Athletics Statement of Philosophy Girls learn much more than mere physical skills through their participation in athletics as they benefit from the values of discipline, dedication, selflessness and hard work derived from team participation. The collaborative experience of pursuing and attaining a common goal in athletics is unique as it is combined with interscholastic competition. Through this experience girls are able to develop courage as they take risks, strength while displaying finesse, competitive intensity while exhibiting generosity of spirit, and mental as well as physical endurance. While the focus is to facilitate the development of each girl’s athletic potential, the greater hope is to instill motivation to continue in lifelong physical activity.
Tigers’ Steps to Success
Facilitate each girl in becoming a better athlete and player of a given sport by maximizing her individual learning and creating opportunities for successful contributions to the team in a safe environment.
Increase self-awareness, self-efficacy and self-confidence through athletic participation.
Have each athlete learn to be her best self both in winning and in losing.
Understand and act in accordance with being totally committed to the team and to be an exemplary representative of the school.
Learn to work collaboratively and effectively with others.
Guide each girl to find her voice as a leader of her peers.
Find a love for movement activities and to instill intrinsic motivation to continue physical activity throughout one’s lifetime.
Westridge Sports The Westridge Athletics program offers 12 sports and oversees student involvement in Equestrian through the Interscholastic Equestrian League (IEL) and the Saddle Seat and Western School League. Sports seasons are as follows: Fall Cross Country – JV and Varsity Golf – Varsity Tennis – JV and Varsity Volleyball – Freshman/Sophomore, JV and Varsity
Winter Basketball - JV and Varsity Soccer - JV and Varsity Water Polo - JV and Varsity Spring Lacrosse – Varsity Softball – Varsity Swimming & Diving - JV and Varsity Track & Field - JV and Varsity
California Interscholastic Federation Westridge is a member of the California Interscholastic Federation of the Southern Section (CIF-SS). CIF is the governing body which oversees all sports in California. All rules and regulations pertaining to sports activities including everything from eligibility to playoff parings are overseen by CIF. Postings of playoff progress and information about each sport are located at http://www.cifss.org
League Affiliation Westridge competes in the Prep League for the majority of sports offered. The league is comprised of Chadwick School, Firebaugh High School, Flintridge Preparatory School, Mayfield Senior School, Polytechnic School and Rio Hondo Preparatory School. Golf currently is a member of the Prep League with Chadwick, Firebaugh High School, Mayfield Senior School and Polytechnic School participating. Lacrosse will be unattached to a specific league for the upcoming year. The Equestrian program is a member of the Interscholastic Equestrian League (IEL) and participates for Westridge during the four annual shows. Also, Westridge has students who have participated in the The Saddleseat and Western School League of Greater Los Angeles.
Physical Education Credit Girls are required to take six semesters of physical education during their tenure at Westridge. Two sports equate to one full year of credit. Should girls wish to be in one sport, they will need to add another physical education class to fulfill their requirement for a given year. Westridge offers Physical Education equivalent should girls wish to continue with their club sport throughout the year. Additional information can be obtained by speaking with the Director of Upper School or the Director of Athletics.
Commitment to Athletics Each athlete is required to practice Monday through Friday during the season and participate in all competitions. Due to scheduling outside of the Prep League, several sports will have competitions on Saturdays. Families need to plan around the athletics schedule during the season as attendance is mandatory.
While Westridge does not currently require participation during the summer or offseason, it is a requirement that girls arrive to the first day of practice in competition-ready condition. Westridge offers physical conditioning after school year-round. It is critical to the success of the program that girls take advantage of this opportunity. Also, girls are encouraged to participate in sport camps, on club teams and to play their sport as much as possible throughout the year in order to develop their fundamental skills. The pursuit of athletic excellence is a daily commitment.
Eligibility Westridge’s first commitment to each student is to provide an excellent education. In order to ensure that girls are achieving this goal, student-athletes must strive to maintain their GPA while competing. Should a student have a “C-“ or below in any two classes, she will not be eligible to practice or compete on a sports team as she will be on Academic Probation.
