PHS is proud of its long athletic tradition. It is one which not only has been a winning tradition, but one which has, through the years, worked to instill values which apply not only to athletics, but to all of life in the student-athlete. Piedmont athletics means much more than merely winning: loyalty, pride, and integrity are virtues the Piedmont coach tries to instill in the athletes. The Piedmont athletic program must be filled with coaches who not only know how to coach a sport, but how to respect and teach the values exemplified at PHS.
Parent FAQ’s
Yes, students at Millennium High School participate in high school sports as part of Piedmont High School teams. This practice is common throughout California where smaller schools participate on teams of other, affiliated schools.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) determines when each season starts for all California high schools. Our section (North Coast Section, NCS) lists the start dates on a rolling three-year calendar on its website. The Piedmont High School website lists these dates for the current school year on its calendar.
There are three seasons of sport – fall, winter and spring. The Piedmont High School website lists each sport by season.
Student-athletes must be in good standing at school with a 2.0 GPA or higher. They must have a current (within the last 365 days) physical examination documented on the PHS Medical Clearance Form and should be registered with FamilyID, our sports registration website.
Coaches determine how many student-athletes will be on their rosters based on a number of factors. If more students try out than there are roster spots, cuts may have to be made. At times, PHS has added freshman teams when teams are over-subscribed, though this practice is not always possible due to availability of coaches, practice space and competition.
Practice frequency depends on the sport; most teams practice 5 days a week (Mon-Fri). Some sports practice on Saturdays as well. Per CIF rules, Piedmont High School athletic teams may not practice on Sunday.
Our conference, the West Alameda County Conference (WACC) sets the conference game schedule. Each team’s coach will likely add non-conference games based on availability of other teams and facilities.
Based on CIF rules, each sport has a maximum number of contests in which they can participate. Each team’s coach will determine the number of contests the team will participate in up to that set limit. Sometimes, coaches will specifically limit the number of contests for a variety of reasons.
In general, only varsity teams participate in postseason play. In some cases, coaches will elevate a handful of junior varsity student-athletes to the varsity level at the end of the season to allow additional participants to get postseason experience.
Approximately 55% of the cost of our sports programs is funded through the Piedmont Unified School District. The other 45% comes from family donations and team fundraising.
While there is no required fee necessary for a student-athlete to participate in high school sports, it does cost a significant amount to operate the Athletic Department and run a high school sports program. Each season, a request will be made for a specific amount to cover all teams’ expenses. Families are encouraged to donate this amount for each team in which their student-athlete participates. Additional money may be requested for special tournaments, team events, and Piedmont branded gear, for example. That said, families are asked to donate an amount they are comfortable with to support the entire sports program. Please note this practice is common among many public schools.
While parents are not required to help, the overall athlete experience can be considerably enhanced with parent participation. It’s helpful for each team to have a parent team manager. This person is the liaison between parents and the coach. In addition, this person is the overall team coordinator and will solicit volunteers to help support the team, i.e. with carpools, snacks, fundraising, end-of-season party, etc.
No, parents are not required to fundraise, however, if the coach, parents or student-athletes would like enhancements to the program, it is likely that parents/student-athletes will need to fundraise to cover additional expenses.
In addition to district funds, family donations and fundraising, coaches may write and submit a grant to the Piedmont High School Boosters Club to request additional funds for specific team needs.
Uniforms for most sports are handed out to team members once the roster has been determined.
Team uniforms are replaced on a four-year cycle. This schedule ensures a four-year student-athlete (in that sport) will get a new uniform at least once during their time at PHS.
Teams may have additional gear for purchase via an online store. For some teams, this gear will be strongly recommended and for other teams the items are purely optional. Separately, Piedmont High School also has a athletics sportswear site for more general “Piedmont” branded gear (www.piedmontgear.com)
Please follow the Communication Protocol as detailed in FamilyID. This document details the steps and chain of communication to follow should conflicts arise. The first step should always be for your student-athlete to talk directly with their coach to try to resolve the issue. Additional steps can be found in the above referenced document.
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination, under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” US Education Amendments Code, 1972. For Piedmont High School Athletics (and any entity receiving federal funds), this means equal athletics opportunity and benefits for student-athletes of each gender.
