WHEELING PARK FALL CLASSIC

Date:  9/5

Race Participants:  Morgantown, University, Bridgeport (WV), John Marshall and Wheeling Park

Meet Schedule:

Varsity Boys:  9:00

Varsity Girls:  9:40

JV Boys:  10:20

JV Girls:  10:25

 

Parking: Please park in either the lot in front of the school or the lot behind the school. 

Arrival/Ticketing:  Runners cannot arrive more than hour prior to their scheduled race time.  The entrance to the meet will be near the baseball concession stand.  All tickets will be presale only.  THERE WILL BE NO TICKETS SOLD AT THE GATE.  Teams can pick up their race packet and case of bottled water at the concession stand.  There will be no water at the finish line.

Tent City/Spectators: will be located adjacent to the finish line on the softball field.  At the entrance, there will two paths.  One will lead to the tent area which is for coaches and competing athletes only.  The other will lead to the spectator area.  There will be no spectators near the start/finish line.  Each school’s tent area will be marked with a stake.  That is the location for your tent.  It cannot deviate from that spot.  Do not interact with the other teams.

Boxes/race start:  There will be 10 boxes.  We will utilize every other box.  Box assignments will be on the packets.  Runners can report to their assigned boxes no more than 20 minutes before their scheduled race, with the exception of the JV girls who won’t be able to do so.  Run outs must take place only in front of each school’s individual box.

JV RACE:  The boys will start at 10:20, they may report to the assigned box at 10:10.  Once the boys’ race begins, LITERALLY AS THE GUN SOUNDS AND THE BOYS CLEAR THE BAND FIELD, the girls JV runners should report to their assigned box.  They will have five minutes to do run outs and then the gun will sound.  Any girl who cannot clear the first thousand meters before the first boy gets back to the 4000 meter mark will get cleared from the course.

Race Finish: We will be utilizing an electronic chip in the bibs.  There will be no pull tabs.  There will be no water at the finish.  Runners are to report back to their team tent area IMMEDIATELY.  Once they have warmed down, runners and the people who came to watch them are to leave the race site. 

Masks/Social Distancing:  The spectator area is the large loop above the start line. It is a very large area which makes social distancing very easy to accomplish.  Masks must be worn.  Teams must wear masks when not running. 

Misc:  There will be no concession stand nor will be selling any shirts. Restrooms….there is a boys and a girl’s restroom attached to the concession stand near the baseball field.  More restrooms will be available inside the school.  If you are walking from the spectator area (and there will be a roped walkway) the baseball field will be on the left hand side.  Once you get past the concession stand/dugouts make a left onto the road.  Follow that behind the school, around the construction fences and there will be a set of double doors that are opened.  The additional restrooms are in there.

 

Coaches, please make sure your runners and their families are aware of all the steps we are taking to help insure the safety of all involved.  We understand that this is not ideal, but it is a race and we should be happy to do what we have to do to insure we get more than one. 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 race. I appreciate your efforts in making our meet possible and wish you the best on September 5th and pray that Wheeling Park will get the opportunity to host the Regional Championship on October 22nd.

 

 

Thank you very much and stay safe,

 

Jacob Galik

Social Studies Teacher

Head Cross Country Coach

Wheeling Park High School