Monday, February 24, 2025

2/23 update

Phoenix,

The season is officially upon us! We begin today, Monday, 2/24 at 2:35 at the bleachers. I couldn't be more excited to get started. We have an amazing coaching staff, outstanding athletes, and the best school around.

I said this on Friday, while today may feel like a long way from May, we are less than 3 months from State and graduation, for you seniors. These 3 months may be the fastest 3 months of your life. I continue to implore you to use your time to the fullest. Don't squander your days. There are only so many days for us to get better and improve, so, as Mr. Milchick so beautifully uttered, "you must eradicate childish folly from your essence." (If you know that quote without having to look it up then I'll give you a Gatorade.)

We will  be practicing every day now. The expectation is that you are all there, each day, whether you are in the class or not. If you are in the class, practice on B days DO NOT end at 2:20. Please arrange for transportation home accordingly. 

Parent Meeting Recap

If this is your first day viewing our website, please view the parent meeting recap here

Schedule

You can find the season schedule at the top of this page in the dropdown menu or across the top. 

Registration

Each of you needs to complete registration through register my athlete prior to our first meet, or you cannot compete. If you don't know what that is, go to the parent meeting recap above and check it out, and then ask me any questions.

Eligibility

If you have more than one F, less than a 2.0 GPA, or any Us, then you will be ineligible to compete. You can clear Us, but they need to be signed off prior to your competing. That means they need to be done at least 2 days before a race, so that the proper people can sign off on it. 

Make sure you are on top of your grades.

Uniforms

Those who do not have a uniform will have them issued this week or next, but only after you have paid your fees. Anyone who has not paid their fees will not receive a uniform. 

Spirit pack items

I got two more boxes of items this morning, so if you didn't receive items last week when you came to get them, I might have them now. Swing by my room at your convenience to get the hoodies and sweats. 

If you have any other questions for me, please let me know.

Coach Jacobson

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

2/17 update

Phoenix,

This is our final week before the season begins. On Monday 2/24 we will be holding our first practice after school at 2:35. Assuming there is no snow on the bleachers, we will meet out on the bleachers by the track. If so has collected then we will likely meet inside. 

Please note, that on 2/24 there will be tryouts happening on the field for soccer and lacrosse (and varying times) so we may be practicing elsewhere so we don't get beaned by an errant spherical projectile.

Now that the season is here, everyone who is on the team, whether in the class or not, is expected to be at all of the practices. 

On A days we will meet at 2:35. On B days, 1:15 (1:35 on Wednesdays). If you aren't in the class, you'll come after school as quickly as you can on those B days. 

Bring your spikes every day to practice!!!

Athlete of the week

Each week our social media team is going to highlight an athlete of the week.  They are looking for kids who are consistent, positive, disciplined in the warm up and workout, etc.

Registration

If you haven't completed register my athlete, you need to do it or you won't be allowed to compete.

Eligibility

Third term is winding down. Make sure your grades and citizenship are where they need to be. 

If you have any questions please let me know.

Monday, February 10, 2025

2/9 update

Phoenix,

Thank you again to all the parents who came out to the parent meeting. It was good to meet so many of you. If at any point you have questions for us, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or any of the event coaches. 

If you missed that meeting, you can find the recap here. (You know who didn't miss the PARENT meeting? Addy, she didn't forget, even if she forgot her spikes two days later. Aubrey and Julia were there, who, instead of doing school work, spend every waking hour hounding me about getting this update done so they can pretend to live their dream of being viral sensations.)

Speaking of grades, you cannot compete during the track season if you have below a 2.0 GPA and/or more than one "F". If you have any "U"s they must be made up and cleared prior to being allowed to compete. We have less than one month before the term ends. Specifically, 19 school days (10 B days, 9 A days). If you have work that is late, it's time to start getting that taken care of lest you find yourself on the sideline for the duration of the season. Which, if you've ever been injured for an extended period or been ineligible, you know is the worst.

Phoneix Preview TONIGHT

Tonight is the Phoenix Preview (also known as Sophomore orientation) from 4:45-6:15. If you have any spare time this evening, even if only 30 minutes somewhere during that time frame, we are asking you to come hang out at the track table and help promote track and cross country by talking to the kids, sharing some of your experience, and inviting them to join us. Julia has made a bunch of decorations (by hand, mind you - she's spent a lot of time on it) and we have little cards with QR codes on them to give out with which the kids can sign up for the sport.

You already know that the 9th graders would rather see you than me, they'd probably be scared of my bald head, so come glaze our program and help our team grow, and in turn, help us reach our team goals.

Practices this week

We will be practicing every day this week. Do your best to be at each one. Time is of the essence, as they say, so use it wisely. Find ways to motivate yourselves and others to be there each day. Discipline is a habit that is created through repetition, so creating that habit now will help when the season is upon us. Waiting until the end of the month will mean needing to break a bad habit, making it all the harder. Start this week. Be there on A days.

Registration

All parents/guardians of athletes need to complete registration through the following website: Register My Athlete. A physical is required, in addition to other items, and the physical must be from this school year, beginning, I believe, on 7/31. 

To find a walk through for doing this the first time, please see the following site: Farmington Phoenix Track & Field and Cross Country: Register My Athlete.

Team Store

If you would like to purchase items from the team store, it is open for about a week, and those items can be found here: My Team Shop

If you have any questions please let me know.

Coach Jacobson

Monday, February 3, 2025

2/2 Update

Phoenix,

We are moving quickly towards the beginning of our season. On the one hand it's weird that we're already into February, with 3 weeks before our season officially begins, but on the other hand Winter break feels like a lifetime ago. The rest of the year will feel no different. Again, let us use our time as wisely as possible, and as consistently as possible.

