Happy summer!

First, congratulations to all seniors and good luck in your future endeavors!  Second, I know a lot of questions come up over the summer, especially for incoming 9th graders. 

On Wednesday June 26th, at 12:00 p.m., Dr. DeLoreto, some of our coaches, and I will host a ZOOM meeting to guide students interested in participating in athletics at E.O. Smith next fall.   I will take participants through the athletics page on our school website which has information on medical clearance, resources and forms, teams and contact information for coaches, and important fall start dates and team schedules. 

Throughout the summer, I will periodically access, and respond to, email, texts, and voicemail. Should you need immediate assistance, please contact Janet Kozin in the athletic office at [email protected] or 860-487-0877 x4964.  In the meantime, below, please find some helpful and important information:

Participation in Fall Sports & Important dates:

IMPORTANT – to participate in athletics in the fall, an athlete must have had a physical within 13 months.  The Connecticut Association of Interscholastic Sports (CIAC) does not permit exceptions to this rule.  This is different than what is required for a student to return to school.  An athlete cannot participate in practices or tryouts without a recent physical, and clearance from our health office.  There are no exceptions.  We want to give you ample time to contact your primary care physician to schedule an appointment.

For the purpose of clarity, a physical is valid if it’s dated within the previous 13 months and will remain valid for the completion of the current athletic season.  For example, if a physical is dated November 15^th, 2023, it will be valid until December 15^th, 2024, therefore, an athlete will be eligible for the fall season and the start of the winter season, but will become ineligible to participate during the winter season.

Health Office Hours for Athletic Clearance:

Please submit physical verification and other requisite paper work for clearance to participate to the Health Office.  All paperwork can be found on our website – Click on the “FORMS” folder found here: https://www.eosmith.org/athletics/resources

Tuesday – Friday, August 13^th, 14^th, 15^th, & 16^th 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Tentative Practices/Tryouts

• Thursday, August 15th – Saturday, August 17^th – Football Organized Training Days (OTAs)

• Monday, August 19th – All fall sports - tryouts/practices begin.  Please note: most sports will have double sessions the first three days of tryouts

Impact Testing:

• This is required for new students, incoming 9th graders, and 11th graders.  CLICK HERE for instructions and the link to take the test.

*Please contact coaches for questions regarding summer conditioning or other program related information. 

Go Panthers!

Dan Uriano