Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics Bill Pilla will host a Zoom call for South Orangetown Middle School parents who have questions regarding intramural sports and modified interscholastic athletics on Wednesday, September 29 at 7:30PM. A link for the Zoom call will be shared with families via SchoolMessenger email.
SOMS students in grades 6-8 may participate in intramural sports, which are recreational programs held at the school and do not involve competitions against other schools. Information regarding the SOMS intramural sports program for 2021-22 will be emailed to families in October.
Students grades 7 and 8 are eligible for interscholastic athletics, which compete against other local school teams. Following is information regarding interscholastic sports:
Fall Interscholastic Sports | Modified season began September 9
Teams: Football, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis, Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Girls Swimming, Volleyball
Winter Interscholastic Sports | Modified season begins November 29
Teams: Bowling, Boys Basketball, Boys Swimming, Fencing, Girls Basketball, Ice Hockey, Wrestling
Spring Interscholastic Sports | Modified season begins March 28
Baseball, Boys Golf, Boys Lacrosse, Boys Tennis, Girls Golf, Girls Lacrosse, Softball, Track & Field, If you have any questions regarding middle school sports, please contact the Athletic Department via email (wpilla@socsd.org) or phone (845.680.1640).
Practices are held after school days, Monday-Friday, approximately 3-5 PM. Parents are asked to pick up their children from these sports practices in the SOMS lower parking lot. There will be no practices or contests on half-days, holidays or weekends unless there is a special circumstance. Home and away contests are scheduled for 4:30PM and usually end by 6PM.
Online registration via Sportz Ventures will open 30 days prior to the start of a season, in accordance with New York State law. Upon your initial visit to the website, you must create a profile and enter medical information. After the profile is created, visits to the site will have you sign in and fill out a “packet” for each season. One family profile can have up to 4 children. Student athletes must have a valid physical within the last year to be approved to participate. Parents can upload a physical to their profile. If needed, the district can provide a physical if necessary through the school medical director. However, we encourage parents to obtain a physical from their child’s health care provider.
Detailed information regarding modified sports can be found in the Athletics Handbook, which is posted on the Resources webpage under Parent Resources.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the philosophy of the District’s modified sports program? At this level, the focus is on learning athletic skills and game rules, fundamentals of team play, socio-emotional growth, physiologically appropriate demands on the adolescent body, and healthy competition. The modified program’s primary objective is to provide a conducive learning environment that promotes positive self-esteem and teaches life skills and basic athletic techniques. This program is designed to encourage maximum participation and opportunities for our young athletes to experience sport and de-emphasize winning as a main goal. However, it does recognize that “winning” is important and enjoyable if kept in its proper perspective.
Does my child have to have experience playing a sport for interscholastic athletics? No, anyone can tryout for these sports. In some sports experience can make a difference (depends on the sport) but middle school is a good place to try a sport.
Are there roster limits made for interscholastic teams? Yes, some teams have roster limits for various reasons. Most of the teams only have one coach and we want to make sure we can manage the student athletes safely. We do, however, have programs that do not have roster limits. Football, Tennis, Cross Country, Wrestling, Track & Field are offered without making roster limits.
Can my child try out for a high school sport if I think they are good enough? Yes, there is a NYS program called the APP (Advanced Placement Process) which places student athletes appropriately based on their athletic ability, physical and emotional maturity based on state adopted standards. Customarily, coaches at the middle school and/or high school level will identify these students and recommend they attempt the APP. Students who pass the APP are granted a tryout but are not guaranteed a spot on the high school team. If they do not make the high school team, they are allowed to play at the modified level.
If my child does not make a certain team, can they play another sport during that season? Yes, if your child does not make a team they can participate in one of the other sports that do not have roster limits.
What are intramurals and when are they held? Intramurals are sports activities that any student in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade can participate in if they sign up. Announcements are made at SOMS with the information for these activities. They are structured sports activities that will take place at SOMS on designated days after school until the activity bus arrives at 4PM. You do not have to register via Sportz Ventures for intramurals.