Health/Athletic Trainer Certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), an athletic trainer (ATC) is the member of the allied health community whose role is to care for and help prevent athletic-related injuries. At Westridge School, there is a certified athletic trainer on staff as the safety of our athletes is of the utmost importance. The priority of the athletic trainer is to provide on-site care for practices and contests. The athletic trainer will supply a first aid kit/bag for all sport teams which will include health and emergency contact information. In the event that an athlete sustains an injury, it is her responsibility to communicate with the coach and/or athletic trainer immediately after the injury is sustained. The athletic trainer will then evaluate the injury and give treatment instructions to the athlete and reiterate them to the parent(s)/guardian and coach. If the athlete’s injury limits her participation in practices or games, the athletic trainer will inform the coaches and parent(s)/guardian and direct the family to seek further medical attention. In most cases, the injured athletes will be required to attend practice as an observer until she can resume full participation. If the athletic trainer is treating an athlete for an injury, it is that athlete's responsibility to arrange for and attend the treatment session at the designated time. Athletes who need to be taped or treated for an injury must do so in a timely manner prior to practice/competition or before the bus leaves for competition. If an athlete sees a physician regarding an injury, the athlete must present a signed physician release form to the athletic trainer or Director of Athletics before she is allowed to resume practice or participate in competition.
Strength and Conditioning Westridge offers year-round weight training and conditioning every day after school from 3:15 – 5:15 p.m. For those students who are not participating during a given season, we strongly encourage daily training to better prepare our athletes.
Communication The Department of Athletics wishes to encourage open dialogue pertaining to any aspect of your daughter’s or your experience related to a given sports team. Concomitantly, we wish to empower each girl to represent herself should a conflict occur. Girls are encouraged to first talk directly with their coaches should they have questions or concerns. If the issue is not resolved the athlete may then wish to speak with the Director of Athletics. Should the issue in question continue, at that time it is appropriate for the parent(s)/guardian to be involved.
Expectations for Coaches Coaches are hired to disseminate information pertaining to their sport, assess individual talent, determine game strategies, guide individual improvement, motivate the team, foster leadership and provide a safe environment for our athletes. While coaches are to be positive role models for the girls and friendly in their manner, they are not “friends” of the girls. As such, coaches are not allowed to correspond with student-athletes using personal email, cell phones or be members of social networks with Westridge students. Westridge provides all coaches with a Westridge email address. Coaches are encouraged to foster team-bonding activities during practices or after competitions if scheduled in advance (e.g. In-N-Out Burger after the Chadwick game). Team members enjoy dinners and parties outside of Westridge, but should be aware that coaches are not allowed to participate. Coaches may attend one team event during the season (e.g. pasta party) as long as parents are present, the event is for the entire team and the Director of Athletics has been notified in advance.
Parent Role Parents are our greatest advocates as they inspire excellence in their daughters and seek the same in our Athletics program. We encourage parents to foster their daughter’s athletic passion by enrolling them in camps and clinics as appropriate and to encourage their daughter’s to try several sports during their Upper School years. The most critical role that parents play in their daughter’s athletic development is to be a voice of positive encouragement – girls tend to be very self critical and need ongoing positive feedback to offset this predisposed style. Girls are also acutely aware of “false-positives” which demeans their performance as it is disingenuous. While not every performance can be stellar, constructive criticism housed in positive feedback will facilitate the athlete’s development. Additionally, parents should first and foremost be parents by supporting their daughter’s efforts with positive feedback – coaching during the game should be left solely to the coaching staff.
Parent Liaison This year we are requesting a parent volunteer from each team who is willing to communicate to the Director of Athletics on a regular basis. The goal is to work in partnership with our parents in order to have the best athletics program possible.
