Fairfax Police
Youth Club

Fairfax and Accotink Practice Differences and Practice Meeting Spots

Fairfax and Accotink Practice Differences and Practice Meeting Spots

Spring Track and Field: (Click "read more" to see full details)

Fairfax: Distance, Sprint, and Field Event (field events as able/as coaches as available) practices will occur at each Fairfax practice date at Van Dyck park, Lanier Middle School, and at Fairfax High School.

Accotink: No sprint event (100m, 200m, 400m) workouts are practiced at Accotink. Accotink may include 200m and 400m repeats, but the focus is more for the distance runner, doing repeats, not focusing on only a 200m or 400m sprint race. They do not practice repeat starting line explosive efforts or perfect sprinting form. If your child is more of a sprinter or wants to focus on field events, then Lake Accotink will not be the best place for them.

Accotink For Track and Field and Cross Country: The focus of Lake Accotink will be more distance type workouts (even during track season). Workouts at Accotink will include some longer distance mile repeats (or age appropriate distances) or progressive ladders (start short and increase distance), shorter repeats of 200m and 400m, and also some hill workouts. There is no track at Accotink (or Van Dyck). Runs will be on the trails there.

There have been fall cross country practices at Accotink each year for a while and now the coaches have offered to manage that site during track season. Coaches who live near Accotink manage practices at Accotink to offer an option for those who prefer the trails there and/or who live closer to Accotink and may find it difficult traffic-wise to get into downtown Fairfax or to Lanier MS. 

Numbers of Runners: The number of runners at Accotink is significantly less than the number of runners at the Fairfax locations. If there are over 300 kids on FPYC running, we expect between 30-40 of them to go to Accotink. It varies a little each year. 

Fairfax Locations for Track & Field and Cross Country: Van Dyck Park and Providence Park for Cross Country and Van Dyck Park, Lanier MS, and Fairfax HS for track. 

General Practice Meeting Spots (varies by season and yr): 
Van Dyck Park: NEW...Athletes should meet in the locations indicated in the team email to avoid a large crowd gathering. 

Lanier Middle School: (Spring Track and Field Only): Athletes should meet at the gravel track located on the school grounds, off of Jermantown Rd.

Providence Park:
(Fall Cross Country Only) Athletes should meet in the locations indicated in the team email to avoid a large crowd gathering. 

Accotink on Tuesdays:
The Tuesday meeting spot for Lake Accotink is under the elevated train trestle that you see if/when you drive in on Lake Accotink Rd. It is near the dam, down the hill from the bathrooms, playground, and merry-go-round. There is also a parking lot off of Heming Ave. You can walk down the path to the merry-go-round area and then continue down to the meeting spot. You can get to Heming Ave. off Braddock or off of Queensbury which is off of Braddock depending on direction from which you are driving. There is a parking area near the elevated train trestle if you drive in on Lake Accotink Rd. Check Googlemaps.

Accotink on Thursday: 
Meet in the parking lot of the Danbury Forest Pool on Danbury Forest Dr.