Spokane Owls Athletic Department
Back 2 School Edition
From The Desk Of The Athletic Director
It is hard to believe we are here already! The time for another athletic season is upon us! I hope everyone had a restful and productive summer break. As you prepare to step on the field or the court in the next week or two, I want to encourage each one of you to be involved. Whether that is to engage yourself in the arts (band, choir, etc.), clubs (FCCLA, FCA, etc.) or athletics, those students who participate in co-curricular and extra curricular activities, create within themselves and their school a sense of pride, belonging and community while building positive habits, morals and values. These characteristics will be with each one of you long after you leave Spokane.
I want us all (coaches, students and parents) to be reminded of who we are, who we represent and what we want to achieve. While our ultimate goal as a team is to win as many games and championships as we can, be reminded of our purpose and what we leave on the playing field or court. It was the late Billy Graham who said, "The greatest thing we can pass on is a legacy of character and faith". Our character will not be remembered by who we were but by how well we represented what matters. We aspire to leave a legacy of something greater than just ourselves. Spokane is proud of her many traditions, but none greater than building her legacy one student at a time.
As stated earlier this summer, dead week is July 30th thru Aug. 6th. The first day of HS practice is August 7th while the MS is the 14th. Below, you will find the first couple of week's practice schedules for all sports offered in the fall. You will also find the complete game schedules for each one at the end of this newsletter. We will also have pocket schedules available soon in the HS office.
Finally...
There is a Latin saying Audentes Fortuna Iuvat. It means "Fortune favors the bold". While it has many modern takes, such as the unit motto for 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, stationed out of Marine Corps Camp Lejeune, NC, it can trace its origins back to the first century. In fact, the first President to lead our great country, George Washington lived by the motto of "Fortune favors the bold, the patient and the well prepared". Many of Washington's memoirs speak of his strategies as a General during the Revolutionary War before he became President. One instance is when Washington and his army were defending the city of New York in 1776. The British had just invaded and won the area of Manhattan. Washington took use of the Highland of Upper New Jersey and Southern New York to keep his enemies pinned in. Washington was always looking for a plan of attack to take back NYC. It wasn't until October of 1781, almost six years later, General Cornwallis led his British army to the Virginia Coast to await a supply of tea. Favoring lucky timing and logistics, two French fleets, including two American Armies, converged on the British Army and defeated them to retake New York City. The fortune of the American Army favored the bold, the patient (6 years), and well prepared. In athletics, we do the same, we prepare for weeks, months and years to achieve our goals as both teams and individuals. We might not always understand the path and might not always enjoy the hard work, but being bold, patient and well prepared will gain us our prize.
If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email or phone call at school or stop by. I will be in the office full time beginning August 1st.
#AudentesFortunaIuvat
Dr. Joel Carey
The Lion Mentality
Reminders...
2. MS Practice begins August 14th
3. All athletes must have a physical on file dated within the past 2 years (730 days)
4. All athletes have to have signed all the appropriate forms before you can practice (see below)
5. All athletes must have participated in 14 practices to be eligible for your first contest (MSHSAA Rule)
***NEW***
MSHSAA 2 Year Physical Forms
As athletes begin to prepare for the upcoming fall sports season, we wanted to remind you of the MSHSAA physical changes that will be implemented this upcoming 2023-2024 season.
Here is the following change:
Physicals are mandatory and all athletes must still complete all physical documentation (preparticipation and annual requirements forms) by their doctor but only need to turn in the last page of the MSHSAA Preparticipation Physical Forms/Procedure (MSHSAA Medical Eligibility Form) to their respective school/sport.
Physicals are still valid for two years from the date of examination. The annual requirements document must still be completed yearly and filed with the office of the Athletic Director.
Both forms are located below for download.
Meet The Coaches
Parents will have an opportunity to meet the Spokane Owls Coaching Staff on Friday, August 18th from 6:00 to 7:00 in the High School Commons Area. There will be cookies and punch, as well.
Fall Varsity/JV Practice Schedules
Below, you will find the practice schedules for the first 2 weeks of practice of each fall sport. After those first couple of weeks, the times and places might fluctuate some due to games/matches beginning. I encourage each athlete and parent to communicate with your coach regarding locations as well as starting and ending times for each practice. Here is the link to the home page of the school website with the Master Calendar which has the entire season planned out...
Spokane R-7 Website (scroll down the main page for master calendar)
Please know, schedules may change due to weather (outdoor activities) as well as a shortage of officials. Stay up to date on the school website calendar and Facebook page for up to date changes and updates.
Also, the district has a couple of different avenues to communicate with parents/guardians and patrons. The first is through the Lumen student information system. You will receive emails and/or texts from this system numerous times throughout the school year. The other system is the Remind App. Coaches have created their Remind platform for parents and athletes ONLY to join. Those numbers are under each specific heading below. You can click each sport's phone icon and it will take you to the Remind site to sign up. If your child chooses not to play or quits during the season, you will be removed from that program via the coach. **This is for parents/guardians and athletes ONLY**
Volleyball
Head Coach Erin Mitchem
First 2 weeks of Practice Schedule...
High School Gym
4-6pm Every Day (Will be basically all season)
Fall Baseball
Cross Country
Cheer Team
Coach Mary Hepler
Every Friday in August at 6:30 AM. Camp is August 27-28.
Middle School Practice Schedules
Boy's & Girl's Basketball
Boy's Basketball
Head Coach Allan Blaue
Aug 14 4-6pm
Aug 15 7-9pm
Aug 16 4-5:30pm
Aug 17 no practice
Aug 18 4-5:30pm/Meet the coaches night @6
all practices at PreK gym
Aug 21 4-6pm
Aug 22 4-6pm
Aug 23 4-5:30pm
Aug 24 4-6pm
Aug 25 4-6pm
all practices at MS gym
Aug 28 8-9:45am/pictures @10
Aug 29 4-6pm
Aug 30 4-5:30pm
Aug 31 4-6pm
Sept. 1 4-6pm
all practices at PreK
Girl's Basketball
Head Coach Autumn Thomas
4:00 to 5:30 every day. Practices will alternate between the MS and PK Gyms.
MS Girls Basketball Remind
MS Boys Basketball Remind
New high school basketball rule does away with the one-and-one.
Audio is with MSHSAA Assistant Executive Director Doug Fessler:
Cross Country
Cheer
Coach Kristi Stults
MS Cheer will practice beginning Tuesday the 15th. Practice will be at 6:00 AM every Tuesday and Thursday morning.
6th Grade Participation Guidelines
Important Links
Member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA)
Member of the South Central Missouri Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
Member of the Southwest Central League (SWCL)
Fall Game Schedules
Become An Official
Spokane Owls Athletic Department
Mrs. Shauntina Aston, Admin. Ass't. to the Athletic Director
Email: careyj@spokane.k12.mo.us ; astons@spokane.k12.mo.us
Website: www.spokane.k12.mo.us
Location: Spokane High School, Spokane Road, Spokane, MO, USA
Phone: 417-443-3506
Facebook: Spokane Owls Athletic Department Facebook Page