2020-2021 Athletics Plan & Vision

Dear Sage Ridge Community:

We are counting down to the start of the new school year!  With a new year of athletics comes excitement for so many. Returning players and coaches are eager to reconnect with their team and compete for their school. New families/athletes are looking to join a team and meet new schoolmates. New coaches are eager to bring passion and expertise to lead and grow our young athletes. Finally, our parents, faculty, and entire community are ready to show their support and cheer on our student-athletes with school pride.

Sage Ridge Athletics offers opportunity and excellence with a wide offering of 24 athletic teams across 8 varsity sports and 5 middle/lower school sports. Our small school environment provides all students with the opportunity to participate/compete on select or multiple teams. Sage Ridge is committed to excellence in athletics, just as it is committed to excellence in academics, the arts and in each of the other key elements of education which address the whole student. Sage Ridge Athletics is excited to have the support of the Athletics Leadership Committee (ALC), a newly created committee formed by the school to provide strategic guidance on driving our athletics vision, messaging, and culture that fosters hard work, belief, resilience, and a winning spirit. Sage Ridge’s ALC will help lead our athletics vision focused on excellence, with the expectation that doing so will thereby elevate Sage Ridge’s visibility and prominence as the region’s preeminent well-rounded educational experience.

Whether you are a new or returning family or faculty/staff member, please read on below for a better understanding of our Athletics Vision, our student-athlete/parent expectations, by team snapshots for 2020-21, and other key information including how to learn more about our programs. We are excited to involve the full community as both participants and supporters of Sage Ridge Athletics. We INVITE you to join us on the sidelines this year as we cheer on our teams with Scorpion Pride.

SAGE RIDGE’S ATHLETIC VISION

Sage Ridge’s commitment is to excellence, and that is the standard of our athletics program as well.

What does excellence in athletics mean?

1. We will invest in high quality coaches who develop players’ individual skills, set high goals and standards of excellence, inspire team play and strong work ethic, are deeply committed to help student-athletes advance to the next level, and develop a culture that emphasizes a winning spirit.
2. We will allocate the financial resources to our athletics program necessary to compete at the appropriate level and provide opportunities to our student-athletes.  For instance, when it is necessary in a sport supported by Sage Ridge, we will travel outside the region; we will also develop a robust non-conference schedule.
3. For our student-athletes who wish to play at the collegiate level, our coaches will help to facilitate opportunities, including recording and providing highlight tapes, opening access to and navigating with AAU programs, and pursuing ranking opportunities and visibility.

Sage Ridge can get an athlete to the next level as well as any other school, but with the added emphasis on academics and the advantage of the Independent School culture of nurturing the whole child.

Sage Ridge’s strength in academics opens up opportunities with athletics. For the serious athlete, it offers not only academic preparedness at the collegiate level but also lifelong skills beyond athletics thereby increasing the success quotient for student-athletes who decide to play at the next level.

STUDENT-ATHLETE AND PARENT EXPECTATIONS

As Sage Ridge continues to elevate its athletics program, we would like to clearly communicate student-athlete and parent expectations at the start of the year. This helps establish open and direct communication at the school-wide level and down to the team level between coaches, players, and parents so there is consistency, transparency and a foundation of mutual understanding and respect.

Overall Expectations

Sage Ridge holds its student-athletes to the highest standards of excellence guided by our school’s pillars:

• Respect/Integrity — Our student-athletes will demonstrate respect and honesty in conduct and character with their teammates, competitors, coaches and officials. Excellence in athletics also means instilling the values of sportsmanship, self-discipline, humility, pride and commitment to the team experience.
• Courage — Our student-athletes will show courage in giving their best effort, in believing in one’s ability, and in learning to take risks together as a team. Courage in athletics also means challenging oneself, embracing adversity, and being resilient.
• Scholarship — Our student-athletes will have a thirst to pursue excellence, and that means to continually evolve in every aspect of life. Our student-athletes will carry their strong work ethic from the classroom to their athletic arena with a focus on continual improvement and lifelong learning.
• Community — Our student-athletes will place the good of the team and the school above individual achievement. We hope Sage Ridge student-athletes develop powerful relationships with their coaches and teammates, compete with poise and pride, and leave Sage Ridge with a lifelong desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Student-Athlete and Parent Agreements

Sage Ridge Student-Athletes agree to:

• Have a positive attitude
• Work hard to learn, build skills, and continually improve through practice and competition
• Give 100% and never give up
• Be a great teammate
• Demonstrate sportsmanship at all times, on and off the court 
• Foster a winning spirit to compete and be your best
• Maintain academic standards of excellence per the Student Handbook

Sage Ridge Parents agree to:

• Be positive and supportive — with the players and the program. Regardless of whether they win or lose, the goal is always to get better. It is important to be positive and encouraging at home to build confidence.
• Show respect at all times to fellow teammates and parents, coaches, officials, and opposing team and parents. 
• Communicate directly with coaches before the season regarding any schedule conflicts or concerns regarding the season.
• Communicate directly with the coaches at the appropriate time regarding any questions or concerns, big or small that arise during the season. Coaches can only address what they know.
• The 24-Hour Rule. Parents agree not to confront a coach to discuss a “negative” game or practice situation with the coaching staff until at least 24 hours has passed after the game or practice. This is a common “best practices” guideline in sports that helps manage coach-parent reactions and relationships.

