As we near the end of the fall sports season, preparations are already in full swing for an exciting winter season. While it may feel far off, the athletic department is busy planning, and we encourage all students to consider participating in one of the many winter sports offered at WHS.
Please take a moment to read through this newsletter, which is packed with important information about our athletics program. Inside, you’ll find details on how to register for sports, coach contacts, eligibility guidelines, digital ticketing for athletic events, and much more.
I’m also thrilled to introduce the new Lancer App - designed for students, families, and Lancer fans everywhere! The app includes schedules, scores, rosters, news updates, and a team messaging feature for direct communication. Athletes and
parents are encouraged to join their respective team’s messaging group. Instructions for downloading and getting started with the app can be found on page 3.
Keep an eye out for our Fall Sports Recap newsletter which will be published soon after the fall season comes to a close. The recap will highlight the fall sports season and the accomplishments of our student-athletes.
Sincerely,
Chris Landry, Director of Athletics and Student Activities
W inter s ports r egistr A tion i s n o W o pen
Please remember that all candidates must have proof of a current physical on file in the nurse’s office and must register using our online registration program ArbiterSports. Registration for winter sports needs to be completed by December 1st for ice hockey, wrestling, fencing and girls basketball, and the 4th for all other sports. See page 4 for details.
Note that certain sports will hold tryouts and there may be cuts. Coaches will relay tryout information to players in advance. Registration can be completed by clicking this link: ArbiterSports Registration
i ce h ockey n e W s
St.Bernard High School is now the host school of the ice hockey co-op team. WHS students must sign up on ArbiterSports on the WHS winter sports registration page. Once signed up, please contact Matt Rembish, President of the Eagles group, who will send you your registration letter to be filled out. All costs and transportation associated with ice hockey are the responsibility of the athlete/family.
The Parent Guide to Waterford Athletics is now available on the Waterford athletics website. This resource for parents/guardians of student-athletes is designed to provide helpful information about the Waterford High School sports programs, expectations, and ways to support your student-athlete.
The LANCER APP is your source for news, scores, schedules and rosters! Follow every team in one convenient mobile app. The app is also used for all team communication. Download the app today! More information can be found on the next page.
Introducing the Lancer App
The Waterford athletic department is excited to introduce our Lancer App. The app is the best source for the latest news, schedules, scores and rosters. Follow every WHS team in one mobile app! Team communication will be conducted through the app. Athletes and parents should join Team Messaging on the app for your respective sport.
Boys Basketball: Bill Bassett - wbassett@waterfordschools.org
Tryouts will take place on Thursday, 12/4. Grade 9 will try out from 2:30-4pm and grades 10-12 will try out from 5:30-7:30pm. Contact Coach Bassett with any questions.
Girls Basketball: Jason Greene - jng3333@yahoo.com
Tryouts will take place on Monday, 12/1 and Tuesday, 12/2 from 3:30-5:45pm. All grades will try out together. The first team practice will be on Wednesday, 12/3 from 5:30-7:45pm. Contact Coach Greene through the app or email with any questions. Preseason meeting will be announced on the app.
Competition/Basketball tryout dates: Monday 11/17, Tuesday 11/18 and Wednesday 11/19 from 4:30pm-7pm with a formal tryout on Thursday 11/20 @ 4:30pm. *Athletes must be at all tryout dates unless previously communicated with coaches* . Athletes must wear appropriate athletic wear. Cheerleading sneakers are encouraged, otherwise athletic sneakers.
Practice schedule: Mon., Tue., Thu., Fri. Depending upon Varsity/JV team, practice times could be anywhere from 4:30pm-8pm. Cheerleaders will be cheering at all Varsity home basketball games, and Saturday competitions late January through mid-March. Please contact Coach Kirsten for pre-season conditioning and tumbling info and to get on her contact list!
Indoor Track - Boys & Girls: Gerry Clark - clarkgs2@gmail.com
Our first practice is Thursday, 12/4 from 2:20-4pm. We will meet in the Field House.
Get in shape for track BEFORE the season begins by running, lifting and core work. Cross training (biking, swimming, etc. is encouraged). Workouts will be posted on the app and at pre-season meetings. Be prepared every day to practice outside. You will need a long sleeve t-shirt, shorts, sweats, hat, gloves, and running shoes. You will also need a basic sports watch.
Join our WHS indoor track group on the Lancer App. Download the app, create an account and find Indoor Track under Winter. See or contact Coach Clark for more information. I look forward to meeting you!
