Below includes what to expect with our extra-curricular athletics program. Please review prior to participating in each sport. This resource is updated frequently.
PE Teacher & BEARS Athletics Director
Athletics Director (AD)
Mark Graham: mark.graham@nbed.nb.ca
Different Levels of Teams
District office offers different levels of play depending on the activity. Some teams are by grade level and gender or multi-grade teams like Varsity (Gr. 7-8), JV (Gr. 6-7), and Tier 2 (Gr. 6-8 for rural schools or Gr. 7-8 for larger schools).
At GSMS, we usually make teams with each grade and gender only, for example, we would likely put a Gr. 8 only team into a Varsity division and a Gr. 7 only team into a JV division. At our large school, teams by grade level make it simpler to know which team a student has a choice for making and can help with securing volunteers to coach.
If we do multi-grade teams, the Varsity (Gr. 7-8) teams are selected first. Once we know which Gr. 7’s have made Varsity (Gr. 7-8) we would then have JV (Gr. 6-7) team tryouts. Once we know which Gr. 6’s have made the JV (Gr. 6-7) team, we would move onto Gr. 6 only teams.
Schools with smaller student populations usually make Tier 2 (Gr. 6-8) teams as students across all three grades are needed to create a full team, compared to separate Varsity (Gr. 7-8) and JV (Gr. 6-7) or grade level only teams. Sometimes we will make a Tier 2 team, based on the number of Gr. 7-8’s who tried out and did not make Varsity (Gr. 7-8) or JV (Gr. 6-7).
Tryouts
All of our teams, except for cross country running, have tryouts. Selection on a team the previous year does not guarantee a position on a team for future years.
We run a minimum of 2 tryouts for each team. If the first tryout has many students, sometimes, the coaches will ask for only selected students to return for another tryout. If a reduced selection is going to be made, a selection list will be posted the following day at school.
If you miss the first tryout, you are welcome to come to the second tryout even if a tryout selection list has been made. Overall, if you know you cannot make a tryout, please inform the coaches so they are aware and understand that you are still interested in participating.
Students are to be mindful of everyone’s emotions over who does and does not make the team. The selected team will be posted at school the day after the last tryout.
Many factors go into selecting students for teams:
Attitude/Representation: The school, coaches and teammates need to trust that you will be a good example to others when at our school or other locations. Self-control in both victory and defeat should be demonstrated and any form of aggressive or inappropriate behaviour will not be accepted. Students should play hard but under the rules provided. The school will review if participation on a team is acceptable under the current circumstances.
Commitment: If you are involved with other events, you should speak to the coach about conflicting times and dates to determine if this school team makes sense with whatever else you are involved with. If you know your going to miss many of the events than please leave that playing spot open to someone else. Coaches want to select players who will usually be present, which is likely 2-3 events per week. Students are not to attend tryouts unless they have permission. It is assumed that a student attending tryouts has permission from their guardian and the expectations on this site have been reviewed.
Athletic ability: Finally, students ability to perform the skills required within that sport, potentially at specific positions based on team dynamics. Students will get to try different positions though throughout a season. During tryouts, students would be put through activities to assess abilities.
If you do not make one of our BEARS teams:
We cover the athletic events in PE class at some point. We also have lunch options in the gym with multi-sport choices. There are usually organizations in the community as well that run events at different price points and levels of competition (explained in the sports offered section).
YMCA POWER UP program (free): https://fredericton.ymca.ca/global-community/power-up-youth-program/
Communication and Social Media (pictures/names)
If your child makes a team the families phone number and email will be shared with the coaches. This allows coaches to update families when needed throughout a season and for emergencies (ex. your child gets hurt). If you do not want your contact information shared with the coaches, please inform the school office.
Coaches will choose to send emails and/or use an app like TeamLinkt. Families are to inform the coaches when they will be absent to allow coaches to adjust their plans.
Pictures will be taken throughout the season. Coaches have been asked to get a team photo with uniforms on for the school yearbook. Families, if you have any media permission concerns speak to the coaches and ensure your child knows to remove themselves before any photos are taken.
We also have GSMS Bears PE & Athletics social media (Facebook, Instagram).
