About Our Athletic Program

Our Goal

The ultimate goal of the Golda Och Academy athletic program is to enable the athletes to mature socially, emotionally and physically. The individual’s character is built on respect of self and others, physical and emotional discipline and the ability to give 100 percent during practice as well as competition. Most importantly, our athletes learn to accept defeat and victory with equal poise. The success of the athletic program is built on commitment, cooperation, tolerance and enthusiasm among the individual players, coaches, administration, parents and community.

Upcoming Games

Sunday, 9/26/2021 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

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Girls Varsity Soccer

vs.

Kushner Academy

Playing Fields - GOA Soccer Field

Directions and Details

Monday, 9/27/2021 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

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Rescheduled

League

Girls Varsity Soccer

vs.

Newark Technical HS

Playing Fields - GOA Soccer Field

Directions and Details

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Update on Upper School Fall 2021 Athletics

Update on Upper School Fall 2021 Athletics

Dear Roadrunners and Families,

We hope this email finds everyone well and that you are all having a terrific summer! Fall athletics are just around the corner, and we would like to communicate the exciting opportunities, the different changes and the pertinent information for our upcoming sports season.

Athletics is an important part of the growth of our students, and we have worked to run a program that meets the developmental needs of our students while maintaining the health and safety of everyone involved. Last school year, we had a full year of intramurals. This year, we have worked to reinstate competitive athletics and offer intramurals (competing only with other GOA athletes) where we could not fulfill our health requirements.

Fall Sport Offerings

Competition Sports in the SEC

For the Fall 2021 season, we are going to be offering competition sports for the following:

Boys and Girls Varsity Soccer
Girls Varsity Tennis

Intramural Sports

For the Fall 2021 season, we are going to offer intramural sports for the following:

Boys and Girls Varsity Cross Country
Girls Varsity Volleyball
Middle School Boys and Girls Soccer
Middle School Boys and Girls Cross Country
Middle School Girls Tennis

Requirements for All Athletes

As a community, it is important that we do our best to minimize the risk of exposure to all of our students. At the forefront of this effort, we are reminding all Roadrunners and their families to adhere to the pledge in the graphic at the bottom of this email. If you are going to participate in Golda Och Athletics, we ask you to be mindful of your fellow Roadrunner and families in safeguarding practices both on and off the field.

All student athletes must have a current Annual Sports Physical from the past 365 days. The paperwork must be uploaded to Magnus and reviewed by the school nurse prior to their first day of practice. Athletes who fail to do so will not be allowed to practice until their forms have been uploaded and cleared by the nurse. The deadline for submitting physical forms for high school competition sports is August 22, 2021. The deadline for submitting physical forms for all intramural athletes in both middle and high school is September 5, 2021.

Requirements for High School Sports

COVID Vaccinations: For all high school sports in Fall 2021, all participating athletes must be fully vaccinated prior to the start of the Fall season. Proof of vaccination status must be provided by uploading the documents in Magnus. No student will be allowed to register for a high school sport without the proper document in Magnus.

Masks: All athletes participating in Girls Varsity Volleyball will be required to wear masks. Periodic and individual mask breaks will be given to maintain the health and safety of the students. All other athletes will be asked to please wear a mask when not in play (including Varsity Soccer, Tennis and intramural Cross Country). When traveling to and from school, all athletes are required to wear masks on the bus.

Please note that the NJSIAA has not mandated vaccines or mask wearing for competitive sports. If you or your child chooses to participate in competition sports, athletes may come into contact with players and officials from other school districts that may not be vaccinated, and athletes will not be masked.

Requirements for Middle School Sports

Masks: Masks will be required for safety as some students may not be eligible to be vaccinated. We strongly encourage all Middle School athletes who are eligible to be fully vaccinated.

Schedules

Competition sports schedules will be posted on the school website shortly. All intramural Fall 2021 sports will begin on the first day of school, September 9, 2021. Intramural schedules will be posted in the latter half of August.

We understand this may be frustrating news for some of our student athletes and their families. This decision was a difficult one, based largely on the evolving guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the New Jersey Department of Health, and growing concern over the spread of the Delta variant. Our priority at Golda Och Academy is, and continues to be, the health and safety of our students and their families. We want to emphasize the need for in-person instruction with as little disruption as possible, and we found this solution to be the most effective in keeping to our core mission and values during this difficult time. We have not yet made decisions about our Winter Sports, including Middle and High School Basketball, and will communicate updates to students and families as they arise.

For all up-to-date information on 2021-22 COVID policies and procedures, please click here.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. We look forward to a great Fall 2021 Athletic season. Go Roadrunners!

Mr. Dennis Kozar

Athletic Director

Dr. Eytan Apter

Upper School Principal

Nurse Ilena Kasdan

Upper School Nurse

Staff

List of 5 members.

Dennis Kozar

Director of Athletics, Health and Physical Education Faculty, Upper School

973-602-3650
Robert Cohen

Health and Physical Education Faculty, Upper School • Girls Varsity Soccer Coach
Sandy Pyonin

Health and Physical Education Faculty, Upper School
Anat Niv

Health and Physical Education Faculty, Upper School
Greg DePugh