Wrestling: Chris Gamble – cgamble@waterfordschools.org
Practice will start on Monday, 12/1 in the wrestling room and Lancer Gymnasium. No tryouts—all are welcome to join (experience or no experience)
Practices are Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 2:45-5pm, Thursdays from 3:15-5pm & Saturdays from 8:30am10:30am. Competitions are on Wednesdays & Saturdays (and two Fridays in January).
Equipment needed: Wrestling shoes. We can provide headgear but you can purchase your own as well. Optional equipmentknee pads, mouth guards (required if you have braces), water bottle. Contact Coach Gamble with any questions.
Boys Swimming & Diving: Amy Poulton – amyp31993@gmail.com
Coach Amy will welcome all candidates for the boys swimming & diving team on Thursday, Dec 4th for our first practice!! If you are considering, or have decided to join the team, please request team messaging access in the Lancer App.
Our daily practice schedule will be 3:00pm-5:00pm throughout the season, and on Saturday mornings 8am-10am. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Amy
**ABOVE DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE**
Boys & Girls Fencing: Hugh Teel - coachteel152@gmail.com
There will be a preseason meeting for all those interested in fencing on 10/29 after school in the Lancer Gym. Preseason conditioning begins Monday, November 3rd, from 2:30pm to 3:30pm in the lobby outside the field house. It is scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
The fencing season begins Monday, December 1st. Practice is scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Lancer Gym. Our Tournaments are scheduled for Saturdays. Contact Coach Teel with any questions or for more information.
Boys Ice Hockey: Jack Messina (St. Bernard Athletic Director) - jmessina@saint-bernard.com
Matt Rembish (President of the Eagles group) - mattrembish@yahoo.com
The Eastern CT Eagles hockey team is a cooperative hockey program with students from local high schools in southeastern CT hosted by St. Bernard HS. WHS students must sign up on ArbiterSports on the WHS winter sports registration page.
Once signed up, please contact Matt Rembish, President of the Eagles group, who will send you your registration letter to be filled out. All costs and transportation associated with ice hockey are the responsibility of the athlete/family.
Girls Ice Hockey: Eric Roy - eroy3425@gmail.com or
Sean Saucier - ssaucier@woodstockacademy.org
Anyone interested in participating in girls ice hockey in the ECC cooperative hockey program with Woodstock Academy should contact Sean Saucier (athletic director - Woodstock Academy) or Eric Roy (Woodstock girls ice hockey head coach) for additional information. WHS students must sign up on ArbiterSports on the WHS winter sports registration page. All costs and transportation associated with ice hockey are the responsibility of the athlete/family.
The High School Gymnastics team is a cooperative program with students from Ledyard, Waterford, and St. Bernard high schools. WHS students must sign up on ArbiterSports on the WHS winter sports registration page.
The first day of practice is December 6th at Stonington High School. A mandatory team meeting will take place on December 4th via Google Meets. Parents are welcome to attend, but it is not required.
Regular practice days/times are still being finalized. All gymnasts are required to complete 10 practices before the first meet per CIAC guidelines.
All participation fees and transportation are the responsibility of the student-athlete. Any early dismissals that are needed for competitions are the responsibility of the student-athlete’s parent/guardian.
Competition begins on 12/27 or 12/30. Schedule and results can be found on the CIAC Website. If gymnasts qualify for the State Opens or New Englands, extended practices will be held in late February and early March. **ABOVE DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE**
Sports Registration Information
Waterford High School sports registration is done conveniently online through ArbiterSports. ArbiterSports is a secure registration platform that provides you with an easy, user-friendly way to register for our programs, and helps us to be more administratively efficient and environmently responsible. When you register through ArbiterSports, the system keeps track of your information in your ArbiterSports profile. You enter your information ONLY ONCE for each family member, for multiple uses and multiple programs.
INFORMATION NEEDED TO REGISTER:
It will be helpful to have the following information handy to allow for accurate completion of your online registration:
• Date of last physical exam
• Physical information
• Health insurance information
• Emergency contact information
Please note: Before your student-athlete’s registration is approved, there must be a current physical examination form signed by a physician on file with the school nurse. Physicals are valid for 13 months from the date of the physical. If the student’s physical expires during the season, he/she will not be allowed to practice or play until a new physical exam form is submitted to the nurse’s office. Without an approved registration and current physical examination form on file, the student-athlete will not be eligible to participate.
REGISTRATION PROCESS: (We’ve included some helpful links on page 8 to help with registration/account set-up/FAQ’s/ etc.)
A parent/guardian can register by clicking this link: ARBITERSPORTS
REGISTRATION
Follow these steps:
• To find your program, click on the above link and select the registration form under the word Programs
• Next, scroll to the bottom of the page. If this is your first time using ArbiterSports, click Create Account. Click Log In if you already have an ArbiterSports account.
