Volunteering

All athletes and/or parents are expected to put in volunteer time with the club (hosting Junior Olympics, Fraser Valley Invitational, X-Country Meet).

Volunteering as an Official

There are many volunteer opportunities within the South Fraser Track and Field Club. From leadership and organizational support to coaching, helping at practices and meets, to attaining sponsorships, and more. We know life is busy and everyone has busy schedules, but even a few hours a month can make all the difference in the lives of our young and aspiring athletes.

Our Club supports the BC Athletics Officials program, and many of our members volunteer and work with them at events.

BC Athletics Officials are trained volunteers that work at Track and Field, Cross Country and Road events. These are the people who ensure the fairness/ measurements/fun and organization of the track meets we all attend. Many are parents, but some are athletes, active or retired. Young athletes can join the Under-18 officials program to enhance their understanding of the sport, and accumulate credits for school programs. We encourage our members to get involved. Visit the BCA Officials Web Page for the latest information on training and certification as an official. http://www.bcathletics.org/main/officials.htm .

In addition to volunteering at SFTC’s 3 hosted meets, there are volunteer opportunities that go year round that count as fulfilling all volunteer requirements:

  • Fundraising Coordinator – if this is an area of expertise or interest, you are needed! Fundraising is a very important part of the club’s survival
  • Equipment Manager – this position involves the maintenance, restocking of equipment and inventory of equipment
  • Volunteer Coordinator – this position requires communicating volunteer opportunities to members and tracking their volunteer hours throughout the season
  • Concession Manager – this position requires having a FoodSafe Certificate.  This position involves stocking and operating the concession stand during our 3 SFTC meets.
  • Timing/TFMIM Operator – if you have a computer background your assistance during our 3 SFTC meets is greatly needed to enter athlete data and results into the Hytek system.

Membership Financial Aid

There are two local programs available to assist with getting kids involved in sport. Jumpstart (the Canadian Tire program) and Kidsport .

Surrey’s contact is Sherri Kovach at the YMCA – 604-575-9622. If you live in Surrey call Sherry by Friday, January 16. If you live in Langley, Delta etc. call Sherri and she will give you the contact for your area. There is some paperwork to do but it is not arduous. Income paystubs or other statements showing income are required. Forms are available online. The general information line is 877-616-6600.

Parental Daily Role

Parents play an important role in the development of a successful athlete. We welcome your presence at team practices, functions and at every meet. We are a family friendly and family oriented club. We want your input and support because we want your child to succeed. Please remember to remain positive with your athlete at all times. The following rules and policies are designed to ensure a fun, safe and successful program for everyone involved. Parents should help set up and clean up equipment before and after practice.

Guidelines:

Parents are required to stay in the viewing area at all times. Parents should not enter the practice area for any reason whatsoever. Please remain positive and supportive of your athlete, coaches, staff and the club at all times. Negative comments will not be tolerated. If you have questions, comments or concerns please ask.

Communication is important and we have an open door policy for all athletes and parents. Please come to any of your child’s coaches if you have a problem or concern. We are in business to serve you and your child. Your thoughts are important to us. Complaining to other parents will not solve your problem, nor can we help if we don’t know about it. If you respect us enough to entrust your child with us, please respect us enough to know that we have the best interest of your child at heart.

Please let your child s coach know if there is a problem with your child such as injury, illness or medication. Please communicate anything that may affect your athlete s ability to work out or compete. This is very important as we may need to change our training plan for your athlete.

Parents perform their role at home and outside the field area. On the field, the coaches and administrators of the club play their roles. Please do not coach your child unless you speak with the coach concerning training ‘homework’. Your comments may detract from what the coach is doing and create a distraction for the athlete. This interferes with the development of the coach/athlete relationship. Please do not compare your athlete to other athletes on our team or athletes from other teams. We are a team and we all work together as a team.

On the physical side, it is your job to ensure your athlete gets enough sleep, proper nutrition, has the proper clothing and equipment and travels to and from the practices and meets on time.

The emotional side of our sport is just as important. It is your role to provide unconditional love, support and encouragement especially when your athlete is having difficulties.

Please attend all SFTCand parent club meetings and functions/workshops. The meetings serve many purposes including giving the coaches a forum of communication and providing you with a way to ask questions and get information.  Your ability to support your athlete and SFTC by paying fees on time is appreciated.

Please plan family vacations around our competition schedule and mandatory events as much as possible. Please refer to the schedule that can be found on the SFTC website (http://southfraser.org/) as well as BC Athletics website (http://www.bcathletics.org/TrackAndField/CalendarResults/).

Please pick up your athlete on time.  Be there ten minutes early at 6:50 pm.  SFTC and its coaches are not responsible for your child after practice is over!

