
  
We expect the following from all of our athletes:
  
1)  Be positive, cooperative, pleasant, and enthusiastic at all times.
  
2)  Come to all of the practices (this includes the Spring Break Practices), be positive through out the practice, and give your best effort at these practices.  Everyone practices each day regardless of individual situations (2-hr walk or 2-hr bike ride for injured athletes).
  
      a)  Three missed practices will result in a warning.
  
      b)  Four missed practices will result in loss of varsity letter
           or other awards.
  
      c)  Five missed practices will result in missing meets and loss
           of some of the class credits.
  
      d)  Six missed practices will result in being dropped from the
           team with an “F” in the class for the semester.
  
3)  Attend all of the scheduled meets (injured athletes or ill athletes that attend school must also come to the meets and help with the coaches).
  
      a)  If you miss a meet, you will sit out a similar meet.
  
      b)  If you miss a meet that team scores are kept, you will
           forfeit a varsity letter.
  
      c)  If you miss the League Prelims or Finals, you will not
           pass the class.
  
4)  Be a team player.  Put the team needs ahead of your own wants.
  
5)  Attend the MANDATORY TRACK MEETING: You and one of your parents/guardians must attend our mandatory track & field meeting set for Monday, February 11, 2008, 7:00pm – 8:00pm at the WHS Faculty Lounge.

6)  Have an ATHLETIC CLEARANCE CARD COMPLETED IN THE OFFICE:  Each athlete must have an athletic clearance card turned in to the athletic office in the Activities Center by Monday, February 4, 2008.  This card has a doctor's signature stating that there exist no medical reasons to keep you from participating in sports.  Physicals can be obtained from the WALK-IN Clinics around Irvine (with no appointment) if seeing your own doctor takes too long.  Pick this card up in the Activities Center before you visit the doctor.  If you participated in a fall or a winter sport, you should already have one of these on file and therefore you do not need a new one for track. 

7)  IF YOU ARE PART OF ANOTHER SPORT during this quarter, have fun and good luck in your competition.  YOU SHOULD come to the all-comers meets and also do strength training in the weight room either before or after your practices.  We will see you right after your sport is finished.
  
Thanks for your support !!!!!!  It will be a fun and exciting season for the WARRIOR SPIKERS !!!!!

Coach Varvas

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."