Expectations for Everyone
We will follow the NBIAA Fair Play Code of Conduct: https://www.nbiaa-asinb.org/en/publications/fair-play-code
Representing the school: Be aware of your noise level, language used (ex. no swearing or inappropriate jokes), and behaviour around others, such as when passing others on the sidewalk/trail (ex. when going to Barker Street Field, Queen Square or Morell Park). Either inside or outside, keep any area you use clean (ex. pick up wrappers, bottles, etc.).
If waiting to participate ensure you are not interrupting or distracting those playing. If waiting in our gym balcony, you should be seated and quiet (ex. the coach on the gym floor should not have to address behaviour/noise level from those waiting in the balcony).
We need to trust people to not be going into our or other school equipment rooms and taking equipment without permission, which would be treated as theft. Please do not go into rooms which are not the gym or spectators section without the coach giving you a set of instructions, otherwise it would be treated as trespassing. Overall, go to the location required for your event and correctly use the equipment provided by your coach in the space provided for your team. For example, students should not being trying to play a game of volleyball, badminton or basketball in the gym lobby and/or with equipment taken without permission from the coaches.
We need to encourage sportsmanship when faced with adversity. At the end of the event, our team should still be handshaking/fist pumping the other team. Overall, we can control our actions and any issues can be reported to the school.
At GSMS, public washrooms are available by the balcony entrance in the gym lobby. Players can use either the lobby washrooms or the ones located in the changing rooms. Please report any issues as soon as possible with any of the facilities.
FOOTWEAR and Changing: It is important that everyone is dressed safely for that activity. No one should have outdoor shoes on any gym floor. At GSMS, spectators should be using the balcony door by the gym entrance; the door is labelled and directly beside the gym entrance door. Students can either remove outdoor gear and leave in 1st row of the balcony or use the changing rooms located under the stage. Outdoor footwear is to be removed by those going on the gym floor.
If needed, ensure the soles of sneakers are dry and not dirty before coming onto any gym floor. Some sneakers leave coloured marks on the gym floor, in this case we look to switch the sneakers for a pair where the sole does not leave marks. At GSMS, there are extra shoes on the stage that can be used when needed. Overall, we are looking to keep our playing area as clean and safe as possible.
MUSIC: Ensure any music played (ex. speaker in the gym) is appropriate (ex. no swear words ).
Transportation and Supervision
All transportation to and from any afterschool event location is a family’s responsibility. The coaches will meet students at the event location and pick-up would also be at that location unless told otherwise.
The coaches will give families instructions on the time they would like students to arrive to an event, which could change from one event to the next. Please do not arrive earlier or be trying to get into the school or playing area without the coach present. Every school is different on facility procedures. At GSMS the gym doors will always be locked and are never to be propped open unattended.
We encourage families to stay and watch games. Please sit separate from the players and let the coaches manage the team. Please follow parking and spectator guidelines at each location.
For practices, students are dropped off at the start of the timeslot and families come back for pick-up. Do not leave your child without the coach being present. Families, please arrive before the time slot has ended, as usually games such as soccer and basketball, will not take the full 1.5hr (90min) time slot. Please respect the time of our volunteer coaches.
If you are having challenges with transportation, we suggest you speak with other members of that team and make arrangements amongst yourselves. We encourage students to travel as a group when leaving the school without a family member, but this is not required and not organized by the school or coaches.
Schedules and Cancellations
Athletics calendar on the school website will be the up to date schedule. Teams usually have 1 – 3 practices and/or games per week. You can click on a calendar event to potentially see additional information (ex. map of the location, parking and entrance instructions, warm-up and game start times, etc).
Practice times listed on the calendar are for when you have access to the playing space. An adult will be present at the start of the time slot to let you into the school as the exterior doors always remain locked.
Times are not consistent as we work around other schools for scheduling and coaches availability. We cannot accommodate for outside sports/activities. We can play and practice on professional learning days when students do not have school, but staff do. We typically do not book events on holidays, such as Thanksgiving.
GSMS plays within a ASD-W created league, usually with schools within Fredericton and surrounding rural areas. We include the local francophone schools (ELE and ESA) and the private northside school (FCA). Most events are around Fredericton, but some teams can travel to rural areas or away for weekend tournaments (ex. volleyball tournament in Moncton).
