Athletics Department

Important guidelines for the start of the 2020 Fall Sports season – 

SCREENING:

• Beginning on September 14, 2020, parents of all Fall athletes and marching band members will be required Monday through Saturday, whether you are a hybrid or virtual student, to complete the required Qualtrics pre-screening email to be cleared for practice and games each day of the fall season. Parents only need to complete the pre-screening one time daily. Just like for school, please complete each morning
• If your son/daughter does not feel well, please keep them home from practice for that day. Please email your head coach.

FACE COVERINGS: 

• Student-athletes are required to wear face coverings at all times except during the actual practice or game situation.
• Student-athletes on the bench or sidelines are required to wear face coverings.
• Coaches are required to wear face coverings at all times.

PRACTICE/WORKOUTS:

• Head Coaches will organize all practice times and locations. This information will be communicated to you from the Head Coach. Practice times during the week will be 1:00pm – 3:00pm (in-district coaches) and from 3:15 – 5:15 (out of district coaches). Saturday practices will be either 8:00am – 10:00am or 10:00am – noon. Don’t hesitate to contact your head coaches if you have any questions about the practice schedule.

• Students that are physically in the building for school, grab and go lunches are available after school from noon until 12:45 and they are allowed to eat the main Cafeteria during this down time until practice.
• Only one workout per day is permitted and there must be one (1) day of rest per every seven (7) days.
• All practice/workouts must take place outside during Fall Sports.
• Late Buses will be provided Monday-Friday at 3:15 (see Transportation info below).
• Access to practice/workouts must be limited to student-athletes, coaches, and appropriate school personnel.

HYDRATION:

• Athletes must bring their own water bottle.
• Sharing of water bottles is strictly prohibited.
• Voorhees will provide and monitor hydration stations for individuals to refill water bottles one at a time.

TRANSPORTATION:

• Face coverings are required for all athletes and coaches while on busses.
• For athletes on virtual instruction who need transportation, athletes will get on the 12:05pm dismissal bus as it drops students off after school. The buses will return athletes to the high school for the 1pm practices. By now, athletes should know how long they are on the bus from school to home, so that is when they should be at their bus stop waiting to be picked up.
• To return home at the end of practice (for those practices that end at 3:15pm), the high school is running the 3:15pm activity buses Mon-Fri this year. 3:15pm bus routes are listed in Aspen under parent and students accounts, click on Page Directory on left hand side then “Transp Routes”.  3:15pm bus routes do not drop off your child at their normal bus stops. Routes are listed by the municipalities they cover and then you will need to know the closest cross streets to your home to identify your 3:15pm route.

• Athletes with a driver’s license can drive to Voorhees for practices and HOME

LOCKER ROOMS:

• Locker room use is only for students-athletes that are in the building at the end of the school day to change for practice or games and head directly to their playing field.
• All student-athletes participating in full day or part-time virtual instruction must come dressed and prepared for practice.
• Locker rooms must be used for changing and storage of equipment only. Coaches will monitor the activity to minimize the amount of time permitted in the locker room.

• Social distancing and face coverings are required for all staff and students while inside the locker room.
• Equipment/storage will be communicated by the Head Coach of your sport.

HYGIENE/SANITIZATION:

• Athletes and coaches should make every effort to wash their hands as often as possible.
• Hand sanitizer shall be accessible at all times and provided by North Hunterdon HS.
• Workout apparel and uniforms shall not be left at the school after games and practices.
• There shall be no spitting, chewing seeds or gum during the workout.
• Post-game handshakes and celebrations are prohibited.

RESTROOMS:

• Social distancing and face coverings are required for all athletes and coaches while using restrooms.

SPECTATORS:

• Outdoor gatherings are limited to 500 people. More information to follow about games.
• All spectators attending outdoor events must wear a mask at all times and make a concerted effort to socially distance from other attendees outside their specific group.

EMAIL CONTACTS:

Trainers:

Keith Skinner: kskinner@nhvweb.net

Steve Syrstad: ssyrstad@nhvweb.net

Fall Head Coaches:

Juniors should check their email for a personal code for Impact Testing. The 9th grade students should also have an email with their code in their email as well. 