Organize your time so that you can be at practice each day for the duration, get your schoolwork done, and fulfill your other responsibilities. 

On that note, stay on top of your grades now, so that you aren't scrambling at the end of the term to be eligible.

Parent Meeting

We will be having our parent meeting this week, Wednesday 2/5 at 6 PM in the choir room. The best place to park for that is on the west side of the building and enter through the north west doors, then turn south down the main hallway, and it's in the alcove immediately north of the cafeteria. 

In this meeting we will go over the schedule, registration, and expectations. There will be time afterwards for questions. I would like to be done by 7 PM.

Phoenix Preview

Next week on Monday, 2/10 from 4:45-6:15 there is a sophomore orientation for current 9th graders. We encourage anyone and everyone to come hang out there with us and get the word out to these kids about track and cross country. Growing our team is of the utmost importance for us to be successful. 

Come help out, just talking to kids, for as long as you are able.

Meet this week

If you'd like to compete this week at, there is a meet on Friday at the Olympic Oval called the distance challenge. They compete the 400, 800, 1600, and 3200. Information for that meet can be found at REP Distance Challenge - SportTrax

Practices

We will be practicing after school this week on Monday and Wednesday, and in class on Tuesday and Thursday.

Snow Canyon Cancelled

We regret to say that we will be unable to go to Snow Canyon this year. We simply couldn't get transportation and hotels in time. 

If you have any questions please let me know.

Coach Jacobson

Monday, January 27, 2025

1/26 Update

Phoenix,

January has been going by super fast, and we've been pleased with the turnout that we've had for our A day practices. That said, we can always do better. 

As coaches who are getting up there in years, (especially Farrell, she's nearly THIRTY, after all), it's easy for us to see the value of hard work day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. We've seen it pay off time and time again, so we know that if you simply show up, bring a positive attitude, and work hard, then you'll get better and have a positive experience. 

The tricky part for some youth (that means teenagers, in case you don't have your dictionary app handy) is that you may not have seen how something as simple as consistency is what brings you to the next level and simultaneously makes the experience positive and enjoyable. Of course, along with consistency, a positive attitude is a requirement to improve - negativity undermines the training by adding undo stress on your brain and body, which hinders the ability to adapt and get better (which can then make your attitude worse, perpetuating a negativity cycle). 

If the only skills you walked away from the season with were the ability to work hard consistently, and control your attitude, then it will have been a success. Ultimately I'm confident you will all have happy, successful lives beyond the track, and this experience is something we hope enhances that, and enables you to achieve it. 

We will work to that end by giving our best to reach our goals in track and field, like setting records, PRs, winning team and individual championships etc. However, records and PRs aren't the overall goal, they are a byproduct of the process of consistency, work ethic, and attitude. And neither your success in life nor your happiness depend on the outcomes, but rather the habits and traits you create through the process.

Ok that's the end of my speech, thanks for reading, now on to some matters of the season.

Practices this week

We will be practicing every day this week, with Tuesday and Thursday being after school. Always come prepared to be outside, even though some days you may be indoors. The weather this week looks favorable.

Meet this weekend

There is a meet this weekend at the olympic oval. If you'd like to compete you can register yourself on Sporttrax. I recommend downloading the app and creating a free account, parents and athletes, as most of our meets will have results on this app. I'll give a rundown on using the app in the future.

2025 UCCTCA Indoor Invitational - SportTrax

Parent Meeting

We will hold a parent meeting on 2/5 at 6 PM in the choir room. We will go over season details, registration information, and any other questions that might arise. I plan to be done before 7, and I encourage all parents to attend so you can meet our staff, get a feel for the vision, and ask any questions.

Home Meets

We will be hosting several invitationals this year, and couple small meets as well. We could use help working these meets in the form of helping in the press box with announcing or timing (both simple jobs that can be learned on the job in a matter of minutes) or on the track or field managing events. If you'd be interested in helping in some capacity at these meets, please send me an email at bjacobson@dsdmail.net

If you have any questions about the items above, please don't hesitate to ask.

Coach Jacobson

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

1/19 update

Phoenix,

Each week I hope to send out a little update on here so that parents can follow along with what is going on. 

So far we have really enjoyed the group that we have, and are excited about the season ahead. We had all the sprinters and jumpers try out hurdles for the first time on Thursday, and we were impressed with the fearlessness on display, in addition to some promising hurdlers.

This week's schedule

This week we will be practicing in class on Tuesday/Thursday and after school on Wednesday. We won't be holding after school practices on Fridays for the time being. 

There is a meet this weekend at Weber State. If you are interested in competing you will need to sign yourself up on Sporttrax. Here is the link to that meet: 2025 Weber State High School Indoor Invitational - SportTrax

Athlete Registration at FHS

Each student and their parent/guardian needs to complete registration in order to compete in high school activities. Registration information can be found here: Farmington Phoenix Track & Field and Cross Country: Register My Athlete

This needs to be completed by March 1, when the season begins. 

Snow Canyon

We are hoping to take a trip to St. George in early March to compete at the Snow Canyon invitational. I've sent out a survey regarding that trip to each athlete groupme, but we haven't gotten enough affirmative responses for the trip to go forward. 

We are at the end of the road here for getting the trip approved, and even then, we may not be able to secure transportation since we haven't gotten the replies quickly enough. 

Please fill out this survey, TODAY, letting us know if you are interested in going to Snow Canyon. https://forms.office.com/r/3KybGcTANc

If we're able to get enough saying they will attend, then we'll try to get transportation locked in and we'll see if we can make the trip happen. At this rate, I think the odds of the trip going forward is maybe 50-50. Your haste is appreciated. 

If you have any questions about the above items, please let me know.

Coach Jacobson