• Create your secure ArbiterSports account by entering the account owner’s First and Last name (parent/guardian), e-mail address and password. Select I Agree to the ArbiterSports Terms of Service & click Create Account.
• You will receive an email with a link to activate your new account. (If you don’t see the email, check your email filters (spam, junk, etc.).
• Click on the link in your activation e-mail, which will log you into ArbiterSports. Once in the registration form, complete the information requested. All fields with a red * are required to have an answer.
• Click the Continue button when your form is complete.
• Review your registration summary.
• Click the blue Submit button. After selecting Submit, the registration will be complete. You will receive a completion e-mail from ArbiterSports confirming your registration.
If you need assistance with your registration, email support@arbitersports.com or call 800-311-4060
Please note that there may be offers presented within your ArbiterSports registration (NCSA College Recruiting and/or purchasing athlete insurance). Any offers are completely OPTIONAL and not endorsed in any way by Waterford Athletics. You must answer the NCSA question in order to complete the registration, but are not required to answer yes.
Important Information
i M port A nt i n F or MA tion W hen
r egistering i n A rbiter s ports
Throughout the season, notifications may be sent out through ArbiterSports Registration. These notifications may include expired/expiring physical notifications, game admission information, etc. The email sent through ArbiterSports will go to the account owner email address ONLY. If you would like to add additional email addresses so that another parent/guardian receives the notification(s), please do the following:
Choose Profile under your user name at the top of the ArbiterSports Registration page. Click on Personal Information. Next to Additional Notification Email(s), you can add up to 5 additional emails for anyone who you would like to also receive email notification(s) sent out through ArbiterSports. Click Save.
If you need to update a registration after you have registered (upload an updated physical, change an emergency contact, etc), you DO NOT need to re-register your student. Click on Registrations at the top of the webpage. Look at Completed Registrations and choose the registration you wish to update. Click on Add or Update Info. You can now edit/update your registration. Make sure you click Save at the bottom after you have updated your registration. You can also follow the same procedure if your student-athlete chooses to change from their current sport selection to a different one (if new chosen sport is still available).
If you have outdated physicals attached in ArbiterSports, please delete them when you upload a new physical. This helps make the updating process quicker & easier for athletics staff and the nurse.
t r Avel r ele A se p olicy
If parents/guardians choose to transport their child to and/ or from away contests they must complete the TRAVEL RELEASE FORM (click to open link) and turn it in to their coach prior to the contest. Athletes are not permitted to drive themselves to away contests. Athletes must be picked up by their own parent/guardian or ArbiterSports authorized pickup person. No parent is allowed to transport another individual child to or from WHS athletic away competitions . EXCEPTION: Individual state or regional qualifying competitions.
s ports p hysic A
ls A
re v A li D F or 13 M onths
Physicals are valid for 13 months. If the student’s physical expires during the season, he/she will not be allowed to practice or play until an updated physical exam form is submitted to the nurse’s office. Be sure to check your child’s physical date.
e ligibility r ules F or p A rticipA tion i n s ports
First time ninth grade students will automatically be eligible for the first marking period. You have eight consecutive semesters, or four consecutive years of eligibility from the date of initial entry into ninth grade. You may not participate in a specific school sport for more than four seasons in grades 9-12. Student eligibility is determined within 2-3 days after grades are due by teaching staff. Year end grades determine initial eligibility for a fall sport. Student-athletes must pass at least 4 quarter Carnegie units of work as determined by year end grades. First quarter grades determine initial eligibility in a winter sport and second quarter grades determine continuance in winter sports and initial eligibility for spring sports. Third quarter grades determine continuance in spring sports.
CIAC Rules of Eligibility
Links & Other Information
p A rent g ui D e to A thletics
The Parent Guide to Waterford Athletics is now available on the Waterford athletics website. This is a great resource for parents/ guardians of student-athletes and is designed to provide helpful information about the Waterford High School sports programs, expectations, and ways to support your student-athlete.
All parents/guardians of Waterford student-athletes are encouraged to familiarize yourself with the parent guide as it has answers to many frequently asked questions regarding eligibility, tryouts, attendance expectations, playing time, pre-season preparation, in-season operations, end of season celebrations and much more.
A rbiter s ports
Please click the following links for help with registration, FAQ’s, and additional support.
Registering For The First Time
Registering With an Existing Account
ArbiterSports Support Page
Q uick l inks
Check the following links often as changes frequently occur. All links below can also be found on the Lancer App.
Waterford Athletics Webpage
Team Practice & Game Schedules
Athletic.net: Official schedule for track meets
CIAC Main Webpage
ECC Main Webpage
n e W c o A ches A t W hs
Coach Greene was the head girls basketball coach at Plainfield HS from 2010-2018 and has over 13 years of coaching experience.
