September 13, 2020
Hi Upper School Families,
Welcome back to school and thank you for your continued patience and support as we work through the logistics of bringing our Upper School student-athletes back to interscholastic athletics!
Summer workouts will continue this week on Monday, September 14th, Wednesday, September 16th, and Friday, September 18th. Starting Monday, September 21st, sports will begin full time.
Each sport will have a slightly different schedule in an effort to support the multiple variables associated with scheduling at this time. It is important to note that some teams will have weekend games during the abridged RIIL Fall Athletic season. We are currently working with athletic directors of opposing schools and league officials to finalize those schedules. When complete you will be able to see the most updated information on the WHEELER WARRIORS ATHLETIC WEBSITE. Please note the current game information there now is not complete and is only a work in progress.
After next week, most sports will practice Monday through Friday barring a coach’s decision, a scheduled game/meet/match, or inclement weather. In circumstances of cancelling due to weather, student-athletes and families will receive notification via email and through posts on the Wheeler Warriors Facebook Page and the school’s athletic Twitter account (@wheelerwarriors).
Wheeler provides transportation to and from the Providence Campus on all practice days. Once the school day ends, student-athletes can find those busses on Angell Street, and the seating on those busses will reflect our current stable groups (i.e. 9th and 10th graders will be with their respective classmates as will 11th and 12th graders). Students who are attending school virtually will have an opportunity for transportation as well if they can arrive at campus by 3:35 pm. There will be flexibility given from coaches for late arrivals to practice or for a student who is unable to attend due to distance learning.
Practices will generally run from roughly 4:00 pm - 5:30/5:45 pm this year to accommodate the 3:10 pm dismissal time. At the end of practice, busses will depart the Farm and arrive back at Wheeler between 6:00 pm - 6:15 pm. Students who take the bus back to Providence will not be allowed back on campus, so they should plan on bringing all of their belongings with them at the culmination of the school day.
Please note: students participating in sports should dress in athletic attire and make sure that they bring their own hand sanitizer, mask, and water bottle to practice each day. Additionally, students, with a small number of peers from their stable group, will have a short time to change into their practice gear in the locker room upon arrival at the Farm.
RIIL Assumption of Risk Form
The NEW Assumption of Risk Form can be found HERE. With the additional information on the form, the old forms are no longer valid. Every athlete must complete the new AOR form beginning this year regardless if they’ve completed one previously. Once completed, please provide Nate Withington with the original document. You can drop this waiver off at the Health Office. No student can participate in any Rhode Island Interscholastic League without this completed document.
Concussion Testing
As in previous years, information for concussion testing will be sent out at the start of preseason. One change is that baseline concussion testing will be done individually at home instead of in groups at Wheeler. New students and incoming freshmen will be emailed a code and instructions to take their baseline test on their own computers. Students should be on the lookout for that information in their email. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Nate Withington [natewithington@wheelerschool.org].
Driving Contract
All student-athletes who intend to drive to the Farm for athletic activity will need to submit a driving contract, which can be found HERE.
Boys Soccer
Where: The Wheeler Farm
Time: 4:00 - 5:45 pm
Accessories: cleats and shin pads
Varsity Coaches: Oscar Zorrilla [oscarzorrilla@wheelerschool.org], Peter Pond [pondpeter11@gmail.com]
JV Coaches: Owen Ahlborn ‘16 [owen.ahlborn@gmail.com], Jack Pilgrim ‘15 [ ]
Girls Soccer
Where: The Wheeler Farm
Time: 4:00 - 5:45 pm
Accessories: cleats and shin pads
Coaches: Eric Delgado [ericdelgado@wheelerschoo.org], Jenna Palmer [jennamp23@gmail.com]
Cross Country
Where: Providence Campus 3:15 - 5:00 pm
Accessories needed: none
Coaches: Tom Wharton [tomwharton@wheelerschool.org], Kim Gustafson [ ], Erin Kilduff [erinkilduff@wheelerschool.org], and Joe Belanger [joejamesbelanger@gmail.com]
Girls Tennis
Where: The Wheeler Farm
Time: 4:00 - 5:45 pm
Accessories: tennis racket
Coaches: Joe Testa, Marco Amendola, Kat Braganca
Field Hockey
Where: The Wheeler Farm
Time: 4:00 - 5:45 pm
Accessories needed: field hockey stick, cleats, shin pads, and a mouth piece (Nate Withington, Wheeler’s Athletic Trainer, will have additional mouth pieces available if students forget theirs at home)
Coaches: Tacy Zysk [tacyzysk@gmail.com], Grace Moorhead [gmoorhead@smith.edu]
It is with great pleasure and excitement that I send this email as we continue our journey to safely bringing our student-athletes back to the arena of education-based athletics.
Go Wheeler!
Sean Kelly ‘02
Director of Athletics