Athletes have been doing a wonderful job with training again this summer! Practice points are updated almost daily and can be accessed using the link in the quick links section above. If you're new to cross country don't forget to check out the XC Summer/Camp Info link above as well. It's not too late to join us this summer or when the season starts on August 17th. Thanks for spreading the word!

Not getting the remind text messages? Please join the cross country remind group by texting @cghsxc2026 to 81010. 

Information that wasn't available at the time our calendar went out:

• Tuesday, July 7th at 11am there will be the ribbon cutting for the Dyrol Burleson path and new kiosk that is located across the street from the high school. It would be fun if athletes were able to stick around after the workout to support the event. Burleson is one of the greatest distance runners in Cottage Grove and University of Oregon history. If athletes don't know his story it would be an even better reason to attend. Don't forget to bring a snack for after the workout. 

• Friday, July 17th at 8pm is the annual Gold Rush 5k in Cottage Grove. The original RunCGRun website has had a change of address and you may access the registration information at their new address HERE. It is a fun and informal event for the whole family!

• Please take some time to look over some new and updated information on our Health and Performance page. Athletes may be doing all the right things with training, but other factors can derail health and performance. Many people are unfamiliar with RED-S or unaware of how detrimental low iron/ferritin levels can be. It's easier to be proactive with this information than it is to play catch up. Please ask if you have questions!

Once again the district championship brought a mix of emotions as we saw many athletes qualify for state while others put an exclamation point on their season or even their high school athletic careers. Both the boys and girls teams competed well, capturing third place team finishes. The boys were seeded third going in and held form while the girls team was seeded fourth and managed to jump Marist to capture third place. It is the best finish for the girls team since 2017 when they placed second. Let's be honest, beating Marist always feels good! The Lions had a wave of state qualifiers again this season with a few surprise wildcards sprinkled in. Lucas O'Hara was awarded the jumper of the meet for his win in the high jump and third place finish in the long jump. Ella Cardwell earned runner of the meet recognition for her dominating wins in the 3000m and 1500m against two of the top runners in the state from North Bend. The meet ended in dramatic fashion with both 4 x 400m relay teams contending for state qualifying spots. The boys put up a fight and narrowly missed the wildcard time. The girls team, with an incredible 61.3 third leg from Rowyn Earl, earned the wildcard bid and a state qualifying spot in the 4x4 for the first time in nine years. Congratulations to everyone for strong performances when it mattered most and to our state meet qualifiers. Here is a look at our 14 state qualifiers which includes district champions in seven events:

Ella Cardwell - District champion in the 3000m AND the 1500m. Wildcard qualifier in the 4 x 400m relay.

Jacob Dugas - District champion in the triple jump.

Micah Hanke - District champion in the 800m.

Lucas O'Hara - District champion in the high jump.

Makya Alsup - District champion in the javelin.

Emmerson Bickford - District champion in the 300m hurdles AND wildcard qualifier in the 4 x 400m relay. First CGHS girl state qualifier in this event since 2010.

Ezra Seiffert - Second place and state qualifier in the 110m hurdles.

Carrissalynn Height - Second place and state qualifier in the shot put AND wildcard state qualifier in the javelin.

Remington Sharkey - Wildcard state qualifier in the 3000m AND 1500m.

Sadie Cardwell - Wildcard state qualifier in the pole vault. First CGHS girl state qualifier in this event since 2011.

Rowyn Earl - Wildcard state qualifier in the 4 x 400m relay.

Carly Knutson - Wildcard state qualifier in the 4 x 400m relay.

Carolyn Reyna - Wildcard state qualifier (alternate) in the 4 x 400m relay.

Maddie Gray - Wildcard state qualifier (alternate) in the 4 x 400m relay.

Squad Points for Raffle Prizes:  We are still in need of raffle prizes for the golf tournament. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). If you know of any people or businesses that would be willing to donate goods or services for the raffle please let us know. Please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. Any raffle prize that is valued up to $50 will earn 10 squad points and anything above $50 will earn 20 squad points. 

Uniform Collection:  Thank you to all of the athletes that have already turned in uniforms.  Athletes that have completed the season should turn in their uniform as soon as possible.  Please place uniform items in a plastic or paper bag that is labeled with your name and return to Coach Knutson's classroom.  Labeling the bag ensures that items are checked off appropriately in the event that uniform numbers have become unidentifiable.  Please DO NOT bring uniform items to track practice. Athletes that turn in uniforms prior to May 28th will each earn five points for their squad.

Special notes for the week:

Monday: NO SCHOOL. Practice at 3:45pm for state qualifiers.

Tuesday: Short practice followed by 6pm state qualifier team dinner at Coach Vogel's house. More details will be given at practice, but athletes will need to provide own transportation.

Wednesday/Thursday: Normal practice time but we will be done early.

Friday and Saturday: STATE CHAMPIONSHIP at HAYWARD FIELD!  Bus leaves at 7:00am on Friday and 7:30am on Saturday. We will go over more meet details with the state qualifiers.  Championship central may be accessed using the link HERE.  The page includes information about tickets, merchandise, meet schedule, spectator shuttle, and the clear bag policy. Let's get as many spectators as we can to Hayward to support these athletes!   

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, June 1st: LAST CHANCE FOR SQUAD POINTS! Immediately after school will be equipment clean up at the track. Five points for every athlete that shows up AND helps!

Monday, June 1st: Lion Launch for incoming freshmen will be from 6:30 - 7:30pm in the cafeteria. We would love to have a handful of current athletes there to help welcome athletes to the high school and help promote our programs.

Tuesday, June 2nd: Awards night will be at 6pm in the cafeteria. Every athlete will be recognized with at least a participation certificate. Anyone is welcome to attend. Due to the number of atheltes we have and the amount of time we need to recognize athletes it is a non food event.

Wednesday, June 3rd: Informational meeting for cross country in room 109. See information above.

Squad Points for Raffle Prizes:  We are still in need of raffle prizes for the golf tournament. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). If you know of any people or businesses that would be willing to donate goods or services for the raffle please let us know. Please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. Any raffle prize that is valued up to $50 will earn 10 squad points and anything above $50 will earn 20 squad points. 

Pictures: If you ordered pictures please stop by Coach Knutson's room (109) to pick those up.

Who is still practicing? We will have district meet entries at practice on Monday and athletes that are entered will continue to practice this week.

Uniform Collection:  Thank you to all of the athletes that have already turned in uniforms.  Athletes that have completed the season should turn in their uniform as soon as possible.  Please place uniform items in a plastic or paper bag that is labeled with your name and return to Coach Knutson's classroom.  Labeling the bag ensures that items are checked off appropriately in the event that uniform numbers have become unidentifiable.  Please DO NOT bring uniform items to track practice. Athletes that turn in uniforms prior to May 28th will each earn five points for their squad.

