GIRLS BASKETBALL
September - November
Coach: Ms. Miller, Mr. Bowman and Ms. Bach
Do you 'rule the paint', throw 'three-pointers from downtown', or would just love to try? Then join the junior or senior Girls' Basketball team! Each team plays a 10-12 game schedule (play-offs to follow) in a season that runs from September until mid-November. Practices are held two to three times per week, before and/or after school. Uniforms are provided, but students must provide their own appropriate shoes. Twelve – fifteen students are selected for each team. If you'd like to be one of them, come and try out for the Girls' Basketball team!
JUNIOR AND SENIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL
September - November
Coaches: Mrs. Heeringa, Mr. Klaric, Mrs. Bacchus, Mrs. Johnston
West Niagara Secondary School is excited to get the 2023-2024 volleyball season started. The Junior boys Volleyball Team is open to all student athletes in grade 9 and 10, while the Senior Boys Team is for boys in grade 11 and 12. The Boys Volleyball season includes scheduled league play and one local tournament which will aid in developing the skills of our players. The commitment will be approximately 3 nights per week; including both games and practices. Come out and see what it’s all about!
GIRLS FIELD HOCKEY
September - October
Coach: Ms. Short and Mrs. Putzman
Field hockey is best described as a combination of soccer and ice hockey with lots of crazy rules thrown in! This varsity team is open to all female athletes from grade 9-12. The 2023/24 Field hockey season will consist of a number of daytime jamboree games where the team will get to compete against a number of local teams in a tournament format. We will also be attending a tournament to test our skills outside of the DSBN. Practices are two-three times per week and the season is over by the third week in October.
SR FOOTBALL
September - November
Coaches: Mr. Silverthorne, Mr. Aloian, Mr Thiessen, Mr Chiarello
The Senior Football Team is open to grade 11 and 12 student athletes wanting to engage in some fierce competition and team camaraderie. The Football team practices everyday on our new turf field and competes in game play once a week beginning in mid September.
JR. FOOTBALL
September - November
Coaches: Mr. Nero, Mr. Hvozda, Mr. Huisman, Jordan Hvozda
The Junior Football team is open to all Grade 9 and 10 students. Football is the ultimate in competitive team sports, challenging your mental and physical strength each day. Practices are held every day after school with a one game a week schedule beginning in the third week of September.
TENNIS
Coach: Mr. Piotrowski, Mr. Malcolm and Miss. Mokrzynski
September to October
Junior and Senior tennis teams practice twice a week throughout September and October and have Zone tournaments in September and a SOSSA tournament in October. Singles and doubles positions on the team are available but due to the short season, prior experience is an asset. It is an intense but fun experience!
CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING
September to November
Coach: M.s Beuttenmiller, Ms. Awram
The cross country team is open to all student-athletes who want to experience a wide array of cross country training. Training for cross country includes road running, hills, and interval training. We meet after school Monday-Thursday for practices. The cross country team participates in one invitational meet at the beginning of the season. The qualifying meets, Zone and SOSSA, begin mid-October and run through to the OFSAA Championship which is the first weekend in November. Running is for everyone! Come on out and give it a try!
GIRLS, JR and SR BOYS RUGBY
mid-Feb to June
Coach: Mr. Brown and Ms Bach
Rugby is an exciting sport that once you start playing, you can’t get enough of it. All girls and boys from grades 9-12 are welcome to play this exhilarating sport. Conditioning practices begin in February (2-3 days per week) and we move outdoors after the March Break (4 days a week). Tournament and league play begins in mid-late April.
BOYS HOCKEY
October to March
Coach: Mr. Piotrowski and Mr. Black
Varsity-
The Varsity Hockey season runs from late October right up until March. The team will play approx 20-30 games with 1-2 practices after school. We are always looking for Grade 9 and 10 players.There are 2 mandatory practices each week along with one to two games a week. If you play rep hockey you are eligible to play high school hockey, however, you need to commit to both teams. The fee to play high school hockey is roughly $250.
Boys Jr Hockey
March-April
Coach: Mr. Piotrowski
Junior - The Jr. Hockey team will start up in February practicing once a week and will play roughly 8 inter-league games and enter approximately 2-3 tournaments. The season will conclude in mid April.
The fee to play high school hockey is roughly $150.
Girls Hockey
November to March
Coaches: Mr. Piotrowski, Mr. Clark and Ms. Miller
The Girls Hockey season runs from November right up until March. The team will play approx 20-30 games with one practice a week after school hours. We are always looking for Grade 9 and 10 players. If you play rep hockey you are eligible to play high school hockey, however, you need to commit to both teams. The fee to play high school hockey is roughly $250. The Girls program has been very successful the last few years advancing to SOSSA and OFSAA.
Swim Team - October to March
Coaches: Mrs. McNeil, Ms. Sueter and Miss. Mokrzynski
Swim Team officially begins in October and runs through to the OFSAA Championships held in March. Juniors compete with other juniors, and seniors against seniors. All students are welcome to participate. A basic knowledge of swim strokes and the ability to tread water is the only requirement. There are three formal meets at Brock University Pool throughout the season, leading up to OFSAA, practices to be determined.
