7th Grade Athletics FAQs

What type of activities will athletes be doing in athletics?
The focus of 7th grade athletics is to build skills in the sports of football, volleyball, basketball, and track to establish a base of conditioning for all sports, develop a core group of muscles in the abdominal and hip regions to improve strength, and to teach discipline and teamwork. Typically, an athlete in 7th grade athletics can expect to do a great deal of cardiovascular conditioning such as running, core exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, and a series of abdominal exercises, agility drills that serve to facilitate the development of coordination, quickness, spatial awareness, body control, and muscle growth. While in season, an athlete can expect to train both in class and in practice for specific sports skills development if they are a member of an athletic team. For those athletes who are not “in-season” or on a team, the athletic period will consist of mainly conditioning, agility and speed drills, and strength drills that will keep them in peak condition during their off season. Tiger athletes are programmed from the very first day of class to behave as positive leaders in our school and will be expected to demonstrate a standard of behavior and scholarship that surpasses those of other Worley students. Considering this, the Tiger coaching staff holds discipline and responsibility among the most important lessons to be taught in our athletic program and expect each young athlete to consistently demonstrate such qualities in athletics class, in the school halls, and certainly in their academic classes. When an athlete fails to demonstrate discipline, teamwork, and/or responsibility, our coaching staff has an obligation to have that athlete incur the consequences of their choices or poor planning. This usually involves running a pre-set amount of lines but can extend as far as that athlete eventually being suspended from competing in a game or possibly even being dismissed from an athletic team.

My son/daughter wants to play tennis or play golf. Does he/she need to enroll in the athletic class?
No. Practices for all of those sports will be after school. We do not have the facilities or personnel to work on those sports during the athletic period.

I want to be a cheerleader. Do I enroll in athletics in order to participate in these activities?
While we encourage our students to get involved in all that interests them, cheerleading will have practices that could interfere with athletic practices. We usually are able to coordinate activities with athletics; however, cheerleading requires a level of commitment that would interfere with some athletic activities.


What type of activities will the boys be doing in athletics?
The focus for the boy’s’ 7th grade athletics class is the development of strength, speed, agility, and conditioning that we feel will benefit any athlete participating in any sport. For strength, athletes will be introduced to weight lifting that is appropriate for their age level and body development. For speed we focus on running form and more importantly, developing power in your running form. For the development of good agility we engage in many drills that promote good overall quickness and foot speed. Conditioning is probably one of the toughest parts of being in the athletics class for 7th grade boys. The conditioning load is very high compared to what incoming 7th graders have ever done in previous sport participation. In addition to these focuses we hold discipline as our highest priority. When you join an athletics class you are asking to be held at a higher standard than other students in the school are. If you plan on playing football, basketball or track you will need to be in the athletics class. As you will see below in the next question, you do not need to enroll in athletics to participate in cross-country, tennis, track, or golf. Because boy’s athletics doesn’t focus on a particular sport during the athletics class, we do welcome any athlete that feels they can meet the standards we will set for them and will definitely participate in a sport. If you don’t plan to participate in a sport then you don’t need to be in the boy’s athletics class.

I am not a runner, how much running or conditioning is involved?
We do quite a bit of running. It usually is the activity that takes the most adjustment from our incoming 7th graders. We expect them to be able to run a mile without walking the first month of school and then work to improve their overall aerobic conditioning throughout the year. We feel it is not only important for our sports, but vital for their health.

My grades have been poor. Will low grades keep me from being in athletics?
We place greatest importance on grades, so our athletes are expected to pass all of their classes. We monitor progress reports and report cards and regularly contact teachers about both grades and classroom behavior. We use our ‘pull’ as coaches to motivate our athletes to do their best. When they don’t, we make sure there are consequences. Additionally, we adhere to the U.I.L. No Pass, No Play Policy. If an athlete on a team in season does not pass, they are not able to play.

Is it hard to make a team?
The numbers on a team depend on the sport. The cross country team is not restricted by numbers, so all who come to practice and work to improve make the team. This last year, we had approximately 90 girls try out for volleyball with 24 of them making a team. Our numbers in basketball are very similar. We usually have 30 to 40 girls on the track team and a total of 10-20 girls on the tennis and golf teams.

What do I need to do to get ready for next year?
Turn in your signed application for 7th grade athletics to your P.E. teacher. You will also need to get an MISD packet completed which includes a doctor’s physical and emergency cards completed and notarized. You will receive those forms before school is out. If you have an opportunity to attend sports camps this summer or play on a team, you should do it! Stay in shape and come to Worley ready to go in August.