Explore

Coquitlam Cheetahs Information Page

Welcome to the Coquitlam Cheetahs Information Page. Here you will find information about the Coquitlam Cheetahs, a track and field club located in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The club was established in 1976 and has since provided opportunities for athletes of all ages and skill levels to train and compete in track and field events.

🏃🏼ATHLETE PROGRAMS

⁠

Please scroll down and click on the arrows to open the information

Junior Development Program (9-13):

⁠

Junior Development Program, is dedicated to nurturing and improving the fundamental skills of running, jumping, and throwing. This program aims to provide young athletes with the training and knowledge they need to excel in these core aspects of track and field. It's a platform for developing speed, power, agility, and precision, essential for success in track and field events. The program not only enhances athletic skills but also instills valuable life lessons that extend beyond the track, making it a stepping stone for young track athletes.

Outdoor training: April to July

Practices: Monday to Thursday*

Location: Percy Perry Stadium, Town Centre

Time: 6:15-8:00 pm

Track meets: Weekends, some may extend to three days. Athletes can choose their events and meet participation.

Junior Development Awards (9 to 12 year-olds)

If an athlete competing in this age category meets the BC Athletics criteria of: Attending 3 recognized BCJD meets (where at least one must be the JD Championship Meet or JD Pentathlon) Participating in a throw, jump, and run/walk event, and Achieves a published standard then he or she is eligible to be nominated for a JD award. A nomination form MUST be completed before any athlete will be considered for an award.

Junior Development Awards (13 to 14 year-olds)

If an athlete in the 13 to 14 year age category meets the BC Athletics criteria of: Attending 3 recognized BCJD meets (where at least one must be the JD Championship Meet or JD Pentathlon), and Meets the published standard then he or she is eligible to be nominated for a JD award. A nomination form MUST be completed before any athlete will be considered for an award. Although 14 year old athletes are considered U16, they can be nominated for BC Athletic JD Awards. Forms can be found on the BC Athletics website and must be completed and submitted by August 31. Parents of eligible athletes will complete these forms and are encouraged to ask Cheetah coaches for support if needed.

Junior Development Crests

JD Crests are awarded to all athletes who meet the published BC Athletics standards for their age categories in three events. All Performances must be attained at track and field meets recognized by the BCJD Committee. Parents are encouraged to review the standards, and keep track of their child’s results to see if they qualify for crests (use the Track Meet Record Keeping form available in the Reference section). Results are calculated automatically by BC Athletics to determine crest winners.

An athlete must meet the standard for the award applied for in at least three events. For example, if an athlete achieves a gold standard in two events and a bronze standard in the third event, then the crest will be bronze.

Athlete Development Program (14+):

⁠

Athletes aged 14 and older participate in a different training program than the Junior Development athletes. Where the Junior Development program encourages athletes to train and compete in a number of different events and only train from April to July, the club training program for athletes in the older age groups (U16,U18, U20, and Seniors (20+) is different in a number of ways.

Although athletes generally begin to specialize in specific events, our training goal is to create well-conditioned athletes who then build on this foundation for their particular event(s). As a result, our training program works well for athletes interested in general fitness across multiple events or for athletes looking to specialize in specific events.

Athletes working to compete at the national level, or athletes simply wishing to stay involved in track and field, may find our development training program effective for their needs.

Base Training: October to December

Practices: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 5:00 pm

Pre-competition Training: January to February

Practices: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 5:00 pm; Saturday at 10:00 am

Competition Training: March to July

Practices: Monday to Thursday at 5:00 pm

Off season: August

Cross country training: September

Practices Tuesday and Thursday at 5:00 pm, Saturday at 10:00 am

U16

This age group (14 and 15 year olds) compete together. The provincial championship meet that they attend is the BC U16, U18, U20, and Senior Championships. However, only the 15 year old age group is eligible to be selected for the BC Legion Provincial Team.

BC Summer Games

Every two years 14 and 15-year-old track and field athletes are eligible for BC Summer Games based on qualifying standards at designated track meets.

The Track and Field competition is for 14/15 year old athletes only competing in one age class U16. Athletes are selected for 8 Provincial Zone teams. The Games were held annually until 1998 and thereafter every 2 years (2000, 02, 04, etc.). Refer to the BC Summer Games Handbook for details on the Games and the Track and Field competition.

