Varsity Soccer photos from game v Trinity Pawling on Wednesday September 26th

Photos courtesy of Dave Stamer

A great big THANKYOU!

When you are ready to start an exciting afternoon's sport and you find out that your field hockey referre is stuck in traffic in Yonkers, it's great to know that there are people around like teacher Laurie Schoch and parent Jim Baker who will save the day. Many, many thanks to both for refereeing the field hockey game at such short notice! I would also like to thank the many parents who came along to support the teams and a special mention, while I am in the thanking mood, for all those parents who have or will provide refreshments to our grateful players.

DDS Sports Teams all win at Fall Social!

It was a very successful Fall Social this year. The weather was great and so too were the DDS sports teams. Field Hockey earned a well deserved victory against Mizzentop, Varsity Soccer defeated the same school by the solid margin of 5 goals to 3 and Junior Varsity capped off a tremendous afternoon of sport with a stunning 4-0 victory over Steiner School. We even got the chance to watch our cross-country runners battle bravely against the older more experienced Maplebrook team. Congratulations to everyone who took part in such great spirit!

Varsity Soccer Pics v Mizzentop 9.28.07

Team warm-up

Courtesy of MaryAnne

Salcetti

The start of yet another DDS attack

Varsity Soccer Team Report v Mizzentop - Friday September 28th

In front of a pretty decent crowd at the Fall Social, the DDS varsity team won by five goals to two against a lively Mizzentop team. In two games, we have now scored twice as many goals as we have let in! Although the score-line flatters the opposition, this was a very good game for us. Our defense was much better organized with players taking up good defensive positions and covering well for each other. Roan Gideon was particularly outstanding in a more central role, and he was ably supported by Golf Kaiya, Christian Marzullo and Alexa Colangelo. Hudson Kuras, worked tirelessly in midfield and was aptly rewarded with two well taken goals. Seb Barry also got his name on the score- sheet, coming on as sub and hitting the roof of the net with his first kick of the game. Again, much of our attacking threat came from the wing play of Kayleigh Bhangdia and once our forwards learn to deal with her well delivered crosses, we will be scoring many more goals. One particularly nice pull back from the goal line, was met by Griffin Wilson who thundered his low drive in to the bottom corner of the net! Once more, our passing game was well rewarded. Great job team!!

JV Soccer Report v Mizzentop - Friday September 28th

The JV Soccer Team defeated Steiner 4-0 on Friday afternoon. Christian,Andrew and Matthew scored unassisted and Christian tallied his second goal of the game following a pass from Isabel. A very strong defense controlled by Taylor and Nick allowed Alex in the goal cage to have a restful afternoon. The team takes on Washington Montessori (away) on Thursday.

Schedule Change again!

The field hockey match rearranged from the 2nd November to the 5th November, has now been moved again to Wednesday 7th November. Maplebrook found that the 5th would now not work foir them! Sorry for any inconvenience caused!!

Sports Schedule Change

The field hockey game scheduled for November 2nd against Maplebrook school has now been changed to Monday November 5th. The game is still to be played away!!

Field Hockey Report from game v Rumsey School 9/26/07

The varsity field hockey team started their season off with a bang-- shutting down Rumsey 7-0!! Before the end of the first half, Dutchess Day School managed to drill 4 goals past Rumsey's defense. 8th graders Zoe Wilson and Lucy Roemer finished the game off with hat tricks. Sophie Perekslis and Lizzy Quartararo both drilled shots past Rumsey's goalie as well. Last, but certainly not least, new-comer Maggie Dull started her career off with a sweet goal in the lower right corner. Dutchess Day's defense did not allow a single shot on goalie Hanna Carlin! We hope to see you all out cheering at Friday's home opener against Mizzentop!! HOOO-RAH!!!

Varsity Soccer Report from game v Trinity Pawling 9/26/07

Playing their first game of the season, the Varsity Soccer team demonstrated a strong passing game to beat traditionally tough opponents Trinity Pawling by 5 goals to 3. The game started with both teams netting two goals apiece early on. Griffin Wilson hit an unstoppable shot in to the roof of the net for the first goal with Hudson Kuras slotting in the next from close range. Soon more chances fell to the DDS forwards but a combination of nerves and rushed kicks were their undoing. At the other end, Danielle Stamer was playing very well in goal. The second half was more productive for us in front of goal with Kayleigh Bhangdia superbly crossing an endless supply of balls in to the Trinity Pawling goal area. First, Austin Christensen pounced, followed by Seb Barry tapping in to an empty net. Griffin Wilson provided the final goal with a well taken direct free kick from the edge of the area. Credit must also go to Cooper Davis and Caleb Tuke for their persistent running and to Matt Stapylton for doing such a fine job in goal during the second half.. Finally, it has to be said that the DDS team played some very controlled soccer at times, creating moves often with five or more successful passes. Great job guys!

