Gryphon Athletics

Athletics begin as early as Grade 3 (swimming and cross-country) until Grade 12. Most teams begin in Grade 5 but this is dependent on student count each year.

Kindergarten to Grade 5 have after-school clubs available to them that can include sports.

As a policy we do not cut students on Elementary School and lower grade Middle School teams (up to Grade 7). Students do need to attend practices and communicate with coaches in order to be eligible to play. If they have a conflict and are unable to make all practices, for good reasons, we can often find a solution however it is important they are in communication with the coaches in advance.

Senior Middle and High school teams (Grades 8 to 12) do play competitively and there are structures in place for cuts to occur if a high number of students come out. In the past we have sometimes kept some students on a practice roster with the possibility of moving up to game play. We generally try to find solutions to find opportunities for all seriously interested students to be involved if they are committed. At the high school level playing time is not distributed evenly as they are competitive leagues. There are usually opportunities for coaches to get developing players in during some games.

We encourage anyone interested to come out to teams that interest them right from the start of the season. Do not wait and try to join late after practices have already begun.

Grade 5 and below generally practice at lunch time, but will sometimes have an afterschool practice. There games will vary between home and away and usually be starting between 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

Grade 6 and 7s will have lunch practices and likely one after school practice a week. They may have a morning practice from 7:00am to 8:00am, especially if many students are able to make this time. The afterschool practices usually run from 3:45 pm to 5:15 pm, so students can make the late bus at 5:30 pm. Games will vary between home and away and usually be starting between 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

High School (Grade 8 to12) students will generally have practices either in the morning from 7:00am to 8:00am or after school prior to the late bus at 5:30 pm. High School game times vary by sport and league – please speak to Mr. Spurgeon for specifics on a particular team.

Note the following for all teams:

• Pretty much all teams have the opportunity for a final Play Day or League Championship, and this may run from the morning on a school day or over several days.
• Only Senior (Grade 11 and 12) teams have the opportunity to go beyond our league or North Fraser Valley zone to Provincials.  We often bring up students from Grade 8-10 when we qualify for these events.
• All of our league games are traditionally on school days and some tournaments are on weekends.  High School teams could expect to be in one or two tournaments over the course of the season.

There are league scheduling meetings and generally they are available by the end of second week of September with league matches starting within a week or two after they are released.

If a student is interested in a team, they should pay attention at assemblies and to their Meadowridge email account.  Practices will be announced, and it is most important that students attend right from the outset.  It is also appreciated by coaches if students contact them directly to let them know about their interest.

While we would love to have a set time for practice and games it is not possible with home and away games, many dictated by our opponents scheduling needs as well. We are also trying to run a multitude of teams in our facilities. 

Those wishing to donate to a new gymnasium and other facilities are welcome to speak with Mr. Spurgeon or the Advancement team.

Uniforms are provided, though students do need to bring their own personal gear specific to a sport.

• Soccer students must wear soccer cleats, shin guards and long soccer socks. 
• Volleyball players may want to wear knee pads to protect themselves when diving for balls, but it is not mandatory. 
• Basketball has no special requirements other than proper shoes.
• Fencing does have a fee as we bring in highly specialized coaches and the equipment is individualized.  It is personally owned and maintained.  There is usually the opportunity for students new to fencing to initially try it out, before purchasing the equipment.
• In the rare cases where students go on an overnight trip or outside the lower mainland they are invoiced the cost of the trip.  An informal quote will be provided in advance.  Provincials or overnight tournaments are the two most common possibilities for high school students.

Students that are interested in participating on the Meadowridge Swim teams (elementary and high school) will need to be involved in a swim club in the community.  The Fraser Valley and neighboring communities, including Coquitlam, have very strong swim and water polo clubs. The swim teams at Meadowridge are not development teams, but for those students already swimming with clubs.

The athletic schedules are sent out the week prior on Thursday in multiple formats.  They will be in the eGryphon, sent to students & staff directly by email, and forwarded to room reps for distribution (often on the weekend with other information).  The game schedules are usually out to all students in the 2^nd or 3^rd week of September, however these will not have the week-to-week practice times as they vary with facility needs each week.