Wednesday 29 April 2015

Some THOUGHTS ON the RUNNING SHOES we use...

We need to start instilling the benefits of good footwear in children.  Proper footwear is essential to setting up children for lifelong fitness and active living.  My thoughts are that if someone finds running difficult, uncomfortable, unsafe or bothersome in some way they will choose physically active activities less often and this may lead to an unhealthy pattern in their life.  As a PE teacher I instruct students all day long and see the necessity of using shoes that are safe.  Often when buying shoes people forget to check the bottom tread for griping potential.  Avoid shoes with foam or other bottoms and choose rubber tread with a gripping pattern so that your athlete can avoid opportunities for injury to the body.  The human foot has approximately 26 bones, muscles and joints for movement, ligaments and tendons.  Plenty of components requiring support from a good shoe. 

Wearing shoes that do not fit correctly can be problematic. The shoe is either too narrow, too wide, slides back and forth, pinches in-between the toes or on the top of the foot. It is important to try on shoes later in the day as our feet can swell a little. It is also important to try on both shoes, as one foot is usually slightly larger than the other. So you want to size for the larger foot. Your toes should be able to move around the box of the shoe and not be pushed against each other. If you can't push down on your big toe to get at least ½ inch of place then wiggle your toe and push it up against the top of the shoe to see if you have room. If you use shoes that are ill fitting then you put yourself at risk of injuries or habits causing you to need medical support in the future.

Cost is always on my mind as I need to buy shoes for my five kids but we need to think about the long term costs of using poor footwear.  Can you name something that you and your kids use for the majority of the day?  Of course... shoes!  How many coffees would it take to give you the extra money needed for good kicks?  Also, sport specific shoes are generally not necessary at the elementary age.  So don't be swayed into buying a shoe for track, basketball and volleyball, instead find a runner/cross-training runner that can be used for all sports

Freedom of movement is more than just the muscles of your arms and legs it includes your feet. Don't take them for granted. Take care of your feet and they will take care of you in return. The best running shoes are shoes that will be kind and gentle on your feet throughout any running exercise. 

I've included a picture as you may not know what a good shoe looks like.  I'd also suggest going to a running store and listening to their experts explain what a good shoe is and then you will be more knowledgeable for future purchases.

Thursday 23 April 2015

SMES TRACK MEET EXCITEMENT and a look at future dates... HC and K of C qualifications

There were so many happy moments yesterday at the SMES track meet.  St. Matthew's hosted but CCS and OLGC were called on to support what many felt was a successful day of friendly competition.  The community was united and I can quite honestly say that I had my best time at a meet. 

As the next 2 meets are by invitation only I will be looking at the availability (indicated on track forms) and ability of athletes and try to slot them into the available events for the HC and K of C track meets. 

***If your child does not receive an invitation then they have not qualified for either meet and if they are in gr 2-4 may still compete in the May 20th CCS meet. 

***If they do qualify and receive an invitation please check double check that you can attend and keep me informed of any changes.  Our team is counting on attendance and it is difficult to replace runners.

Tuesday 21 April 2015

CCS TRACK TEAM is geared up for out first meet of the year SMES track meet at HOLY CROSS TRACK

Students are encouraged to enter all of the running events below appropriate to their age and gender.  Mr. K will place them in order from fastest to slowest so that they are running against athletes of similar strength.

The order of events are as follows...
SMES TRACK MEET
9:30    1500 m (gang start)
    Grade 5 Boys
    Grade 5 Girls
    Grade 4 Boys
    Grade 4 Girls
    Grade 3 Boys
        Grade 3 Girls

10: 30    400m
    Grade 7 Boys
    Grade 7 Girls
    Grade 6 Boys
    Grade 6 Girls


11:00     60m
    Grade 5 Boys
    Grade 5 Girls
    Grade 4 Boys
    Grade 4 Girls
    Grade 3 Boys
    Grade 3 Girls

11:30    100m
    Grade 7 Boys
    Grade 7 Girls
    Grade 6 Boys
    Grade 6 Girls
    Grade 5 Boys
    Grade 5 Girls
    Grade 4 Boys
    Grade 4 Girls
    Grade 3 Boys
    Grade 3 Girls

12:30      200m 
    Grade 7 Boys
    Grade 7 Girls
    Grade 6 Boys
    Grade 6 Girls

1:00     4x100m relay
    Grade 3 Boys
    Grade 3 Girls
    Grade 4 Boys
    Grade 4 Girls
    Grade 5 Boys
    Grade 5 Girls
    Grade 6 Boys
    Grade 6 Girls
    Grade 7 Boys
    Grade 7 Girls

Tuesday 14 April 2015

First Track Practice

Today was our first Track and Field Practice of the season.  We are training the students so that they are FIT and PREPARED for the first track meet that all the athletes are attending if they are available 9-2pm on April. 22nd at the HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL TRACK 16193 88th Ave, Surrey (you'll need to arrange a ride if you haven't done so already).  Attendance is very important so that we can teach skill and rules for races.

If your athlete cannot attend a TUESDAY or THURSDAY practice in the week they will train on WEDNESDAY at LUNCH with MR. K.

Tuesday 7 April 2015

Field Practices (Long Jump, High Jump, Shot/Put) (Grades 3-7) OPEN practices begin next week



These are the morning practices for each field event open to all students interested;
                        High Jump Gr 4,5,6,7         April 13th and 17th 7:30am
                        Discus/Shot put gr 4-7        April 14th 8:00am
                        Long Jump   gr 3-7             April 15th 2-3pm and 17th 12pm and 21st 12pm
Only qualifying athletes will be invited to additional field training sessions.  These athletes will be informed of the dates and times in a separate paper invitation. We are only able to offer these limited practices to all athletes as the event does not facilitate many athletes well.