Two more JV pics!

More JV pictures!

Photographs are courtesy of Theresa Quartararo

Women's World Cup Update

Congratulations to the USA Women's World Cup Team who defeated England 3-0 to move in to the semi-finals of the competition. They will play Brazil who beat Australia 3-2. The other semi-final is between Norway and cup holders West Germany.

Photographs from JVS Soccer v Indian Mountain

By kind permission of Susanna Hill.

JV Soccer v Indian Mountain School on Friday September 21st - Coach Report

Friday the JV Soccer team opened their season defeating IMS 8-1. Six different players scored. Matt started the scoring on a perfect pass from Sean early in the game. Sean assisted in two goals and looks set to become a great play maker. Andrew scored once and assisted on a goal scored by Chloe . Nick scored from a pass by Matt with Isabel scoring unassisted. She also had an assist on one of Matt's "hat trick "goals. Christian controlled the ball and dribbled though the defense to score unassisted. The defense was outstanding. Alex had a solid game in goal with 7 exceptional saves. Taylor, Paige, Nick and Sawyer played strong defense and set the stage for many of our goals. Our younger players; Caitlin, Chelsea, Erica, Hannah,together with our recovered injured player, Maddy, gave the starters strong subbing support and much needed rest.The team is off to an excellent start. Our next game is Friday the 28th, home during the Fall Social events. Don't miss it.

Coach R

JV score eight goals in first game of the season!

The JV soccer team got off to a great start to their season on Friday afternoon (Sept. 21st), beating Indian Mountain School by the impressive score of 8-1. Coach R will be filing a report in the next few days. Tune in to get all the news about the game!

Cross-country team to feature in competitive event at the Fall Social!

Last year at the Fall Social, our DDS cross-country runners came out to run against the clock. This year we welcome Maplebrook School and possibly Millbrook School to join us in a cross-country competition at DDS. Coach Krys Wasielewski is busy designing a course worthy of the runners.

Congratulations to our cross-country coach

DDS cross-country coach Krys Wasielewski must truly be an inspiration to the young runners that he coaches. Why do I say that? If you had read a recent article in the Poughkeepsie Journal (9/17/2007), you would have seen a picture of Krys running (straw hat and all) in last Sunday's Dutchess County Classic Marathon. Krys, who is no novice at running marathons, clocked the unbelievable time of 3 hours and 43 minutes to finish fourth in the 50 - 54 age group. Go Krys!!

First Soccer Game of the season!

The JV Soccer team kick the DDS sports season off with an away game against Indian Mountain School on Friday afternoon(Sept 21st) starting at 3:30 p.m. Coach R has been putting the team through it's paces and I am convinced that they will have a very successful season this year. Please come along to Indian Mountain and support if you can find the time.
The Varsity Soccer and Field Hockey teams start their season next Wednesday (Sept 26th). Both are away.

Update: Women's World Cup

On Tuesday, the United States defeated Nigeria 2 - 1 to reach the quarter finals stage of the competition. Even more interesting, particularly from my point of view, the team they will be playing is England. The English, usually an easy push over, have had a good World Cup so far. It should be a very entertaining game!

Blog Comments

Did you know that you are able to post comments on any subject that is posted on the sports blog? This helps my blog to become an interactive forum. I look forward to your comments!

Fall Social - Friday September 28th.

PLease come out and support our teams at the Fall Social. Our Varsity Soccer and Field Hockey teams will be playing Mizzentop, and our JV Soccer team take on Steiner from Great Barrington. All games start at 3:45 p.m. GO DDS TIGERS!!
*Please parents may I remind you to watch the games from the opposite side of the field to the team bench.