Boys and Girls Soccer
April to June
Girls Coach: Ms.Miller and Ms.Smith
Boys Coach: Ms. Perri, Mr. Nero, Bordignon (Junior Boys)
The school offers a boys' and girls' soccer team with practices following the March Break. Each team of up to 20 players play a 6-8 game season that runs through May. Uniforms are provided for players. Students must provide their own soccer spikes and shin pads. The regular schedule is usually supplemented by one or two tournaments. Boys and girls of all ages are invited to try out for the teams. Practices run in the gym until the weather clears for field play. Coaches will discuss the practice schedule with team members.
ULTIMATE FRISBEE
Coach: Mrs. Heeringa, Mrs. Bolibruck, Ms. Awram
April to May
This co-ed varsity team will consist of beginner to experienced Ultimate players from grades 9 - 12 who love to play in a unique competitive, fair and fun environment. There are plenty of new skills to learn with a disc! Practices promise to be fun and challenging. The league consists of a few league play days before the DSBN zone competition. Students would benefit from wearing cleats. Spirit of the Game is of utmost importance!
ROWING
End of October - March (dryland training); Mid March - Beginning of June (on the water racing season!)
Coach: Brian Fisher
Teacher Advisor: TBA
Rowing is a sport that requires hard work, dedication, the ability to work as part of a team and, most importantly, the ability to have fun.
Training for the school season begins at the end of October. Students new to the sport learn the mechanics of the rowing stroke on the ergometer and begin to build their cardiovascular base. This involves rowing on the erg, running and circuit weights. Experienced rowers begin a more advanced program to further increase their fitness base.
Mid March (typically around March Break) rowers begin on the water. Practices are everyday and regattas take place on weekends. We participate in various regattas locally like Mother’s Day and the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Championships (Schoolboy) as well as in regattas out of town like the Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia, PA. The rowing season ends the first weekend of June with the Schoolboy Regatta.
All athletes are required to fundraise to offset the cost of this sport.
BADMINTON CLUB
November - February
Coaches: Coach Tom Pollard, Mrs. Heeringa
So many students love to play badminton! The badminton club started last year and proved to be a night to look forward to for many! It is a welcoming, fun environment. Students of all different levels of ability come together to build their skills, make friends and have fun competition. We hope to play one or two nights per week, depending on gym availability.
BADMINTON
February to April
Coaches: Coach Tom Pollard, Mrs. Richter, Mrs. Badawey
The badminton team begins informal play in late February and team selections for the midget (gr.9), junior (gr.10) and senior (gr.11 & 12) teams are made in March through tournament play. Students can choose to play singles, doubles or mixed doubles. They will be practicing regularly in preparation for the DSBN zone qualifier where the top 2 teams make it on to further levels of competition.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Coach: Mr.Huisman (Senior), Mr. Chiarello (Junior)
November to March
Basketball is offered at the junior and senior levels and runs from mid-November to the end of February. Each team plays a 10-12 game schedule with playoffs to follow. Tournaments entered will be three to four per team and usually run on weekends. Practices are held daily and could be either before or after school. Uniforms are provided by the school. Shooting shirts will be offered to players for a fee. Students must provide their own running shoes. 10-12 players are selected for each team.
TRACK AND FIELD
Coach: Ms. Beuttenmiller
March to June
The outdoor track and field season begins in March and continues through the first week of June. Track and field offers something for everyone; events include sprints, middle distance, long distance, hurdles, steeplechase, throwing, and jumping. Coaches will help you determine which events you’d like to compete in. There are three age categories for both boys and girls. The track and field team meets after school Monday-Thursday for practices. Our season consists of an invitational meet and three qualifying meets starting in May, Zone, SOSSA, and OFSAA South Regionals, which lead up to the OFSAA Championships.
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DANCE TEAM
Teacher Advisors: Miss Bergsma and Mrs Thorpe
September to May
The dance team meets throughout the year to learn choreography and prepare for the Dance Canada competition in May. Dancers will all participate in a group number and may choose to do a solo or small group dance as well. All are welcome! No studio experience required!
GIRLS SOFTBALL
Coaches: Ms. Urovitz and Mrs. McKay
April to June
Girls Softball is a spring sport and will begin in April! This is slow-pitch or “Lob-ball” style softball. Girls in grades 9 through 12 are welcome to try out, as we are a varsity team! Unlike most sports at WNSS, we participate in 2-3 full day tournaments, rather than weekly league play. We’re looking for an energetic, committed group who love being outside and want to have a good time! Practices will run afterschool at a local diamond (TBA).
Cheerleading
Coaches: Stacey Carusetta, Nikki Desmond, Kerry Badaway, Sarah Nepon
September to June
The cheerleading team is new this year to WNSS. We will be cheering at the school for sports teams and other events throughout the school year. We are looking for an energetic group to help boost the school spirit wherever we go! No experience necessary. Tryouts will be held in September. Everyone is welcome to come and try out!