We usually run between 1hr (60min) to 1.5hr (90min) time slots. In the GSMS gym, based on the school day having a 8:20am start and end time of 2:50pm these are our usual timeslots:
6:30-8am (practice no earlier than 6:30am but could start later and need to finish by 8am)
3-4:30pm (practice)
4:30-6pm (practice or game)
6-7:30pm (practice or game)
7:30-9pm (practice or game)
Our outside door remains locked and not to be propped open. Teams will have someone monitor the door for the first few minutes (ex. parent, assistant coach, etc.). It is a safety concern to have the door open and no one present to monitor. Spectators arriving later with no door monitor present can contact a member of their group to let them in. If you see the door propped open, please remove the propped item and close the door.
Game times at other schools vary. Games would not start before 4pm or go later than 9pm. Outdoor practice and game times vary based on the location for soccer, rugby, track and field and softball. For game times at our GSMS gym, time on the schedule is when GSMS gym exterior door would be monitored by someone from our team to let everyone in, game start time would be 15min from the time listed on the schedule. Follow the coaches direction on arrival time.
ASD-W playoffs or “DISTRICTS”
Usually based on league results, with usually a semi-final of 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 and then a final. Leagues with more than 4 teams would usually have 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5 to determine who plays 1 vs (winner of 4 vs 5) and 2 vs (winner of 3 vs 6) in the semi-finals. If we win the championship kids can sign their name on the banner provided (which at some point gets put on the gym wall).
Each school district in New Brunswick at the middle school level designs their own athletics enrichment options. High school athletics has regional winners play for an overall provincial championship, but NOT at the middle school level. Our middle school season concludes with the ASD-W Playoffs. Some sport organizations, like Basketball New Brunswick (BNB) will usually host a tournament labelled as “Middle School Provincials”, but this is not a representation for selecting a provincial champion as it is a tournament with a registration fee where any school can attend and do not have to qualify based on any league records or district championship standings. Therefore, it is not provincials, rather a tournament filled with teams from throughout the province who signed-up to play.
Weather Concerns: If school is cancelled, so are all after school events, even if the weather clears-up later in the evening.
If there is a concern about road conditions a decision would be made before school dismissal to cancel afterschool activities. If events are not cancelled, it is always a families choice to determine whether they are comfortable travelling to and from an event. If you decide to not attend, please inform the coaches.
City of Fredericton determines when outdoor fields will be closed. You can follow “Community Alerts” https://www.fredericton.ca/resident-services/community-alerts. Information is usually also posted at https://www.facebook.com/FrederictonRecreation/. A post is suppose to be made by 3pm if a closure is to occur. Once school is dismissed, monitor communication from the city and/or your coaches for any updates.
If lightening and thunder occurs at outdoor events, there is a 30min wait till where you cannot hear or see thunder or lightening. The game would be rescheduled unless the game is 2/3 finished where than the score at the end would stand as the final score. For example, when playing 60 minute games in soccer it would be 40 minutes played for the score to stand.
Playing Time
ASD-W follows fair play guidelines, which means everyone should receive approximately the same amount of playing time no matter the positions played per ASD-W event. ASD-W basketball has a playing time adjustment for the 4th quarter of league and playoff games.
If any teams attend events that are not part of our ASD-W league or playoffs, such as an exhibition game or tournament, the team can follow the playing guidelines for that event. For example, if a school organizes a basketball tournament that is not connected to the ASD-W league or playoffs, if the tournament rules do not state that fair play has to be followed, then the coaches will decide how playing minutes are distributed and/or be required to follow the tournament rules (such as no substitutions in set 1 or 2 of a volleyball match). Coaches will update the team on any playing time guideline changes if they occur throughout a season.
Playing time could be adjusted/suspended due to many factors, such as an injury or poor behaviour on the team (ex. deliberately doing something that is harmful). Everyone is expected to agree on a convenient time to discuss any questions/concerns that may arise throughout the season. We ask everyone to wait 24hrs from a situation to reflect and gather your thoughts before communicating with each other on the matter. School administration and/or staff member will directly inform coaches if a student is not to participate for a specific reason. Students and families are to understand that being a student comes first.
If a student is absent from school (ex. they were sick and missed school that day) then they are not to attend practice or play in a game that evening. Players absent for a medical appointment, such as going to the dentist, can still attend practices and games.
Jerseys and Sports Gear
Please follow any cleaning and drying instructions on the tags of uniforms. At the end of season, the coach is to collect the jerseys. If you miss the last event return your jersey to Mr. Graham in a bag labelled with the students name and team. Please do not leave the jersey unattended in the gym expecting Mr. Graham to see it, make sure a physical hand off to Mr. Graham takes place. Participation in another activity will be withheld until the uniform is returned. If the uniform is lost, a $100 fee will be applied to the family.
