Rio Track & Field and Cross Country

This year, the Rio Cross Country team will complete in the Woodbridge High School Cross Country Classic Race at the Silverlakes Sports Complex in Norco on Friday, September 14, 2018, followed the next day (Saturday, September 15, 2018) by a trip to Disneyland. The group will leave the Rio High School parking lot in cars driven by parents, after school on Thursday, September 13, returning on Sunday, September 16 (that means that students will miss school on Friday, September 14).

Please review the itinerary for trip for cost breakdowns and important details

STUDENTS: To join the team on this non-mandatory trip, you must:

1. Complete the Student Field Trip Authorization form and the Student Contract and return them to Coach Anton; and
2. Pay for the trip either by check, made payable to Rio Americano Athletic Boosters (RAAB) or by credit card through RAAB’s online payment system (NOTE: a 3.1% service fee is charged when paying via credit card). Also note that the cost of the trip increased by a bit to reflect the summer increase in the price for Disneyland tickets. If you’ve already paid in full, don’t worry about the increase. The trip can be paid in full or in two increments of $150 each, with the first payment due July 15, and the final payment due August 17. If this timeline creates a problem for you, let Coach Anton know and we can try to make other arrangements.

PARENTS: Would you like to be a parent driver and chaperone on this trip?

If yes, THANK YOU! Driving to Southern California with a carload of kids is truly a labor of love. The trip is a blast and you will have a great time getting to know all the fabulous Rio parents, coaches, and runners! We appreciate your willingness to help make this trip possible! For the safety of our students, there are three steps necessary for a parent to serve as a driver:

1. You must complete a Volunteer Personal Automobile Use Form and submit it along with a copy of your driver’s license and insurance policy declaration page back to the Rio principal’s office. This form must be completed each year, so if you completed it last year, you still need to fill out a new one this year (Coach Anton has hard copies of this document if you’d prefer to get one from him instead).
2. Complete an Adult/Parent/Guardian/Chaperone Field Trip Authorization form and return it to Anton (or pick up a hard copy of this form from Anton to complete).
3. You must have your fingerprints on file in the San Juan Unified School District Office. (Fingerprints taken for another school district or your job will not work.) To do this, complete a San Juan Unified School District Human Resources Fingerprint Authorization Form, also available in the principal’s office at Rio. This form must contain an original signature from Principal Ginter. Coach Anton also has a few of these signed forms if you’d like to get one from him. Once you complete this form, you’ll need to make an appointment with the San Juan Unified School District to get fingerprinted. Do this as soon as possible, as it takes a few weeks to process. It is free for parent volunteers. If you have already been fingerprinted by the San Juan Unified School District, please provide us with the following information about you so that we can make sure the district has your fingerprints on file: Full Legal Name, Date of Birth and last four digits of your Social Security Number.

The kids generally head to Disneyland with other kids, so parents have Saturday to themselves. If you’d like to purchase additional park hopper tickets to Disneyland, you can purchase them for $156 per person via check made payable to RAAB and given to Coach Anton, or via credit card through RAAB online. Please note that payment by credit card will incur a 3.1% service charge.

Parent chaperones may book rooms at the same hotel in which the students are staying by using their credit cards. A block of rooms (at a discount rate) has been reserved under the Rio Americano High School Cross Country Team. All rooms reserved include two queen-sized beds, with a twin roll-away bed option. To reserve a parent room, call the in-house reservation line at Howard Johnson at (714) 776-6120, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You must reserve your parent room by August 15 at the latest.

Direct student or parent questions to Jennifer Taylor-Karperos at karperos@sbcglobal.net or Coach Anton at antonescay@hotmail.com.

Highlights from Coach Anton’s meeting at Bella Bru on 6/18/2018 regarding the upcoming Cross Country season. All questions or comments should be directed to Coach Anton at (916) 801-8110 or antonescay@hotmail.com. Last updated on 6/21/2018.

Be sure to join the Rio Cross Country mailing list to stay informed on everything Rio XC!

2018 Summer Running Schedule

Non-mandatory Summer running will begin on June 18th at 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Bella Bru Cafe (5038 Fair Oaks Blvd. Carmichael, CA 95608). Coach Anton will host every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the month of June. Once July starts, practices will move to Ancil Hoffman Park (6700 Tarshes Dr. Carmichael, Ca 95608). Details to follow regarding start times.

2018 Race Schedule

• Sept. 1 – Lagoon Valley (Vacaville)
• Sept. 8 – Willow Hills 5-Way Meet (Folsom)
• Sept. 15 – Woodbridge Invitational (Norco)
• Sept. 22 – Pacific Tiger (Stockton)
• Sept. 29 – Capital Cross (Hagen Oaks)
• Oct. 10 – Center Meet (Willow Hills, Folsom)
• Oct. 17 – Hoka Postal Meet (Jesuit Hs.)
• Oct. 24 – League Champs (Willow Hills, Folsom)
• Nov. 3 – Sub Sections (Angels Camp)
• Nov. 10 – Sections (Willow Hills, Folsom)
• Nov. 24 – State Meet (Fresno)

Online Resources

• Woodbridge Cross Country Classic – Disneyland Authorization Form & Itinerary
  • Online Payment through RAAB
  • Options include full payment ($298.70 for Runners only, due by July 15), partial payment (2 X $149.35 due by July 15/August 17, respectively. Runners only), and additional Disneyland tickets for parents and other family members.
  • First payment is non-refundable if your child has to cancel due to hotel payment requirements.
  • This meet and trip is not mandatory.
• Rio Americano Cross Country Uniform and Gear Store
  • Closes on July 9th. If your child would like to purchase their uniforms, please order them before July 9th so that they arrive before the start of the season.
  • All other items in the store are not mandatory.
  • The store will reopen again when school starts for items such as warm-ups and team bags.
  • If you do not plan on purchasing your own uniform to keep, Coach Anton has 20 Girls and 20 Boys uniforms to be checked out for the season and must be returned.
• RAAB membership, Athletic Clearance, Field Trip Chaperone, etc.
  • RAAB fees must be paid by mid-season.
  • Payment options include $75 for a single sport and $125 for multiple sports.
  • These fees help pay for races, stipends, and miscellaneous sport needs.
• VDOT 02 Training App (app available via the App Store or Google Play)
  • The app and account are free.
  • Any GPS enabled watch that works with Garmin Connect or Strava will work with VDOT 02.
  • Smartphone apps may also be used but may present a challenge to carry/hold while running.

VDOT 02 can be used with Garmin Connect or Strava. So, you can use any GPS watch or Smartphone app to connect to either of these services which will then communicate to VDOT 02 after authorization (see screen shot below).