Special notes for the week:

District Championship Info (Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23):  This is a two day championship meet that is unlike anything we have attended all season. We will be covering a lot of information this week at practice, but some important details for athletes and families can be found below:

• Entries for the district meet were due on May 16th and league coaches met on Saturday to iron out meet details. At this point we are no longer allowed to add or move athletes, we may only scratch athletes from events. There will be a handful of strategic scratches that we will be making later in the week, and we will discuss those with athletes this week. The entries will be posted on our website after we have discussed them with athletes on Monday.

• The meet will be Friday and Saturday at Junction City High School. A full event schedule can be found HERE. The bus will depart at 8:30am on both days. We want to get athletes home as soon as possible on Friday afternoon, so we will not be stopping to fill up on fast food.  Please pack food accordingly.

• The meet is much more restrictive in terms of where spectators and athletes are allowed to be. Please see facility map HERE to see restricted areas.

• How does the two day format work? Field events will be spread out over the two days with prelims and finals of those events happening on the same day. For all field events except pole vault and high jump there will be three attempts in the prelims with the top 9 athletes advancing to finals (on the same day) for three more attempts. The 3000m final is on Friday, and all other running event finals are on Saturday. All Saturday running events other than the 1500m and both relays will have prelims on Friday. Athletes running in prelims will need to qualify to advance to the final on Saturday. This means that in an event with two heats an athlete must finish in the top three or have one of the next two fastest times.  

• How does the team scoring work? We are allowed three varsity entries per gender, per event, at the district championship. We have only entered athletes that are capable of competing at a district meet level, which means there are a few cases where we left some spots vacant. At the district and state championships the athletes that finish in the top 8 in each event score points for their respective teams as follows: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The team with the most points wins the meet. At the district meet the top 8 finishers will be recognized on the awards podium.  

• How do athletes advance to the state championship? Track and field is one of the most challenging high school sports in terms of qualifying for state.  Unlike many other sports there are no "play-in" opportunities for average teams and athletes, and top athletes that are in tough leagues routinely find themselves on the outside looking in. At the district championship the top two finishers in each event final automatically qualify for the state championship at Hayward Field. There is one at-large bid that will go to the top third place finisher from all six district meets in each event. Additionally, an athlete may qualify if they are not in the top two, but hit an auto qualifying mark, which is not too common. Auto qualifying marks can be found HERE. 

Varsity Lettering Criteria Reminder:  You may view the full criteria in our team handbook (linked above). In short, athletes need to hit a certain mark or time during the season, or place in the top 8 in an individual event at the district meet. Relays do not count toward varsity lettering requirements due to the fact that there are only five teams in the league and every team that makes it across the finish line scores. Please note the requirement of attending both days of the district meet.  

Practice this week:  Practices will continue to end earlier this week based on event groups.  Thursday's practice will start in Coach Knutson's room (109) at 3:45pm.  

Upcoming Dates:

State Championship:  May 29 -30. Full details about the state meet will be available next Sunday, but until then you may view the tentative schedule at the OSAA website HERE.  Athletes that are fortunate to qualify will also participate in the annual state qualifier team dinner the week of the state meet. Also, note that they will be running boys before girls in each event this year and it will be an every other year rotation after that.

Monday, June 1st: Lion Launch for incoming freshmen will be from 6:30 - 7:30pm in the cafeteria. We would love to have a handful of current athletes there to help welcome athletes to the high school and help promote our programs.

Awards Night:  Will be on June 2nd at 6pm in the cafeteria. Every athlete will be recognized with at least a participation certificate. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Wednesday, June 3rd: Informational meeting for cross country in room 109. See information above.

Squad Points for Raffle Prizes:  We are still in need of raffle prizes for the golf tournament. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). If you know of any people or businesses that would be willing to donate goods or services for the raffle please let us know. Please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. Any raffle prize that is valued up to $50 will earn 10 squad points and anything above $50 will earn 20 squad points. 

Pictures: If you ordered pictures please stop by Coach Knutson's room (109) to pick those up.

Who is still practicing? While there are a group of athletes who's seasons are over there are a variety of reasons some athletes may be continuing to practice. On Friday we posted a list of athletes that may still be practicing for one of several reasons. As of Friday there were still a few event spots that athletes are still competing for and district entries have not been determined yet. Some distance runners have an option of a 3k time trial on Monday. There are some athletes that may compete in our home invite on Friday but not at districts OR there are some athletes where it may be the other way around. Thank you for understanding that not all athletes that are continuing to practice are guaranteed to have another meet, but we are trying to maximize opportunities as much as possible. We have been taking time to check in with individuals so that the process is as transparent as possible, but please be sure to check with Coach Knutson if you have any questions. By Saturday (5/16) the district meet entries will be finalized and those will be the only athletes that will practice the following week.

Uniform turn in procedure:  Athletes that have completed the season should turn in their uniform as soon as possible.  Please place uniform items in a plastic or paper bag that is labeled with your name and return to Coach Knutson's classroom.  Labeling the bag ensures that items are checked off appropriately in the event that uniform numbers have become unidentifiable.  Please DO NOT bring uniform items to track practice.  

Monday (May 11th):  Normal practice. Some distance runners will be running a 3k time trial in an effort to improve times and potentially qualify to run in our home meet on Friday. 

Tuesday - Thursday:  Practices will be lighter this week as we head into the championship part of the season.  We will know as of Thursday morning who has been accepted to compete in our home invitational on Friday.  Athletes will most likely have an idea even earlier as they can already see entries on athletic.net.

Friday (May15th):  Wally Ciochetti Invitational.  WE NEED HELP PLEASE!  We are still in need of a few adults to help supervise the concession stand during the meet.  There will be athletes signed up to help, but we still need some adult supervision from roughly 3pm to 9pm.  If we can get a few people then the shifts can be shorter.  It's great if we have someone with some experience working our high school concessions, but it is NOT a requirement.  Please contact Coach Knutson if you are able to help. Athletes that are able to help should check with Coach Knutson about specific jobs and what time they might be dismissed from school to help. We will honor all seniors that wish to be recognized at 3:30pm in lane one at the 50 yard line.  Thank you for gathering a few minutes before we start the recognition.  If all seniors choose to participate there will be 29 athletes to recognize.  Thank you for understanding that we will need to make this as efficient as possible.  

Upcoming dates:

Much more information coming about these two meets, but this will get us started.

Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23 - Districts at Junction City:  The PRELIMINARY district meet schedule is linked HERE, but is is SUBJECT TO CHANGE. There are not often significant changes, but a final draft will be available in the next update.

The focus of the district meet is to advance athletes to the state championship and maximize team points.  Since the meet is two days there are some athletes that will double up in events.  This means there aren't the same number of vacancies in events as usual, and some athletes that might have attended invitationals this season may not compete at districts.  We have been communicating this with athletes throughout the season, so this should not come as a surprise.  There will be much more information to come about this meet.  Entries for coaches are due at 10am on Saturday, May 16th and there are no changes (other than scratches) allowed after that point.  It is critical that athletes share any potential scheduling conflicts with Coach Knutson NOW.  If an athlete scratches after the May 16th deadline we are not allowed another entry and the spot is lost. Please be sure to communicate with coaches ASAP if there may be any schedule conflicts.