Sport Parent Advice USA Water Polo's Tumua Anae discusses her transition to college, competing for playing time and consulting her dad to get through it.
https://play-positive.libertymutual.com/video/2023/Tumua-Anae-%7c-Parent-SupportGuidelines for post-game conversations: https://play-positive.libertymutual.com/parenting/parenting-guide/conversations-athletes
Logistics Practice times All sports will practice after school during the school year. While there are rare exceptions on occasion, it is the priority of the Athletics Department to practice five days per week. Practice times for the majority of sports will be from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Volleyball and basketball will have at least one team practice during the later slot of 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Parent Pick-up Parent(s)/Guardians may pick-up their daughter’s from practice/competitions which are not located on the Westridge campus as long as they have physical contact with a member of the coaching staff (i.e. parents are not allowed to wait in their cars outside or call ahead to have their daughter meet them down the block). All students are to be picked-up by 6:00 p.m. as outlined in the Parent/Student Handbook. Should a sport practice be regularly scheduled past 6:00 p.m., parents must meet their daughters in the gym. If girls return after 6:00 p.m. from a competition, a member of the coaching staff will wait with the girls in the State Street lot until all girls have gone home. Transportation Girls will be transported to games and practices by school bus or Westridge vans. The majority of the time girls will ride the bus departing from State Street. Release times are posted such that girls will have ten minutes to gather their uniforms and equipment and be boarded on the bus ready for departure. With the goal of remaining in class as long as possible and with traffic concerns, it is imperative that girls expedite their travel time between class and the bus by preparing in advance. Weekly Email Weekly the athletics department confirms game time and location with the opposition in order to alleviate miscommunication. The weekly email is distributed each Friday afternoon with the upcoming week’s confirmed schedule. While every attempt is made to update schedules in all locations, should there be a discrepancy, the weekly email is the most current informational document.
Edline The Westridge campus Intranet is housed on Edline. The athletics page is not password protected, so can be accessible from any location. All updates (i.e. schedule changes due to weather), the weekly email and sports season information is posted. Please get in the habit of checking Edline for athletics information: http://www.edline.net/pages/Westridge_School/Athletics
Sports Schedules All sports schedules are posted online on the newly revamped Westridge website at www.westridge.org
MaxPreps MaxPreps is a website which compiles statistical information for schools and sorts by respective leagues. Westridge sports on MaxPreps are basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball and water polo. Go to the following link and type in “Westridge” then proceed to the sport you wish to preview: http://www.maxpreps.com/national/national.htm
Snack Calendar The parent liaison will oversee the calendar. He/she will send you the information for you to sign-up for a game. Parents are responsible for transporting all snacks directly to the competition site.
Team Sweatshirts and T-Shirts Each team is allowed to design one custom-wear item during the season. Students are encouraged to design their shirts on Customink.com and forward to the Director of Athletics for approval. Sweatshirts and t-shirts must follow the school uniform dress code if they are to be worn outside of competition. As these items are not actual athletics gear, they will be purchased separately by families.
Letter Jackets Letter jackets are available to order year-round for all Upper School athletes. Here are the instructions:
1. Go To: http://www.mecasportswear.com/ 2. Click on – ‘Order Your School Jacket’ 3. Select “California” and “Westridge School” 4. Click on ‘I’m Ready to Order!’ 5. Enter School ID – 3922
6. Enter Password – meca 7. Confirm that circle above the jacket is green (or click to select), then click on ‘Continue’ 8. On the far right window, Meca Sportswear has pre-selected the custom patches for the Westridge jacket – HOWEVER, you must enter 2 additional items: A. Your Name – in the box to the right of ‘name’ B. Select DUPLICATE next to the paw patch and indicate you want the paw placed on the back ‘Back Middle – 2’. Meca’s software program does not allow for 2 paws, however that is what is on our official jacket C. Click on ‘Continue’ 9. Complete the address and credit card information. If you need help with sizing click the bright red button ‘Jacket Sizing Help’ 10. Just confirm and your jacket will be on the way!!!!
Letter Sweaters Letter Sweaters are ordered by request. The Director of Athletics will email the pertinent information. Pricing decreases as the number of sweaters ordered increases (basic group discount). Generally, they are approximately $75.00.
Awards At the conclusion of the season a Recognition Evening will be scheduled on campus. Each team will distribute team awards. Typically, coaches will select an MVP and offer a Coaches Award, Freshman of the Year, etc. Awards are determined annually by the head coach and may differ from year to year. While it is important to give credit to those athletes who excel, the department philosophy recognizes each girl’s contribution as being critically important to the success of the team. All Prep League Awards At the conclusion of each sports season all of the varsity coaches meet to select the All Prep League teams. Each coach is allowed to nominate girls for both the first and second team. However, girls who are nominated must have supporting statistics to be credible – it does not serve the program to nominate, for example, all starting players. The coaches from all Prep League schools then cast their vote and the girls with the highest number of votes are then placed on the first team. The same process occurs for the second team. The MVP is voted for last and is a member of the first team.
