Participation
North Idaho Blaze Track and Field Club is a competitive youth track and field club and is oriented toward providing high quality coaching to young track and field athletes willing to train to the best of their ability for the purpose of improving their skills for their desired events. To compete as part of North Idaho Blaze, athletes must fully participate in practices and meets to the best of their ability. Participation includes warming up, working out, racing, and cooling down with the team. If you need to miss practice, please inform a coach ahead of time if possible.
North Idaho Blaze Track and Field Club does not and will not discriminate based on national origin/ancestry, race, color, religion/creed, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, marital or military status in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, and are not limited to, members, coaches, selection of volunteers, vendors, and the provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all our members so that we can share our commonality and passion of track and field, to benefit our athletes' development.
Additional Sports Participation
Our coaches design workouts to maximize performance at meets, and additional training can potentially negate an athlete’s peak performance. Our workouts, in conjunction with the recommended running on days we don’t have practice for specific distances, are designed to provide the correct amount of quality training for our athletes. Coaches respectfully request that you inform them of any additional training, racing, and other sports in which you participate so workouts can be adjusted accordingly. Athletes can easily become over-trained if they are doing more than what is recommended. Over-training can lead to injuries and slower times.
Athlete Conduct
Athletes are expected to remain positive and always encouraging to one another and to their coaches. For their safety, athletes are expected to always follow the directions of their coaches. This includes staying with assigned groups when indicated so nobody runs alone outside the immediate supervision of a coach. At competitions, all athletes are expected to display good sportsmanship, even during times of disappointment.
Athletes should always model respect toward other athletes, parents, colleagues, coaches, and officials. Athletes should show empathy toward new athletes, honor another athlete’s differences and foster team cohesion. Athletes are expected to clean up after themselves by picking up all clothing, garbage, and equipment at practice and meet sites.
Parent Conduct
During practices, parents are welcome to encourage athletes. It is expected that parents who attend practices remain 100% positive with all coaches and athletes and refrain from providing medical or coaching advice to athletes. If parents have questions or suggestions about coaching or specific workouts, they should speak with a coach outside of practice time. Also, parents should refrain from coming onto the track or field surfaces during practices unless given permission by the coaches or the Club Administrator due to safety measures.
Parents are welcome to stand at the fence line, sit in the grandstands during practices (the metal bleachers can be very warm during the heat of the summer) or bring their own chair to find shade on the grounds of the track complex. Please be mindful of summer conditions for your health concerns.
Coaching Concerns
Our coaches strive to provide the best possible workouts tailored to athletes’ needs. If you have a concern about how an athlete is being coached, please request to talk privately with a coach outside of practice time or send an email to the Club Administrator.
Club Employee and Volunteer Conduct
Regarding Sexual Harassment: Our Club strictly prohibits any staff member, coach, volunteer, parent, or athlete from engaging in any form of sexual harassment that affects other employees, coaches, volunteers, parents or athletes.
(a) Sexual harassment by any individual involved in North Idaho Blaze Track and Field Club activities shall not be tolerated. If observed, employees, parents, athletes, and volunteers shall immediately act to ask the person to stop such behavior and report such behavior to their respective supervisors or the Club Administrator. Individuals engaging in sexual harassment shall be subject to immediate termination of employment or association with the North Idaho Track and Field Club.
(b) Confidentiality. All sexual harassment complaints made through our website at www.niblaze.com remain confidential unless such confidentiality affects the ability of North Idaho Track and Field Club to maintain a safe environment. No punitive or retaliatory action will be taken against anyone who submits a sexual harassment or other complaint.
Zero Tolerance of Hazing, Initiation Rituals, and Bullying
(a) “Hazing” and inappropriate team initiation or bonding activities are defined as any actions, whether physical, verbal, emotional, mental, or psychological, which subject another person, voluntarily or involuntarily, to any outcome that has the intended or unintended effect of abusing, mistreating, degrading, humiliating, harassing, or intimidating the person, or which may in any fashion compromise the inherent dignity of the person. These activities are strictly prohibited, whether initiated by athletes, coaches, staff members, volunteers, or parents. The Club is committed to the preservation of personal safety in a non-threatening environment. Athletes should only be asked to engage in activities that are constructive, educational, inspirational, and contributory to intellectual and personal development.
(b) Bullying can take many forms. Examples include but are not limited to: verbal, social, physical or cyberbullying in the form of name-calling, teasing, socially spreading rumors, purposely leaving people out of groups by telling them or others they are unwanted, breaking up friendships by threatening others or spreading rumors about a friend, or physically hitting, punching, or shoving a person. Using the Internet, email, texting, mobile phones, social media, or other digital technologies to do harm to others is bullying and prohibited.
