Harvard High School
Athletics and Activities Department
Welcome back Hornets!
We hope this communication finds you and your families doing well. While we don't get to see your smiling faces and hear the buzz in the hallways, we are extremely excited to have you back in classes for the 2020-2021 school year. While this year certainly will not be the same as year's past, I believe we can make it one of our most successful. I urge you all to take every opportunity to learn, ask questions, and get help when needed. While we are not face to face, your teachers have been working tirelessly to try and make this semester a successful one. Please take care of your studies and reach out to your teachers and coaches, at any time. We wish you all a great year and much success!! Go Hornets!
Andrew Walters
Athletic Director
Harvard High School
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Updates from the IHSA and KRC
As a KRC conference, we had to decide how we will safely run athletics. One of the major debates was regarding spectators. As a conference, we unanimously voted to approved a plan that does not currently allow spectators. We understand that other conferences in McHenry County have allowed spectators but we did not feel we could effectively monitor spectators at this time. We continue to meet and monitor the changing situation. It is the goal that we will eventually be able to have spectators at our events. In the meantime, please follow along on Facebook and through 8 to 18 for results. We greatly appreciate your cooperation during this difficult time.
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Extra Contact Days
We have created a seasonal approach for the contact period that will allow all non fall athletes to participate in all of their sports.
Contact days start September 8th and go through October 30th. Coaches will be in contact with sport specific plans and expectations. The health procedures and protocols from our summer sessions will continue to be utilized (temp/symptom checks).
For more information please reach out to your sport specific coach through the links below.
The schedule will be as follows:
1st session: September 8th - September 24th
Boys Soccer- Victor Gonzalez
Girls Volleyball - Megan Nolen
Football - Sean Saylor
2nd Session: September 25th- October 13th
Baseball- Adam Ulen
Softball - Becky Edinger
Boys Track and Field - Dennis Eisele
Girls Track and Field- Casey Seyller
Girls Soccer - Victor Gonzalez
3rd Session: October 14th - October 30th
Boys Basketball - Dan Krauser
Girls Basketball - Larin Filip
Wrestling - David Schultz
Cheer - Ashley Kuecker-Zurba
If you have ANY desire to play ANY sport this year, please register on 8 to 18. It is FREE! This is a great opportunity to try something new.
2020-2021 Fall Sports
Girls Golf
Team Captains:
Joelle McMillan - Senior
Emma Ackland - Senior
Girls Golf is off to a great start this year with a 2-1 record so far. Behind captains Joelle McMillan and Emma Ackland, everyone has brought a positive outlook and energy to the season. With all the uncertainty this summer, we are just really happy to be playing every day and expect to continue to improve and be competitive in both the conference and region this year.
Boys Golf
Team Captains:
Jacob Chupich - Senior
Caden Scott - Junior
The team added 7 new players, 6 of which are freshmen. The team has one senior, Jake Chupich, who is doing a great job mentoring the freshmen. The team got their first win of the season vs. Johnsburg the other night. Even though we have a slightly smaller schedule than normal the team has a lot of enthusiasm that we are getting to play our season. They are making the most of every practice and meet with their minds set on improving and growing together for future success.
Cross Country
Coached by: Jeff Koza and Jorge Pichardo
Team Captains:
Lizeth Flores Bernal - Senior
Steven Austin- Junior
Zach Isonhart- Senior
This season we have a new coaching staff for Harvard Cross Country. Jeff Koza takes over as Head Coach and Jorge Pichardo, former Harvard High School graduate, is the assistant coach. The program has been redesigned with the entire athlete in mind. The Harvard Cross Country program trains in speed, strength, endurance and positive mentality. Our goal for the season is not only to improve our finish in the KRC but create a fun and successful program. Last year was a 5th place finish and with the hard work and dedication that this team has shown since training in June, we look to make considerable progress. Looking ahead with the return of Senior Leaders, Zach Isonhart and Lizeth Flores Bernal and Junior Steven Austin, these three have kept this team focused and dedicated for the entire summer to making this a program they can be proud of. The additions of freshman Jared Gonzalez, Manny Pineda and Elijah Binz will make great contributions immediately to this team. The girls team has made some great returners and additions with Diana Reyes, Christina Koleno, Yiszel Calixto and Valeria Torres. The girl's team continues to grow and will compete as a team in the KRC this year!
Looking forward, Coach Koza is expecting to expand and grow this team! If you think you can make an impact, reach out to Coach Koza, jkoza@cusd50.org, he is looking for the best!
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Athlete of the Week
August 17 - August 22
Emma was the low scorer and most consistent over the first two matches.
August 17 - August 22
Myles was the 1st place medalist for the team vs Johnsburg and carried the team to their first victory of the season.
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Tips from the Athletic Trainer
Position for Success
Why do we sit when we are learning and educating ourselves? For many of us as I’m sure many athletes would agree, sitting is not the optimal position to get the most out of our minds. For me walking is the best, for some reason when my feet are moving and my gaze tends to be downward I can recall things much better. Maybe for some of you running is where your thoughts swirl and you may even be studying or thinking about a concept that you’ve learned recently. Regardless of what works for you it is very common that when our body position is in a more active state we have better use of our mental faculties. As I write this I’m at a standing desk that I have been wanting for many years. The one I have now is very bulky and the cost is outside of the range of most teenage budgets so what can we do? A few of you might remember walking in a couple years ago when I first started and saw me with my laptop propped up on an ice chest or box. Those were low tech options to create a standing work space that keeps your body and mind at attention.
Maybe standing for an entire zoom lecture isn’t your idea of efficiency but I submit that neither is any kind of reclined position on a couch, bed or reclining chair. Positioning your body in a restful position will trigger to your mind that passivity is the activity at hand. In other words when you lie or recline to watch TV are you engaging the information that is being sent to you or are you merely receiving whatever comes? Think about it, do you try and remember commercials or do they just somehow end up in your mind because of repetition? If we think about our education the same way we find that we need to position not only our minds in an attentive and ready state for learning but also our bodies. Think about yourself or classmates when you were in a “normal classroom,” was the person slouching in their chair more or less likely to be doing well in class. At the very least let’s start to approach our E-learning with as much sincere attention that we can by sitting up at our work space or even standing if that suits your need to pay attention. As the hours of online learning go by maybe you’ll find that a little bit of both is what you need or perhaps utilize outdoor spaces with fresh air and natural light to send the right signals to both our brain and body that we are doing our best to learn at this most challenging time.
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Harvard Booster Club
Harvard High School
Harvard 8to18
Website: https://il.8to18.com/harvard
Athletic Director
Email: awalters@cusd50.org
Website: https://www.cusd50.org/harvardhighschool/
Phone: 815-943-6461 2280