CIF-SS Awards Girls are nominated by Westridge coaches and coaches from area schools. Generally, girls are nominated from the first team All Prep League as their statistics, sportsmanship and contribution to their team as well as their sportsmanship is exemplary.
Extra Information PLAC The Prep League Athletic Council is a newly formed group comprised of athletes and athletic directors for all Prep League Schools. The goal of the council is to ensure a respectful and safe competitive environment at all league schools.
Westridge Athletics Council Currently, the Westridge Athletics Council is in its developmental stages. The goal is to work with team captains and PLAC representatives to help them develop leadership skills pertaining to athletics. Look for updates as the year progresses!
Physical Education While Westridge benefits greatly from affording Upper School students physical education credit for athletics participation, it is our responsibility to continue to educate our girls beyond the basic sport fundamentals. Coaches will begin to focus on adding sports history, biomechanics, sport psychology and physiological principles into sport practices.
Collegiate Athletics Melanie Horn, Director of Athletics has competed at the NCAA Division I level (UCLA) and has been a junior college (LACC), Division I and III assistant coach (University of Southern California, University of Redlands) and a Division III head coach (Occidental College). With her coaching experience and the expertise of our Director of College Counseling, Lynn O’Grady, Westridge will be conducting a College Night for Athletics outlining the process by which to “get noticed”, what the NCAA requires in the recruiting process and discuss our philosophy regarding the student-athlete in college. Date TBA.
Coaching Staff Fall Cross Country Head Coach – Ryan Skophammer - rskophammer@westridge.org Assistant Coach – Alyssa Vaughn –avaughn@westridge.org Golf Head Coach – Nick Del Pozo - NDelPozo@Westridge.org Assistant Coach – Jimmy Jackson - JJackson@Westridge.org
Tennis Head Coach – Alexadru Moresan – amoresan@Westridge.org Head JV Coach – Ginny Garofalo - GGarofalo@Westridge.org Assistant Tennis Coach – Karen Hanselman – Khanselman@Westridge.org Volleyball Volleyball Program Coordinator and Head JV and Varsity Coach - Otto Lacayo OLacayo@Westridge.org Assistant Volleyball Coach/Head Frosh/Soph Coach – Stephanie Eskander – Seskander@Westridge.org
Winter Basketball Head Coach – Melanie Horn - MHorn@Westridge.org Assistant Varsity Coaches – TBA Head JV Coach - Karen Hanselman – Khanselman@Westridge.org Assistant JV Coach – Ginny Garofalo - GGarofalo@Westridge.org
Soccer Head Coach – Nick Hazel – Nhazel@Westridge.org Assistant Varsity Coaches – Kelly MacGaunn – Kmacgaunn@Westridge.org, Dan Calmeyer DCalmeyer@Westridge.org , Jason Windass – Jwindass@Westridge.org Head JV Coach – TBA Water Polo Head Coach – Robert Echeverria - recheverria@Westridge.org Assistant Coach – Catherina Cluck - CCluck@Westridge.org
Spring Lacrosse Head Coach – Theresa Mullally – Tmullally@Westridge.org Softball Head Coach – Ginny Garofalo - GGarofalo@Westridge.org Assistant Coaches – Allison Clark - AHClark@Westridge.org
Swimming & Diving Head Coach – Tyrone Brown – Tbrown@Westridge.org Assistant Coach - Catherina Cluck - CCluck@Westridge.org
Track & Field Head Coach – Kaaron Conwright – Kconwright@Westridge.org Distance Coach - Desiree Ruiz – DRuiz@Westridge.org Jumps Coach – Nick Hazel – Nhazel@Westridge.org, Shahar Thomas – Tthomas@westridge.org Throws Coach – Ryan Skophammer - rskophammer@westridge.org Pole Vault Coach - TBD
Equestrian Parent Representative Mary Ann Fialkowski Stevenson – maryann@mafski.com
Athletics Department Melanie Horn, Director of Athletics – mhorn@westridge.org 626.799.1053, x255 Aubrey Prince, Athletics Trainer and Athletics Administrative Assistant – Aprince@Westridge.org 626.799.1053, x228
Links California Interscholastic Federation – Southern Section (CIF-SS) http://www.cifss.org/ California Interscholastic Federation – State Office http://www.cifstate.org/ Women’s Sports Foundation http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/ Positive Coaching Alliance http://www.positivecoach.org/