Team Dinner for State Qualifiers: This will be the week of the state meet. Date, time and location will be determined after districts.

Friday, May 29 - Saturday May 30 - State:  How do athletes advance to the state championship?  Track and field is one of the most challenging high school sports in terms of qualifying for state.  Unlike many other sports there are no "play-in" opportunities for average teams and athletes, and top athletes that are in tough leagues routinely find themselves on the outside looking in.   At the district championship the top two finishers in each event final automatically qualify for the state championship at Hayward Field.  There is one at-large bid that will go to the top third place finisher from all six district meets in each event.  Additionally, an athlete may qualify if they are not in the top two, but hit an auto qualifying mark at the district meet, which is not too common.  Auto qualifying marks can be found HERE. 

Raffle Prizes Needed:  We are still in need of raffle prizes for the golf tournament. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). We are starting the process of collecting raffle prizes. If you know of any people or businesses that would be willing to donate goods or services for the raffle please let us know. Please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. 

This week:

We are entering the championship portion of the season, so some practices may be shorter depending on which event group an athlete is a part of. Athletes should communicate with event coaches about practice details in their specific area. Rest and nutrition continue to be important during this final month, and this will be the last week of the season for some athletes. On Friday we will have a list of athletes that will have the option to continue practicing beyond this week.

Monday (May 4th):  Practice at 3:45pm. Athletes competing in the JV district meet will sign up for events. It is the responsibility of each athlete to make sure they are signed up for the appropriate events.

Tuesday (May 5th): Practice at 3:45pm. JV district entries will be posted at practice so that athletes may proofread or make adjustments. Athletes competing on Wednesday will be done early.

Wednesday (May 6th): JV Districts at Marist. Practice at 3:45pm for athletes not participating in the JV district meet. BUS LEAVES AT 12:00 (during lunch). Athletes should plan ahead and bring lunch with.

Thursday (May 7th): Middle school regional meet at Cottage Grove. There will be no official practice on this day although distance runners will have a workout at 3:30 (at the front gate). We will need a handful of athletes to sign up to help with the meet which starts at 1:30pm. Athletes that are helping can be dismissed at 1:45pm. Athletes that are not actively helping with the meet are welcome to attend after school and spectate, but should not be congregating in the infield. 

Friday (May 8th): Practice at 3:45pm. All athletes should attend this practice and we will have a squad competition. A list will be posted of athletes that will be eligible to continue practicing during the next few weeks. The athletes that continue practicing will be in the athlete pool and contending for additional competition this season. Please understand that no athletes are promised any spot at future meets at this point in the season and that positions are still fluid. Decisions will be made for each meet taking into consideration multiple factors:

• Potential State Qualifiers: Qualifying for the state meet at this level is challenging and it is always a primary competition goal. Event loads may be reduced or shifted for athletes to increase the chances of qualifying for state. For example, an athlete might not participate in a relay in order to focus on other events.

• Scoring points: This is a team sport and every effort will be made to maximize scoring at the district championship without jeopardizing an athlete's chance to qualify for state.

• Maximizing participation: We will do our best to enter as many athletes as possible in each meet as long as each athlete is able to compete at a high level.

• Consistency: This is especially evident in field events where one big mark may not indicate what an athlete is doing on a consistent basis. Decisions may be made to enter athletes that have shown consistency rather than athletes that have the occasional big jump or throw.

• Attitude and attendance: If athletes have similar marks then factors such as attendance, effort, attitude and coachability may determine which athlete participates. 

Saturday (May 9th):  Stayton Invitational. BUS WILL LEAVE ON TIME AT 7:00AM Limited to two competitive entries per event. Stayton has not provided good information about this meet, but we are hoping that meet info on athletic.net will be updated soon. We will stop for food on the way home.

Upcoming Dates:

Friday, May 15th: Wally Ciochetti Invitational (HOME). Events are capped at 24 athletes, so entries will be limited. We will also be communicating about how senior recognition will work prior to the meet. There will be a handful of athletes that may not qualify for this meet, but will still compete at the district meet. Likewise, there may be a few athletes that run in the Ciochetti, but will not compete at districts due to athletes on our team competing in multiple events. There will be much more to come about the last few weeks of the season.

Raffle Prizes Needed:  We are still in need of raffle prizes for the golf tournament. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). We are starting the process of collecting raffle prizes. If you know of any people or businesses that would be willing to donate goods or services for the raffle please let us know. Please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. 

This week:

Monday (April 27th):  Many athletes signed up last Friday for events they would like to participate in on Tuesday at home. We will post those entries at practice and give athletes an opportunity to make adjustments or sign up for additional events. It is the responsibility of all athletes to make sure to confirm entries with the coach on Monday at practice. Athletes that are not competing on Tuesday should be ready for a solid workout on Monday. This will be primarily distance runners.

Tuesday (April 28th):  Track meet at HOME. Dismissal at 2:30 and warm up at 3:10. This is a dual meet with Marshfield and events may have minimal competitors. There will be a handful of athletes (primarily our top distance runners) that will not participate in the meet on Tuesday. We have already checked in with most of these athletes, but will communicate with them again on Monday. Just a reminder that we ask all athletes to stay until the end of the meet (Team Handbook, page 3, section 1h). Thank you for understanding that athletes are expected to be good teammates. 

Wednesday (April 29th):  Early release at school, but normal practice.  Many athletes will be done with practice earlier depending on event area.  Check with event coaches to get a more specific idea.

Thursday (April 30th):  Normal practice. This will be a quality workout day for most.

Friday (April 31st):  We will have practice at the normal time and will most likely be done by 5:15pm.

Saturday (May 1st):  Marist Track Classic. The bus will depart ON TIME at 8:00am. We are allowed three entries per event, but entries are not guaranteed as event fields will be capped at 32. Entries are due by Wednesday evening, so we should know on Thursday which athletes were accepted.

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, May 6th: JV Districts. This will be the last meet for some of our athletes as others will continue on to the championship part of the season. Only athletes competing will continue to practice beyond this meet. Seniors that are not continuing with the season may still choose to be recognized in our senior recognition ceremony on May 15th.

Saturday, May 9th: Stayon Invitational. Information about number of entries has not been communicated yet for this meet, but entries will be limited.

Friday, May 15th: Wally Ciochetti Invitational (HOME). Events are capped at 24 athletes, so entries will be limited. We will also be communicating about how senior recognition will work prior to the meet. There will be a handful of athletes that may not qualify for this meet, but will still compete at the district meet. Likewise, there may be a few athletes that run in the Ciochetti, but will not compete at districts due to athletes on our team competing in multiple events. There will be much more to come about the last few weeks of the season.

