The Northfield School District Administration has made some decisions regarding summer programming and we want you to know as many details as possible so that you can make an educated decision about your daughter’s participation in the summer opportunities that we are offering.

According to the original Community Education Brochure, there were two offerings for girls’ basketball:  Breakfast Club and Ballhandling Improvement Series.  Our plan is to merge these two programs.  In the past, many of our MS and HS age athletes have also registered for the Strength and Conditioning Program offered through Community Ed, but it sounds like that will be done virtually this summer.  We would like to offer our basketball players the opportunity to do some strength and agility work as an optional supplement to our basketball programming.  We are recommending that MS & HS age players do some strength work this summer.  It is completely up to each player to decide which model fits her the best.  The Community Ed. program costs $50 for an 8 week virtual program where players will receive 3 - 20 minute workouts per week and, as we understand it, will have some video tutorials; we encourage you to research that option in more detail on that in the Community Ed. site.  You will see an alternate option below where our basketball coaches will lead the players through a 45 minute strength and agility workout as part of their Breakfast Club.

The first date that the school district will allow the use of facilities is Monday, July 6.  So, here are the three options that we are offering:

1. One-hour sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays (specific dates:  7/6, 7/8, 7/13, 7/15, 7/20*, 7/22*, 7/27, 7/29) in the morning.  Note:  this does NOT include any strength and conditioning. Cost: $59
2. One-hour sessions 3 days per week (specific dates:  7/6, 7/8, 7/9, 7/13, 7/15, 7/16, 7/20*, 7/22*, 7/23*, 7/27, 7/29, 7/30) 
   1. without strength & agility.  Cost:  $99
   2. plus strength & agility training for 45 minutes.  Cost:  $149

* Weather permitting . . . weird for an indoor activity, right?  There is a Twins Camp that week that will bump us from the gym in the case of inclement weather outside.  Makeup days for us will be 7/24*, 8/3, 8/5, 8/7.

You have probably noticed that there are no specific times listed.  The reason for that is we won’t know until we have final registration numbers.  That uncertainty exists because each player will be assigned to a “pod” of 9 players (or less) and each pod will be assigned a coach.  None of the pods will be allowed to intermingle with others.  So, we are working backwards from the usual approach of setting times and then filling sessions (and potentially having to turn players away because there are mandated maximum participants in the gym); instead, we are taking all registrants and then placing them into a pod, at which time they will be informed of their time slot for the summer.  Sessions will start as early as 7:30 am and be done by noon.  Your player’s pod will consist of girls of similar age to herself.  You will have an opportunity to give some preference on your time slot and we will accommodate as best we can.  To be guaranteed placement in a pod, you must complete the registration by Thursday, June 25.

Creating these pods of 9 players to 1 coach is one way that we are taking precautions to maintain the safest possible environment.  There are many other safeguards that will be enforced to keep your player safe, such as:

• Players will be entering the HS through a specified door and exiting through a different one (details TBD).
• Upon arrival, players will be required to complete a “checklist” to ensure that they are symptom free.
• Also upon arrival, players will be required to sanitize their hands.
• 2 pods will be allowed in the NHS gym at once.
• Parents/Guardians/Caregivers will not be allowed to attend the sessions.
• Players will be required to bring their own water bottles as nobody will be allowed to use public drinking fountains or to share water bottles.
• Players are welcome to wear masks if they want.  Coaches will be required to wear them.
• Social distancing guidelines will be enforced; this means, or course, that we will be focusing on individual skills.  There won’t be any live action scrimmages or even small-sided games as those cannot remain contactless.
• We will provide basketballs that will be sanitized before and after every session.  As a result of that precaution, players will be allowed to pass basketballs to one another.
• There will be a hand-sanitizing break halfway through the workout, and all participants will sanitize their hands one last time at the conclusion of the workout.
• Pods that are participating in the strength and agility portion of the workout will move to an alternate space; as of today, that will not be our weight room.  Due to the amount of cleaning and sanitizing that would have to occur between uses of all the equipment, it sounds like the NHS weight room will remain closed (with a possible exception for the weight-lifting team).  So, our strength and agility workouts will consist of core work, jumping, and quickness exercises.  

Please contact Coach Eddy (peddy@northfieldschools.org) with any questions.  Registration is now open here. 

The 2020 Shot Club form is available. Get your copy now to prepare for shooting and ball handling skill work this summer. Polishing your shooting form with plenty of repetition, while mastering these challenges/skill, you'll be a few notches ahead for next season.

Northfield Girls Basketball walked the 1 mile route, carrying a banner, dribbling basketballs and handing out information about NBA.