CRYSTAL SPRINGS PREVIEW 2026

SCVAL Meet #2  ·  Tuesday, October 6, 2026  ·  Crystal Springs, Belmont

1. Schedule

2:45 PM  League meeting. All coaches and all athletes report to the area in front of the timer's building for a presentation on Crystal Springs rules and regulations. This meeting is required for each league at its first meet of the season at Crystal Springs. The race director presents.

2. Entries

No entries on athletic.net before the meet. As long as an athlete has a chip issued by Hank Lawson and a bib issued by the meet manager, you may enter that athlete in any race on race day, within the caps above.

Take the following action if either of these applies:

• An athlete has no bib or chip. Issue one of your spare bibs and chips, then give the timer the bib number, athlete name, gender and grade.
• You have more than 10 boys in Boys Varsity 2. Your first 10 start in wave 1. All additional runners start in wave 2, one minute later. Enter the bib number and name of every wave 2 athlete on the SCVAL Meet #2 form so Hank Lawson can time them properly.

3. Bus drop-off and parking

• Buses drop off on Wembley Way and park on St. James Court.
• Athletes on buses enter and exit through the St. James gate. No exceptions.
• Bus drop-off and parking map

4. Job assignments

Find your school, then read the description for your job in section 5. Job assignments are subject to change by the meet director at any time before the meet.

5. Job descriptions

Meet director  ·  Lynbrook and Mountain View

Adult safety coordinator  ·  Lynbrook and Mountain View

• Watch the competition and tell the trainer, the affected coach and the race director if an athlete may be in medical trouble.
• Support the EMT during the meet: coordinate the sweeper, talk to parents, track emergency cards.

Course rules director  ·  Los Altos

• Watch the race area and report any rules violations to the race director: dogs, bikes, drones, rock throwing, football- or soccer-type games. Schools connected to these violations are subject to fines and disciplinary action.

Check-in  ·  Monta Vista

• Check for hard copy emergency cards.
• Verify that the first aid kit is present and complete.
• Have coaches sign the CSM register page.
• Pass out bibs and a trash bag to each team.
• Make sure each school knows its duties.

Starter  ·  Santa Clara

• Includes getting the stopwatch with elapsed time from gun to the starter.

Street management before the race  ·  Gunn and Saratoga

• Gunn in front of the park entrance. Saratoga in front of the second, paved entrance further down Hallmark. You can stop 30 minutes before the first race.
• Focus on two things only: if a bus shows up near the start, make sure the driver knows the drop-off policy, and keep athletes from gathering on the sidewalks or in the road, moving them to the course quickly and considerately.
• If a parent double parks and lets a kid out in the road, use your judgement, but do not engage and do not get into a confrontation. If one school is being flagrant, report it so we can ask that coach to make it a point of emphasis with their families.

Street management after the race  ·  Fremont and Homestead

• Fremont in front of the park entrance. Homestead in front of the second, paved entrance further down Hallmark.
• Same focus as before the race.

Crossover spectator management at 1.1 miles, the ropes  ·  Los Altos

• Use the ropes to keep spectators off the course where runners cross over at the 1.1 mile point. See the diagram below.

Finish area, flushing

• Boys Varsity 2, Frosh/Soph Boys and Varsity 2 Girls: Wilcox, Palo Alto, Cupertino.
• Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls: Milpitas, MacDonald.
• Two people per school are recommended. Please arrive on time. Your meet director stresses out.
• Move kids out of the finish area and help them if they need it.
• Keep spectators and coaches out of the finish area.
• Get medical attention for athletes as needed.
• This job needs coaches or forceful, vocal parents, not people watching and talking softly.

Judge the last 100 meters  ·  Hal Daner, Gunn, if available

• Make calls for interference and let the meet director know of any problems. Having Hal in the finish area helps the meet director relax a bit.

Course sweep  ·  Los Gatos

• Sweep the last 1,200m of the course after each race with a walkie-talkie and send the all clear to the EMT and adult safety coordinator. A bicycle is a good idea to cover more of the course.

6. Fines

Read the Race Directors and Coaches Handbook. Schools will be fined for:

• Double parking of cars or buses to drop off athletes, even for an instant
• Athletes leaving and waiting for rides on the street without coach supervision
• Trash left on the course
• Trash left in the Hallmark Park containers or the street
• Trash left in the recycling container, or recycling left in the trash container
• Flying drones

7. The neighborhood

Neighborhood support is what keeps this course available to us. Tell your drivers and athletes:

• Double parking just for a second to drop off a kid is unacceptable. Drivers keep going until they find a curb where they can park without affecting traffic.
• Do not block a driveway at any time.
• Walk on the sidewalks. Not the grass, not the middle of the street, and not across anyone's yard.
• Wait for your ride in Hallmark Park, not in a crowd on the sidewalk or street.
• If Belmont Police or a parking guide asks you to do something, comply without arguing.
• Be friendly to the people who live on Hallmark Drive. Say good afternoon, tell them you are happy to be there, and stay out of their way as they get home from work or leave to run errands.

