Dear Parents/Athletes:

Fall sports practice begins on August 23rd . Here are a couple of important reminders and some changes that this year will bring:

Valley Catholic observes a no-cut policy in all of their athletic programs.

• Physicals are required every two years and must be done prior to participation in practices or games. The physicals forms have been updated and all NEW physicals must be filled out on the OSAA sanctioned form. They can be downloaded from OSAA website. 
• Sport Consent forms must be filled out prior to each season. Coaches will hand them out and collect them within the first week of practice.
• Fall athletic fees ($100.00) are due by August 23rd . Please turn your fee into the main office to receive your ticket to practice. You cannot participate in practice until your physical is turned in and your fee is paid.
• Please check the High School Athletic Web Site for first practice times and locations. They will be posted as soon as coaches make them available.
• Coaches will hand out full practice schedules, consent forms, and game schedules at the time of the first meeting.

If you have any questions or would like to speak directly to a coach please contact the athletic office at (503) 520-4720 or by email.

Each year, the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon recognize a faculty or staff member from each school building who most exemplifies the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon’s charism and values and honors them with the SSMO Spirit Award.

This year the Valley Catholic School awards went to Rebecca Johnson at the Early Learning School, Barbara Taylor in the Elementary School and Jan Wilson at the Middle & High School building.
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Yamini Naidu

Valley Catholic High School incoming sophomore Yamini Naidu was the high school level winner of Beaverton’s “If I Were Mayor…” contest.

Yamini Naidu submitted a one-minute video saying what she would do as mayor. Her approach revolved around easing of traffic congestion, focusing on crime – specifically about those that are drug-related, and transparency in government.

Entries were judged on clarity, creativity, proper use of grammar and subject relevancy. You can read about all the winners here.

Coach Peter Morgan will Begin the Lacrosse Era at Valley Catholic

The spring of 2011 will see Valley Catholic add another offering to its sports programs – boys lacrosse. Peter Morgan has been given the task of building the program from the ground up. Much like the start of football in 2007, Valley is hoping for quick returns when it comes to building a competitive program.

Coach Morgan played professionally in the National Lacrosse League since 2001. This included a stint from 2005-2009 with the Portland Lumberjax. Within that time with Portland, Coach Morgan helped lead them to the western conference championship in 2008, was named to the all-star team in 2009, and became the franchise leader in goals scored. The last two seasons he has spent with the Washington Stealth.

Coach Morgan is a graduate of Simon Fraser University, where he was also captain of their basketball team from 1999-2001. His coaching responsibilities over the years have seen him work several camps and with various school programs. In 2010 he was the head JV coach at Beaverton High School. Coach Morgan is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in building our lacrosse program from day one. Coach Morgan plans to actively encourage anyone with an interest in America’s fastest growing sport to participate next spring.

Please contact Athletic Director Jeff Gallagher with any questions.

Girls Soccer – Bloms returns to Valley Catholic to lead program

Valley Catholic is thrilled to announce the hiring of Austra Bloms as their head girls soccer coach. Austra had been a varsity assistant and JV coach at Valley Catholic in 2008 and 2009. She will take over the program this coming fall. As a high school player, Austra was Co-MVP at Westside Christian HS on the Mens Team (there was no girls team at the time). Coach Bloms received a scholarship to play for NAIA Div. 1 Concordia University in Portland. She tore her ACL at the beginning of her sophomore year, red-shirted, and was recruited to play for NCAA D-I Florida Atlantic University. On a full ride at FAU she won a spot on the U.S. National Deaf Soccer Team in 1999, led her team to an historic 1st-place international win, and landed a permanent spot on the 2005 Women’s Deaf Team Olympics Squad. She was selected as co-captain for seven years and led the team to an Olympic Gold Medal at the 2005 Deaf Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Coach Bloms has been coaching soccer since 1994 and is looking forward to taking over at Valley Catholic. Austra is committed to continuing to build Valley Catholic into one of the state’s premier soccer programs. The Valiants have competed in the state tournament in each of the last five seasons, highlighted by three league championships and an appearance in the state finals in 2008.

Please contact Athletic Director Jeff Gallagher with any questions.