Fundraiser Update: Our gross total for our fundraiser was $21,170! Thank you to everyone for helping and for the generous donations. We have more than doubled the $14,000 that we already had for the track surface and our grant writers will be able to take those numbers to potential donors to show that we are serious about getting this project done. We've also ordered the incentives that the athletes earned during the fundraiser and we hope to have that gear in the next two weeks. THANK YOU for all the continued support with this project, we are off to a great start!

Raffle Prizes Needed:  Our focus for fundraising now shifts to the Cottage Grove Golf Classic which will be hosted by the track and field program. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). We are starting the process of collecting raffle prizes. If you know of any people or businesses that would be willing to donate goods or services for the raffle please let us know. Please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. 

Raise the Floor:  This is the time of year when every athlete wants a big personal best, but it's an important time to remember that improvement is most often NOT linear. The "ceiling" (big PR) is what we aim for, but if we raise the "floor" (I can perform this on any day) then we are on the right track for big performances at the end of the season. Improving our "average" performance is another way to tell we are getting better. Patience and consistency should be our focus during this time of the season, especially when there are multiple meets each week. The championship meets at the end of the season are the most important for top performances.

This week:

Monday (April 20th):  Many athletes signed up last Friday for events they would like to participate in on Tuesday at home. We will post those entries at practice and give athletes an opportunity to make adjustments or sign up for additional events. It is the responsibility of all athletes to make sure to confirm entries with the coach on Monday at practice. 

Tuesday (April 21st):  Track meet at HOME. Dismissal at 2:30 and warm up at 3:10. There will be a small handful of athletes that will not participate in the meet on Tuesday. Multiple athletes have achieved marks that will assure them spots in the Meet of Champions on Saturday and some of them will be focused on getting in several quality workouts this week rather than competing in two meets. We have already checked in with most of these athletes, but will communicate with them again on Monday. Other athletes that will likely qualify for the meet on Saturday may be competing on Tuesday, but it might be in a different event lineup.  For example, several of our top jumpers may be in track races focusing on speed rather than jumping.

Wednesday (April 22nd):  Early release at school, but normal practice.  Many athletes will be done with practice earlier depending on event area.  Check with event coaches to get a more specific idea.

Thursday (April 23rd):  Early release at school for conferences, but normal practice.

Friday (April 24th):  NO SCHOOL. We will have practice at the normal time and will most likely be done by 5:15pm.

Saturday (April 25th):  Meet of Champions in Sweet Home.  The bus will depart ON TIME at 7:15am.  This 40 team invitational is a high performance 1A-4A meet that takes the top 18 athletes in each field event and top 24 athletes in each track event. The entries are due on Thursday evening and we will know by Friday morning who was accepted. Based on accepted entries from last year we can make some educated guesses as to who will get in and as of right now we believe we may have approximately 30 athletes attending the meet. Athletes should see Coach Knutson if they have questions about potentially qualifying for the meet.

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, April 28th: League meet at CG.  Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete.

Saturday, May 2nd: Marist Track Classic. We are allowed three entries per event, but entries are not guaranteed as event fields will be capped at 32.

Wednesday, May 6th: JV Districts. This will be the last meet for some of our athletes, but there will be more to come on this.

Week six ended with a flurry of three meets in four days and we somehow managed to dodge the thunderstorms on the competition days. Many CG athletes had strong performances at Marist while picking up wins in 12 different events. Ella and Carly posted monster times in the 800m that now rank them #8 and #11 respectively on the all-time CGHS track and field lists. Saturday brought more impressive results as Carrissalynn threw an amazing personal best by over 20 feet in the javelin to take the win while also improving by almost one foot in the shot put for another victory.  Scarlett absolutely flew into the long jump pit on Saturday for a 20 inch personal best.  Her mark of 16 feet 8.75 inches is the best long jump mark by a CGHS girl in 18 years and now ranks her #5 on the all-time CGHS long jump list.  Micah ran a strong 800m race to take home the win and the boys 4x400m relay team (Lucas, Peyton, Remington, and Micah) also claimed the top spot. While it was nice to finish near the top of the team standings (boys 2nd and girls 3rd) at the invitational we have to keep in mind that the meet featured primarily smaller schools.  There is still a lot of work to do and it is important to keep things in perspective.

Fundraiser Update: We have now raised more than $19,000 before paying the percentage to the fundraising company and taking care of incentives for the athletes. More than 40 athletes exceeded the $150 individual goal that we set at the start of the fundraiser.  THANK YOU to everyone that generously helped to make this 10 day push a success! Online donations can still be made until midnight on April 12th and cash/check donations can still be turned in to count toward athlete incentives until practice time on Monday. Could we make it to 20k by practice time on Monday?

Golf Tournament:  Our focus for fundraising now shifts to the Cottage Grove Golf Classic which will be hosted by the track and field program. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). We have had some sponsors added to our list, but would like to continue to find more. We also need to start the process of collecting raffle prizes. If you know of any people or businesses that would be willing to donate goods or services for the raffle please let us know.  Please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. 

Grade Check: We should have grade information on Monday. Grades should not be a surprise and any athlete that is not cleared (passing five classes and above a 2.0 GPA) prior to the entry deadline for the next meet will not be practicing or participating until grades are resolved. This means an athlete that is ineligible as of Monday at practice time will not be going to the Tuesday meet. Thank you for remembering that it is not the responsibility of the teachers to scramble to grade work as a result of student athletes not taking care of work in a timely fashion.

Free Action Photos: The CGHS yearbook generously provides pictures from track meets throughout the season that can be accessed and downloaded for free using the pictures link and password located in the quick link section above. We appreciate Coach Tucker and Travis Vaughn spending extra time to provide amazing complimentary shots from our meets. Thank you for understanding that they provide this free service as a courtesy and their goal is to get great photos, not cover every athlete and every event. We look forward to seeing some of the shots from Marist and the AMJ Invitational uploaded soon!

This week:

Monday (April 13th):  Many athletes signed up last Friday for events they would like to participate in on Tuesday at Junction City. We will post those entries at practice and give athletes an opportunity to make adjustments or sign up for additional events.  It is the responsibility of all athletes to make sure to confirm entries with the coach on Monday at practice. 

Tuesday (April 14th):  Track meet at Junction City.  The bus will depart ON TIME at 1:45pm.  Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete, but only athletes competing will be traveling to the meet. Athletes should be prepared for inclement weather and there are no covered stands at Junction City.  Athletes should also bring food as we won't be stopping to eat on the way home.

Wednesday (April 15th):  Normal practice.  Many athletes will be out earlier depending on event area.  Check with event coaches to get a more specific idea.

Thursday (April 16th):  Team pictures at 3:30pm. Picture packets will be available on the table in the track shed starting on Monday if athletes wish to pick one up. Athletes should be in jacket and sweats for the picture, but may bring jersey if they wish to wear it for individual pictures. We will practice as usual after pictures. This will be our heaviest workout day of the week.

