Regisration Details
I want to thank you for your interest in supporting Youth Football here in Independence, we are beginning to create something special for OUR kids. We have had 51 kids that have contacted us that are interested in signing up, which is amazing! When we started this I was hoping for half that number. It goes to show that our community has been waiting for a program like this.
It’s been a lot of work in a short period of time to get this going and I want to thank all of those that have been supporting this endeavor along the way. We have learned a lot and are continuing to learn may valuable lessons here in our first year.
Our Registration and Pad Fitting Night is coming up this Monday July 13th from 6-8pm at our Elmwood Rec building. Based on potential inclement weather we have decided to change our location. This is the old rec building by the Elmwood pond.
Attached in your email is our registration form and waivers if you'd like to print them off ahead of time to fill out and make things go faster. If you can't make it Monday you can mail me your completed registration form and your check, address 6500 Lafayette Blvd. We will receive checks in the mail up til Monday July 20th. Also attached is the directions of how to measure your child for their equipment and the measurements you can use to select the correct jersey size for your child. If you'd like to purchase an additional "fan" jersey (same material but with a normal cut instead of cut fit over pads) for yourself or any of your child’s siblings with your last name and child's number on it, cost is $39. We will choose jersey numbers later on in the summer, as we don’t have to place our final jersey order until 8/15. Also, I just found out the Browns will not be able to donate shoulder pads, only helmets, for our 5/6th Rookie Tackle program. I also have 2 types of shoulder pads you can choose from to purchase, Pursuit and a higher level called Surge.
I know things are still a bit up in the air if we will be able to play this fall. I have a refund policy on our registration form and know I will be delaying purchasing our necessities until the very last moment just in case anything changes with State restrictions. However if something is printed (our jerseys, $55, fan jerseys and practice jerseys, $18) it cannot be returned back to the manufacture and we will not be able to offer refunds on those once ordered.
We have decided to start our practices the week of August 24th with a 4-day Skills Camp with 2 hour practices (1 hour each of Offense and Defense) and we will be utilizing whatever the current OHSAA recommended guidelines are at that time for the coronavirus. The camp will start with lower intensity sessions that will be focused on fun. skill development and learning our base plays; Beast, Superman, Ironman and Gangster. We will wear helmets only for the first 2 days, then helmets and shoulder pads for the last 2 days and the following week, when our regular practice sessions start, we will progress to full pads as an acclimation protocol. At the end of camp we will evaluate our players and pick teams that are evenly matched. I’d also like to do a parent meeting and do something fun for the kids at the conclusion of our camp. These will be held at the Old Middle School from 6-8 pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday from 9-11 am. After that we will be practicing 3 x week for 90 minutes (I was planning on 60 minutes but after talking to some other coaches they recommended 90 was ideal), then 2 x week when games begin. I will be sending our further information about practices and the season in the beginning of August.
I have been talking with Avon’s Youth Football League to see if our 3rd/4th grade Padded Flag teams can play with them. Their board has not yet been able to meet to officially vote on it but they are meeting Monday and from what they have told me it’s just a formality at this point and that they want us in. We would have to travel to Avon to play with them each week at Veterans Park. Rocky River has a few teams that plays in the Avon League as well. We have 29 kids interested in playing which is one shy of having 3 teams of 10!
Our 5th/6th grade will be playing in the new CVC League with Beachwood, Orange, Hawken, Lutheran West (Hawken and Orange will both have 2 teams). We will rotate each week where the games are played, and all league games each week will be played in the same field to make it easier for the refs. So we will likely have 1 home game. We have 22 kids interested in registering which is enough for 2 teams of 11, which is ideal!
If you have any further questions please let me know. If you know of anyone who may still be interested in registering still please share this with them.
Go Blue Devils!
Coach Woods