West Virginia State Cross Country Championship

Dear Coaches,

We anticipate great weather for racing on Saturday with temperatures starting in the 40’s and climbing to the high 50’s. However, we are predicted to get a lot of rain all day on Thursday lingering into Friday, so course conditions might be wet.

Arrival times: Arrive no earlier than 1 hr & 30 min prior to your race. Please see state meet schedule and do NOT arrive any earlier. The course will be open for warm-ups and you must mask up while warming up.

Admission: Spectators must have authorized ticket issued by their coach and masked up before entering the Admission gates. No Tickets SOLD at Gate. There are 2 gates, one at roadway crossing near tennis courts and one behind school near tent city. NO MASK, NO TICKET, NO ENTRY

Packet pick up: Red Building outside track fence

Tent City: Tent City we will not confine teams to our normal tent city area but rather allow teams to spread out on the lower course. Make sure you do not set up within 40-50 feet, further if possible, from another team.

Bathrooms: Located at stadium (bigger) and the normal Tent City.

T-shirts: Zides will be selling state meet t-shirts.

Mask up: Everyone in attendance is required to wear a mask except the runners when they are competing during their races. Spectators & coaches who cheer and yell during a race risk spreading the virus to others, so a mask is a must. We consider the safety of the runners, coaches, spectators and staff involved in this meet to be a priority. Event staff will be on hand to ensure that masks are worn properly, covering both the nose and mouth and that proper social distancing is being maintained.

Race Procedures: Starting line procedures will be as follows:

· Teams should report to starting line at least 15 minutes before the start of their race.

· Box assignments will be issued and will appear on your race packet.

· Runners will go to the tents located near starting line for check in.

· Teams are to stay in their box and do strides directly in front of their box with MASKS. Avoid other teams during your warm-up.

· When runners step to the Red line located behind starting line, the starters commands will be; “Runners remove your Masks (Runners toss mask behind your team), Runners to Mark (Runners step to white line), and the gun will be fired. We suggest using disposal masks at the starting line to avoid having your regular Mask thrown on the ground.

Finish line procedures will be as follows:

· There will be NO finish line chute, pull tags or chips. We will be using Finishlynx timing with race numbers. Runners are to cross the line then immediately head back to their team camp, except after the boys race if you’re in the top 10 or your team is state champion or state runner-up participating in the awards ceremony.

· Parents and coaches must stay outside the track fence this year. No cutting through in front of brick building. You must go around it to get from one side of the track to the other.

· Parents may NOT wait outside the gate area to meet up with their child as they finish. They must meet with them away from the track area. We do NOT want runners having to go through crowds to get to their team camp. Also, there will be no water except for those needing medical attention in our medical area.

After your warm down, please have safe travels back home. Teams are NOT permitted to wait around to watch other races so that we are able to limit crowd size and risks of exposure.

Coaches, please make sure your runners and their families are aware of all the safety protocols that will be in place ahead of time, before arriving to the meet. Avoiding conflicts will help us focus on the athletes, enjoy the competition and make this a positive experience for the runners.

These are strange and challenging times along with all the demands just to compete in a cross country meet. However, it’s worth it as along as our runners get the opportunity to compete. I appreciate your efforts in making the WV State Championship possible and wish you the best on October 31st.

Chris Parsons

(Cabell Midland Athletic Director & Cross Country Coach)