Coach Karasevicz was an assistant wrestling coach at WHS from 2009-2020. He serves as the Youth Director for Waterford Youth Wrestling.
W hs s chool b A se D h e A lth
c enter
WHShas a School-Based Health Center (SBHC) located on site. The SBHC provides comprehensive physical and behavioral health and well care to students.
An APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse) and a behavioral health clinician who are experts in adolescent health and employed by UCFS Healthcare offer services. SBHC services and care will supplement and coordinate with services and care provided by private pediatricians. Services are billed to insurance carriers, and assistance is available for those who are not insured.
SBHC’s services include yearly well-child examinations, vaccinations, sports physicals, and acute and chronic care visits. The WHS SBHC is a convenient way for student-athletes to obtain a physical when they are unable to obtain one in a timely manner with their pediatrician. You must be enrolled in order to use the SBHC services.
Link to SBHC Information
Link to Electronic SBHC Enrollment Form
Link to .pdf Enrollment Form
WHSwould like to welcome our new girls basketball coach Jason Greene and returning assistant wrestling coach Adam Karasevicz.
t
Tickets & Other Information
s A les A re D igit A l
Ticket purchases for basketball (cheer) and wrestling are DIGITAL only and must be purchased through the GoFan. co platform. Single game ticket fees are $6 for adults and $3 for senior citizens and students. Senior citizen passes available at the Waterford Senior Center will be accepted for admission. We are offering season passes through GoFan at a discounted price. Head over to the GoFan website to purchase your season pass now! To learn how to purchase, redeem or transfer tickets, check out the GoFan Fan Support Page.
c o A ching o pportunities
Have you ever thought about coaching or being a volunteer coach at WHS? Periodically, coaching opportunities are posted on the Waterford Public Schools website. Check this link often to see current job listings and an application for employment. A coaching permit is reqiured by law for all people who wish to coach or volunteer coach in CT’s public schools grades K-12.
Information to obtain a coaching permit.
s tu D ent -A thlete s ports p hoto
The Waterford Athletic Department will be taking orders for winter team photos with individual head shots. The photo is an 8 x 10 with the student-athlete and team. The cost will be $22. Winter athletes will receive an email after the season begins so be on the lookout!
Be a Fan... Not a Fanatic
“ n o n AM es , n o n u M bers ” F A n
c heering i ni A tive
Waterford
High School will be supporting the fan cheering initiative, “No Names, No Numbers.” The phrase will be used by our student fan group leaders and crowd control personnel to remind all fans that they are not to call out an opposing player either by name or number. Cheer FOR your team, NOT against your opponent which makes the game more enjoyable for everyone.
Without
p r A ctice
o FF ici A ls , i t ’ s J ust
In recent years, there has been a concerning decline in the number of officials across various sports. The shortage has become a pressing issue that threatens the future of sports. Intramural officials are essential. Sports officials bring control to the chaos that is sport, promote fairness, ensure safety and encourage good sportsmanship. They play a crucial role in maintaining fairness, upholding rules, and ensuring the integrity of the game.
Please keep in mind that officials, just like our players and coaches, are part of the game. We ask our parents, fans and
student sections to support the game and make it a positive environment for everyone. Keep in mind... without officials, It’s just practice.
#NoRefsNoPlay
Get in the game and become a school sports official! You can find information here on the CIAC website: Officials
Information Page
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS WHEREVER, WHENEVER.
TheNFHS Network is the leader in streaming live and on demand high school sports.
The NFHS Network covers 27 different regular season and postseason sports, as well as other high school activities, celebrating the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools across the country. Partnered with the National Federation of State High School Associations, 44+ high school state athletic/activities associations, and PlayOn! Sports, the NFHS Network is a joint venture created to provide fans with the ability to stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are.
All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at www. NFHSnetwork.com and through the NFHS Network Mobile Apps for iOS and Android and our TV Apps for ROKU, Amazon Fire, Google TV and Apple TV. Paid subscription required.
Watching high school sports and events has never been easier!
W A tch t ur F F iel D , p ool & F iel D
Throughout the year, our athletics administrative assistant Wendy Morris takes numerous photos of our student-athletes during varsity games. These photos are used to promote our student-athletes on the athletics social media pages as well as the website, lobby/cafe monitors, and our newsletter.
The photos are added to a sport specific Google folder and are available to all student-athletes and famillies through the Lancer App. under the PHOTOS tab at the top.
Please note: There are students who take photos for yearbook or photography experience and are part of the lancer media team who share their photos with our student-athletes. These photos are also available on the Lancer app under Photos - Student Photos.
