HWDSB Athletics ready for a new season of extra-curricular sports

HAMILTON (September 9, 2016) – One week into the new school year and HWDSB Athletics is ready to kick off an exciting sport season which will see student-athletes participate in a wide variety of sports at the secondary and elementary level.

With the secondary regular season getting underway next Friday and practices for a multitude of sports already underway, here are some of the highlights to watch for in 2016-17.

Off And Running
Girls field hockey, senior boys football will be the first to start their competition schedules for secondary schools with girls basketball and boys volleyball quickly following. Other sports which are starting to gear up include cross country, touch football, tennis and grade nine soccer.

On the elementary side, 3-pitch, cross country and swim are all getting ready to kick off with boys and girls volleyball just around the corner with play starting after Thanksgiving.

First Aid Training
Over the course of the year, HWDSB Athletics will be offering first aid training for teacher coaches of high risk sports to comply with the new Ontario Physical Education Safety Guidelines. Coaches in football and field hockey have already had access to training with more sessions taking place before the start of the season. Other high risk sports which are funded by HWDSB (like Hockey and Track & Field) will also have coaches trained in emergency first aid as the year progresses.

Coaching Education
Also as part of the new Ontario Physical Education Safety Guidelines, HWDSB will begin offering coaching clinics in high risk sports which are funded by HWDSB. These clinics will be designed to help educate coaches in areas of safety as well as offer professional development in their selected sport.  

At the secondary level, field hockey is the first sport to conduct a coaches clinic with former Canadian women’s national team member Kristine Wishart conducting the a session next Thursday (Sept. 15).  Wishart is an alumni of the former Hill Park Secondary and is the current field hockey head coach at McMaster University.

NCCP Safe Contact
Last spring, all 14 HWDSB schools participating in secondary football saw at least one member of their coaching staff earn their NCCP Safe Contact designation which was offered by Football Ontario. The Safe Contact course teaches safe tackling and blocking techniques along with safety education and awareness.

Reimagined Football Divisions
New for this year the HWDSB senior football league has been reimagined which will see eight division-I teams and six division-II teams. After discussion with system football coaches and physical education heads, it was agreed that a realignment of divisions would create a balanced competitive schedule for both divisions with the goal of improving the overall experience for all participants.

Gym Spectator Banners
Special school banners will begin to appear across gyms in the 14 HWDSB secondary schools which participate in extracurricular sports. These banners designed specifically with each school’s identity will encourage spectators to engage in positive cheering and respect athletes, officials and other spectators.

HWDSB Coaches Appreciation Dinner
HWDSB will continue its tradition of honouring its coaches at the end of the season with it’s annual “Thank You” Coach appreciation evening.  This year’s event will honour elementary coaches and will take place in the Spring.  Full details to be announced at a later date.

Athletes of the Year
To close the year, HWDSB will celebrate the success of its top athletes with the annual HWDSB Athlete of the Year barbeque. The top athletes from all 17 schools who earn Athlete of the Year honours within their school are invited to the Education Centre for a year-end celebration.  Last year, former CFL player Bryan Crawford was the special keynote speaker at the event.  This year’s event is tentatively scheduled for June 9th, 2017.

Stay Connected with HWDSB Athletics
For schedules, results and news visit: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/athletics or follow us on Twitter @HWDSB_athletics