Sign-Ups Completed for Pay-for-Play Junior School Sports

The sports program is preparing to open its first season under a new pay-to-play arrangement.

“We are posting good numbers the first year back as a pay to participate program,” said Tom Haralampoudis, chairman of the Madison Junior School Athletic Sports Association, a non-profit formed earlier this year to administer the Junior Dodgers program.

Registration closed Aug. 1 for a number of fall sports. Tryouts get underway the week of Sept. 7, the first week of school, for teams slated to compete in the Greater Morris County Junior School Association. The sign-up totals:

Girls field hockey – 28
Girls soccer – 18
Boys soccer – 39
Cross-country – 14 boys and girls
 
“Unfortunately, because the program had to be restarted as pay-to-participate instead of a school-funded program, the volunteers
who organized the program had to make the decision to have a cut policy, so we field only one team per sport,” said Haralampoudis, who is also a member of the .

Junior School sports were dropped from the district education budget as a cost-savings move in 2010.

The program now requires families to pay approximately $275 per child for soccer and field hockey, and $175 for cross-country.

“We did not feel it would be appropriate to charge children to pay if they would not get ample playing time or even be chosen by the coach to suit up,” Haralampoudis said.

The paid coaches are James Bovery, boys soccer; P.J. Scarpello, girls soccer; Chase Haffner, field hockey, and John Ciferni, cross-country. Shaina Mirsky will serve as an unpaid field hockey assistant coach.

The exception is cross-country which, as a no-cut sport, will offer all students at MJS in grades six through eight the opportunity to be part of a team and participate in frequent practices a few days each week after school.

More information is available at mjsdodgers.org.