Hello Thunderhawk families,

Carolina and I hope that everyone is doing well during these crazy times! 

We will be kicking off the 2021 track and field season on Monday, February 15, 2021, and information concerning registration and the anticipated particulars about the season can be found below:

1. About the 2021 Track and Field Season

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Solano County's Department of Public Health has limited our roster size to 14 participants. While this is an increase over the past cross country season where we were limited to ten (10), it is woefully short of our typical team size of 45 to 60 kids. Our hope is that they allow the number of participants to grow during the course of the season. 

The USATF, which is the national governing body for U.S. track and field, has the National Junior Olympic Championship scheduled for July 26 to August 1, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. It is unknown at this time whether the Pacific Association will be hosting any regional championships or qualifiers. Given the current state of affairs in California, it is unlikely that the USATF will host any meaningful organized competitions for youth this season in our region. For those interested in participating in the Junior Olympics, the Thunderhawks will make qualification requirements and standards available as the season progresses. 

The Thunderhawks are also members of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which has a very active membership base in Northern California. While the USATF was dormant this past cross country season across the country, the AAU still pulled off several championships, including the West Coast Championship in which Thunderhawks Gabriella Swartz, Gisselle Swartz, and Khloe Delatorre represented the team well in Las Vegas in October. It is my hope that the AAU will be able to host some meets in our region as things hopefully open up again this spring and summer. 

Our other typical races, such as Brazen Racing and the Lynch Canyon race appear to be suspended. Given the planning required for these events, it is unlikely they will be available options this season.

So...what's a coach to do?

This season will be a bit different. For starters, we are going to start the season a bit later than normal. Our start date will be Monday, February 15th instead of Monday, February 1st. While we will spend time at the track and working towards mastery of our events, we'll also spend a bit more time on the trails and exploring some of the regional parks. Should there be events that the kids can participate in, we'll get it on the schedule, notify the parents, and prepare the kids for the events. We'll also work with some of the regional teams to see if they would like to participate in a mini-meet. It is, unfortunately, going to be a very fluid season. It was my hope that we would have had a return to normalcy by now in the state of California, as being experienced in many other states.

Practices will be on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30PM - 6:00PM and we'll typically be at Al Patch Track, with some practices at Lagoon Valley, Centennial Park, and Rockville Hills in Fairfield. We'll occasionally have optional events or practices on certain Saturdays during the season. If I recall correctly, the City of Vacaville fee is $50.00 per month for a family of one (1) participant, and $75.00 for a family of two (2) or more. Due to the limit on the number of participants and fixed operating expenses such as insurance, I've had to raise the one-time per season registration fee from $20.00 to $25.00 per family. 

One last note on the subject...Carolina and I are considering leaving the state; thus, it is possible that the 2021 track and field season may be truncated or would require a parent volunteer to finish off the season. Our house is not on the market today, as we are weighing our options. But in a matter of transparency, I thought it necessary to share with our Thunderhawk family so you are not caught off guard this coming spring or summer should we notify you of our decision to leave. 

2. Registration Information 

Due to the limited capacity, we are going to do a staggered registration:

2020 Cross Country participants: Opens Wednesday, January 20th 

2020 Track and Field participants: Opens Wednesday, January 27th

Other Returnees and General Public: Opens Wednesday, February 3rd 

Instructions will be sent out to each group by e-mail, beginning with the 2020 cross country participants next Wednesday. 

We miss all of our Thunderhawk kids and hope all of your families are well during these incredibly challenging and stressful times. Should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact either Carolina or myself. 

Dan: 415-706-8423

Carolina: 415-298-0409