Women's Soccer World Cup

Did you know that the Women's Soccer World Cup has begun in China? The United States has started the tournament well, tying 2-2 with a very capable Korean side and then defeating Sweden 2-0. Their next and final game in the group is against Nigeria on Tuesday, September 18th starting at 8:00 a.m. It is featured on ESPN at this time, although I guess you will need to record the game so that you can watch it. To ensure progress to the quarter finals, the USA really need to win this game! I will keep you posted!

Field Hockey Schedule Error

Field Hockey Parents please adjust your Fall sports schedule as follows:

Our first game against Maplebrook School is on Thursday October 4th (this is not a Wednesday as originally printed!)

Sports Uniforms

All participants in after school sports teams are provided with a uniform which includes shorts or skirt and a shirt. We do ask that the students provide their own navy blue socks. These can be purchased from the school store for $4 .

This Week - Monday Sept 10th - Friday Sept 14th

The weather forecast is not great for Monday. However, whatever the weather, we will have after school sport's practices. If it is too bad to go outside, the field hockey players will practice in the Lower School gym ( at the top of the school site) and the soccer players will practice in the Bontecou gym. Cross Country runners will meet and start their training routines as usual.Everybody will meet in the Bontecou gym at 4:30 p.m. for the Parents Fall Sports Meeting .

There is no practice on Tuesday after school. This day is set aside each week for appointments, completing projects or anything else that needs extra time.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons this week, there will be practice as usual.

Please remember that pick-up time is at 4:50 p.m. The players will be leaving the field at 4:45 p.m.

Reminder that our Athletic Trainer, Ryan Stevens, will be in attendance at practice on Thursday 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. Students requiring his attention (those with injuries, concerns, new or old), must let me know by Wednesday afternoon. Students will be given the opportunity to sign up for his services at Wednesday lunch, if they have not already done so.

Fall Sports Meeting: Monday September 10th at 4:30 p.m. in the Bontecou Gym

This is an important meeting to attend for all parents of students involved in after school sports this coming fall season. I have three new coaches to introduce and some important points to discuss. Please try and get there! The students will practice first and then come off the field a little bit early so that we can get the meeting started promptly. It will be finished by 5:00 p.m. at the latest!

Best Wishes

Nigel Pink

Welcome to Fall Sports 2007

Dutchess Day School Fall 2007 Sports Program

Dear Parents,
Welcome to the start of a new school year and the prospect of another exciting after school fall sports program. Once more we are offering three main sports for your child to choose from: Soccer, Field Hockey and Cross Country. Remember, our aim is to teach and develop the basic skills and tactics of the game, develop a strong team spirit (win or lose) and to foster a sense of commitment and sportsmanship. All this, we hope will be reflected in the way we play on the field.

Soccer: After two seasons with mixed success for our two teams, Junior Varsity and Varsity, we are looking forward to a season with much promise. The interest from the students is as high as ever and it looks like we will be fielding two substantial squads once more.
Athletic Director, Mr. Nigel Pink, will once more be coaching the Varsity team, assisted by new Headmaster Mr. John Cissel who has a great deal of soccer coaching experience.. Mrs. Fran Rainsford will once more apply her immense experience and knowledge of soccer to the task of coaching the Junior Varsity team. She will be ably assisted by Mr. John Blakley who has been appointed to teach Information Technology amongst other things at DDS.

Field Hockey: Field Hockey this year will sadly be without the coaching talents of Ms. Lauren Bontecou who has moved on to fresh pastures in her career. However, having lost a number of strong eighth graders from last year’s team, it is clear that there are many talented players coming through who can create a serious challenge to opponents this season. New kindergarten teacher and field hockey coach Ms. Rebecca DeMyer is looking forward to working with the players.

Cross-Country: Coach Mr. Krys Wasielewski returns this year to continue his sterling work with students keen to develop their running talents. He is hoping to enter the team in more competitions this year.

Sports Blog: A new development this year for our sports program is the introduction of our sports blog website which will be updated each week to inform parents of results and schedule changes, to view photographs of teams in action and lots more. Only a brief summary of sports news will now be included in the weekly fencepost. A link to the sports blog will be made available for parents to access more detailed news.

