I hope this finds all of you ready to roll for the start of our 2017 track and field season! As I write this we are only 70 days away from the start of the Drake Relays and 92 days away from the state track and field meet. I appreciate having the opportunity to serve as your 2nd Vice President after being elected in December. Working collaboratively with members of the IATC is definitely an honor. I look forward to helping increase membership, improving communication and transparency between our shareholders, and continuing to find ways to strengthen and unify our organization to promote track & field and cross country.
For those who are involved in the Twitter world of social media, we have started an Iowa Track and Field Chat on Sunday’s at 8pm using the hashtag #IATnFCHAT. We are in our 7th week of this chat and have had solid participation from several coaches around the state. This is a great learning, sharing, and reflecting opportunity for track and field coaches at all levels. Typically each week there are two questions that are discussed including ideas about training, culture building, expectations, philosophies, program promotion, fundraising, as well as other topics. We’d love to have you join us to help share ideas and learn from the best coaches across our great state.
There are a few things later in the track and field season that you will want to put on your schedule for the somewhat distant horizon. The first events are the Mike Henderson Junior High State Track and Field Meets. These will be held on Saturday, May 6th. The JH girls meet will be held at Ankeny Stadium (Northview Middle School) and the boys meet will be held at Ames High School. We greatly appreciate these programs stepping up and hosting these meets and all of the work that they entail. The link with more information on these meets can be found on our IATC website under Track & Field/Middle School/Mike Henderson Meets or by clicking HERE. We would love to have record participation from athletes around the state!
Another event that the IATC provides for our student athletes is the State Pentathlon. This will be held on Monday, May 22nd at Central College in Pella. We will get the updated information updated on our IATC website soon. The third and final event to mark on your calendars is the IATC Senior Spotlight Meet that will be held on Saturday, June 10th at the University of Dubuque. Much like the Pentathlon, we will get information updated as soon as possible on our IATC website.
In closing I’d like to wish all of you a season of great weather, infinite highlights, and unforgettable memories made with your teams. Best of luck to you all!
Jared Fletcher
2nd Vice President
