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Athletics Program

Lifelong, Active Living

The Athletics program at Branksome Hall provides students with an engaging athletic experience through a variety of competitive and developmental teams. The goal of the program is to develop physical fitness, sport-specific skills, athletic principles, teamwork, commitment, resilience and an appreciation for lifelong, active living.

Visit the Athletics webpage to learn more about Athletics at Branksome Hall, including teams offered each term.

Rowing Program: The Rowing program offers a unique opportunity for athletes in Grades 9–12 to learn a sport that offers excellent fitness development and opportunities for competition. Dryland training begins in the fall and continues through the winter, culminating in a week-long on-the-water training camp in March. For more information, please contact our Rowing Coach, Scott Fleming.

CISAA

Branksome Hall is a member of the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA). CISAA’s values include integrity, sportsmanship, respect, education and inclusion. Membership schools and age classifications are available on the main website.

Eligibility

All athletes must play within their age division or grade level. No athlete is eligible to play in a lower age group. To participate on a team, athletes must also have an academic and attendance record satisfactory to the coach, faculty and administration.

Transfer Eligibility for Participation at OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations)

Any student new to Branksome Hall in Grades 10, 11 or 12 is required to complete a transfer eligibility form approved by the CISAA Transfer Committee before the student can compete at a provincial-level championship (OFSAA).

‘Try A Sport’ & Tryouts

Junior School

Junior School athletes may try as many sports as they like during the ‘Try A Sport’ period at the beginning of each season. However, they may only play on one team per term. There are no ‘cuts’ on Junior School teams. The ‘Try A Sport’ period for Junior School athletes takes place at the beginning of each season:

  • Fall: The first two weeks of September for Junior School athletes.
  • Winter: The first two weeks of December for Junior School athletes.
  • Spring: Last week of March and the first week of April for Junior School athletes.

The ‘Try a Sport’ schedules will be posted on the Athletics landing page of the Portal and linked in the Friday File West parent newsletter.

Middle and Senior School Tryouts and Team Selection

Tryouts for Middle and Senior School athletes take place at the beginning of each season:

  • Fall: First two weeks of September for Middle and Senior School athletes.
  • Winter: Second and third week of November for Middle and Senior School athletes.
  • Spring: Last week of March and the first week of April for Middle and Senior athletes.

Middle and Senior School athletes are encouraged to try out for any number of teams, and the Athletics Department will try to ensure they have the opportunity to play in their area of interest. Teams are competitive, however, and team selection is based on commitment, ability and potential for skill development. The coaches ultimately select the teams. Athletes may only play on one team per term, unless they apply for special consideration to play on more than one team. Times and locations for all tryouts will be posted on the Athletics landing page of the MyBranksome Portal. 

Practice and Schedules

Athletes are provided with a practice, game and meet schedule in advance of the season to help them plan their academic and co-curricular schedules. Practice, game and meet schedules will be posted on the Portal. Please note that schedule changes may occur due to unforeseen circumstances. Updates will be posted to the Portal.

Expectations of Athletes, Parents and Guardians

Athletes are expected to attend all practices, games and championships, and to honour their commitment to the team and the coach. Any absence must be communicated to the coach in advance. All athletes must abide by the CISAA Code of Conduct, which is also included in the Branksome Hall Code of Conduct. Behaviour unbecoming of an athlete representing Branksome Hall will not be tolerated and could result in suspension from the team.

If a class is missed due to the Athletics schedule, it is the athlete’s responsibility to notify their teacher in advance to make alternative arrangements to make up for missed work or evaluation.

Athletes and their families must sign the Commitment Letter before participating on a team or in any game or meet. Once an athlete is selected for a team, the Commitment Form will be posted on both the athlete’s and the athletes parents’ Portal page. In the Middle and Senior Schools, both the athlete and one parent/guardian must sign (electronically) the form for it to be complete. In the Junior School, only one parent/guardian must sign (electronically) the form for it to be complete.

We are grateful to parents and guardians who express an interest in coaching at Branksome Hall. It should be noted that the school’s policy does not permit parents or guardians to act as volunteer coaches for any school teams. This avoids any potential conflicts of interest that may arise.

Athletes must maintain their academic standing; otherwise, their participation will be suspended until their academic performance and attitude are deemed satisfactory by subject teachers and administration.

The MyBranksome Portal team pages allow students and parents to receive email and/or text notifications about practice and game schedules. The instructions on how to enable these can be found on the Guide to the Portal under "Athletics Schedule & Notifications" and in the Athlete Commitment Letters that will be shared by Athletics. If you have questions about Athletics Portal notifications, please contact Katie Flynn.

Athletes may be charged an Athletics transportation fee of $50–$150 per team. Athletes will be required to pay an additional fee for Hockey, Alpine Skiing, Squash, Golf and Rowing due to the high cost of practice facilities, extensive transportation and entry fees, and, in the case of Rowing, a week-long training camp in addition to numerous regattas.

In the event of an out-of-town tournament or championship match (i.e. OFSAA), an additional fee may be required to cover hotel, transportation and food costs.

Transportation to games at schools within the GTA is provided by taxi or school bus. Athletes in Grades 7–12 are expected to make their own way home from local away games (Havergal College, The Bishop Strachan School, St. Clement’s School, The York School, De La Salle College, Toronto French School and Greenwood College School), unless otherwise specified. Transportation to out-of-town games is by coach bus or school bus. Athletes are provided transportation back to school if they are unable to find their way home from a school within the GTA. Transportation is provided to and from all away games for athletes in Grades 4–6.

Athletes are not permitted to drive their own vehicles to games. In special circumstances, a Senior student with a driver's license may wish to drive to an off-campus venue because they live close by and do not wish to return to the school. In these cases, a request can be made to the Director of Athletics with proof of parent/guardian permission. Students may only drive themselves, not teammates (even with parental permission). The Director of Athletics will consider the request and inform the athlete if they have permission to drive to the event.

Athletes must wear appropriate athletic attire for all practices and team uniforms for games. All athletes must also adhere to the uniform requirements outlined by their coaches.

For most school teams, athletes borrow a team uniform from the Athletics Department, which must be returned at the end of the season. Uniforms are issued once the team has been finalized. Athletes are responsible for their uniform for the duration of the season. The cost of damage or loss will be charged to the student’s account.

Some sports require athletes to buy next-to-skin clothing such as socks and bathing suits. These items are available for purchase. Equipment specific to a sport, such as for ice hockey, alpine skiing, golf and tennis, is the responsibility of the athlete. Coaches will inform athletes if they are required to provide and wear protective items such as mouthguards or goggles for certain sports.

Every athlete must have their own water bottle clearly marked with their name.