From the Athletic Director
Team News
Share Your BHS Sports Photos
ABC Updates
Volunteer with the Booster Club!
ABC FAQ
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Feb 22 - Apr 19: Season One
Apr 12: Spring Break
Apr 19 - Jun 23: Season Two
Apr 19: Lacrosse season starts
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You are receiving this Ballard Athletics newsletter either because you previously signed up with the Athletic Booster Club or because you registered your BHS athlete through FinalForms.
If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, you can easily unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the page.
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From the Athletic Director |
Greetings Beaver Fans!
After almost an entire year, our athletes are finally getting the chance to compete! I had an opportunity to visit most of the practices last week and saw some great things. Coaches were doing a fantastic job of organizing practices and making modifications based on the current Covid-19 guidelines, and I bet our athletes were smiling ear to ear underneath those masks! I am so excited for our athletes, I’m sure you are too, and our athletes are definitely ready to see some action again.
This year, while the WIAA has established many required guidelines, such as safety protocols and game limitations, they have left most decisions about scheduling and structure up to the individual leagues across the state. The Metro league has decided that instead of our normal structure of Fall, Winter and Spring, we will have just two seasons, named appropriately Season One and Season Two.
Season One will run from February 22nd through April 19th and consist of most regular fall sports: football, cross country, and girls’ swim and dive. Girls’ soccer and volleyball will compete with the addition of gymnastics, while Season Two will take place from April 19th through June 23rd and consist of all the normal winter and spring sports: baseball, boys’ and girls’ basketball, track and field, softball, tennis, boys’ soccer, boys’ swim and dive, and wrestling.
There is still more information to come on Cheerleading and Dance. For our club sports, both boys’ and girls’ lacrosse will start April 19th. Ultimate Frisbee hasn’t released any information on potential schedules as of yet. As normal, all Metro league schedules for WIAA teams will be posted on metroleaguewa.org, and most of the schedules for Season One sports are up already.
In addition to our modified season dates and individual program participation, Metro has also limited the number of games we will play and changed each of the divisions for most of the sports. While many of our programs would typically compete twice a week, most sports will now only compete once. Normally, we would play a mixture of teams across Metro, but this year most of the sports have been broken down into North and South divisions.
One other significant change is that no spectators will be allowed at games this year. While this is a huge disappointment to us all, we are planning on live-streaming most of the games from all levels, including JVC, JV, and varsity teams. Games will be streamed via YouTube Live. Chances are, you received an email from me last week about the need for 1,000 subscribers to get this going. We were a little worried we might not get there, but the Beaver Nation really stepped up. Not only did we get enough subscribers, we got there in less than 24 hours after we started promotion. A huge thanks to all of you who helped us reach our goal!
If you haven’t done so already, you can still subscribe to the Ballard High School Athletics YouTube channel here:
Go Beavers!
Eric Ensign
Athletic Director
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The BHS Cross Country team continues its strong turnout with an anticipated 80+ runners signed up for the shortened season.
Many of our runners have put in the miles over the winter staying in great shape. The team will participate in 5K races each week beginning next Tuesday 3/2 against Seattle Prep at Magnuson Park. Our season and competitions will not look the same but it gives our athletes an opportunity to safely showcase their hard work!
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It has been 15 months since we played our last football game. We are happy to say that we are back!
I am happy with how we have managed this pandemic as a program! Our numbers are still pretty high! Last season we had 91 in our program over 4 grades; 28 of them were Seniors. This season we have dipped a little but we are still over 80 players out! At the end of the first semester our program GPA was a 3.16!
We enter this season joining a new division of the Metro League. We are now in the Mountain Division which is considered the most difficult in the state! We are thrilled to get the opportunity to compete with great teams each week!
It has been an honor to lead the Ballard Football program through this strange year and I look forward to our team representing the community on the football field this season!
If you don’t already, follow us on Facebook (Ballard Beaver Football), Twitter (@BallardHSPride), and Instagram (ballardbeaverfootball).
Ballard Pride!
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Almost exactly a year after last season's state meet, the BHS Gymnastics team started the 2021 season on Monday!
Led by captains Cosette LaChance, Grace Jackson, Tatum Hadley and Clare Mullins, we have a strong group of girls who tackled the first week with enthusiasm, team spirit, and an amazing amount of skill after the limited opportunities of the last year.
Make sure and watch our meets on the live stream on March 12, 19, 26 at 7pm, April 3rd at 12pm and April 9th at 7pm.
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Girls Soccer is off to a bang of a start. Thanks to the off-season trainings and dedication from all the girls our tryouts with 60+ girls were smooth and efficient. We have three full and talented teams (Varsity, JV & JVC). JV & Varsity open the season this Thursday against Ingraham to kick-off their 7 game season. There are 13 returning varsity players from 2019, 6 of which are seniors (Captains Ella Tipping & Kristen Seeley, as well as Macy Finn, Sarah Haworth, Elise Cziesla and Meghan Anesini). The 19-person roster also consists of three freshman (Peyton Nakagawara, Reese Carlisle and Zoe Feeley Wheeler). A special note of team support to a couple of players (Natalia Marbett (Jr) & Cami Martinez (Fr) ) as they both suffered season ending knee injuries within a week. We wish you all the best in your upcoming surgery and we are routing for your comeback! We will miss you both.
