TRACK PRACTICE SCHEDULE CHANGE
Its hard to believe that the first track meet of the 2006 season is a few days away. We've all been practicing in the evenings for the past 3 weeks. Everyone has been working hard in getting ready to compete. So lets not forget some key the things that can make the track meets ahead and the year safer, shorter and a much more pleasant experience for us all.
Don't Forget the Sunscreen
Its Spring now, the Sun in higher on the horizon and more of its rays are hitting the ground. We've been practicing in the evenings and its a easy thing to overlook at this first Meet so lets not go away from a winning day with a nasty sunburn by forgetting the sunscreen. PF 20 or greater is recommended and don't forget hats and jackets. It may be a high of 70 but the wind chill early in the day can make it uncomfortable when your out in the open.
Fruits, Veggies and Water
Lets all make sure that we pack up some Fruits, Veggies and Water for our Student Athletes to snack on throughout the day. Track meets make for a 4 to 6 hour day including travel time and with many of the sites at remote locations, the typical concession fare at an SYS Track Meet is not going to meet the nutritional needs of our participants. Yes, we want to support our member Areas that are hosting the meets by frequenting their concessions but the kids will between event running fuel. Grapes, bannanas, apples, carrots, strawberrys as well as oranges and string cheese make for great inbetween race snacks and don't forget the water. Water may or may not be available at the finish line so make sure to bring your own.
Guns Up at 9 A.M. Lets Pitch In and Help
SYS is an all volunteer affair. Yeah you paid your money for your child to participate but without your support, the meets can make for a long drawn out day. At the begining of each Meet, you will hear a call go out for parent volunteers to man everything from the stop watches to the longjump pit. By volunteering, you can make your day pass faster. You will also get a birdseye view of the competition you would otherwise miss by being in the stands. So help make for a great day by pitching in. For 40 years, Elmore Park has had an active tradition of volunterism so lets do our part in keeping this great tradition alive at Elmore Park. Remember, first guns up is at 9 a.m.. That means the meet is scheuduled to begin. 8:30 is when the first calls goes out for the first events, so you need to be at the Track Site no later than 8:30 unless instructed otherwise by your Coach. If you see things moving slowly at the begining of meet , its ususally because of a lack of volunteer support. If the call goes out for volunteers, do your part this season and pitch in and help.
Sportsmanship
Sportmanship is key to a winning season and even winning at life. Yes we are out to compete and yes we are out to win but instilling in our children a sense of sportsmanship and fair play make us all winners at the game of life. There will be controversy, bad judgement calls that should be considered part of the the game. That said, never approach a parent, coach or child on yours or the opposing team in an aggressive manner. Same goes for game officials which you will see in white or black hats administering the days events. If you run into a problems address it with your coach. If you are not satisfied move up the chain of command to your Area Director. Lets cheer our hearts out and be there at the finish line to support out kids win or lose. Also remember that parents are not allowed on the track unless they are working the meet.
REMEMBERING WE ARE GUESTS
Each week of Track season Shelby Youth Sports is the guest of Shelby County or Memphis City School Systems. This means that we can end up in situations where we might not be invited back to a school or even be allowed to participate if we don't do our part to take care of the facilities in our charge. Its important to remember as guests to leave the venues in as good a shape or better than we found them. Lets all do our part to take care of our track sites.
Treating All Children As We Would Our Own
There are going to upwards to several hundred kids at each track meet. Some may not be as well supervised as others and well.....as we know even with our own, its hard to keep up with them on Meet Day. So lets keep a close eye on our youngsters," treat them as you would your own" tell them to quit running in the bleachers, or quit hanging out in the bathrooms and stay out from under the bleachers and oh yeah....no throwing food from the top of the stands.
Most of what you will run into you should be able to handle yourself, if you ever run into a situation where you feel unconfortable feel free to find an "SYS Game Official" head coach or your Area Director. and let them know your concerns.
LETTER FROM OUR BOOSTER CLUB PRESIDENT: HELPING TO MAKE EPP A GREAT PLACE TO BE
Dear Parents,
I would like to take this opportunity to say Welcome and Thank You in allowing us here at Elmore Park to teach the fundamentals of track to your child.