The governing body for high school sports in New Jersey (NJSIAA) released regulations for summer workouts to begin.  Programs will be allowed to begin “Phase 1” on Monday, July 13th.  The following programs at Voorhees High School will begin offering workouts on the week of July 13th: Football, Field Hockey, and Girls Cross Country. The rest of fall sports will be joining summer workout schedule in late July and August – see schedule below.  Specific information regarding Phase 1 guidelines are posted on the VHS Athletics website. Phase 2 guidelines will be posted in early August.

Registration in Aspen is required for summer intramurals/workouts. Aspen will be open starting on Monday, June 29th for registration.

1. To register your child, log into your parent Aspen account, click on Page Directory on left hand side, then click on Voorhees Intramural.  Fill out the required forms on this page.  You will select Summer Intramurals in the Participation for Consent Form. A physical is not required at this time for summer workouts.
   Important note: The Health History Update, which includes new mandatory COVID-19 questions, must be completed seven days prior to start of workout per new state rules. If you are late filing out this form, your child will be delayed from starting workouts.  
2. In addition to the Voorhees Intramural forms, you also need to fill out annual health forms. Go under Page Directory again, click on Health Forms. Fill out the required forms for all students, and any specific forms that may be applicable to your child.

If the following is applicable to your child, the school nurses need to know;  Please use this form – VHS COVID-19 Medical Release Form for Athletics – and submit to school nurses, Patricia Tomczyk (ptomczyk@nhvweb.net) or Suzanne Bauer (sbauer@nhvweb.net).

• Student-athletes who have pre-existing medical conditions and/or are immunocompromised (e.g., diabetes, asthma, auto-immune disorders, etc.) shall provide clearance from a physician before he/she will be permitted to participate in workouts.
• Student-athletes who presently have COVID-19, or who have tested positive for COVID-19, shall provide clearance from a physician before he/she will be permitted to participate in workouts.

Any medical questions can be directed to the school nurses, Patricia Tomczyk (ptomczyk@nhvweb.net) or Suzanne Bauer (sbauer@nhvweb.net). 

Summer Workout Schedule – full schedule is posted on the VHS sports calendar, click here.  Condensed version below:

Football

• Phase 1 – 7/13 to 7/24, Monday through Thursday; 9:00-10:30 on the turf, Screening at 8:30
• Phase 2 – 8/3 to 8/21, Monday through Thursday; 8:00-10:00 on the turf, Screening at 7:30

Field Hockey

• Phase 1 – 7/14 to 7/30, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 3:00-4:30 on the turf, Screening at 2:30
• Phase 2 – 8/4, 8/6, 8/18, & 8/20; 3:00-4:30 on the turf, Screening at 2:30

Girls Cross Country

• Phase 1 – 7/14 to 7/30, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 4:30-6:00, Screening at 4:00
• Phase 2 – 8/4 to 8/20, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 4:30-6:00, Screening at 4:00

Boys Cross Country

• Phase 1 – 7/23 to 8/6, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 3:30-5:00, Screening at 3:00
• Phase 2 – 8/11 to 8/20, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 3:30-5:00, Screening at 3:00

Boys Soccer

• Phase 1 – 7/27 to 8/6, Mondays and Thursdays; 10:00-11:30 on the turf, Screening at 9:30
• Phase 2 – 8/10 to 8/20, Mondays and Thursdays; 10:00-11:30 on the turf, Screening at 9:30

Girls Soccer

• Phase 1 – 7/28 to 8/5, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 10:00-11:00 on the turf, Screening at 9:30
• Phase 2 – 8/11 to 8/19, Tuesdays and Wednesdays ; 10:00-11:30 on the turf, Screening at 9:30

Volleyball

• Phase 1 – 7/28 to 8/6, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 9:00-10:00 on the softball field, Screening at 8:30
• Phase 2 – 8/11 to 8/20, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 9:00-10:30 in the gymnasium, Screening at 8:30

