|
VVHS Soccer Families and Players - There was quite a bit of information that came out in regards to High School Soccer this past week. There are also quite a few unknowns as well. Please read the below carefully. There is quite a bit of information and explanation. More information will be sent as it becomes available.
The state announced that school could start in person learning, February 8. They also announced that High School Athletics could begin February 22. However, HS Athletics are only able to start for schools that are in-person (hybrid).
I am very confident that high school soccer will start officially on March 1. The official end date is Saturday, April 3. State tournament will be the week of April 5. There will only be 8 teams that make the state tournament for this abbreviated season. It is likely that the championship game will be complete on or before Friday, April 9. Finally, with current health order, no fans will be allowed at games. However, APS is planning to stream all contests live at NFHS/Proview.
NMAA has announced that there will be a 10 game maximum season for JV and Varsity. The NMAA also announced that players will have a 10 game limitation from March 1-April 3. Furthermore, the NMAA announced that all players must follow the current NM Health order that requires a 14 day quarantine period when a student-athlete leaves the state for a soccer tournament. These two rules could have a significant impact on the team and players competing with the high school team for the entirety of the season. For example, if a student-athlete leaves the state to play at Las Vegas Showcase from March 12-15, they would not be able to practice/compete until March 29 for the high school team.
First and foremost, I am NOT going to ask players to choose between high school soccer and club soccer. I do not believe that is fair or appropriate. Rather, the team will just work with each player and balance what they are able to give the high school soccer team and their club team.
However, since the high school season is only 5 weeks (March 1-April 3), if our club players planning to travel would consider missing tournaments for the month of March, that could be a game changer for our high school team. Ultimately, no one will be penalized for what they choose to do. I do just ask that each player planning to travel communicates with me what their plans will be so the coaches are able to plan accordingly.
With that in mind, I need each player/family to click this link to let me know what their club plans are from March 1-April 9. CLICK HERE to complete the form I need.
Some of the UNKNOWNS right now are as follows.
-
Schedule
-
Number of Games APS will schedule (Max of 10)
-
Criteria to qualify for State Tournament (likely district winners and 3 at-large bids)
-
Other?
WORK-OUT/PRACTICE
We will continue with the current format we are using currently for practices, Tuesday and Thursday from 1:05-1:55 or 2:05-2:55, players continue with whatever time frame they signed up for.
The plan right now is that on February 22, we will start in a new format. At that point, we will be allowed to have a typical training session with full numbers and full contact. We will ease into things. The exact times and dates are still TBD. Coaches need to wait to see what the school schedule will be in the Hybrid format.
TRY-OUTS
Typically, we would have try-outs on Monday, March 1. However, right now, the coaching staff is leaning towards NOT MAKING ANY CUTS. It is likely we will need everyone that wants to play.
Therefore, we will spend February 22-March 1 determining who is on the JV team and who is on the Varsity Team.
QUESTIONS
If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out, thiebaut@aps.edu or 750-8244 (Text).
There will be a virtual parent meeting on Friday, March 5. More details will come out soon.
|
