Notes from the Parent Information Meeting 9/25/08
Coach Jim Sparazza
1. This year Chiles HS will have two lacrosse squads, a Varsity and taxi squad. The total number of players on both of these squads will be 40. Currently, there are 18 lettered Varsity players. Those players who lettered will not need to attend the work out sessions in December.
2. Varsity players will attend practice daily and play in home and away games while the taxi squad will also practice daily at the same time as the Varsity to improve knowledge and skill of the game.
3. Workouts will begin after school, the first week of December at Chiles HS. Most of the days will be working on fundamental exercises.. One day of workouts will involve stick skills. The varsity members will be out on the field with those trying out working stick drills with them. Students should know whether they made the team either that Friday or Monday.
4. To remain on the teams, students must carry at least a 2.0 GPA the semester prior to the season, must maintain satisfactory behavior & attendance records. All players are expected to attend practice which is held every day after school beginning at 3:20 and running to approx. 5:20 PM unless cleared by coach ahead of time.
5. Practice will begin the week of Jan. 19th, 2009.
6. The season begins the 2nd week in Feb. and runs 8 weeks. There are district playoffs and a championship.
7. All district games are at 6 PM Thursday nights. We hope to have a schedule of 12 games, with approximately 6 being away to either the Jax or Gainesville areas. There will be practice and games over Spring Break.
8. Coach Sparrazza expects athletes to maintain discipline at all times. No cursing is allowed.
Team Managers Tom and Christine Ballinger
Tom and Christine have been involved in the Chiles Lax team for 5 years. Chiles HS has had a team for 7. The team began as a club sport and became a sanctioned FSHAA sport last year. They have managed the team for 3 years. Their oldest son, Stephen, played attack while at Chiles and played with FSU during last year’s fall season. Their younger son, Patrick, started on defense last year with Chiles. Christine teaches ESE students in the afternoon and works for FSU and the FL Center for Reading Research as a Senior Research Coordinator. Tom is an engineering supervisor with the FL Public Service Commission.
Permission forms/Physicals: This is a requirement of all student athletes. In order to be eligible for workouts in Dec., these forms must be completed and turned in to Coach or Christine. A physical is valid for only 1 school calendar year. It expires one year from the appointment. If you play another sport, please make a copy for the lacrosse coach. The permission form is to be signed and filled out by both parent and player and assures the coach that you have permission to be working out or playing. Both of these forms can be obtained from the school website. Go to Student Life and click on Athletics. These forms can also be obtained from this website. Once these forms are completed and signed, you can either bring them to Coach or email them to Christine as an attachment. (Email is
- Helmet - One size with adjustable pad inserts. This is standard and must be the same for all players on the field.
- Arm pads - pads come M, L, or XL
- Chest pads - pads come M, L, or XL
- Gloves - can either be 12" or 13”. New players must order black gloves. Returning Varsity players may wear either black gloves or the Custom CHS gloves that we sold in the past.
The package will be approx. $325 w S/H. There will be a Timberwolves head link on their website.
In the past Christine has ordered all of this equipment. However, this year, it will be the individual responsibility of each player’s family to order and pay for this equipment. Once you find out if your son has made either team put the order in ASAP as you will need this once practice begins in Jan.
Returning lettered varsity players and any members of the taxi squad from last year who make a team this year will NOT have to buy any new equipment as it is the same as last year.
Additional equipment NOT covered in this package that your son will need include:
- Cleats - no metal cleats permitted
QCLax is wonderful to work with for any questions you might have.
Apparel: This will be done differently than in past years. All apparel, jersey, shorts and pennies, will be the same as last year. “Old” players will not have to repurchase new apparel. However, for new players, Lacrosse’s school account will be purchasing a full set of jerseys, shorts and pennies that will be loaned to any new player and will be expected to be kept in reasonable shape and washed through out the season. All of the apparel will be turned in once the season is over. If apparel is lost or damaged, the player will be responsible for all replacement costs, including shipping.
Travel expenses: Many of our games will be road games. For these, we charter a tour bus that stays with the team until our return. Depending on the distance and game time, players leave after lunch time and return by 11 – 11:30 PM. Players are expected to be in class at the beginning of the following day. Each player that is on the varsity team will be required to pay a travel fee based on the cost of the bus which is based on where the team is traveling. This will be approx. $50 to $55 per player for EACH away game. I.E. If we have 7 away games, the cost per player will be approx. $350 - $385. Once the varsity team is chosen in December, this travel fee will be collected in January and must be paid IN FULL. More to come later on this.
“Fund Raising Goal”: Due to the over whelming support of parents, Chiles HS is blessed to be able to have a lacrosse team. All of the costs of this team are paid for by the parents of these student athletes. No County or State dollars are provided. Team expenses include but are not limited to: coaches’ salaries, field equipment (balls, field paint, nets etc.), referee payment, some banquet expenses, awards etc.
Each player that makes the team(s) will be asked to pay this. This year the estimated payment per player will be $280 - $300. Once the team is selected in December, this will be the first monies that will be collected. The team managers will setup a special parent meeting one evening for collecting these funds and providing additional information. All players will be asked to pay this in full at this meeting.
Banquet: Team and individual pictures are taken every year and at the end of the season our Awards Dinner & Banquet is held at the Golden Eagle Country Club in April. More info on this later. Last year was a huge success.
Volunteering: A huge thank you goes out to all of you who volunteered in any way last year and prior season. There will be opportunities for parents to sell tickets, work/run the concession stand, decorate for the banquet etc. More info to follow via email and here.
Optional Polo-shirts: The boys and coaches wear certain apparel on game days. The ordering of these polo shirts will be something else that will be discussed in December. Purchase of a polo shirt is optional.
