Pre Meet Preparation -- Get to know the course and look for good places to watch from, as well as the start and finish lines. Also, know what the Arcadia uniforms look like so you can identify our team quickly during the race. Our team has the cardinal tops with the gold lettering.

Be czreful in that many races will be run during the course of the meet. These meets last from a couple hours to an entire day, depending upon how many schools are there and the number of divisions. Find out what time your daughter is racing so you won't be running around the course for each race, unless that is what you really want to do, of course.

While they are warming up, do not be suprised if you aren't getting the attention of your daughter. They are usually using the time before their race to familiarize themselves with the course, to get warmed up, and to get prepared to run with last minute instructions from their coaches.

The Race -- This is not a sport that is watched from a single point, like other sports. Here, you usually move from point to point on the course and cheer your athletes on. Usually, follow the some of the coaches, they usually go to the mile markers and those are pretty good points to cheer from. Also, keep that mental note of the start and finish lines because you don't want to miss those. A quick note of caution: it is against the rules to run alongside a runner and pace them. You can also not give water. These will get your athlete disqualified from the race.

End of Race -- As a runner finishes and goes into the finish chute, they must keep in order and give their race tag to the people that are collecting it. It is their responsibility to do so. Be aware that this is a responsibility they have to do otherwise it could cost them a place and hurt their team placement as well. After they are down, we require that they warm down as a team and cheer their teammates on that are yet to run.

Important Notes -- once a race is over, parents are often suprised (especially the first time) to see how tired their daughter is. These symptoms are normally weakness in the knees, stumbling in a fainting like manner, overall weakness, glossy eyes, and nausea. These generally pass quickly. A common mistake that parents make is to take their daughter and try to care for them. Please let us take care of them as we have the necessary equipment to rehydrate them and treat them for exhaustion, if needed. Our coaches have been trained in first aid and are aware of these conditions at the end of a race.

Also, once the race is over, it is a good thing for them to drink water and usually gatorade. This replaces the lost fluids and the electrolites that typically are lost during a race of this magnitude. Don't give them juice or soda for at least 15 minutes afterward because it sometimes can cause nausea.

Final Notes -- Parents are often suprised at the change in attitude by their daughter as far as how serious they get about their race. This is something that team competition brings out in the athletes and, often, it is a mild shock to some parents.

Lastly, it is state law that we are responsible for you daughter after the meet. Please do not take your daughter without having checked with the coaches at least a day in advance so that it can be taken care of in the front office.