If your high school football tailback is interested in running hurdles or your volleyball outside hitter wants to high jump, your first track meet as a parent could feel overwhelming. To help you and your athlete prepare for the chaos of track & field competition, here are 5 things for a parent to know about track meets.
Your Athlete Has To Do Everything Themselves
In team sports like soccer, there is a defined start time for the game and the entire team prepares for it together. In an individual sport like track & field, your athlete needs to carry everything they need for the day with them so they can check-in, warm up, report to their event, and compete without anyone’s help.
Athletes will have teammates wearing the same uniform, but in the end, their performance that day is entirely about their own preparation and their own awareness. Attend an all-comers meet over summer or another district’s first dual meet so you know what to expect from the volunteers, officials, and the meet announcer.
Their Coach May Not See The Event
In basketball, your child probably feels like their coach finds something to fix every second they are on the court. In a sport like track, where one athlete could compete in the 100 meter hurdles, long jump, and 4 x 200 meter relay in the same night, there’s too much going on for any coach to see everything.
Track coaches have to supervise team camp on the in-field, monitor team scores during the meet, and troubleshoot little issues like lost relay batons or damaged implements, so they miss some events. You may want to record the race on your phone to review later!
Bring Your Stopwatch and Take Notes
Similar to recording your athlete’s event with your own phone, you may want to get a stopwatch. Dual meets depend on volunteers to hand-time races and community meets sometimes have no timing at all.
Every athlete benefits from knowing their best marks, so timing races (start your clock when you see smoke leave the starting pistol) and recording marks gives you and your athlete a consistent way to know how well they are competing. Plus, when they set a PR in a few weeks, you’ll know it and be ready to celebrate!
Winning Is Nice, But Rare
It’s common as a parent to celebrate a win, yet apologize for a loss. Winning is awesome and deserves to be celebrated. But winning a 200 meter dash or having the best discus throw of the day is out of your athlete’s control because they have no control over who shows up to compete that day.
Your athlete does control when and how they warm up, their pre-event rituals, their attitude, and how they execute their event. Ask how they felt they performed after the meet. Check how their week of practice compared to competing. Review your notes to see if their mark that day was a PR. There’s always something to improve after a track meet – and there’s always something to celebrate, too!
Plan For A Long Day
Dual meets with two or three schools are typically completed in under two hours. But weekend invitationals could involve a lot of schools from all over your area, which means there will be lots of athletes shuttling between races and field events. Since races take priority, field events sometimes get delayed at big meets.
When you arrive to your first weekend invitational, expect it to be a long day. Be prepared for weather changes or delays by dressing comfortably, having a full bottle of water, packing a snack, and bring both sunscreen and your umbrella.
Bonus: Be A Great Track Fan
Elite track athletes love competing in Eugene, Oregon because that community is full of attentive and savvy fans of the sport. If you have your camera, stopwatch, and notebook on hand, you’ll never be bored at a track meet. You can spend the day recording your child, cheering their teammates, or tracking their biggest competitors. With these 5 things in mind, you’ll be an attentive and savvy track & field fan this season and your athlete will love competing with you in the stands, too.
Dunte Hector is a Gold-Level Track & Field coach who specializes in sprinting and hurdles. You can find his profile here and book a session with him today!