It is possible that an athlete will have to leave our program. This may include the athlete leaving due to the actions or inactions of his or her parents. We never want to punish a child for the actions of his or her parent(s). We cannot tolerate parents who by their words or actions do not support the policies and values of our program. Refunds are not given on any fees paid to SFTC should you be asked to leave our program.

If your needs are not being fulfilled by SFTC, please let us know. Our coaches and staff have an open door policy and we encourage communication. We acknowledge our program is not for everyone. If you decide to leaveSFTC and go to another team/club, please let us know before you try another team/club. Letting us know you are considering a change will allow us to end our relationship in a positive manner.

If you leave SFTC for any reason whatsoever, you will not be given a refund of any fees paid to the club. This includes meet fees as well.

Parental Role During Competition

SFTC includes coaches, athletes and parents as part of our TEAM . We encourage all of our parents to attend every meet. Having a strong cheering section is an advantage for our team. Parents will play an important role as their child’s manager at track meets. Know when their event starts, how much time they need to get ready, conduct warm up when possible, and ensure proper nutrition.

Guideline:

Always pay the appropriate admission fees when attending competitions. Not paying is cheating and stealing. This is not the way we would like our club represented and it sends the wrong message to your athletes.

Cheer loud and often, however do so in a respectful manner. Don’t be disruptive to other athletes, parents or judges. Encouragement to all athletes fosters long term player development and sportsmanship behaviour.

Cheer for all members of our team as well as any outstanding performances you see at a meet. Become friends with parents around you and cheer for their athletes as well. Good sportsmanship is important!

Promote and represent SFTC in a positive manner. T-Shirts, banners, etc. are great. Never speak in a negative way about our team, athletes and our coaches nor the coaches or athletes of another club. Please stay positive. Remember SFTC clothing line is available for you to order!

All athletes registered under the training program will not be allowed to participate in any meets unless they obtain full SFTC membership.

Communication

Communicating effectively with everyone on our team is a challenge. We work very hard to get information to you in a timely manner by putting information on the website or via email. Communication is very important to SFTC, therefore we have an open door policy. If you have questions, don’t speculate or assume, ASK! Gossip often distorts truth or intent, so please talk directly to SFTC staff. You can help us communicate by checking the our website and your email often. Don’t hesitate asking your coach a question. If you need further clarification go to your team administrative staff. As parents of the athletes, it is your responsibility to make sure the club has you added to their email list. Check your email twice weekly, and check the website once weekly for any updates.

Respect the Sport of Track & Field

The way you act at practices and at meets is a reflection on yourself, your teammates and SFTC. Only the highest standards of behaviour are acceptable. The following actions show respect and are expected of SFTC athletes:

  • Participate in all scheduled meets . Our club is a competitive TEAM. While winning is not the only goal, winning represents that for which we strive for. Trying to win means you attend practice every day and you work hard every day. Overcoming fear and getting up every time you fall down will build confidence.
  • Attend every practice leading up to meets . It is imperative for all athletes to attend all scheduled practices leading up to meets when on relays. Relays are mandatory.
  • Sportsmanship Conduct and Behaviour. Arrive to all meets on time. Conduct yourself with class and courage during the meets by accepting all results in a positive manner .  If you have a discrepancy, approach officials in a respectful manner; this will help you towards a resolution . Thank your coaches, judges and competition hosts for spending their time on your behalf.
  • Team Apparel. During the meets, athletes are required to wear team warm up/or and club apparel. Keep all items needed for the meet in your team bag. All athletes must be in their uniforms for awards.

Further Education

For further education on sport, here are several resources.

Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) is a movement to improve the quality of sport and physical activity in Canada. CS4L links sport, education, recreation and health and aligns community, provincial and national programming. LTAD is a seven-stage training, competition and recovery pathway guiding an individual’s experience in sport and physical activity from infancy through all phases of adulthood. CS4L, with LTAD, represents a paradigm shift in the way Canadians lead and deliver sport and physical activity in Canada.

LTAD The Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) supports training, competition, and recovery programs based on developmental age — the physical, mental and emotional maturation of the individual — rather than chronological age. It is athlete-centered in that it is designed to serve the best interests of each athlete’s long-term development, encouraging growth in skills and achievement while ensuring each individual remains engaged in sport.

LTAD is based on sport research, coaching best practices, and scientific principles. LTAD expresses these principles, research, and practices as 10 Key factors essential to athlete development.

To optimize the development of our athletes, we need to take advantage of the best sport science and best practices in coaching and training. Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) does this by codifying important elements of sport science and coaching practices into the 10 Key Factors of LTAD:

  1. Excellence Takes Time
  2. FUNdamentals
  3. Specialization
  4. Developmental Age
  5. Trainability
  6. Physical, Mental, Cognitive and Emotional Development
  7. Periodization
  8. Competition Planning
  9. System Alignment and Integration
  10. Continuous Improvement