My Name is Jimmy Ferguson the new Booster Club President and also a proud parent/guardian like you. This is my first year with the program and I am very excited to be surrounded by a great group of people. My son Riley Ferguson played Pee wee football over the summer/fall for the first time which was a great experience. My younger son Brayden will start this year and boy is he ready.
As a parent this past year I noticed opportunities with the program, especially when it came to how parents were always asked to come out of pocket and help the Booster Club with funding. Let's face it the school system asks enough already. As a parent I want the best for my child and I want them to be able to say (when they grow up) that their Mother and I were involved.
(Parent Support)
I ask for this opportunity to become President during the Football banquet last year and my focus is to turn to the community for monies the Booster Club needs. The committee in place this year is, “Dedicated to having the best year ever here at Elmore Park and more to come”. We have turned to the community and have gotten a great response, one in particular, I have gotten Lowe's to donate a 10x8 fiberglass storage building to be used for a concession stand!! This will be a great addition to the program. There will be fund-raising and I will ask for the parents/children's help this way. There will be rewards given to the child that surpasses the rest during our fund-raisers, maybe like a gift card to International Pizza Company!
There will be raffles throughout the season and donations will be asked to participate. All proceeds will help with operating expensive of the Booster Club.
My 15 years in management has taught me, "My Employees are My Customers" You are my Customers, Let me Help You by Supporting Me and my Team Throughout the years to come and make Elmore Park Packers a Great place to be.
Thank You,
Jimmy Ferguson President, Booster Club |
MORE GREAT NEWS FROM OUR BOOSTER CLUB
As mentioned in our previous newsletter, the Booster Club has been hard at work since the first of the year in preparation for the 08 Track, Cheer and Football Seasons.
To date, they have done a fantastic job managing the programs resources and making sure that EPP continues to provide the same level of service and making the program more affordable. A great example of this is the reduction in fees for our multi-participant families.
Another area where our BC has excelled is in obtaining donations. Recently our BC Pres. Jimmy Ferguson was able to obtain the donation of an 8x10 storage building from Loews. This is great news as plans are in the works to create a permanent concession stand on site at EPPs homefield. NO MORE TRAILER.... Of course this all depends on the support of the Shelby County School System. Keep your fingers crossed. This is a big deal for EPP.
08 TRACK MEET SCHEDULE
March, 29 @ Arlinton Highschool vs Bartlett and Cordova
April 5th @ Raleigh Egypt High School vs Mem Bears, Egypt, Southwind, Brownsville Rd and Haywood.
April, 12th @ Bolton High School vs. Bartlett, Brownsville, Haywood and Southwind
April, 19th @ Arlington vs Prequalification...all Areas Compete
April, 26th @ Bolton vs Ellendale, Bartlett, Golden Saints, Memphis Bears
ALL PRELIMS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL BE HELD AT ARLINGTON HIGH
May 3rd vs Championships Prelims All Areas
May 10th vs Championships Prelims All Qualifiers from previous week.
CHAMPIONSHIPS
SYS SCHOLARSHIP TIME
Eligibility: Former SYS participant and a graduating senior.
SYS Scholarships are awarded on merit based on GPA, ACT scores, letters of recommendation, extra curricular activities and household income.
Contestants applications are reviewed by a panel of independent judges selected by the chairperson of the scholarship committee.
The last several years the 3 member panel of judges has been comprised of faculty members of The University Of Memphis, Southwest Tennessee Community College and Rhodes.
SYS has awarded over $200,000 over the lifetime of the program with many of the recipients being former Elmore Park participants.
The application process is simple so take the time out if you are eligible or encourage someone you know who might be eligible to fill out the application.
For more information, visit the SYS website at www.shelbyyouthsports.com and click the scholarship link. There you will find links to all of the forms.
Once the winners are determined each applicant will receive notification of his or hers final standing in the mail. At the same time scholarship winners will be invited to attend the Scholarship Awards Banquet held in their honor the last weekend of April.
GOOD LUCK!!!! |
