Important Info for XC Runners

FIRST PRACTICE: Our first practice will be Saturday, Aug 17, at 6:30 am at the Fitness Center. Student athletes are required to attend an NCAA rules meeting on Monday, August 19, at 2:00 pm at the O'Reilly Center.

PHYSICALS: For those freshmen and juniors who have not yet completed their physical, physicals for all incoming freshmen and junior runners will be given by Drury team doctors on Friday, August 16, at 5:30 pm. Physicals are required before any freshman or junior can practice.

MEDICAL FORMS: All runners must have all medical forms, including insurance card(front & back) and sickle cell test results, on file with the trainers by 5:30 pm on August 16. Signed forms must be returned to the athletic trainers and must be on file before you can practice. Links to the forms are on this blog to the right and on the Drury Panthers Athletic Training web page.

HOUSING: Runners will be able to move into campus housing as early as Friday, August 16 (both freshmen and returners).

FRESHMEN ELIGIBILITY: Freshmen need to be certain a test score (ACT/SAT) is forwarded from the testing agency and a final transcript is forwarded from your high school to the NCAA Eligibility Center to confirm academic eligibility. Also, in order to receive a "final" amateurism certification, you will need to revisit the Eligibility website, access your file and request a final decision for both DII cross country AND track.

TRAINING SHOES/GEAR: We will be ordering training shoes soon so each runner on the team has a new pair of trainers in the fall. All runners need to contact Coach Van Arkel (xcountry@drury.edu) with their training shoe brand, model and size (no experimental or beta models; only tried and true). Drury will cover up to $120 of the purchase price of trainers. Runners are responsible for providing their own racing spikes. Drury will be sponsored by Adidas starting this fall and we will be wearing mostly Adidas gear (shoes excepted) on days of meets. Also, each runner will be responsible for selling a Drury Sports Auction cash bash ticket in exchange for obtaining their gear.

I'll hand out the following items soon after practice starts:

-Training Shoes & Socks
-Adidas Running/Racing Shorts
-Adidas Racing Singlets
-Adidas Short Sleeve Tee's

-Adidas Long Sleeve Tops

-Adidas Track Pants
-Adidas Gym Sacks
-Adidas Backpacks
-Rain Jackets
-Duffle Bags


T-SHIRTS: We will have Adidas running t-shirts available for all runners on the team after practice starts and extras for family/friends/boosters to purchase as part of our fundraising efforts for the team. I also plan to make older singlets and jackets available to current or former runners wishing to contribute to the cross country team.

FALL PRACTICE SCHEDULE: Once we start, expect to practice six days a week throughout the fall until the NCAA Cross Country Championships, with an extra day off during Labor Day weekend. We'll run most mornings, and work out a second time several days each week. All runners must be at all practices, unless in class or at a wedding or at a funeral or sick with a diagnosed illness or fever or injured and receiving treatment from the trainers. Plan to be aqua-jogging in the pool (not on a bike or elliptical machine) if you are injured and cannot run. Other family gatherings, employment, "meetings"  or "not feeling well" are not sufficient reasons to miss practice.

1000 MILE CLUB: We'll award 1000 Mile Club  t-shirts at the end of the season for those runners who cover 1000 miles starting from June 1. All runners should be aware of their summer mileage and, if running and healthy, should be able to reach that mark sometime during the fall season.

Coach Van Arkel