Girls Tennis

• Phase 1 – 7/28 to 8/13, Tuesdays and Thursdays; 9:30-11:00 on the tennis courts, Screening at 9:00
• Phase 2 – 8/18 to 8/20, Tuesday and Thursday; 9:30-11:00 on the tennis courts, Screening at 9:00

Marching Band

• Monday 8/3 – Color Guard, 8:30-10:00 on the knoll; Screening at 8:00
• 8/4, 8/5, 8/10, 8/11, 8/12 – Color Guard & Percussion, 8:30-10:00 on the knoll; Screening at 8:00
• 8/4, 8/5, 8/10, 8/11, 8/12 – Woodwinds and Brass, 10:30-12:00 on the knoll; Screening at 10:00
• 8/13 & 8/14 – Full Band, 8:30-10:00 on the knoll; Screening at 8:00

If you have any questions about workouts, please contact the head coach directly –

Football:  Head coach Ricky Kurtz, rkurtz@nhvweb.net

Field Hockey:  Head coach Shannon Hughes, shughes@nhvweb.net

Girls Cross Country:  Head coach Dave deWolfe, ddewolfe@nhvweb.net

Boys Cross Country: Head coach Jeff Capone, jcapone@nhvweb.net

Boys Soccer: Head coach Chase Barbieri, cbarbieri@nhvweb.net 

Girls Soccer: Head coach Jessie Sharr, jsharr@nhvweb.net 

Girls Volleyball:  Head coach Aniela Huizenga, ahuizenga@nhvweb.net 

Girls Tennis: Head coach Mitch Collins, mcollins@nhvweb.net 

Marching Band: director Aidan Giannelli, agianelli@nhvweb.net

For incoming freshmen parents, if you have any issues with setting up your parent account in Aspen (security codes were sent out last month to set up an account), please contact our database manager, Sherri DiMarcello, at sdimarcello@nhvweb.net.

Registration for fall sports will open in Aspen on July 20, 2020. More information will be sent closer to that date.

Please visit the links below to read through important information from NJSIAA for summer workouts being held per Phase 1 Return to Play Guidelines.  

NJSIAA Phase 1 Return to Play Guidelines

Phase 1 Protocol Letter – VHS 2020

NJSIAA Phase 1 Clarifications for Summer Workouts

• Additional NJSIAA Phase 1 Clarifications

COVID-19 Screening Questions

NJSIAA released an update on the Fall sports season on July 10th.  NJSIAA has decided to delay the start of the season to September 14th. Below is information from their recent memo. With this new condensed fall season, each individual sport’s game schedule will be updated over the next month. 

Based on these new dates, Aspen will be open for Fall sports registration from Monday, July 20th to Friday, August 21st. More information on sports registration will be sent on July 20th.  If your child’s physical exam will expire by September 14, 2020 (physicals are only valid for 365 days), you will need to provide a new physical to the health office by August 27th, the first day of school.

From NJSIAA Memo – 

Model 1 – Delayed Fall Season:

Model 1 Rationale:

The Task Force recognizes that returning to school is the main priority and that all student-athletes should acclimate to the classroom before they begin their fall sports season. By delaying the start of practices until after the school year begins, schools will have the opportunity to open their buildings and work through the logistics of their modified school day before extra-curricular activities start. By reducing the length of the season, student-athletes will not only have the opportunity for participation but will have more time to focus on their academic requirements. Leagues and conferences have the ability to amend their schedules for regular season competitions with a focus on keeping athletics local. There is no model that eliminates all risks, but a reduced season will naturally lead to a reduced amount of competition, which minimizes the risk of infection or spread by exposure to many different teams and schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every school district differently. This fall season will focus on providing athletic opportunity, engagement and participation – not winning championships. In order to focus on the Restart of School and to level the playing field athletically, there will be no state-wide, post-season competition under this delayed start model.

Virtual Contact Period:
From Saturday, August 29th, through Sunday, September 13th, FALL coaches only may have virtual contact with their student-athletes. Therefore, there may be no in-person practices, scrimmages or games during this time.