FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & MISSION STATEMENT

The sports program at Oliver Wolcott is designed to complete the high school experience offered at our school. We strive to meet high standards of sportsmanship, responsibility, dedication, and devotion to our sport, school, and family. The coaches stress the importance of teamwork, leadership, and skill development. Through hard work and practice, our teams become competitive and foster a family like atmosphere in our school. We are grateful for the help and support from our Administration, Student Council, Family, Friends, and Alumni who support us at our games.

Question: What sport programs are offered at Oliver Wolcott?

Answer: Oliver Wolcott offers the following sport programs:

Question: How many sports can a student participate in?

Answer: Any athlete may participate in one sport per season, for a total of three sports per year. A student athlete may not play two sports in one season, as this violates Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) rules.

Question: Do any of the seasons overlap each other?

Answer: None of the sports seasons overlap each other, therefore, a student may participate in all three seasons.

Question: In what Athletic Conference does Oliver Wolcott belong to?

Answer: All of our sport programs participate in the Berkshire League. Oliver Wolcott is proud to be a member of the Berkshire League. There are ten other schools in the Berkshire League, Nonnewaug, Terryville, Thomaston, Lewis Mills, Litchfield, Wamogo, Shepaug, Housatonic Valley , Gilbert, and Northwestern. The boy's volleyball team participates as an adopted member of the CCC with several independently scheduled games.

Question: Can student-athletes fail any classes and continue participating in a sport program?

Answer: Student-Athletes must hold high academic standards and have a passing GPA. Any student who fails their shop grade will automatically become ineligible to participate. We stress the importance that academic and shop grades come first.

Question: If an athlete begins to fall behind in grades, is there help available?

Answer: As with all of our students, additional help is always available from teachers and staff, if a student id having trouble in a classroom; please contact your guidance counselor or a coach to help the student obtain the proper assistance.

Question: If a student wants to become involved in a sport program, is there anything else besides playing they can do?

Answer: Yes, we have many openings for video managers, audio managers, and general managers on all of our teams. Our video personnel are responsible for taping our games and some practices. These young adults also create a season end video for the individual teams to keep as memories from their athletic careers at Oliver Wolcott. Our audio people are responsible for our DJ Sound System and announcements during our home games and our general managers help the coaches with stats and record keeping.

Question: Has Oliver Wolcott had any All-State Players, All-Star Players, Sportsmanship Awards?

Answer: Over the past four years, we have had five All State Players (four from boy's volleyball and one from girl's volleyball), five All-State Honorable Mention (from boy's volleyball), five Senior All-Star's (from boy's volleyball), six State Sportsmanship Awards (three for boys volleyball, one each for boy's basketball, girls volleyball & soccer). In the past, we have also had All-State Players from Boy's Basketball, Baseball, and Soccer. We have also had several Berkshire Champions in Wrestling and Track & Field, and we had a league championship Boy's Basketball Team several years ago. We are also fortunate to have a Basketball All-American in 1975.

Question: Has the teams at Oliver Wolcott qualified for the State Tournament?

Answer: Over the past four years, the boy's and girl's volleyball team have each gone to the State Tournament. The girl's have accomplished this feat two times, and the boy's volleyball team has accomplished this for four years in a row. Both of the teams have gone to the Semi-Finals (Final Four), and the boy's team finished second in the State last year for Division M. In the past, we have also had baseball and basketball teams qualify for the State Tournament.

Question: How often does the average team practice and who may watch practices?

Answer: Most teams practice between 2 to 3 hours a day, five days a week. All of our practices are closed to outsiders. However, parents may attend practices and watch quietly from the sidelines.

Question: How many games per week, and are there games on weekends?

Answer: There are normally two to three games per week depending on the sport. Most outside sports will have one to two Saturday games. Wrestling tends to have about seven Saturday Wrestling Tournaments. Please contact the coach or Athletic Coordinator for specific dates and times.

Question: When is the best time to speak to the coach?

Answer: You may call or email the coach any time (please see coaching directory for contact information). We request that you refrain from talking to the coach before and after games, as this allows the coach and team to work together as a unit.

Question: Is there transportation to and from games, and is there a late bus for practices?

Answer: Oliver Wolcott provides free transportation to and from all of our games. Student-athletes may not drive their car to any athletic event, and must ride the busses. Unfortunately, due to the fact that our school serves 27 towns, we do not have a late bus for after school activities.

Question: Can a graduate from Oliver Wolcott play sports on a college level?

Answer: Yes, several of our graduates compete on a college program. In the past, our graduates have played on the following college teams: men's volleyball, softball, basketball, baseball, cross country, and track & field. Please remember that college coaches and recruiters require high academic achievement and grades, so you must keep your grades high while at Oliver Wolcott. Please contact your guidance counselor or coach for more information.

Question: I want to create a video for college recruiting - who can help me?

Answer: Ask your coach for help with the video, and they will be more than happy to assist you in your search for a college team. Please notify your coach early, as most colleges would like to see individual skills and actual game footage on the video.

Question: Does Oliver Wolcott have a football team?

Answer: At this point Oliver Wolcott does not have a football team. However, we would like to have one in the future, but there are many questions that need to answered and considered. Some of these concerns are: funding for equipment & coaching staff, availability of playing fields, liability insurance, etc. If any parents would like to help start a football program, please contact the Athletic Director.

Question: If I have a concern about anything, when can I contact the coach?

Answer: Oliver Wolcott maintains an open door policy for access to coaches and administration. Please feel free to stop by, call or email anytime, and we will talk to you. We encourage parental involvement in our school.

Question: Does Oliver Wolcott have an active Booster Club or Parent Faculty Organization?

Answer: Oliver Wolcott has a combined Booster Club and Parent Faculty Organization that focuses on academics as well as sport related topics. We refer to them as the Booster Club, and sometimes as the Parent Club. Please see the dates for their meetings on the main Oliver Wolcott webpage.

Question: Does Oliver Wolcott have an Athletic Hall of Fame?

Answer: Oliver Wolcott is in the process of developing the Athletic Hall of Fame with the help of the Alumni Association, Student Council, Booster Club, Administration and the Athletic Department. Once the gym upgrade is completed, the Hall of Fame process will begin. We are hoping for the spring of 2007 for the first year.