All student-athletes and parents understand that:

• Players are expected to attend all scheduled practices, games, and tournaments.
• Playing time will be at the discretion of the coach. To keep games competitive, players with more advanced skill levels will most likely receive more playing time.
• Missing practices and/or games may result in decreased playing time and/or possible non-participation at next or subsequent games. Players who get injured during season may return when they are cleared for play and playing time will be at the discretion of the coach.

All student-athletes and parents are required to:

1. Review and sign a Sage Ridge COVID Waiver
   1. This is a document in which you acknowledge your understanding of the COVID-19-associated risks in relation to sports, and assume all liability associated with participation.
2. Review and sign a Sage Ridge Athletics Student-Athlete and Parent
   1. This is a document that outlines at the start of the season expectations regarding player/parent conduct and character as guided by Sage Ridge’s pillars and standards of excellence. Any unmet expectations may result in, and not be limited to, excusal from practices, loss of playing time, non-participation in games, and removal from team. This document will be distributed at each team’s Parent/Team Kick-Off Meeting described below.
3. Review Sage Ridge’s Student-Athlete/Artist Policy
   1. Sage Ridge encourages students to participate in a wide range of activities – those that the school offers and those that students have found outside of school as well. The Athletics Leadership Committee has drafted the Student-Athlete/Artist Policy to support students who participate in approved activities outside Sage Ridge. The policy provides a framework for students and teachers to coordinate schoolwork with activity commitments.
   2. For specific details on our Student-Athlete/Artist Policy please reference the Family Handbook.
4.  Attend a mandatory Parent/Team Kick-Off Meeting for each team to
   1. Review Coach’s team goals and expectations for the season
   2. Discuss any parent or player questions/concerns 
   3. Discuss any health & safety guidelines and protocols
   4. Review/sign Student-Athlete and Parent Agreement
5. Make sure student-athletes have an annual physical examination on file at Sage Ridge prior to the first day of school. This physical evaluation is mandatory. If the student does not have a physical exam on file at the school, he/she will not be allowed to participate in Sage Ridge Athletics.
6. Upper School ONLY: All Upper School student-athletes must be registered on registermyathlete.com.
   1. If you are planning to participate in a Sage Ridge-sponsored sport, please register your athlete(s) on Register My Athlete. This is mandatory before they can tryout. An email was sent out on 07/20/20 with information on how to register. If you have not received this email, please email Mr. Farnsworth at afarnsworth@sageridge.org.

The COVID Waiver and physical forms will be posted on the Sage Ridge Website (Athletics Page) by the end of the week. If you have any questions regarding these documents, please email Mr. Farnsworth at afarnsworth@sageridge.org. 

Download Team Information

Sports Snapshots by Team [PDF]

OTHER NOTES

Middle School Tryouts

The following middle school teams may require tryouts to manage numbers due to facility/transportation factors:

• Boys Basketball — 11 players for 7th grade team and 11 players for 8th grade team
• Girls Volleyball — 12 players for 7th grade team and 12 players for 8th grade team
• Boys Soccer — 18 players on team
• Girls Soccer — 18 players on team

Coaches will conduct tryouts and thoughtfully deliberate on team selections and rosters. Younger players are highly encouraged to tryout to show their interest/enthusiasm for a given sport, to practice courage, to better understand the tryout process, and to learn what skills to develop in the offseason for the following year.

Team Uniforms and Spirit Packs

Uniforms will be provided. Sizes/numbers will be assigned at the beginning of the season, and uniforms will be collected at the end of the season. Spirit Packs include item(s) that the players pay for and keep. The coach and/or captain select the Spirit Pack item (or mix of items) such as practice tees, pullovers, or sweatpants, and the Spirit Packs are delivered at the start of the season.

Safety Protocols

• While the NIAA and TAH-NEVA (our sports associations) are still actively working on what our sports seasons will look like, we are organizing pandemic protocol appropriate training sessions that our students are enjoying – boys and girls basketball as well as girls volleyball. Christine Kratzer is now serving as our Health and Safety officer and working closely with AD Farnsworth on developing safety protocols across our campus. Our number one priority is the health and safety of your students, student-athletes, staff, and community if you have any questions or concern please reach out to Christine Kratzer or Anthony Farnsworth.
• For specific details on our safety protocols please reference the Sage Ridge website.

QUESTIONS

• Please visit sageridge.org/athletics for more information on specific sports, schedules and other important information pertaining to Sage Ridge Athletics.
• Contact Athletic Director Anthony Farnsworth regarding general team information:
  • Want to learn more about a team/program
  • Question about age eligibility
  • Specific question about training, travel, safety, etc.
  • Interested in coaching or volunteering
  • Sponsorships or fundraising opportunities
  • College recruitment
  • Any other questions or request that cannot be answered by our coaches 

Thank you for supporting Sage Ridge Athletics. We look forward to reconnecting with our wonderful community in the fall as we continue to elevate our standards of excellence in all we do and support our student-athletes with Scorpion Pride.

Anthony Farnsworth

Mr. Anthony Farnsworth | Interim Athletic Director/Physical Education Teacher (4th-12th)
Phone (775) 852-6222 Ext. 537
afarnsworth@sageridge.org