New Athletic Website
Hello GHNO families!

We are excited to announce that sports registration for this next school year is open and that we have transitioned to Big Teams as our athletics management platform starting in the Fall of 2022! Big Teams will be replacing Varsity News Network (VNN) and Register My Athlete (RMA) as our athletic website and registration system. The following information will help walk you through the account creation/registration process so that you can register all student-athletes in your household for the upcoming school year.

The attached Kick Off Letter walks you through the process of how to create a parent account and a SEPARATE student account for all student-athletes in your home. Since forms will be completed and signed digitally in the new platform, it is required that all athletes have their own account, to which the parent account will be linked. An email address OR phone number can be used as the username at the time of account creation, and whichever is selected will receive notifications specific to the student athlete’s participation (notifications about forms that need to be completed, practice/game schedules, cancellations, etc.). The two-account authentication process not only helps us comply with Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (“COPPA”), but it also serves as an opportunity for the parent and athlete(s) to take ownership over their participation in sports.

A quick account creation and completion of the pre-participation forms will register your athlete for the entire year, as opposed to having to re-register or re-certify your athlete every season. (There are instructions to complete the account sign-up via cell phone, however, we HIGHLY recommend you do so via laptop or computer.) Please follow the step-by-step instructions, as this document will help you input emergency contacts, link accounts, select the sports each student-athlete will be participating in, and complete and sign all digital forms. There is even a video that can help walk you through the process which you can find here: Parent & Student Linking Process

As part of a re-branding initiative for all Great Hearts Athletics, we have secured new domain names for all athletics websites. The new GHNO website will be www.greatheartsnorthernoaksathletics.org.   

Please keep in mind we are still in the process of adding content to the new sites and polishing them up during the summer months to make them aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, as part of our existing contract with VNN, we are required to link the existing VNN sites via the “Athletics” tab on the school website through the end of June. After July 1st, the new Big Teams sites will be linked via the “Athletics” tab on the school site.

Also, unfortunately, registration fees for athletics must still be paid through a separate site, Configio, which is linked here:  https://greatheartsnorthernoaks.configio.com. While middle school fees have remained the same the fee for high school students has increased to $350. This increased fee is needed due to the increased travel, facility, and equipment costs we are experiencing. However, in light of this increase, all high school athletes will receive a free ticket to the seasonal sports banquet. 

It is our policy that no student should be prevented from playing sports due to a registration fee. So, please reach out to the Athletic Department if the registration fee is a barrier to participation. Payment for a sport is not due until the first day of tryouts/practice, however, please go ahead a register for a sport as outlined above if your child is interested in playing so that we can properly plan for the number of teams and coaches that will be required.

Thank you for your patience and for helping to embrace a new platform that we fully believe will make life easier for our athletic communities, including both students and coaches/staff. While we are excited about the launch of Big Teams, we also recognize there are multiple changes in the process for our parents and families. With that being said, if you have any questions or concerns about the registration process or the Big Teams platform in general, please reach out to the Athletic Department after July 11 (office closed through July 10) so that we can help point you in the right direction for clarity or additional resources.

We appreciate all the families and communities that make Great Hearts athletics truly special and look forward to utilizing Big Teams as a tool to help take our athletic programs to the next level!


Best Regards,

Patrick Franzese
 
Patrick Franzese | Athletic Director
Great Hearts Northern Oaks | 17223 Jones Maltsberger Road | San Antonio, TX 78247
P: 210.888.9483, ext 303656 | E: patrick.franzese@greatheartsnorthernoaks.org
Great Hearts Northern Oaks | Website |