8. Trash and recycling

Pack it in, pack it out. Each team gets a trash bag at check-in and is responsible for its own area, and picking up trash anywhere on the course is even better.

• Do not put any trash in Hallmark Park. Everything goes home with you or into the dumpster. That goes for your athletes and your parents on the way out too.
• Each school will be charged a substantial fine for trash left in the wrong receptacle or in Hallmark Park. Trash can usually be traced back to a school by a bib or something else an athlete left behind.
• Take your recycling home and recycle it. There is a recycling bin, but packing it out is easier on everyone. The dumpster gets checked after the race for cans and bottles. It is good for the earth, good for the course, good for our league and good for Bob.

9. What to tell your athletes and parents

• No dogs.
• No bicycles.
• No throwing anything: rocks, Frisbees, freshmen, footballs.
• No warming up on the course after the first race starts.
• When you finish, keep jogging and get out of the finish area with minimal drama. You can collapse after that.
• Wait for your ride in Hallmark Park, not on the street or sidewalk.
• Stay off the yards on the way in and out of the park, and be polite to the neighbors.
• Only the designated race medical authority calls 911. The course handbook says anyone else who calls 911 on their own is responsible for possible duplication and any other ramifications of calling without authorization. Parents contact the emergency contact person or the EMT and trainers on site instead.

10. Meet cost

TBD. Rick Ellis will send an invoice to each school.

Review the Crystal Springs Course Handbook before the meet.

Hi Coaches.

Here is the info for SCVAL #2, the Crystal Springs Preview, for Tuesday, October 6. Please read through the whole 
thing. Here are some important points:

    EVERY SCHOOL MUST FILL OUT THE SCVAL MEET #2 COACHES FORM BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 AT 8:00 PM, EVEN IF YOU HAVE 
NO WAVE 2 RUNNERS. Instructions are below.
    A FIRST AID KIT AND HARD COPY EMERGENCY CARDS FOR ALL ATHLETES ON YOUR TEAM ARE REQUIRED BEFORE GETTING YOUR 
BIBS AND RACING. You will not be allowed to race unless you show that you have these required items! A phone with 
access to online records is not accepted by Crystal Springs course management.
    There is a required league meeting at 2:45 in front of the timer's building for all coaches and all athletes.
    The Varsity Boys 2 race will be divided into two waves: The first wave is limited to 10 per school. The second 
wave will begin exactly 1 minute later. This year you do not need to email Hank. Enter your wave 2 athletes' names 
and bib numbers on the form.
    Frosh-Soph boys are limited to 10 per school. Any extras should be in the Varsity Boys 2 race.
    No entries on athletic.net before the meet. Any athlete with a chip from Hank and a bib from the meet manager 
can be entered on race day.
    Buses drop off on Wembley Way and park on St. James Court. Everyone on a bus needs to enter and exit from the 
St. James gate.
    Please review the course handbook and the main rules with your teams and parents. Crystal Springs is much more 
strict than other places we go to and we want to follow all rules, especially the ones about respecting the 
neighborhood with parking and not stepping on anyone's property.
    Remind anyone who might be driving to the race to never double park to drop someone off, not even for an 
instant.
    No warmups allowed in the neighborhood, and no warmups on the course once the races begin.
    Check your team job and make sure you have enough volunteers to cover them.

HOW TO FILL OUT THE FORM
Link: https://tinyurl.com/scval2

    School: Choose your school and click Next.
    Checklist: Go through the checklist of what your school needs for Crystal Springs.
    Athletes: If you have more than 10 boys in the Varsity Boys 2 race, enter the name and bib number of every 
wave 2 runner (your 11th runner and beyond). If you have no wave 2 runners, you still need to finish the form.
    Review: Check your entries and submit.
    Done: You will see a confirmation screen when it goes through.

If you need to add or change wave 2 runners, use the same link and submit again any time before Monday at 8:00 PM. 
Your new submission replaces your earlier one, so include everyone each time. If the form shows an error in Safari, 
open it in a private window or in Chrome.

Please email Bernie and I if you have any questions or concerns.

Good times.

Jonathan Hubbs
Mountain View High School