Friday (April 17th):  Practice will be light and many athletes will be done by 5:15pm depending on event area. Athletes should check with event coaches to get a more specific idea.

Saturday (April 18th):  Roseburg.  The bus will depart ON TIME at 8:45am.  This meet allows only two entries per event per team.  Limited entries mean that many athletes may only be competing in one event.  We will stop for food on the way home from the meet. The meet schedule can be found in the Roseburg Invite meet info section at athletic.net (linked above).

Upcoming Dates:

Saturday, April 18th: Roseburg Invite. Team is limited to two competitive entries per event.

Tuesday, April 21st: League meet at CG.  Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete.

Saturday, April 25th: Meet of Champions. Athletes qualify based on marks and times. We will not know who has been accepted until Friday, April 24th.

Tuesday, April 28th: League meet at CG.  Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete.

Week five of the season culminated with a group of athletes representing Cottage Grove at the Oregon Relays.  While it is still early in the season, the athletes showed that they are ahead of where they were at this same time last year. Ella ran 10 seconds faster than she did last year in the final leg of the DMR to lead the team to a third place finish in their heat. Remington ran the fastest last lap in the 16 team DMR heat to almost edge Churchill for the heat win. After weeks of practice we are excited to have the entire team in action this week!

The donation based fundraiser started last week with an enormous amount of success!  We reached our initial goal of $10,000 in less than 24 hours and are well on our way to hitting our secondary goal of $15,000 when this round of fundraising ends at midnight on April 12th. Donations are still coming in online and cash or check donations may still be brought to Lena Twyman in the main office.  A giant THANK YOU to athletes, family and friends that have generously donated to the cause. The donation links posted on social media have only generated $55, so our current total is a testament to how important the direct involvement from the athletes has been. This is going to have a significant impact when our grant writers share the progress with potential donors. We are excited to share the final results at the end of the week!  

Golf Tournament:  While our focus for this week will be wrapping up the donation based fundraiser, we also want to keep the Cottage Grove Classic Golf Tournament on your radar. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). We will be promoting this more in the next few weeks, but please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament. 

Grade Check UPDATE:  We were informed that the date of the grade check has changed and will happen at the end of this week rather than last week. We will hope to have updated grade information by the 13th. Grades should not be a surprise and any athlete that is not cleared (passing five classes and above a 2.0 GPA) prior to the entry deadline for the next meet will not be practicing or participating until grades are resolved. Thank you for remembering that it is not the responsibility of the teachers to scramble to grade work as a result of student athletes not taking care of work in a timely fashion.

This week:

Monday (April 6th):  Many athletes signed up last Friday for events they would like to participate in on Wednesday at Marist.  We will post those entries at practice and give athletes an opportunity to make adjustments or sign up for additional events.  It is the responsibility of all athletes to make sure to confirm entries with the coach on Monday at practice. 

Tuesday (April 7th):  Normal practice.

Wednesday (April 8th):  Track meet at Marist.  The bus will depart ON TIME at 2:00pm.  Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete, but only athletes competing will be traveling to the meet. Athletes should be prepared for inclement weather and there are no covered stands at Marist.  Athletes should also bring food as we won't be stopping to eat on the way home.

Thursday (April 9th):  Home middle school meet. High school athletes should be dressed for practice and report at 3:30pm for a team warm up before we help with the middle school meet. Distance runners should be prepared for a light run before they help with the middle school meet. All athletes should bring layers to practice so they are prepared to help run the field events.  We hope to conclude before 7:30pm. We will also post entries at practice for the Saturday invitational.

Friday (April 10th):  NO SCHOOL, but practice at the same time as normal. Practice will be light and many athletes will be done by 5:15pm depending on event area. Athletes should check with event coaches to get a more specific idea.

Saturday (April 11th):  Aaron and Marie Jones Invitational at the beautiful McKenzie Community Track.  The bus will depart ON TIME at 7:15am.  This meet allows each team three entries per event per team.  Limited entries mean that many athletes may only be competing in one event.  We will not be stopping for food after the meet. The meet schedule and program can be found in the meet info section at athletic.net (linked above).

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, April 14th: League meet at Junction City. Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete.

Thursday, April 16th: Team pictures at 3:30pm. We will distribute picture packets as we get closer to this date.

Saturday, April 18th: Roseburg Invite. Team is limited to two competitive entries per event.

Tuesday, April 21st: League meet at CG.  Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete.

It was another strong week of laying foundation work over spring break.  We averaged 51 athletes per day over the four days and 41 athletes attended every day. It will be a busy week as we head back to school and kick off a critical fundraiser for our track resurfacing project. We need a lot of help with this, so thank you for taking the time to read through the details in order to be fully informed about what is happening. The track resurfacing project will have a big impact on not only our program, but also the community. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide during the next few weeks.

Track resurfacing update: In an effort to not clutter up the weekly update you may read all the details about the track resurfacing project HERE. Our fundraising effort this week will be more important than ever for establishing momentum for the goal. This initial push will show potential funders that we are committed to this project.

Hour-A-Thon Fundraiser:  If you are familiar with our program then you know that we rarely ask athletes or parents to fundraise. We don't ask you to give up weekends and extra evenings to work events to raise money every year. Our last significant fundraiser was three years ago so that we could replace our ten year old uniforms. In other words, when we fundraise it's because it is critical. We need to show potential donors that we are serious about resurfacing the track by raising funds in addition to the $14,000 that we already have. Our goal is to raise at least $10,000 (we managed $15,000 in 2023) during the one week push. If each athlete is able to raise $125 then we should be able to reach our goal, a team effort makes this easier for everyone. Many of you may be familiar with hour-a-thon fundraising as other programs have used the same system, but if not, here's how it will work:

1. Athletes collect names and numbers of people that may consider a donation. The form will be distributed at practice on Monday that explains how to download the app and enter contact information.

2. Athletes will turn in the list on have contacts uploaded to the fundraising site by practice time on Wednesday to ensure that we are ready for the fundraiser on Thursday.  

3. We will kick off the fundraiser on Thursday during practice from 5pm to 6pm in 2-3 classrooms. Athletes will be sending out links via text so that anyone may donate. PLEASE INFORM POTENTIAL DONORS THAT THEY DO NOT NEED TO LEAVE A TIP WHEN ASKED. THE TIP GOES TO THE COMPANY THAT RUNS THE FUNDRAISER, IT DOES NOT GO TO OUR PROGRAM.

4. Not everyone likes to donate via digital links and that is no problem.  In fact, it's even better because we don't lose a portion to the company that runs the fundraiser. Athletes can collect the cash or check (written to Cottage Grove High School) and turn the money in to Mrs. Twyman in the main office labeled with their name so that they receive credit for the funds. We are providing incentives and want to make sure athletes get credit for any money raised.

5. The donation links will be live until April 12th and will then close. Of course, any donations may be turned in to the office after the week has concluded.

