Submitted by VCS CYO Director Kelly Alfieri

CYO Track is available to boys and girls in third through eighth grade. You will find the registration link on the CYO/Camp Howard website.

Practices begin next Monday, March 19, from 5 – 6:30 p.m.
The regular practice schedule is:
Monday/Wednesday: 5-6:30pm
Friday: 4:30-6 p.m.

Athletes meet in the play court for warm-ups and move to the track about 5:30 p.m.
Please be prompt in picking up your child at the end of practice.

COACHES are needed!  Please consider volunteering to help coach. We especially need help with third and fourth grades. A background in track is not necessary to volunteer; you will receive help and support from the more experienced coaches. Just having additional help managing the large group of younger athletes is critical. The divisions are broken down into three age groups:

The developmental meet schedule is:
April 14, 21, 28, May 5

Championship meets are:
May 12 (Roadrunners only)
May 19-20 (Cubs/Cadets who qualify)

Please contact Kelly Alfieri if you are interested in volunteering.  Thank you!

Submitted by VCS Parent and CYO Girls’ Basketball Coach Doug Mannen

After a couple of disappointing near-misses in past championship games, the Valley Catholic sixth-grade girls’ basketball team came through with a big win on Sunday night, downing Christ the King, 40-25, for the CYO “City” title. The team blended six girls who had prior experience on the team, including five who have been together all four years, with three newcomers. All nine girls worked together beautifully, emphasizing teamwork and sportsmanship and a love for great defense and fast breaks. Over the course of the undefeated CYO season, the team featured very balanced scoring, with every player scoring in almost every game.

In the CYO tournament, the Valiants beat St. Matthew in a high-scoring semifinal, 47-39, in which the winning team built a big lead, and then had to hold off a furious 4th-quarter rally. In the final, a 9-2 second quarter edge proved to be too much for Christ the King, and the Valiants were able to hold on to the lead with some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch and secure their gold medals. Last year, the team went home with a second-place trophy.

Team members (with number of years on the team in parentheses) are: Casey Kavanaugh (1), Erin Lang (1), Noelle Mannen (4), Izzy McMahon (2), Taylor Menkens (4), Nandini Naidu (4), Diana Nistler (4), Megan Voigt (1), and Tanvi Yeccaluri (4). The team was coached by Melinda and Doug Mannen.

Submitted by VCS Parent and CYO Boys’ 6th Grade Baskettball Coach Eric Grasberger

Valley Catholic’s sixth-grade boys won the CYO “City” title for the second year in a row, defeating St. Pius 61-58 in an electrifying game on Valley’s home court. The game featured top CYO talent on both sides. Multiple three-point shots, particularly from the St. Pius squad, full-court pressing and half-court traps made for a fast-paced game. After an unbelievable shooting streak by St. Pius in the third quarter, Valley was down 18 points and needed a momentum shift. Aggressive full-court defense and fast-break basketball provided that shift, as Valley scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to edge out St. Pius. St. Pius has a talented center, great guards and excellent coaches. They defeated every other team in the league during the regular season and in the tournament. Both squads had multiple players with double-digit scoring.

The boys’ roster is: Ben Dinh, Michael Gadda, Jack Grasberger, Max Imponenti, Sam Karlin, Jess Lucas, Teddy Senecal, Alex Uong, Alex Wan.
Coaches: Eric Grasberger and Jim Lucas
Sam Karlin scored 28 points, Alex Wan 11 points

Olivia Silenzi--still trying for more!

Congratulations to our Valley Catholic CYO Swim Teams for their first-place overall finish in the CYO Championship Meet!! The season recently concluded with some exceptional results. Finishing first in their individual team divisions were the cub boys, cadet boys and cub girls. Cadet girls finished fourth.

Valley has won the overall championship eight out of the past nine seasons and 15 times since 1990.

Valley had seven swimmers with individual victories in their events and one relay win.

Individual Winners:

• Olivia Silenzi (3rd grade, Polliwog): 50m Free *new CYO record, 25m Breaststroke
• Iseult McMahon (6th grade, Cub): 100IM, 100m Free, 25m Fly
• Lara Spurgeon (6th grade, Cub): 25m Free, 50m Free
• Teddy Senecal (6th grade, Cub): 100IM
• Sean Calkins (8th grade, Cadet): 100IM *tied the CYO record, 100m Free
• David Spurgeon (8th grade, Cadet): 50m Free, 50m Breaststroke, 200m Free
• Joshua Yadao (7th grade, Cadet): 50m Fly

Relay Wins:

200 medley relay (Cadet boys): Albert Buchalski, David Spurgeon, Samuel Yates, Sean Calkins

For more detailed results, click on the following links:

• Polliwog Championships
• Division 1 Championships
• All-Star Meet

Submitted by Juliette Friel of CYO Camp Howard

CYO Lacrosse is offered for first- through eighth- grade boys and girls.

First- and second-graders will play at Jesuit on Saturday afternoons—both practices and games—starting on April 14 and lasting until early June. For an informational flyer, click here.

Third- through eighth-graders will begin practices on March 12th, with games beginning on March 31 and lasting until early June.  For an information flyer, click here.

Sign ups are going on now at cyocamphoward.org - click on lacrosse!

Submitted by CYO Director Kelly Alfieri

Registration for CYO track is now open on the CYO/Camp Howard website.  Practices will begin March 12.

This sport is offered to boys and girls in third to eighth grade.  For more information, see the flyer.

Coaches are needed!  Please consider volunteering your time to coach.  Help is needed in all areas: sprints, distance and field events.   Please contact CYO Director Kelly Alfieri if you are interested.  There are some certification requirements, so the sooner the better.

The registration period for the 2011-12 CYO Basketball season is now over. Good luck to all our CYO teams!

CYO Swimming for K-8 is now open on the CYO website. Click on Swimming link, then Registration for Swim, and you will find Valley Catholic listed at the bottom. Or you can access the CYO Swimming Registration directly here.  Swim meet dates are posted on the CYO calendar on the CYO website.  Practices have already started, but that does not mean it’s too late to get into the pool!

Practice Times are as follows:

Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri
Polliwogs (K-3) 3:00-3:45pm (Session #1)
Cubs/Cadets (4-8) 3:45-4:30pm (Session #2)
Tues Polliwogs (K-3) 2:15-3:15pm (Session #1)
Cubs/Cadets (4-8) 3:15-4:15pm (Session #2)

There will be no Dryland Training this year.

Meets run from October through January. Download the Meet Schedule here.

For more information, please refer to this form.

(Originally published Sept. 16, 2011)

A total of 38 Catholic Youth Organization athletes from grades 5 through 8 qualified last weekend for a top-eight finish at the Meet of Champions, and two students set new records. Two divisions competed at the meet, with one for grades 5 and 6 (Cubs) and another for grades 7 and 8 (Cadets). Eighth-grade students David Boss and David Carbonari set VCMS records among the 8oom and the turbo javelin, respectively.

Read the rest of this entry »

As the school year begins to wind down, it’s time to think ahead to fall CYO sports.

CYO needs your help in planning for the coming fall seasons so that they can plan the schedules and find out how many teams there will be. We need to determine how many coaches are needed and we need to start planning schedules.

CYO Athletic Director Kelly Alfieri has requested that you email her directly if you’re planning to participate as a coach or if your student will be playing in either of the following sports in the fall of 2011:

• Volleyball: Girls in grade 3-8
• Hot Shots Basketball: Co-ed teams in 1st and 2nd grades

Registration for CYO Football is now open. Contact Marc Franck with any questions about the program. You can register on the CYO website here!

Submitted by CYO Athletic Director Kelly Alfieri