SLXC Parent’s "Cheat Sheet"

Pre-Season
Physicals - REQUIRED by August 12th Camp Fee - $180 Checks - "SLPS" Player’s Fee - $75 – One time for entire year

Needed - Please get these items ASAP - Shoes - $70-$100, Water bottle $10, Sports Watch -$20
Warm-Ups - Will be purchased early in the season and will include: long-sleeved shirt, running coat, running pants. The idea
is to use warm-ups for the next few seasons. Price - $95. These are yours to keep.

Sign up to help at team dinners – Nikki Theune will have Sign Up Genius for each meet. These are great events to help fuel
our runners and create opportunities for team building.

Start of Season
Start Times - Runners should be at practice at least 5 minutes early ready to run in proper attire. All runners are expected to
bring a water bottle, sports watch each day. Runners should also bring a towel and swimwear during the first 3 weeks of
practice and then at specific times thereafter.

Snacks are important! Foods that will be consumed and settle easily. Granola bar or energy bar, oatmeal with fruit,
blueberries/apples/bananas, pretzels, cheese and crackers/ PB and crackers, peanut butter sandwiches. Once school starts,
eating between 4th/5th important.

Eat a well-balanced diet. Limit junk food. Try not drinking pop. Carbohydrates can serve to keep runners healthy and help
them recover faster when injuries do crop up. RUNNERS NEED MORE CALORIES THAN NORMAL PEOPLE DO!
Make sure you eat a lot! THREE MEALS A DAY (AT LEAST!). Please note we will be starting a caloric intake count
during the season.

Drink water constantly! Runners should be drinking water all the time. Have an ounce counter at home, helps keep your
runner accountable.

Make sure your runner is taking iron and magnesium. Young women runners are especially susceptible to anemia, a
condition characterized by low iron levels. Most iron supplements should be taken with orange juice to speed absorption.
Magnesium helps with muscle recovery.

Get sleep. Sleep is often neglected by busy high schoolers, but regular sleep is always necessary for performance in school
and in running. Eight hours is optimal, but not always possible. 6-8 is a good range, while always aiming for eight! Get to bed
earlier than summer break.

Take a regular ice bath. This is in the “nice-but-not necessary” category. A regular bath, filled with about 6-8 inches of cold
water and lots of ice for about 20 minutes can really help to speed recovery after long or hard efforts.

Race-Day
Parents are encouraged to make the team's meets and cheer on both girls and boys teams. Races are run on all different types of
terrain and parents may be asked to moved over several locations to watch the race. Most locations will not have seating for
spectators. We will have our SLXC red tents at all events, this will be the easiest way to locate the group.

Each race is 5 Kilometers (3.1 miles) - XC Scoring: Low score wins in a cross country race. If you finish 1st, you receive 1
point. If you finish 22nd, you receive 22 points. The team's score is based on the first five runners, with runners 6 & 7 serving
as tie-breakers (they can also push back other team's 1-5 runners to add to their score). A perfect team score = 15 points
(1+2+3+4+5).

Races may run all in one race and have no distinction between Varsity and JV. Other races will split the top 7 (varsity) into a
race and the JV in another race. In 2019, girls will run first. Spring Lake will run in Division II.

All runners are expected to ride the bus to and from events. This is an important time for team communication. Any
exception will have to be communicated before the event.

And above all have fun! SLXC is an amazing experience for all.