6. Individual gifts that are over $500 will be included on the trackside plaque. Please see the donation flyer on the track resurfacing page for specifics around bronze, silver, gold or platinum donation levels.

Golf Tournament:  Our focus for the next two weeks will be the hour-a-thon donation based fundraiser, but we also want to put the Cottage Grove Classic Golf Tournament on your radar. The tournament will happen in June and we are looking for sponsors as well as raffle prize donations (goods, services, gift cards). We will be promoting this more in the next few weeks, but please check out the page HERE with all the information about the golf tournament.

Grade Checks:  Just a reminder that grade checks will happen again at the end of the week. We will hope to have updated grade information by the 7th. Grades should not be a surprise and any athlete that is not cleared (passing five classes and above a 2.0 GPA) prior to the entry deadline for the next meet will not be practicing or participating until grades are resolved. Thank you for remembering that it is not the responsibility of the teachers to scramble to grade work as a result of student athletes not taking care of work in a timely fashion.

This week:

Distance Runners: There is a new link in the quick links section above so that you may access some information from Coach Uhan. You may also access it this week HERE.

Squad Points:  There is also now a link in the quick links section above for updated squad points.

Monday (March 30th):  NO SCHOOL, but normal practice time (3:45pm). The apparel order has arrived and those who ordered will be able to pick items up at practice. Athletes will also receive snap fundraising form. Please be sure to write your name on the tag of your new apparel.

Tuesday and Wednesday (March 31 - April 1): Normal Practice. We will collect filled out hour-a-thon forms on Wednesday.

Thursday, April 2nd: Distance runners need to be ready to warm up at 3:30pm. Everyone else will start at 3:45pm. Athletes will practice and then spend from 5pm to 6pm in classrooms kicking off the snap fundraiser.

Friday and Saturday (April 3-4): Friday and Saturday Travel Schedule is linked HERE. Normal practice for everyone except Ella. The Oregon Relays at Hayward Field features top competition from around the country and we won't know what entries have been accepted until the Wednesday after the break. Our full team is not entered this season, so individuals are required to have an extremely challenging qualifying mark to participate. Ella Cardwell is the only athlete on the team that has an auto qualifying mark and she has already been accepted. We have also submitted entries for Micah Hanke and two distance medley relay teams.  None of our field athletes or sprinters are close enough to an auto qualifying mark at this time. For example, the qualifying mark for boys javelin is 190 feet and the girls shot put is 42 feet (both of which would be school records at CGHS).

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, April 8th:  League meet at Marist. Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete.

Thursday, April 9th: Home middle school meet. High School athletes are expected to help work the track meet. We hope to wrap up by 7:30pm.

Saturday, April 11th: Aaron and Marie Jones Invitational (McKenzie Community Track and Field): We will have limited entries for this meet.

Tuesday, April 14th: League meet at Junction City. Everyone that is healthy and eligible will be able to compete.

Thursday, April 16th: Team pictures at 3:30pm. We will distribute picture packets as we get closer to this date.

Last week concluded with our first meet on Thursday and then a showcase of throwing events on Saturday. It was beautiful in Florence on Thursday and it was fun to start the season with many athletes getting some great times and marks. Some of the top CG throwers took home hardware at the Harvey Lewellen Throws Invitational at Thurston High School on Saturday. Justin threw a lifetime best to win the javelin competition while Carrissalynn took the win in the shot put.  Makya, Carrissalynn and Audrey claimed the championship bucket hats by winning the team competition in the javelin.

This week:

Just a reminder for athletes to make sure to fuel properly before practice this week.  Please don't wake up at the last minute and run out the door to practice without eating.  If you're not sure what to eat please visit the nutrition page on our website which is also linked HERE.

Monday- Thursday (March 23 - 26):  Practice time is 9am to 11am.  Practices are required and absences will be treated the same way that we do with any other missed practice (two spins of the fitness wheel for each day missed). We understand that some families may leave for spring break, but we maintain the same standard for all athletes.  There is no need to notify coaches of absences this week; athletes are either at practice or they aren't.  Athletes, please enter the facility through the gate at the track and you may then access the locker rooms through the gym door at the track.  The weight room will be open immediately following practice on Monday and Wednesday.

Friday (March 27th) : NO PRACTICE.  Enjoy a long weekend!

Upcoming Dates:

Monday (March 30th): NO SCHOOL, but we WILL have practice at the normal time (3:45pm).

April 3-4: The Oregon Relays at Hayward Field features top competition from around the country and we won't know what entries have been accepted until after the break.  Our full team is not entered this season, so individuals are required to have an extremely challenging qualifying mark to participate.  Ella Cardwell is the only athlete on the team that has an auto qualifying mark and she has already been accepted. We have also submitted entries for Micah Hanke and two distance medley relay teams.  None of our field athletes are close enough to an auto qualifying mark at this time to enter.  For example, the qualifying mark for boys javelin is 190 feet and the girls shot put is 42 feet (both of which would be school records at CGHS).

The weather held just long enough for us to get in some fun during our annual squad meet with some traditional and non traditional events. It was an afternoon of athletes having the opportunity to lead, compete, and try some new events. There are a lot of things that we will be working on throughout the season, but it was a good start. We will reveal the squad meet scores at practice on Monday and squads will continue to earn points as the season progresses.  Thanks for those of you that came out to watch and support, it may have been the biggest spectator turnout that we've ever had for the event. Thank you for taking the time to read through important information for the week, especially if you are new to the program this year.  

• A remind message was sent out Sunday, March 15th in an effort to remind everyone to check the website weekly updates.  If you didn't receive the message you will want to make sure you're registered for our team Remind group.  Please text @cgtrack26 to 81010  Thank you for your patience if you are already signed up.  This will be the last time we post this reminder in the update.

• Attendance Communication Reminders - Thank you for understanding that Coach Knutson is managing nearly 230 students between the track and field program and students in the classroom.  Your help in minimizing a barrage of messages each week is greatly appreciated.

  • 1. Just a quick reminder that if an athlete is sick and not at school you DO NOT need to communicate with a coach. There is an attendance report each day that coaches check for this information. Thanks for helping to avoid the unnecessary wave of messages.

    2. We expect the athlete to communicate with coaches if they won't be at practice for any other reasons.  We understand that this is different than the attendance policy during the school day where parent communication is required, but it helps to streamline communication with athletes. When athletes handle this communication it is most often a quick and efficient face to face conversation. Parents and guardians, thank you for helping to develop and support this responsibility rather than messaging or emailing on behalf of your student athlete.  

    3. Spring break practice is the exception. Due to the massive wave of attendance issues that arise during the break it is not necessary to communicate about missing practice during spring break.  Athletes are either at practice or they aren't, and absences will be addressed via our team policy in the team handbook when the entire team returns after the break.

    4. Thank you to parents and guardians that have reached out with valuable information about non attendance related items so that we can provide optimal support for every student athlete.