WESTRIDGE SCHOOL Upper School Athletics Contract 2014-2015 Congratulations, your daughter, _______________________________________, has been selected to participate on the _____________________ team. To ensure your daughter’s and her team’s success, we need your cooperation with the following departmental guidelines: 1. Girls are required to be in attendance for all practices and competitions. Practices run Monday through Friday after school for two hours. By signing this contract, girls commit to be in attendance for practices and at each competition (please note – some sports will have Saturday competitions). Should a student-athlete not be in attendance for an entire competition for any reason other than illness/injury, she will be benched for the entire competition following her absence and may be subject to dismissal from the team. 2. Students are allowed two practice absences per season by taking advantage of the “absence pass” policy. The pass is to be used to catch-up on academic work, schedule an appointment or participate in a family activity. An absence pass can be used on any practice day with advance notice to the head coach. Student-athletes must be punctual to practice and are not allowed to leave practice early. Should a student be late/leave early, her partial absence may count as one absence pass. The absence pass cannot be used on game days. 3. Students must attend ALL CIF-SS playoff competitions in order to receive physical education credit and to be eligible for team and post-season awards. Should an SAT test, AP exam or Westridge final exam, etc. occur on the same day arrangements are to be made with the Registrar to reschedule the test/exam. No exceptions. 4. All student-athletes must have a current physical health form (within the past 12 months) on file with the Health and Wellness office to be eligible to participate in practice/competitions. 5. Girls who are injured are allowed to miss up to three days of their sport. Should your daughter be absent four days or more (due to injury or illness), a doctor’s note is required for your daughter to continue to receive physical education credit while inactive. Girls who have had their activity suspended for an extended period of time must have a second doctor’s note in order to return to activity. 6. Students may become ill and miss practice on occasion. However, those who miss more than five days total during the sport season may be subject to dismissal from the team and will not receive physical education credit. 7. Students may not simultaneously participate as an actor in Theatre productions simultaneous to Athletics. Students may participate in Theatre Technical or Costume Crew, with the understanding that they will prioritize all Athletics practices and events over Crew calls. In addition, students are not allowed to leave a sport team early or enter late as a result of participating in a theatre production. 8. Students on Academic Probation (two grades of C- or below) are not eligible to participate in athletics. 9. Should a student need to meet with a faculty member after school, she must notify the head coach and/or the Director of Athletics in advance of her meeting in order for the tardy not to count as an “absence pass.”
10. Students must depart from campus by 6:00 p.m. unless they are returning from a competition. Athletes who practice from 4:30-6:15 p.m. are required to have their parent/guardian meet them in the gym for pick-up. 11. While all athletes will be given opportunities to participate during competitions, it is not a requirement of the coaching staff to play all players each game. Upper School sports provide opportunities for each girl to hone her athletic skills and to be successful during practice, however, the coaching staff determines during each competition which group of student-athletes have the best chance for competitive success. Should students or parents have questions concerning playing time, it is appropriate to confer with the head coach. 12. Athletic uniforms are Westridge property and must be returned in good repair at the end of each season. Letter jackets and/or letter sweaters can be purchased as life-time souvenirs.