Late Pick Up: Coaches are expected to wait around after practice is over to make sure that everyone has a ride and that no-one is left alone at the pick-up point. If a parent has not arrived to pick up a child, at some stage the coach must decide whether to keep waiting at the pick-up point or take the student to study hall in the main building. This is one of the reasons that study hall exists. In most instances, coaches usually stay around with the student until the parent arrives. However, if a coach has an appointment or commitment somewhere else at a certain time, waiting for a parent to arrive may cause them a problem. This is the case for myself on a Monday for example. If the coach needs or wants to leave, once practice has ended, then the school policy is that the student will be escorted to study hall until the parent can get here. Taking students to the study hall, is also ensuring their safety. Also, please remember that if practice goes on longer than expected, you are free to pick your child up at the time stated or even before. Parents often do that.
I would suggest that if you are late, and I can understand this happening from time to time, please go to the pick-up point first. This is invariably where your child will be. If there is no sign of life there, then you should go to the study hall in the main building.

Athletic Trainer: Once more we are privileged to enjoy the free service offered by Athletic Trainer, Ryan Stevens and Millbrook Orthopedic and Sports Therapy. Ryan will be available on Thursday evenings from 4 – 5:15 p.m. and is keen to extend his services to all players, coaches, staff and parents of the school. Please help by encouraging your youngsters to let us know immediately when they have physiological concerns. You can always e-mail the Athletic Director at pink@dutchessday.org if need be!

Finally, I hope everyone is looking forward to the season ahead. It will be great to see you out on the fields supporting the teams. Please help us by watching the games from the opposite side of the field/court to the team benches.

Best Wishes


Nigel Pink
Athletic Director.

Parents Information

Philosophy - Athletic Program

Ø Provides Upper School Students (5-8 Grade) the opportunity to enhance their experiences in a variety of interscholastic sports.

Ø Teams are co-ed unless otherwise stated.

Ø Students may choose whichever sport they wish to pursue. However, if they wish to change to a different sport, they may do so by the end of the first week of practice. After this week, students may switch sports only under exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Athletic Director.

Ø Students must only make a commitment to an after school sport if they are certain that they can attend practices and games on a regular basis. Dividing their after school time between a school sport and an out of school activity is not acceptable. Exceptions may be made for an established commitment, such as Hebrew classes, which result in the loss of practice for no more than one afternoon each week.

Ø No cuts from teams and everyone is given the opportunity to play


Ø For team sports, the varsity team will be mainly comprised of 7th and 8th graders with some exceptions made in order to maintain a balance of numbers and to address the outstanding ability of a 5th or 6th grader. The JV team will be mainly comprised of 5th and 6th graders with some exceptions made at the discretion of the coaches. In tennis, the team will be comprised of match players and instructional level players according to ability.

Ø Playing time is often determined by the individual’s level of commitment to the team and to practices. It may also be dictated to some extent by the strengths of the teams we play, how the game is going, and the need to keep certain players on the court/field. In the main, players should enjoy as much playing time as everyone else.

Ø Tuesdays in the past have been designated as a ‘no practice’ day with the understanding that this is the day to schedule appointments and/or to work on projects. This has been done to alleviate the need for players to miss practice. However a coach may ask the players to practice on Tuesdays with the explicit understanding that the practice is optional and players will not be penalized in any way for not turning up.

Ø If students miss the practice before a game, they should not expect to start in the game (unless everyone is needed to play). Again, coach discretion is expected here!

Ø Good sportsmanship is always the number one priority. Our school has a good reputation for this with other teams we play, and we want it to remain that way. If students cannot demonstrate good sportsmanship, then they should not be allowed to play. Coaches and parents are also expected to act in accordance with this policy. Making derogatory remarks or harassing other teams, coaches or referees will not be tolerated. We must all set a good example for our students to follow.



Spectators

Ø Spectators are welcome at all athletic events.

Ø Upper school students may attend home games if the office is notified that they are planning to stay.

Ø Lower school students must be accompanied by an adult.

Ø Students are not allowed to accompany a friend to practice because this distracts both players and coaches.

Ø The team bus is available to players only.

Pick Up

Ø Students are finished with practice at 4:45 pm. Pick-up is at 4:50 pm. Please be there to pick up your child on time.
Ø It is sometimes hard to predict the exact return time for away games, but every effort is made to list accurate times in the weekly Fencepost. In the event that a coach realizes that there will be a significant delay, (more than 20 minutes), he/she will call the school’s machine in order to leave an updated message, which parents may hear by calling the machine. Upon their return to school, coaches will retrieve messages left by parents.

Ø Parents should make every effort to arrange their own back-up plans if they are unable to pick up by the designated time.

