Track

Announcements

7/31/26: 

Welcome to Woodward Track and Field,

We are excited to coach this year! Our coaching team includes former college and outstanding high school track and field athletes who want to share our knowledge of and passion for the sport with your athletes.

We start practice on the first day of school, 1 September 2026. Athletes must fully register on Final forms and submit a medical physical in order to participate:

Woodward Registration Page for Sports

Please do not wait until the fall to get a medical physical because doctor’s offices will be busy and you will delay your athlete’s participation in track. The Woodward attendance office can help answer any questions about registration requirements.

This 2026 season, we strive for excellence and also to best balance the needs of our athletes. Track practices (and a weekly track meet) will be held five days per week and each athlete must attend at least three of these days, including track meets. Athletes missing practice up to twice per week will not be expected to train extra. Track practice will be 345-515pm at the Woodward track, and track meets will generally run 330pm until finish (usually about three hours long), plus time busing to and from meets if they are away. BISD provides buses to and from away meets.

All athletes will be required to participate in track meets, a key component of the sport, and to be kind and supportive teammates on and off of the track. At track practice, athletes will work hard, listen attentively, improve at track and field, have fun, and grow friendships in a safe environment. Coaches will select 8^th grade team captains to help implement these standards; interested 8^th graders will be selected based on their actions and their answers to a one-page application for the position.

Track is unique in that there are always multiple running and field events going on simultaneously, at practice and at meets. Each athlete is responsible for engaging in one of these events at all times. If an athlete is consistently uninterested in focusing on an event, we will ask that the athlete consider choosing another sport. There will be no cell phones, screens, or soccer balls on the track or field during track practice.

Our first track meet will be two weeks into our season and all athletes will have to attend at least seven practices by then to participate in the meet. For the first two meets only, each athlete will be required to compete in at least one running and one field event. Running events include 75 meter hurdles, 200 meter hurdles, 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1600 meters. Field events include high jump, long jump, shot put, discus, and javelin. For the remainder of the season, athletes can compete in up to four events per meet, at least one of which must be a field event if the three others are running events, or vice versa. Each athlete will participate in six total regular season track meets, and conclude the season with one of two championship meets, based on performance marks.

Three of our track meets will be home meets, and Woodward parents and families are what allow these meets to happen. We will need a lead parent coordinator to manage parent volunteer signups for these meets, and we will need several dozen parents to work at each meet. It is hard labor, but fun to work directly with the kids. Please email us if you would like to be the 2026 lead parent volunteer coordinator.

We also need several parents to volunteer time to support track practices; we expect well over 100 athletes to run track and cannot support these numbers without parent volunteers. It is best if parents can support the same day(s) each week, but we welcome all schedules. To volunteer coach, parents will need to fulfill some requirements and training; most of this is valid for two years and applicable to volunteering elsewhere in BISD. No track experience is required to help coach, but kindness, firmness, and patience is welcomed. We will set you up with specific drills or workouts to support and need some parent distance runners to help with (a few mile) trail runs. Please email us if you are interested in volunteer coaching.

The most important equipment in track and field is a good pair of running shoes that have been used for less than 6 months. Additionally, please have your athlete wear layers of exercise-appropriate clothing (not jeans!) that can fare well in potential rain and/or cold. Uniform tops will be provided for meets, and these should be paired with black shorts or tights. Athletes need to bring a water bottle filled with water every day. Track spikes are allowed, but not required, and are only to be used during practice or meets at a time decided upon with a coach. Spikes are never to be worn for warming up.

See you on the track!

Your Woodward Track and Field Coaches