Housing - The Housing Office will allow cross country runners(upperclassmen) to move into College Park as early as Sunday afternoon on August 13. Freshmen runners can move into the dorms starting Monday, August 14. Freshmen, please let me know the day and time you plan to move in so we can arrange for Housing to check you in. You must also get your room key from Security and their hours are limited during that week before school officially starts.
Medical/Insurance Forms - Per Drury policy, no athlete may practice or compete until their medical/insurance forms(including a physical exam by a physician) are in order and provided to the Athletic Trainer, Erin Kineman. This must be done prior to the first practice on August 17 so I expect those forms to be on file with the Trainer or in my hands by August 16. I will be available at the Fitness Center at 8:00 am on Tuesday August 15 and Wednesday August 16 for anyone wanting to turn in forms or talk with me. Students who are not covered by their family's health insurance can purchase a student health insurance policy thru Drury. Please contact Erin Kineman at 417-873-6865 for more info about health insurance for student athletes.
Preseason Practices - Our first cross country practice will be on Thursday, August 17, at 7 am at the Fitness Center(breakfast apres run) and we’ll run again at 4 pm that afternoon. Dinner out and bowling will commence at 6:30 pm. We'll run 13 miles Friday morning at 7 am on the Sequiota Trail from the East Sunshine Bread Company(again with breakfast after the run). Runners can eat lunch at the Commons in Finley Student Center on Thursday and Friday. Orientation for freshmen starts on Saturday and we'll be doing an easy run at 7 am from Drury that day. Sunday morning we may start a bit earlier and be running 10 or so miles from the Elm & National Bread Company. We'll likely run easy again from Drury early Monday(an intense orientation day for freshmen) with another workout late Monday afternoon. I plan for us to go to Lake Springfield for a hilly tempo run on Tuesday morning and run from the Fitness Center Tuesday afternoon.
Once school starts, practices will be scheduled around class times as much as possible. We'll try to finish in the mornings by 8 am and probably start afternoon practices shortly after 4 pm. Until we have everyone's class schedule I cannot yet say what days we'll be running in the mornings or afternoons. Some days it will be both. I will expect all runners to be at all practices(unless in class or sick in bed with a contagious illness or fever) and we will be running on weekends throughout the season. Labor Day Weekend and Fall Break will give you a chance to be gone from campus for about 72 hours or so to visit family.
Eligibility - Incoming athletes must be declared eligible under NCAA rules before they can practice and compete. Official ACT/SAT test scores from the testing agency and final high school transcripts from your counselor must be forwarded to the NCAA. Also, juniors must have a declared major on file with the Registrar's Office before practice begins.
Shoes/Gear - I hope to have training shoes for all runners when we start practice(although some narrow and wide sizes are back-ordered at this time). We will hand out backpacks, t-shirts, running shorts and singlets right away and have duffel bags, warm-ups and hooded sweatshirts available within a couple of weeks after we begin. Team pictures will probably be taken during the first week or so of school.
Biographical Info - I still need to receive the form with biographical information from several runners. The Sports Information Office is putting together our roster but will not update our web page until everyone has responded. Please do so as soon as possible.
Continue drinking lots of water and let me know if you have any questions. We will have a very good team this fall.
Coach Van Arkel
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