Performance-Enhancing Drug Rules
USATF subscribes to the US Anti-Doping Agency guidelines. While we don’t believe any of our team members would intentionally use performance-enhancing drugs, some common over-the-counter or prescription medications may fall onto the prohibited substances list, and we want you to be fully aware of this list. Please follow the link below if your child takes any medications. Medications to be particularly aware of are ADHD treatments, common cold medications with pseudoephedrine, albuterol, caffeine (energy drinks, energy shots, etc.), or steroids. If you think your athlete needs a waiver for prescribed medication, please pursue this process to avoid potential problems at higher-level competitions. http://www.usatf.org/about/legal/antidoping/faq.asp
Registration
Prior to any participation in any practice or competition, a completed registration form must be submitted. This includes obtaining or renewing a current youth USATF membership, which costs around $27.00. Without a USATF membership, athletes are not covered under our insurance. If cost is a barrier to completing the registration, please contact the Club Administrator through our email at [email protected] to make arrangements for payment or scholarship if one is available.
Communication
Families are asked to check our website at www.niblaze.com regularly to access all information about practices, meets, etc. We will host a practice in rainy conditions, although if it is heavy rainy conditions especially if lightning is present, the Coaches or Club Administrator reserve the right to cancel or postpone practices. When temperatures exceed 90* during practice times, we can move practices to later in the evening hours at the Coaches or Club Administrators request.
**In the event of a postponed or cancelled practice session, this will be noted on our Google Calendar through our website, under the Schedule tab, on the date of practice and will be posted at least one hour prior to the scheduled start of practice. An At-Home Exercise program will be sent via email from the Coaches in the event that practice is cancelled. **
During the season, the website is updated throughout each week as necessary. Information regarding the club will be emailed to families who provide an email address in the event of communication that needs to be sent out for informational purposes.
Clothing and Shoes (proper running/training shoes are required)
Athletes are expected to wear appropriate clothing for practices. Proper running (training) shoes must always be worn to practices and meets to avoid injury. In addition, athletes should bring spikes to workouts and meets, but spikes are not required for all events.
Health Concerns
Please make sure your registration form includes any special health needs, concerns, medications, or special considerations we need to make for your athlete. If an athlete’s health status changes during the season, parents are expected to inform Coaches and the Club Administrator of the change in a timely manner to ensure athlete safety.
Hydration
All Athletes need proper hydration. During the season, it is important to continually drink water, even on days when it is cold outside or when you might not be running. Athletes are encouraged to bring their own filled water bottles to practices and to please not share their water bottles with others in order to maintain precautions.
Nutrition
Participation in endurance sports is enhanced by routinely eating a balanced, health diet. Young athletes should be aware that their diet can impact their athletic performance. At the same time, athletes should maintain a balanced perspective that occasional treats are perfectly acceptable if the majority of food they consume is healthy. Coaches will provide athletes with pre-race nutrition advice when appropriate. If you have specific questions or concerns related to nutrition, please contact your medical provider.
Restroom Use During Practice
Athletes are asked to make every attempt to use the restroom before practice. Understandably, athletes will occasionally need to use the restroom during a workout. If this becomes the case, athletes must always speak to a coach before leaving the group to use the restroom. Coaches will ensure all athletes travel to and from the restroom in pairs or with an adult. We do provide a porta-potty to our club members for their use throughout the season, although athletes should understand that even though it is maintained on a weekly basis, we cannot guarantee the cleanliness of this with communicable diseases. Athletes are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer for their safety.
Fundraising
A goal of our nonprofit organization, North Idaho Blaze Track and Field Club, is to provide individual athletes and teams with opportunities to compete at the highest levels for which they qualify within the USATF Junior Olympics program. Families are encouraged to participate in at least one fundraising event during the track club season. Participation may include making a monetary donation. Monies generated through fundraising will be dedicated to assisting athletes and coaches with travel expenses, coaching fees, and any other expenses that the club may incur.
Safety Guidelines
To ensure safety, we expect athletes and parents are aware of the following:
- Parking lots are busy at most of our practice and meet sites. Athletes being dropped off and picked up must be constantly aware of traffic in parking lots and avoid standing in areas where cars drive.
- If an athlete is waiting for parents/guardians to pick them up, we encourage them to wait inside of the track complex for safety purposes, instead of outside of the fence near the parking lot.
- We practice in public areas. Athletes should never talk to strangers while they are at practice.
- Occasionally we run on surrounding areas or structures within the track complex. Athletes are expected to always observe all safety measures. Coaches will give specific directions about the safest ways to run in designated areas.
- All athletes should check in and out with coaches when they arrive and leave from practice.
- Athletes should wear bright colors whenever possible and when practice more so is in the evening time.