______________________________________________________________________________
I have read and agree to the terms of the 2014-2015 Westridge Upper School Athletics Contract:
_________________________________________ Student Signature
__________________________ Date
_________________________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature
__________________________ Date
1.___________________________________ Parent/Guardian(s) Email Addresses
2. ______________________________
1.___________________________________ Parent/Guardian Cell Phone Numbers
2. ______________________________
10932 Pine Street Los Alamitos, California 90720
Telephone: 562-493-9500 Fax: 562-493-6266
Code of Ethics - Athletes Athletics is an integral part of the school’s total educational program. All school activities, curricular and extracurricular, in the classroom and on the playing field, must be congruent with the school’s stated goals and objectives established for the intellectual, physical, social and moral development of its students. It is within this context that the following Code of Ethics is presented. As an athlete, I understand that it is my responsibility to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Place academic achievement as the highest priority. Show respect for teammates, opponents, officials and coaches. Respect the integrity and judgment of game officials. Exhibit fair play, sportsmanship and proper conduct on and off the playing field. Maintain a high level of safety awareness. Refrain from the use of profanity, vulgarity and other offensive language and gestures. Adhere to the established rules and standards of the game to be played. Respect all equipment and use it safely and appropriately. Refrain from the use of alcohol, tobacco, illegal and non-prescriptive drugs, anabolic steroids or any substance to increase physical development or performance that is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, Surgeon General of the United States or American Medical Association. 10. Know and follow all state, section and school athletic rules and regulations as they pertain to eligibility and sports participation. 11. Win with character, lose with dignity.
As a condition of membership in the CIF, all schools shall adopt policies prohibiting the use and abuse of androgenic/anabolic steroids. All member schools shall have participating students and their parents, legal guardian/caregiver agree that the athlete will not use steroids without the written prescription of a fully licensed physician (as recognized by the AMA) to treat a medical condition (Article 523). By signing below, both the participating student athlete and the parents, legal guardian/caregiver hereby agree that the student shall not use androgenic/anabolic steroids without the written prescription of a fully licensed physician (as recognized by the AMA) to treat a medical condition. We recognize that under CIF Bylaw 202, there could be penalties for false or fraudulent information. (school/school district name) We also understand that the policy regarding the use of illegal drugs will be enforced for any violations of these rules.
Printed Name of Student Athlete
Signature of Student Athlete
Date
Signature of Parent/Caregiver
Date
A copy of this form must be kept on file in the athletic director’s office at the local high school on an annual basis and the Principal’s Statement of Compliance must be on file at the CIF Southern Section office. Revised 7/11
Westridge School Championships Basketball Prep League Champions 1982-1983 1996-1997 1983-1984 2003-2004 1984-1985 2004-2005 C.I.F. Quarter Finalists (Division IV-A) 1996-1997 Cross-Country Prep League Champions 1993-1994 C.I.F. State Finalist 1994-1995 Sarah Martin Fencing C.I.F. Individual Foil 2001-2002; 2002-2003, Christine Shu Soccer Prep League Champions 1985-1986 1996-1997 1988-1989 1997-1998 1994-1995 1998-1999 1995-1996 C.I.F. Quarter & Semi Finalists (Division IV-A) 1988-1989 1999-2000 1995-1996 2004-2005 1996-1997 2006-2007 C.I.F. Champions (Division IA) 1988-1989 Softball Academic Team Champions 1994-1995 1995-1996 Swimming Prep League Champions 1985-1986 2005-2006 1998-1999 2007-2008 2003-2004 2008-2009 C.I.F. Swimming Champion, 50-yard freestyle 2001-2002 Katie Icaza
C.I.F. Swimming Champion, 200 Freestyle Relay 2003-2004 Briana Price, Brooke Bennett, Alden Sorenson, Katie Icaza Diving 3rd place in State 2001 Grace Wells Tennis Prep League Champions 1976-1977 1983-1984 1979-1980 2011-2012 1980-1981 2012-2013 1981-1982 2013-2014 C.I.F. Champions (Division I-A) 1980-1981 Track & Field Prep League Champions 1991-1992 1995-1996 1994-1995 2005-2006 C.I.F. Long-Jump Champion 1998-1999 Lauren Gibbs 1999-2000 Lauren Gibbs 2000-2001 Lauren Gibbs C.I.F. Triple Jump Champion 2000-2001 Lauren Gibbs C.I.F. State Participant 2006-2007 Shahar Thomas Volleyball Prep League Champions 2006-2007 C.I.F. Champions (Division IV-AA) 2006 C.I.F. State Quarter Finalists 2006 Water Polo Prep League Champions 2004-2005