We want our students showing up at events setting a good image for GSMS. Clothing is not to show inappropriate images or words and underwear is to be covered.
Coaches will have sport specific equipment to use. Please ensure what is used is returned. For example, if 6 volleyballs go to a game then ensure that the 6 GSMS/BEARS labelled balls make it back in the bag. Overall, the coach is providing the gear to use, but the players need to be responsible to return the gear to the proper spot after using it.
Team Fees
Different fees are needed for each sport based on costs to cover items such as scorekeepers, referees, tournaments, and purchasing team equipment and shared uniforms. The estimated fees for each sport are described in the “Sports Offered” section and based on prior years.
Any transportation costs and accommodations would be at the families expense. For example, if driving outside of town and attending a 2 day tournament, it would be a family choice to stay in a hotel at their own expense. Overnight accommodations are made at a team level and you could have someone designated to block a set of rooms and/or leave it to a families discretion.
If you have any questions about paying a team fee please speak with the school. Once a team has been created a School Cash Online (SCO) event will be made for online payment. You can also use cash or cheque written out to GSMS and given directly to the school office.
After a determined date, students will not play games until either the team fee or a payment plan has been made.
We will sort out a financial plan, if selected to play, and payment is a challenge. If you are applying for one of these programs, please let the school know, as there will likely be a delay in completing the payment on SCO. Optional programs for assistance:
https://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/pages/individual-child-grants
Volunteer Expectations
We are looking for role models to help provide enrichment opportunities for our students.
Volunteers are to complete the following ASD-W volunteer paperwork. This only needs to be completed if you are selected to help with a team and new to coaching at GSMS or not employed within ASD-W:
1. ASD-W-360-1A: Volunteer Sign-Off (Appendix A) This form ensures you have reviewed and understand the different GNB policies, including dealing with sensitive information and confidentiality.
2. ASD-W-360-1B: Criminal Record and Vulnerable Sector Check Coaches under 18yrs old and still an ASD-W student DO NOT have to complete the Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Check. There is a fee that the school would reimburse with a receipt submitted. https://www.fredericton.ca/en/resident-services/public-safety/police-force/criminal-record-checks
3. Guidelines if driving a vehicle: ASD-W-360-1C: Volunteer Driver Sign-Off (Appendix C)
4. If an accident happens, document through the following forms: Accident Report Form (POLICY 129) Concussions: C-3 C-4 Paper copies are outside of Mr. Graham’s office.
If you are looking for coaching resources, Canadian Association of Canada provides high quality, nationally recognized resources: https://coach.ca/
It is great to have more than one adult volunteer per team to ensure availability for practices and games. If you are not comfortable leading a team, think about partnering up with others and sharing roles such as being a manager or assistant.
We have had family members, prior students and members of the community volunteer time and appreciate your potential support. Preference for coaching is school staff first, then community members, followed by family members. If you or you know of any adults who would be interested in being a volunteer, please speak with Athletics Director, Mark Graham (mark.graham@nbed.nb.ca).
Sports Offered
Soccer
Time frame: September to the end of October.
Tryouts: There will be tryouts for each soccer team. Coaches will discuss expectations around positions and a keeper.
Fee: Usually $20-30 per student.
Equipment: If you make the team you will need a pair of shin guards and socks to cover them at your own expense. Try for black socks.
You can wear sneakers or cleats. You will need a solid pair of black shorts of your choosing to wear with the provided jersey to match our school colours of purple, gold, and black. The jersey provided is to be returned at the end of the season.
Practices and games: Usually in 1.5 hours (90 minute) time slots. For practices the time on the schedule is when to arrive or follow the coaches directions.
Games are 30 minutes halves with a 5 minute half time. Games usually start between 4pm and 5:30pm depending on the location. The season is usually 6 games and then playoffs. League record determines playoff spots. We usually do not attend any tournaments. Teams will usually have 1-2 practices and a game each week. The time on the schedule for games is when kickoff should start. Follow the coaches directions on arrival time to warm-up.