• Student athletes that were not passing five classes or did not have a 2.0 GPA on the March 2nd grade report have had several weeks to improve grades.  If grade issues remain unresolved by Friday, March 20th then students will be released from the team for the remainder of the season to dedicate their full attention to academics.

• The apparel deadline was last Friday.  The order will be placed ASAP and we will distribute items as soon as they arrive.  

This week:

Monday/Tuesday: We will be checking in with athletes about entries for the meets this week.  Official entries will be posted on Wednesday at practice and athletes are responsible for checking those.  We have entry limits for this meet, but we are going to try and take as many athletes as possible.  This means that some athletes may not get their first choices for events, but it's better than staying home.  There will be more flexibility with event choice for our league meets.  

Wednesday, March 18th: Uniform checkout starting at 3:15pm in the main gym entry.  Athletes will be issued a team uniform that will consist of at least a jacket and jersey.  Athletes may choose to check out shorts and pants if they wish, or they may use their own if they have items that are solid black (no stripes or other decor).  Pants that have the CG logo such as the ones ordered through the program may also be used.   Team uniforms are for meets only and should not be worn to school, at practice, or in any other situations outside of competition. 

Thursday, March 19th: First meet at Siuslaw High School.  The bus will depart ON TIME at 12:45.  Athletes not dressed and on the bus will be left at school.   Just a few reminders about protocols as this is our first meet of the season:

• • 1. Parents and athletes should get in the habit of checking the meet info section for each meet at athletic.net. The 2026 Athletic.net link at the top of the page will take you directly to the CGHS info at athletic.net.  The meet info section is typically the same place the coaches find details about the meet.  For example, the meet this week is charging admission and the details are all in the meet info section for the Siuslaw Icebreaker at athletic.net.  You will also find the field and track start times listed there.  If you are not familiar with athletic.net please take a moment to watch the video tutorial linked HERE that we've created to help you out.  

    2.  Just a reminder about transportation - Athletes are required to ride the bus to meets, but may ride home with an adult family member after the meet is over. Athletes must check out with a coach prior to leaving the meet so that coaches are able to account for all athletes. Athletes that are riding with an adult non-family member must have that approved through the CGHS office prior to leaving the school for the meet.

    3. There is no practice on Thursday for athletes not competing.

    4. As outlined in our team handbook, we only take athletes that are going to be competing.  Injured athletes will stay home to focus on rest and recovery.

    5. Athletes should be in full uniform when they get on the bus.  Uniforms will be checked out on Wednesday at practice.

    6. In order for meets to run as efficiently as possible they most often run on a rolling schedule, which means that we can't tell you exactly what time athletes will compete.  While we understand this can be frustrating it becomes easier to predict as you get more practice.

    7. Just a reminder that relays are fluid and we will be rotating athletes throughout the season.

    8. We will NOT be stopping for food on the way home, so athletes should plan to bring plenty of food and snacks.

    9. An enormous thank you in advance to all parents and guardians for being at the school to pick up athletes when we get back to CGHS. We will remind them to call/text with an estimated return time when we are about 30 minutes out.  If you need a longer lead up please be sure to communicate with your student athlete.

Friday, March 20th:  Practice will conclude by 5:00pm so that athletes have time to get ready to attend the Lion Pride Pageant if they wish to.  Many of the contestants are part of the track and field team.

Saturday, March 21st is the Harvey Lewellen Throws Invitational.  There will be a small handful of throwers attending this and they will be notified early in the week by the throwing coaches. The bus will leave CGHS ON TIME at 7:15am. 

Upcoming dates:

March 23-26:  Spring break practices will be from 9am to 11am.  No practice on Friday the 27th.

Monday, March 30th: We will have practice at normal time (3:45pm).

April 3-4: The Oregon Relays at Hayward Field features top competition and we won't know what entries have been accepted until the week of.  We expect to have about 10 athletes attending.

It was a fantastic first week as we worked to build the foundation for another successful season! Thank you to everyone that showed up to the meeting on Thursday. If you were not able to make it please be sure to familiarize yourself with the information from our week 1 update below if you have not already. Here are some reminders for the week as well as some upcoming dates to make note of.

• A remind message was sent out Sunday around 1pm. If you didn't receive the message you will want to make sure you're registered for our track team Remind group. Please text @cgtrack26 to 81010. 

• As discussed at the parent meeting, while practice is scheduled until 6pm some athletes do finish up earlier based on their event group. There will always be a coach on site until 6pm. Thank you for making sure your student athlete is picked up from the school so that coaches don't have to stay later than 6pm.

• A reminder for anyone interested in ordering apparel for the season that forms and money need to be turned in to Lena Twyman in the main office by Friday, March 13th. If you prefer to pay with a card please call or see Mrs. Twyman to place your order. A copy of the order form can be found using the link HERE.

• The last page of our team handbook (linked in the quick links above) should be signed and turned in to Coach Knutson in order to compete at our first meet on March 19th. Thank you for taking the time to look through the team handbook so that you are familiar with our goals and expectations.  

• Nutrition:  Fueling and recovery is a critical component for any athlete. Unfortunately, many athletes not only under fuel, but they don't fuel correctly or at the right time for practices or competitions. Sometimes the obsession with only eating "healthy" foods can also deter athletes from fueling at all. Sugar and certain processed foods are not always the enemy for athletes as they can provide necessary energy immediately prior to workouts or competition. There is a nutrition page linked in the upper left of our website or you may access it HERE. The nutrition information is provided by registered dieticians that specialize in working with athletes and is designed to protect health, increase performance, decrease risk of injury, and help athletes feel better.  

• Grade reminder:  We still have a number of athletes that have not been able to practice due to not meeting the minimum grade criteria (passing at least five classes and having above a 2.0 GPA).  Just a reminder that there will be more grade checks in the near future, so it is critical that all athletes are taking care of business in the classroom.  A grade report under the minimum criteria will result in immediate ineligibility. Athletes need to be students first.  

• Squad meet this week: What are squads? We use squads to create a positive team culture, practice teamwork, and give athletes an opportunity to exercise leadership. Athletes on the team are divided into four squads with two captains leading each squad. On Friday we will have our 13th annual squad meet where athletes will compete in a few traditional and non traditional track and field events. Anyone is welcome to come out and watch the informal event. The meet will be scored and the scores will be the starting point for our season-long squad competition.  Throughout the season we have multiple competitions where squads can continue earning points. The winning squad at the end of the season gets their name on the squad champion plaque. Here is how the opening week will work:

Monday - The captains ONLY will meet at 5:30pm in Coach Knutson's room to draft squads.  Pizza will be provided for captains.

Wednesday/Thursday - Captains will meet with squads during practice to decide on squad names and decide which events athletes will compete in on Friday. This will most likely lead to practice concluding no earlier than 6pm on both days.

Friday - Squad Meet: We will start at 3:45 like usual, but we won't be done until closer to 6:30pm.  An estimated time schedule may be viewed HERE.