Ø A late fee of $10 per 15 minutes will be charged when coaches are required to stay with players after such late games.

Ø If a player is late repeatedly, he/she will not be allowed to play in future games.

Bad Weather

Ø If the weather becomes bad during the day, practices and/or games may be cancelled.

Ø Students will be informed as soon as possible, so that they may call home. The decision is usually made by noon, unless the weather changes very suddenly during the afternoon.

Ø Safety of students is always the top priority.

Ø If a game has been cancelled due to inclement weather, a practice may be organized inside using one of our two gymnasiums. Students will be allowed to notify parents by telephone, well in advance.






Schedule Changes

Ø Any schedule changes will be notified to parents usually by e-mail. If a postponed game gets re-scheduled, the new date and times will be sent to parents by e-mail and put in the Fencepost. Players on the team will also be told verbally by their coach.

Practice

Ø Students must attend all practices.

Ø Students must come prepared to practice with the correct equipment e.g. cleats, shin guards, mouth pieces etc.

Ø If there is an emergency or a student absolutely cannot stay, it is courtesy to inform the coach as soon as possible with a written note of explanation. This does not mean right before a practice or a game.

Ø In the event of cold weather, it is important that Students bring to practice (and games) a warm-up suit (plus a hat in the case of very cold weather).

Ø Homework, projects or tests should not be a reason to miss practices.

Athletic Trainer

We will have an athletic trainer in attendance for one afternoon a week during practice or a game. It is important that if your child has an injury or physical concern, he must notify his coach or the athletic trainer as soon as possible. Additional information on the services provided by the Athletic Trainer will be available on our sports blog.


Equipment:

Soccer : Shin guards and cleats.
Field Hockey : Shin guards, cleats, mouth guard and field hockey stick.
Volleyball : Knee pads.
Basketball : Sneakers
Girls Lacrosse : Cleats, mouth-guard, lacrosse stick, goggles, light gloves
Boys Lacrosse : Cleats, mouth guard, lacrosse stick, rib/chest pads, arm & shoulder pads,
Athletic cup, gloves, helmet (provided).
Tennis : Tennis shoes, whites.
Cross-Country : Running Shoes.
Squash : Sturdy tennis/squash/cross-training sneakers, whites, squash racquet,
protective glasses.
Snacks

Given that students have an early lunch and that travel away can sometimes mean arriving back early evening, it is important that the students have access to some form of nourishment, and that these should be something light, convenient and simple. For each team, we ask that one parent takes on the task of snacks coordinator. This involves contacting parents of participating students and arranging a “snack providing” schedule for away and home games. All snacks prepared must take into account current school policy on snacks brought in to school. This is particularly important with regards to our current status as a “nut free” school. The recommendations for providing snacks are as follows: At half-time, it is nice to have a segment of orange or two (when playing at home, we also like to provide the opposition with oranges too, as a sign of hospitality and good sportsmanship practice amongst our players). Following the game, for away games only, we recommend that individual cartons of drink such as fruit juice (definitely not soda) are provided along with relatively healthy individual snack packs such as pretzels or crackers.


End of season Party.

It is always nice to finish off the season with an end of season get together with players, coaches and parents involved. This could involve a trip to the local Four Brothers pizza restaurant or a party in the Bontecou Gym meeting room with pizza ordered in. With tennis last year, we had strawberries and ice cream at the Golf & Tennis Club! It usually involves collecting around $5 per player to pay for the food and drink. If any team parent wishes to help in organizing this event, please let me know as soon as possible.

Behavior on Buses

It goes without saying really, that we expect high standards of behavior from our students at all times when representing the school at sports. Traveling on the bus is no exception, particularly when the coach is also the bus driver. Safety is a big issue here and any tomfoolery will be dealt with severely.

Finally……. I want to assure you that our coaches, within the framework of Dutchess Day School philosophy, are all dedicated and committed to providing enjoyable and successful sporting experiences for your child(ren). Each coach will have their own way of doing things, depending on their experiences, personality and coaching style. It does not always mesh with those ideas and personal experiences of parents. If, as a parent, you are unhappy with something the coach is, or is not doing, please express your concern to the coach directly. It may well be that there is simply a misunderstanding and all can be resolved quite quickly. If you feel uncomfortable about approaching the coach directly, please talk to the Athletic Director as soon as possible.

[parentinfo]