Barker Street Pitch (980 Barker St #960, Fredericton, NB E3A 3K4) will be used for home games and practices will usually be out of Morell Park Soccer Fields (Morell Park, Waterloo Row, Fredericton, NB E3B 1Z1). It usually takes about 25 minutes to walk from the school to either of the fields. Transportation is a families responsibility. Many students will walk together as a group, but this is not organized by the school.
Soccer Teams:
Varsity Boys (Gr. 7-8) and Varsity Girls (Gr. 7-8)
JV Boys (Gr. 6-7) and JV Girls (Gr. 6-7)
Associations:
Cross Country Running
Time Frame: Usually starts the middle of September and goes until middle of October.
Tryouts: There are no tryouts for this team, every student is welcome to run at any point in the season.
Fee: Free.
Equipment: You can wear any sneakers that provide safe traction on uneven ground. You will be running on different surfaces from asphalt, grass, crushed rock, dirt, tree roots, etc.
You will need a solid pair of black bottoms (shorts or pants) of your choosing to wear with the provided jersey to match our school colours of purple, gold and black. The jersey provided by the coach is to be returned after each race or students can wear any GSMS clothing they want. All students were given a GSMS shirt when entering Gr. 6.
Practices: All students from all grades will practice together. Practices are at Queen Square directly after school from 3:15 – 4:15pm, with pick-up at Queen Square. Families should not be dropping their child off unsupervised without a coach present.
At practices the group will work on running pace, endurance, teamwork, etc. Families ensure you are on time for pick-up. Many students will walk together as a group, but this is not organized by the school. It usually takes about 10 minutes to walk from the school to Queen Square.
Races: We usually have 3 races at different locations. Any meet instructions will be put in the event description on the athletics calendar for that event. Each race is by grade and gender.
We need at least 3 runners per grade and gender at the final race to accumulate points towards a banner, but we can have as many runners as we want within each race.
At the final race, points are given based on finish position of the first three runners per grade and gender at each school. For example, 1st place is 1 point, 2nd place is 2 points, 12th place is 12 points, etc. Any additional runners increase your chances to place better, but it is only the top 3 runners that will add up for points. For example, the Gr. 6 Girls race has GSMS runners finish in 5th, 8th, 15th then GSMS Gr. 6 Girls team receives 28 points. The team that scores the least number of points will win the banner for that grade level and gender. Usually, races start with grade 6 girls and boys, followed by grade 7 and then grade 8. At the races, the coaches will help assist where needed to ensure the course is safe and marked for all runners.
Different race locations: Usually a southside location, northside location and then districts at either a northside or southside location. Meets are usually at one of the following locations: Nashwaaksis Middle School (NMS), Bliss Carman Middle School (BCMS), Killarney Lake, and Hanwell Park Academy (HPA). We suggest families stay and supervise their child as there is no specific end time, it depends on the number of runners and how long it takes to get everyone to complete each race.
Runs should arrive in time to complete a personal/grade level warm-up before their race and should look to stretch after the race.
Gr. 6: Usually 1200 meters (1.2km)
Gr. 7: Usually 1600 meters (1.6km)
Gr. 8: Usually 2000 meters (2km)
BCMS Routes:
NMS Routes:
The attached route is not detailed but shows the entire trail around the school.
Grade 6: called to the track and walk up the trail to the baseball field. They start in the middle of the baseball field and run diagonally to the right and onto the trail. They follow the rest of the trail the whole way around and finish on the track.
Grade 7: Starting point by the disc golf goal closest to Carrington/school driveway. They run across the driveway and onto the trail heading uphill and run the entire trail finishing on the track.
Grade 8: Same starting point as grade 7, run the entire trail plus one lap of the track.Download
HPA Routes:
Associations:
https://www.speedingcheetahs.com/
https://www.anb.ca/programs/yxc/
Badminton
Time frame: End of October until winter break in December.
Tryouts: There will be tryouts for each badminton team. Teams are by grade and gender.
Students will play both singles and doubles, if selected for the team, until the final tournament. Students do not have to come with a specific doubles partner, if doubles is practiced at tryouts, students would just pair up with someone for each match.
Fee: Usually $15-20 per student.
Equipment: Wear any clean sneakers that will not mark the gym floor. You will need a solid pair of black bottoms (shorts or pants) of your choosing to wear with the provided jersey to match our school colours of purple, gold and black. The jersey provided is to be returned at the end of the season.
