Parents' Role

How Parents Can be Helpful and Supportive of the XC experience:

• Let this be your child's experience. Make sure your child has made an active choice in being involved in the sport, and let them take responsibility for the daily happenings.
• Trust the coaches. We will work hard to develop a relationship with your child, where we learn their strengths and weaknesses and guide them toward developing as a runner and as a person. Giving your child running advice may put them in conflict with what their coach is saying and can make a very tough "no win" situation for your child.
• Don't try to shelter your child from the hard lessons. There will be times where your child will be supremely challenged and they need to find their own solution, and see it through to success. This is one of the huge ways this sport is so empowering. "Helping them out" can actually interfere with this positive, yet difficult experience.
• If your child shares a frustration or conflict with you, encourage them to come talk to the coach or Coach Guidry directly. Many times these matters can be worked out just by direct one on one communication, and can result in a positive "moving on" for all involved.
• Emphasize the positive. You are the one person your child lets down to emotionally, and sometimes they just need to vent. Don't let them give up ? keep showing your faith in them to prevail.
• Get involved. There are so many positive ways for you to be involved which won't overshadow your child's experience. Most of our parents attend meets, and there is a tremendous community of support from our parents as they cheer on all the runners on the team. Here are other ways you may want to be involved:
• • host a pasta party
  • help out at one of the meets we put on
  • join Panther Club
  • chaperone our team trip
  • take pictures