The defense this year will be anchored by the speed and fierce skill of Jordan Standley & Reese Carlisle as well as the experience and ability of team captain Seeley. Along with them, there is plenty of depth and ability to mix and match at the back with Elise Cziesla, Jayden Helman, Lulu Montenegro, Finn and Haworth, all in the rotation. The midfield unit is also experienced, skilled and with a couple of new hungry, physical and very talented freshman (Wheeler & Nakagawara). When you consider the talent of Bronwyn Mullins on the outside, Katherine Mullins in the middle, Team Captain Ella Tipping (anywhere), Jemma Sanderson on the outside (all returning varsity players) and Virginia Vanderzee; it will be a very capable midfield with speed and strength. Good luck opposing team! Your Ballard Beaver forwards are potent and dangerous. They are returning Sophomore Eden Murphy, returning senior Meghan Anesini and sophomore, Anne Welman. You can expect some gorgeous goals and ESPN Highlights! In goal, the Beavers have 4 solid goalkeepers; Returning varsity Junior, Ani Haug, returning Junior- Madi Guthrie and freshmen Olivia Tyler and Addyson Wynkoop. The goalkeepers have all stepped it up and are playing lights out. Haug will be the starting varsity goalkeeper, but there is plenty of talent spread throughout the teams. Overall—what a great group! We are working on video taping and streaming all games. Stay tuned for more information.
No time with a 7-game season to relax, especially the players on JV and JVC knocking on the door and competing! This group is really special! Our mantra has been “No Fear. No Limits. Ballard Pride” It is about playing with confidence, energy and a smile. Have fun and don’t worry about making mistakes and you will have no limits. All of this embraces Ballard Pride. This team knows that attitude is #1. Attitude & effort are contagious. This is about their high school experience. Go out have fun and make some memories girls!
#NoFEAR #NoLIMITS #BALLARDPRIDE
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Share your sports photos! |
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Are you out there with your camera during practice, games, or other team events? Especially now that we are unable to watch our kids from the stands, we are looking for great Ballard Athletics photos to share with our community through this newsletter, the Athletic Booster Club website, and our Instagram account! Share your sports photos with us HERE and YOUR photo could be the next one featured! |
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Welcome to the weird world of high school sports in 2021! We are thrilled to have some Ballard Athletics news to send you after so many months of uncertainty about this school year's sports schedule. While we have been waiting to hear about return to play, the Athletic Booster Club has been working behind the scenes. Beaver Gear sales have been great (we appreciate your support and we love helping you and your students show off your Ballard Pride!), our Treasurer has been busy providing bookkeeping support to individual teams, and our ABC Board has been figuring out how best to continue our ongoing mission of increasing safety and reducing barriers to play.
Although we are not able to host our usual community-building social fundraisers this year, we hope to be back in action by Fall 2021, and in the meantime we hope you will consider signing up for an ABC Membership and supporting your team directly by visiting our direct donation page.
We look forward to seeing you on the virtual sidelines!
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SUPPORT BALLARD ATHLETICS! JOIN THE ABC BOARD! |
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Are you a Ballard Athletics parent/fan who has been looking for just the right low-key volunteer opportunity with a great group of people? Are you interested in fostering school-wide athletic community and reducing barriers to play for all BHS athletes? Do you like to help parents connect with coaches and each other? We have a spot for you!
We are recruiting for most major Board positions next year, including Co-President, Vice President, Communications, Treasurer, Secretary, and Parent Representative Coordinator.
Think you might be interested? More info is available HERE. If you'd like to talk to someone about specifics, please email our Membership coordinator, Paula Shaw. We would love to work with you! |
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With so many different volunteer groups working to support BHS students, we know things can get confusing. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the ABC.
What exactly is the ABC?
The Ballard High School Athletic Booster Club is a volunteer group of parents working together to support, promote, and advocate for all BHS athletes. We believe quality athletic programs enrich the high school educational experience. Our focus is on programs that benefit all athletes at BHS, and we are especially interested in promoting school-wide community and helping remove barriers to play. Learn more about the ABC here.
Ok, so what does the ABC do?
The ABC Board meets monthly with the Athletic Director to make sure that our efforts align with BHS Athletics values and goals. These meetings are open to everyone and we welcome you to join us!
One of our most important jobs is maintaining financial records and managing bank accounts for all BHS sports teams, so that teams do not have to maintain individual non-profit status and coaches and team parents are not also required to be bookkeepers.
We also:
I want to support BHS athletes! What can I do?
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Sign up for an ABC membership every year. Your membership fees directly support the projects listed above.
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Buy and wear Beaver Gear, especially when you are out supporting our Beavers at sporting events.
- Plan on attending the various social and fundraising events we host throughout the school year. Help us build community while we celebrate our athletes!
- Become a team parent, or offer to help your existing team parent -- volunteering to help out with a team's administrative, fundraising, or communications tasks means that the coach has more time to focus on his or her athletes.
- Make a direct donation to your team!
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