Golden Ears Athletics Track&Field Club

Golden Ears Athletics is a Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows community based athletics club that has been providing coaching services in track & field, cross country, and road racing since 1998. It is a registered non-profit society in British Columbia .

Golden Ears provides competition and recreational training and development for children and youth in the elementary through high school age groups. Included in the Club’s programming are coaching, competition entry management, competitions hosting in the community and school event support. Over the years of its operation, Golden Ears Athletics has established partnerships with the local elementary and secondary schools in the delivery of track and field and cross country programs in the community.

Mission Statement: To develop a diverse athletic club which will provide participants with the opportunity to develop physically while learning new skills associated with track and field. To provide a positive environment for self growth, goal setting, physical development, competition, and increased self confidence through achievement.

Mascot: Golden Ears Athletics has adopted the Eagle as its mascot. The Eagle is a majestic creature which is frequently seen by residents and visitors in the Ridge / Pitt Meadows communities. Members of Golden Ears Athletics are called the "Eagles".

Registration paperwork: All athletes must be registered to participate in Club activities. Application materials are available on-line, starting in February each year for track and field; in August for cross country; and in October for winter training (high school athletes). Registration packages will also be available at practice sessions. These applications are used to generate a roster and allow athletes to participate in practices.

B.C. Athletics membership: Our club liability insurance is provided through membership in B.C. Athletics and all participating athletes, Club directors and coaches are required to have a valid membership. Applications for a B.C. Athletics number are provided with registration packages and the B.C. Athletics fee is included in the fee schedule for registration. Please contact the Club Registrar if you have any questions concerning registration with B.C. Athletics.

Uniforms: Club singlets are provided for registered athletes on submission of a deposit cheque in the amount of $50.00. Cheques are returned to parents on return of the singlets at the end of the season. The Club has a limited supply of track spikes in various sizes that can be rented for a nominal fee at the beginning of the track and field season. Please see the Club Manager for more details.

Fundraising Requirements: Golden Ears Athletics depends on the participation and commitment of our families. As a requirement of registration, each family is required to participate in two fundraising events.

Track Meet participation - The Eagle Classic Track Meet is a key fundraiser for the Club. Each family is required to volunteer during our Eagle Classic Track Meet that is typically held in early May each year. Volunteer sign-up sheets will be available in the weeks preceding the meet. Volunteers are often able to select their job at the meet on a first-come-first-served basis. If no job is selected, the Club will assign you to a position based on need.

Annual GEA Pub Night - The second fundraiser is the annual Pub Night where each family is required to purchase at least two tickets but encouraged to invite other friends and family as well. The ticket price typically includes a dinner and drink ticket(s) and the evenings entertainment includes a silent and live auction of gift items and services generously donated by club members and local businesses.

Two deposit cheques in the amount of $100.00 each is collected from each member family at the time of registration with the Club. These deposit cheques are returned following the completion of each volunteer requirement. If you have any questions on any fundraising matters, please contact the Club Registrar for more details.

Attendance at Practice: All parents/guardians of children age 9 and under are required to stay at practice for the safety of these younger athletes. Please make sure your contact information (particularly cell phone) is up to date in case of emergencies.

The new Board and the coaching staff are committed to keeping our club members informed. This sounds like an easy task, but with all the information that needs to be distributed, it is more difficult than it appears. We therefore have four main ways to communicate with you:

In Person : We will verbally communicate information about our program and answer your individual questions at practices, track meets, parent meeting(s) and the Annual General Meeting of the Club.

Printed Material : We distribute important printed material, such as handouts, flyers, etc. at practices. Important information will be available from the Registrar or coaches at the beginning and end of each practice. Please check!

Email : We will send out information via email whenever possible. We understand that everyone does not have email, but nearly 90% of our club does and it simply saves money by not printing sheets of information. For those without access to e-mail, please advise the Club Registrar to discuss alternate arrangements.

Internet : The Golden Ears Athletics web site: www.golden-ears.org is undergoing a significant upgrade, the first in many years. This upgrade will make the website a key source of current information on club activities, policies, members and personnel. Included on the re-worked site will be current information, forms, links to meet results, email links to the president, registrar, and head coach, as well as contact phone numbers. It is the intention of the Board of Golden Ears Athletics to have the website serve as “the” source of information on the club.

Volunteers: Golden Ears Athletics is a non-profit club run by volunteers. Without parent volunteers, the club would not exist. If you are interested and willing to help with the club, please contact the club President or Head Coach and let them know. We can always use an extra hand!

Every year Golden Ears Athletics hosts its annual Eagle Classic Track & Field Meet. Typically it is a one-day event specifically designed for the Junior Development age group athletes (ages 9 to 13) with a few special event offerings in the open age group category. In some years we have extended this to a two day meet to also include high school participation. This year’s event has been set for Saturday, May 14th, 2011 and will only be a one day meet.

The Eagle Classic Meet is the club’s primary fund-raiser and a critical element in the Club’s annual budget. For this reason, it is mandatory for all families to help in this event in some way. It takes 40-60 people and hundreds of hours of work to make this meet successful.

Golden Ears Athletics uses Maple Ridge Secondary School track (track and field) and the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest (cross country) as its primary training sites.

Practices will rarely be cancelled. The only time we would cancel practice is if the weather is such that it is dangerous (e.g. lightening storms). When in doubt, come to practice. Please be prepared for the weather. Wear sweats to all practices and bring hats, gloves, coats as needed.