We have school rackets that can be used or you can bring a personal racket from home. Please put your name on any personal items. Please ensure rackets are not dropped on the ground as it will bend the racket face. Please ensure shuttles used are returned at the end of your event.
Practices and Games:
Practices are to help develop skills for singles and doubles game play.
Games consist of playing students from another school for about 45 minutes of full court singles and then 45 minutes of full court doubles, for a total of 1.5hrs. All students throughout the season play both singles and doubles. Doubles teams are made each game with the students present, and could be with a consistent partner or the coach could shuffle who plays with who.
Gameplay is usually round robin style and we try to get as many games in as possible within the 1.5hrs. Students keep their own score and will learn the rules to both singles and doubles. The goal during these games is to play students from other schools.
Everyone attends districts (playoffs) which is set-up in two divisions for singles and doubles with a double elimination format, which means you have to lose two games before being knocked out of the tournament. Division 1 usually have 4 singles players and 2 doubles teams and same for Division 2. For the final district event the coach will determine who is playing singles and doubles for each division. This final event is the only time of the season where students will only have the option of singles or doubles, due to the time it takes to run a double elimination tournament.
Associations: https://www.bnnb.ca/clubs.php
Basketball
Time Frame: January until the middle of March.
Tryouts: There will be tryouts for each basketball team. Coaches will discuss expectations around positions.
Fee: Usually between $60-175 per student depending on the team and the number of tournaments entered.
A local school in Fredericton will regularly host a basketball tournament taking place over a weekend and/or potentially a school outside of Fredericton might host another tournament.
Equipment: You can wear any clean sneakers that will not mark the gym floor. You will need a solid pair of black shorts of your choosing to wear with the provided jersey to match our school colours of purple, gold and black. The jersey provided is to be returned at the end of the season.
Practices and games:
1.5 hours (90 minute) timeslots, games usually do not take the entire 1.5hrs, so please arrive early for pick-up. Families are welcome to watch the games, which are 8 minute quarters for a total of 32 minutes of stop time play. All teams play 5 vs 5 on a 10 foot net using a size 6 (28.5) basketball.
For practices the time on the schedule is when to arrive. For our home games and most other schools, time on the schedule is when to arrive and tip-off would be 15 minutes later. Overall, follow the coaches directions on arrival time.
Usually season is 6 weeks with approximately 6 league games and two weeks with playoff games. We usually do not practice/play over the 2 week winter break. Your team would have 12-15 players.
After league play we have our ASD-W Fredericton Education Centre playoffs (districts) where teams are ranked based on league records to determine playoff game placement.
If teams decide to attend BNB Provincials, families would incur the additional cost of registering along with any travel and accommodation costs beyond the original team fee. Details: There are no middle school basketball provincials, yet Basketball NB (BNB) usually hosts a tournament after we have finished our ASD-W league, usually in March, labelled as “Middle School Provincials.” This is not a representation for selecting a provincial champion though as any school paying the tournament registration fee can attend and do not have to qualify based on any league records or district championship standings. The tournament also poses challenges due to a host location within the province not being determined until the end of February, yet our team budget is determined at the beginning of the season. Overall, we like to attend tournaments where we know the location in advance and families can determine if they want to incur those travel and accommodation expenses.
Basketball Teams:
Varsity Boys (Gr. 7-8) and Varsity Girls (Gr. 7-8)
JV Boys (Gr. 6-7) and JV Girls (Gr. 6-7)
Gr. 6 Boys and Gr. 6 Girls
Associations:
https://www.frederictonfusion.com
Volleyball
Time frame: March to May.
Tryouts: There will be tryouts for each volleyball team. Coaches will discuss expectations around positions.
Fee: Usually between $60-140 per student depending on the team and number of tournaments entered.
Equipment: You can wear any clean sneakers that will not mark the gym floor. You will need a solid pair of black shorts of your choosing to wear with the provided jersey top to match our school colours of purple, gold, white and black. The jersey provided is to be returned at the end of the season.
Knee pads and/or arm sleeves are optional and a families responsibility to purchase.
Practices and Games:
Practices and games are in 1.5 hours (90 minute) time slots. League games are a best of 3 match. Games go to 25 points, win by 2. If a third tie breaking set is needed, the game goes to 15, win by 2. Any additional games played within the timeslot are for fun, playing to 25 points and/or end of the time slot.