Added note on strength training for those interested: An athlete that is serious about reaching their full potential in any sport will find a way year-around to get stronger to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. This often means doing things that other athletes aren't willing to do during times when other athletes aren't willing to put in the work. Given that we have 95 athletes competing in 17 different events, and that many varsity athletes already have weight training built into their school schedules, using track practice time for the weight room is not an effective use of practice time. Look no further than the cross country program for an example of what happens when athletes commit to training outside of practice time. Over the last five years, the cross country program has won six district team championships, brought home four state team trophies, produced 17 all-state athletes, and developed a two-time state champion—and that kind of success doesn’t happen by accident. Those cross country athletes are the same all-league and all-state athletes that are lifting weights three mornings a week (all year long), running every weekday, and meeting on their own on Saturday mornings to get in long runs. Being elite isn't for everyone as it requires motivation and commitment to doing the hard things like getting up early when it's more comfortable to sleep in, even on Saturdays in some cases. It also means putting the phone down and going to sleep at a reasonable time to ensure enough rest before a morning workout. Athletes that are serious about improving strength for any sport are welcome to join us in the high school weight room on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7am to 7:30ish. Athletes will get in an efficient 30-40 minute workout and then have time to get ready for school. What has been happening in the CGHS weight room is not just a theory, it has been producing results. This is never required, but the opportunity is there for those motivated enough to take it. 

Upcoming dates:

• First track meet on Thursday, March 19th. There are entry limits, so we will not be able to take everyone. However, we will do our best to get as many athletes entered as possible. We will communicate entries with athletes during the first part of week three.

• Reminder that we will have practice on Monday through Thursday of spring break from 9am to 11am. No practice on Friday, March 27th.

• We will have practice on Monday, March 30th at normal time (3:45pm).

Welcome to Cottage Grove Track and Field 2026

We are excited to get rolling with another season! Our goal is to provide a positive experience while developing skills to become successful athletes, students and people. Each year we have 80-100 student athletes with a wide range of experience and ability. We do not cut any student athlete from the program as long as each athlete shows up every day ready to put in the work required to improve and contribute to our positive team culture. While many perceive track and field to be an individual sport, we place an enormous emphasis on the team aspect. We are excited for what each individual will be bringing to our team this year! Here is a bit of information that will get us started. 

Please be sure to share this information and website link with other family members. If you have additional questions after reading this please communicate with your student athlete first, and encourage them to talk with the coaches. One of our goals is to help develop responsible young adults by promoting communication between coaches, athletes and parents. By including the student athletes in this process it helps to develop responsibility, and also cuts down on excessive texts, phone calls, and emails. Also, please feel free to have questions ready for the parent meeting on Thursday, March 5th.

On our first day of practice athletes will be given hard copies of a few items, but we want to make sure and keep parents/guardians in the loop. Below is some information as well as links to some resources that will help you through the season. 

1.  This website will be updated weekly on Sunday afternoons. Thank you for bookmarking this site and making it a habit to check here for weekly updates! This website is the best resource for week to week details during the season.

2. We push out more time sensitive information using several methods in addition to the website, so please be sure to follow us where it is most convenient for you.  

• Sign up for remind for text reminders and updates. You can sign up by texting @cgtrack26 to 81010. Using Remind is the best way to ensure you receive potential last minute adjustments due to inclement weather or emergencies. If you have been part of the track group in the past then you should not need to sign up again. However, be aware that this a a different group than the fall cross country group.

• Facebook: CG Track and Field/Cross Country

• Instagram: cgtrackandfieldxc

3.  A link to a copy/printable version of our detailed schedule is here. TIMES/DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE (Updates were made as recently as last week).  The most up to date schedule is always online at athletic.net (see #5 below). Please look over the details on the printable version regarding which athletes participate in each meet. The weekly update on the website will provide more details as we approach each meet.

4.  There will be a parent meeting on Thursday, March 5th at 6:00pm in the cafeteria. All spring sports will meet briefly and then we will have a track and field meeting.  Please make every effort to attend as we have some new information for this season.

5.  Athletic.net is the website that hosts all high school track and field meet results. This is often the best place to find a time schedule for every meet. Sometimes meets have live results and other times they are posted shortly after the meet ends. Keep an eye out for a video tutorial that will be posted here soon if you are not familiar with how to use athletic.net.

6. Our team expectations are handed out to athletes on the first day of practice, but here is the link as well. This document is loaded with information and includes a Q and A section. Athletes are required to return the signed sheet before competing in the first meet. There has been an influx of athletes that believe they will be participating in two sports this season, yet very few have communicated with Coach Knutson. This does not work well during the spring and most athletes will be asked to choose one or the other. Please see the dual sport section in the team handbook and contact Coach Knutson with questions.

7.  We will check out uniforms to each athlete for the season, but they also have the option to purchase additional apparel. Order forms will be available for athletes to purchase personal apparel, but it is not required. Money and order forms should be returned to Lena Twyman in the main office by Friday, March 13th. Forms will be available at practice and a digital copy may be accessed HERE. After the deadline on March 13th, the items will be printed and shipped to the high school for pickup within 3-4 weeks. 

8.  Spring Break: There will be practice during the first four days (Monday - Thursday) of spring break from 9am to 11am, but NO PRACTICE on Friday, March 27th. There is no school on Monday, March 30th but practice will be at the normal time (3:45pm). Please see team expectations if you will not be able to attend.  Any questions or concerns regarding practice attendance will be addressed at the parent meeting.

9.  Athletes should be dressed to workout and report to room 109 on March 2nd by 3:45pm for the first practice (See team handbook for full practice details). We will go over team expectations and then head out to practice. In order to practice athletes must be:

• Signed up and cleared through the office with a current physical on file.

• Passing at least five classes and have at least a 2.0 GPA. Grade checks happen Monday (3/2) and athletes not meeting the criteria should attend for the first day of practice, but will not be allowed to continue with team practices until the minimum criteria is met. Grades are available online 24/7, so academic status should not be a surprise to students or guardians. SCHOOL IS THE PRIORITY! Please keep in mind that the OSAA requires that an athlete participate in five practices prior to the first contest.  

10. Many winter sport athletes just finished up with seasons over the past few days. The health and safety of athletes is a priority and we want athletes rested before jumping into a new season. We ask that winter sport athletes attend our Monday (3/2) team meeting at 3:45. Winter sport athletes that feel the need for a break have the option to skip the practice portion (after the meeting) on Monday. They may also take Tuesday and Wednesday off and return to practice on Thursday.

Important upcoming dates in addition to meets:

March 5th: Parent meeting at 6:00pm in the cafeteria.

That should be a good start for now. We're also looking forward to addressing any other questions or concerns at our parent meeting on the 5th. Thank you for all you do to support the student athletes as well as the Cottage Grove Track and Field program.

Go Lions!

Ricky Knutson

Head Track and Field Coach

ricky.knutson@slane.k12.or.us