Age 16-17

⁠

Athletes in these categories attend all major meets in BC. Also, for those who qualify, athletes may attend meets in the U.S. and other Canadian Provinces.

Youth athletes compete in the BC Athletics U18 Championships to qualify for the BC team to compete in the National Legion Camp.

Youth athletes can also qualify for World Youth Championships to compete for Canada. Standards and qualifications are released by Athletics Canada.

Ages 18-19

⁠

Junior athletes compete in the BC Junior Championships to qualify for the Canadian Championship. Athletes achieving the established standard are selected to compete in international meets.

Seniors (20+)

⁠

Senior Athletes follow a similar program to Juniors. In their case the goal is to make the team competing in the Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games and the Olympic Games to name a few.

Cross Country (Ages 9 and older)

⁠

The Cross-Country season begins in September and continues through the fall. Athletes competing in cross-country can be named to the BC teams and National teams.

🏅ATHLETE RECOGNITION & AWARDS

⁠

BC Athletics awards

BC Athletics Cross Country Athlete of the Year Awards

BC Athletics U16 Annual Athlete Awards

BC Athletics Athlete of the Year Awards U18 / U20 / Senior

BC Athletics Cross Country Athlete of the Year Awards

BC Athletics Awards

⁠

The BC Athletic Awards, presented by the BC Athletics organization, encompass various categories to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions in sports in British Columbia.

Junior Development Awards (9-13-year-olds):

⁠

Athletes meeting the following criteria may be nominated for a BC Athletics JD award:

(1) Competed in at least ONE of the three JC Championships in the previous 12 months

(2) Competed at THREE meets from the JD approved list in the past 12 months

(3) Meet published standards

(4) Athletes 9-12 must participate in at least one running event, one throwing event and one jumping event

BC Athletics U16 Annual Athlete Awards:

⁠

Awarded to the Top Female and Male athletes in the U18, U20 and Senior age categories. Athletes may be nominated automatically or through the submission of the online nomination form.

Athletes are automatically nominated if they have:

Placed in the Top 3 (medallist) at a Canadian Age Group Championships; and

Have been named to a National Team(i.e. Canadian U18 Team, Pan Am Games Team)

BC Athletics Cross Country Athlete of the Year Awards

⁠

Awarded to the Top Male and Top Female in the U16, U18, U20 and Senior age groups. Recipients are selected by the BC Athletics Cross Country Committee.

🎽 Registering for Meets

⁠

If you have not already done so, please read the

Track and Field FAQ⁠

because it contains information that most athletes and parents will need to know about track and field meets and events

Meets

There are many track and field meets during the year. A complete list of track and field meets can be found at BC Athletics (look for the year of interest and there will be a Track and Field Calendar link for all events)

The Cheetahs typically attend the meets that make up the BCJD Program (for athletes age 9 – 14). With a few exceptions, there are meets virtually every weekend from May through July (see the

Parent Information Manual⁠

for the schedule of meets we will be attending). We encourage athletes to take part in as many or as few as you wish (the Pentathlon requires athletes to compete in all five events). Some meets are one day long and those that are three days long start with a few events on Friday afternoon or evening.

Registering for a Meet - It's Your Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the Cheetah athlete or their parent to ensure that they are registered for the track meets and events that are available.

Please ensure that you read all the information about the track meet before signing up and sign up by the cut-off date! Many meets do not accept late registrations. If late registrations are accepted, any late fees which apply will be the responsibility of the athlete/parent.

A sign-up sheet is placed on our bulletin board, inside the equipment shed at Percy Perry Stadium, approximately two weeks in advance of the meet's registration deadline date. The sheet has the name of the meet, the location, and the deadline date.

The sheet also has several columns in which the athlete can sign-up for the event(s) they wish to compete in. If an athlete changes their mind about attending a meet or entering certain events before the sign-up deadline, please ensure that these events are deleted from the sign-up sheet.

Once an athlete is registered for events at a track meet, the Cheetahs are required to pay for these event regardless of whether an athlete turns up to compete or not.

It is the responsibility of the Cheetah athlete or their parents to make note of what events have been registered for, and the time(s) and location(s) of each event for that meet.

Who Will be at The Events

Our coaches volunteer a great deal of their time during the week to prepare your child for the meets on the weekend and may not necessarily be at all of the competitions to oversee your child. There will be a designated contact person at each event as well as seasoned parents that can assist new members. Look for the familiar Cheetah singlet and banners (where possible).