The Hill School's Athletics Office has announced that the 2012 fall athletic schedules have been released. Please visit the
scores and schedules section of our website to view the schedules for each fall team. When reviewing the schedule, please take note of a major change:
the fall athletics season will conclude on the first Saturday in November, rather than the second Saturday of the month as in years past. Below is a note from Director of Athletics Seth Eilberg explaining the schedule change.
In February of 2011, the headmasters of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) schools voted, effective for the 2012-2013 school year, to move the annual conclusion of the fall athletics schedule one week earlier, meaning it now typically will conclude on the first Saturday in November. For The Hill, this will be our traditional rivalry weekend with a full slate of games against Lawrenceville. The proposal also required MAPL schools to re-align the league schedules according to a season-ending five-week matrix, during which all league contests will be played on the last five weekends of the fall.
The headmasters concluded that the new schedule will address a number of issues:
- The fall term examination schedule: Most MAPL schools schedule fall term examinations in the third week of November, just days after the traditional conclusion of the fall athletic season. By concluding the season a week earlier, students and faculty will have more time to prepare for those examinations.
- The winter athletic schedule: Likewise, because a number of MAPL schools begin preparation for the Winter Term athletic schedule in the third week of November, they have only a week (sometimes less) to conduct try-outs and practices prior to Thanksgiving vacation; sometimes, those try-outs and practices are scheduled during the fall examination period. By concluding the season a week earlier, students and coaches of winter teams will have more appropriate preparation time for their sports.
- The second week of November: At present, almost all of the MAPL schools schedule athletic contests through the second week of November in anticipation of their traditional final weekend contests. In recent years, however, our schools have experienced increased difficulty in finding appropriate mid-week games for sports in that second week. Concluding the season a week earlier eliminates this problem. Teams also would conclude their fall seasons prior to the beginning of Standard Time, when darkness limits practice and game schedules.
At the February 2011 meeting, the headmasters acknowledged that their decision would create some challenges for our schools, all of which we agreed could be managed. The most important item for all to consider is the conflict with the SATs. With the SATs, especially SAT II subject tests, currently given on the first Saturday in November, some students and their families could criticize the MAPL’s decision to schedule its traditional rivalry weekends on that date. Though we understand the possible conflict, we believe that students can register for the October SAT date, and that any students testing in November who are fall athletes can limit themselves to no more than two subject tests. Given the good reasons stated above for our change in the fall athletic schedule, the MAPL schools, who all institutionally safeguard the primacy of academics, agree that this plan is appropriate for schools and students alike.
In sum, the Heads and Athletic Directors of the MAPL schools believe that a fall athletic schedule ending on the first Saturday of November will: maintain a proper balance between academic excellence and outstanding athletics; · maintain the proper balance between fall and winter sports; and assure the high quality of our competition for the entire fall season.
If you have any questions about this change, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Seth Eilberg
Director of Athletics