We usually attend 2 local weekend tournaments hosted at the Grant Harvey Centre. Sometimes a team might travel to another tournament (ex. Moncton or Woodstock). These tournament games are usually in 1 hour time blocks. Tournaments are a best of 2 match during round robin play, only 12 players will get playing time as the rules state you cannot substitute players unless someone is hurt. When tournament games become a best of 3 match in the playoffs, if the match goes to a third set, then the coaches can substitute players as per tournament rules.
After league play we conclude with our ASD-W playoffs.
Volleyball NB usually hosts a tournament labelled as provincials, but there are no middle school volleyball provincials. This tournament is not a representation for selecting a provincial champion as any school paying the tournament registration fee can attend and do not have to qualify based on any league records or district championship standings. This tournament is usually held in Moncton with travel and accommodation costs a families responsibility.
Varsity (Gr. 7-8) and JV (Gr. 6-7) play with standard volleyball rules. Gr. 6 only teams play by Volleyball Canada Tripleball rules.
Family members will be asked throughout the season by the coaches to complete the game sheet and scoreboard flip chart during home games and at tournaments. Both of these roles are simple tasks.
Volleyball Teams:
Varsity Boys (Gr. 7-8) and Varsity Girls (Gr. 7-8)
JV Boys (Gr. 6-7) and JV Girls (Gr. 6-7)
Gr. 6 Boys Tripleball and Gr. 6 Girls Tripleball
Depending on student demand and volunteers capable of coaching Tier 2 Boys (Gr. 7-8) and Tier 2 Girls (Gr. 7-8). This would be for students to have a chance at being selected who did not make Varsity or JV from Gr. 7-8.
Associations:
https://www.spartansvolleyballclub.com
https://leagues.teamlinkt.com/regulatorsvolleyball/Home
Track and Field
Time frame: Late May following volleyball season to early June.
Tryouts: There will be tryouts. Students can participate in up to 3 events plus a relay. We can only have 3 students in each event per grade and gender. Events will be 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1200m, running long jump, softball throw, and 3kg shot put.
Fee: Usually $10-15 per student to cover all our costs.
Equipment: You will need a solid pair of black shorts of your choosing to wear with the provided jersey to match our school colours of purple, gold, white and black. Wear a pair of shoes that are safe for running and any additional comfortable clothing you want. The jersey provided is to be returned at the end of the season.
Practices and Meet:
Each grade and gender compete separately at the meet, but coached as a full team for practices.
Meet is during a school day in June. We usually bus the students to the meet location in the morning, usually at Nashwaaksis Middle School, and transportation home is the responsibility of the family. Meet usually starts at 9:45am and ends around 4:30pm.
Associations:
https://www.frederictonredstrackandfield.com/index.php
Rugby (organized through the local club in Fredericton)
Time frame: May and June.
Tryouts: Usually no tryouts.
Fee: Set through the Rugby Canada registration process for liability insurance.
Equipment: All you need is a pair of shoes or cleats to run in and durable shorts that could be pulled on during a tackle. Would be good to wait and see if you play on the team before purchasing a pair of rugby shorts. The jersey provided by the Loyalist Rugby Club is to be returned at the end of the season.
Practices and Games:
Gr. 6 – 8 boys and girls combined. Organized through the Loyalist Rugby Club.
Coaching spot: Coaches work with the Loyalist Rugby Club to run practices and games.
Association: https://www.loyalistrugby.ca/
Softball (does not always happen)
Time frame: April to June.
Tryouts: There will be tryouts. Coaches will discuss expectations around positions.
Fee: Usually between $25-35 per student.
Equipment: You will need a pair of shoes to run in and a glove. We provide the softballs, helmets and bats. You will need a solid pair of black short or pants of your choosing to wear with the provided jersey top to match our school colours of purple, gold, white and black. The jersey provided is to be returned at the end of the season.
Practices and Games:
Gr. 6-8 girls combined. At this time there is no boys league. Games are in 90min (1.5hr) time slots. We play our home games from Queen Square.
Association: https://www.frederictonfastpitch.ca/
Schools we play outside of ASD-W
EAEC: École Arc-En-Ciel (Oromocto francophone school)
ELE: École Les Éclaireurs (Fredericton northside francophone school)
ESA: École Sainte-Anne (Fredericton southside francophone school)
FCA: Fredericton Christian Academy (private school on Fredericton northside)