The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt yet another blow to high school (modified, freshman, Junior varsity, and varsity) winter sports. Earlier in the year, the start date for basketball was pushed back to November 30th in hopes that the spread of the disease would be under control. Unfortunately, New York State announced last week that the start date will once again be moved to January 4th. Given that high school programs will not have an effective preseason and the anticipated shortened season will not allow for the typical preparation for game play, high school athletes are searching for ways to prepare outside of their school team environment.
To fill that need, the two premier programs in the Hudson Valley, Edge Athletics and NorthStar Sports are teaming up for a ONE TIME PROMOTIONAL OFFER for the month of December to provide a “crash preparation course” for boys high school basketball. This 4 week program will help prepare athletes for that anticipated January 4th start date.
Program Details:
- 4 weeks of training – Each week will have 2 days with Edge Athletics and 2 days with NorthStar Sports. sessions of workouts with the most experienced coaches in the area.
- Sessions will be conducted by Coach Jim Santoro (Edge Athletics) along with his staff, and Jerry North (NorthStar Sports) along with his staff.
- Two sessions each week at Edge Athletics will include skills training and structured varsity level practices. Practice content will include what is typical for a regular varsity schedule but will limit the activities to stay within the guidelines provided by local and state officials.
- Two sessions each week at NorthStar Sports will include collegiate lifting techniques modified for the high school athlete as well as basketball specific conditioning, jumping and landing techniques. Quickness drills will be implemented to help with basketball specific reactions and first step explosiveness.
- In addition to the regular program, each athlete will have two “Shooting Gallery” workouts that will be scheduled on off days.
Given the current environment that exists due to Covid-19, this is a real opportunity for basketball players to prepare for the upcoming high school season, all while staying within the guidelines designed to keep us all safe!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Where will the program take place?
A. A total of FOUR days – Two days each week will be held at the Edge Athletics Facility located at the Poughkeepsie Day School (PDS) located on Boardman Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie. Two days each week will be held at the NorthStar Sports facility located at 66 Page Park Drive in the Town of Poughkeepsie
Q. What safety precautions do you take to keep the environment safe during the pandemic?
A. Edge Athletics and NorthStar Sports have been following and strictly adhering to all of the guidelines provided to us by the county and state. There will be an orientation for each group of athletes and parents as to the procedures and requirements before the first workout session.
Q. When will the program begin and end?
A. We plan on scheduling practices and workouts starting Monday, November 30 and completing January 3, the day before the scheduled start date for basketball.
Q. What days and times will practices and workouts be?
A. For the 2 days each week training with Edge Athletics, we plan on running sessions beginning at 3pm with the last session finishing no later than 10pm, Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and some Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Training sessions at NorthStar Sports will be Tuesday and Thursdays between 6pm and 8pm. After the groups are filled, we will try to accomodate everyones schedule as best we can with priority for the early slots going to the youngest athletes.
Q. Will there be tryouts?
A. No. Although there will be no tryouts, this program is directed towards basketball players with prior basketball experience that expect to compete at the high school level. THIS IS NOT A PROGRAM FOR BEGINNERS. In order to maximize preparations for the upcoming season, we are seeking the most serious players in the area.
Q. How many athletes will make up each group?
A. We do not have a specific number as a minimum or maximum for each group. The objective is to create training and practice groups that consist of athletes that are best suited to train and practice together so that they get the most benefit.
Q. If there are no tryouts, how will the available slots be filled?
A. We will give first priority to those athletes that completed our Fall program. Registration will be open to only those athletes until Friday, November 27. After that, we will accept all other athletes wishing to register on a first come first serve basis but will accept the athlete only after conversing with the parent, guardian, and athlete to ensure this is the right program for them.
Q. How we will know if I have been accepted into the program?
A. We will let you know after we have received your registration and have spoken directly either by phone or in person.
Q. You haven’t mentioned age divisions. Will there be traditional 11u through 17u age divisions?
A. No. We will at first group athletes by age but will modify the groups based on skill level so that we can best maximize the benefit of the practice and workout sessions. Since we are not competing in tournaments (see next question), it is not necessarily needed to group by age.
Q. Will this program send teams to tournaments?
A. Unfortunately, New York State has not approved indoor tournament play as of yet. Some programs are attending tournaments out of state. We will not. We made the decision that if NY is not permitted to host tournaments, then we will not send our kids out of state to play. There are many factors that went into this decision and we did not make it lightly. We talked to many parents, county officials, nurses, and doctors and decided that it was not worth the risk both from a safety perspective and for the reputation of our program. If you would like more detailed information, please feel free to call me.
Q. If you are not going to tournaments, how will the athletes get the most benefit?
A. Our program is designed to provide a varsity level practice session directed by Edge Athletics each week with the intensity level that will help prepare them for the upcoming season. The program will also provide Performance Training directed by NorthStart Sports. Although there is no replacement for game experience, we are confident that the combination of training with Edge Athletics and NorthStart Sports will best prepare our athletes for the upcoming season.
Q. If I am too young to play on a school team, can I still participate?
A. Yes. Both Edge Athletics and NorthStar Sports will tailor the program to meet the needs of our younger athletes.
Q. If I don’t want or cannot attend both the Edge Athletics and the NorthStar Sports programs, can I just do one of them?
A. Although we strongly encourage our athletes to treat this as one program and take advantage of what Edge Athletics and NorthStar Sports can offer in terms of preparation, we understand that this is a demanding schedule and a big commitment. If you cannot commit to both, please contact me and we can discuss alternative arrangements.
Q. What do you mean by “Shooting Gallery” workouts?
A. The “Shooting Gallery” are shooting workouts that we conduct with the use of 4 shooting machines. We will schedule these sessions outside of the normal 4 day a week schedule. These sessions will be an hour long and athletes can expect to get up at least 400 shots each in a fun and competitive environment.
Q. Are additional Edge Athletics workout sessions going to still be available for individuals and small groups?
A. Yes. Schedule permitting, we will offer additional training for individual and small group training to focus on specialized skills. These sessions will be offered at a 50% discount to any athlete registered with us for the duration of the program.
Q. What is the tuition for this program?
A. The tuition is $325. But there is $25 discount for those athletes that completed the Fall Program.
Q. When is tuition due?
A. Tuition is due prior to the first week of sessions. We will designate a day for you to come in and make the payment.
Q. Is there a tryout fee?
A. No. There is no tryout so there is no tryout fee.
Q. Is there a uniform fee?
A. No. Since we are not playing in tournaments, there is no need for a uniform, and, therefore, no uniform fee.
Q. Do we need to have an AAU membership?
A. Yes. All participants must have an active AAU card and provide to us upon registration.
Q. How do we register?
A. Registration will be done through the Edge Athletics website. If you already have an account with us, its pretty easy. Just log into your account from our homepage and register like you did for the spring and fall program. If you do not have an account, you can create one by going to the homepage and follow the instructions.
Q. If I have other questions, can I contact your directly?
A. Certainly. Feel free to email me at info@edgeathletics.com, call or text me at 845-264-5078.