Welcome to the 2023-2024 EDS athletic program and the home of the Panthers.  You are now part of the Panther Nation! Middle School is a great time to discover your child’s likes and dislikes and allows them to try something new.  This Letter will provide a quick overview of our program; however, if you ever need more information, please go to www.edspanthers.com.  There you will find the school interscholastic handbook and other useful links.

5th through 8th-grade students have the privilege to participate and represent the EDS community in competitions against other interscholastic schools in the area.  Students are given the opportunity at the beginning of each season to express an interest in joining a team. When teams have higher interest than we can accommodate, we will either form a “jr. varsity” team or we will have to make cuts.  Parents will receive an email each season reminding you of the season’s options and dates for signing up.

Our program has 25 athletic teams in 16 different sports:
Fall

• Boys & Girls Cross Country

• Boys & Girls Tennis

• Golf

• Football

• Girls Volleyball

• Cheer Team

• Clay Target Shooting Team

Winter

• Boys & Girls Basketball

• Boys & Girls Swimming

• Cheer Team

• Swimming

• Bowling

• Pickleball

Spring

• Boys & Girls Soccer

• Boys & Girls Track and Field

• Baseball

Team Formation
We use “varsity” and “jr. varsity” when labeling the team level.  Varsity teams compete for league championships in the Augusta-Aiken Middle School League (AAMSL).  Our JV level competes against AAMSL schools but focuses more on developing skills and competitions verse teams with similar skill levels and not for championships.  For more information about this, please refer to our handbook.

Schedule

• Practice

  • Our program is mainly a four-day-a-week program, Monday – Thursday.  Not all teams practice for four days but you will learn more about that once the season begins.  During the fall and spring seasons, practice is typically from 3:15p to 5:30p. During the winter season, the basketball program will have four teams and, therefore, will have to run practices from 3:00p to 8:00p.  A schedule will go out at the start of the season with more details.

• Games

  • Most games are played Monday – Thursday.  However, some games can be scheduled for Friday and even on Saturday. Please note:  for volleyball, football, and basketball games, there is a fee to enter all games, even home games.

Transportation
EDS provides transportation to both practices and games.  However, we do not provide transportation back from practices or games.  The only exception is swimming.  There are times our EDS buses are overbooked and we will request parents to help get the teams to the designated location.  When this is needed I will communicate this to the parents.

Communications
You can get the practice and game schedules from Schedule Star and our website is www.edspanthers.com.  At edspanthers.com, you can also sign up for free to receive email and text alerts about your child’s specific team.  In addition, you can find all the game details on the school calendar.   

League
Most of the program competes in the August-Aiken Middle School League (AAMSL), which comprises 17 area schools.  You can review league standings at www.augustaaikenleague.com

Parent Requirements
For parents of athletes on the football, volleyball, basketball, soccer and baseball teams, you will be asked to volunteer and help at home games.   The booster chair will email you requesting your help covering the concession stand or the admission gate. This is an important part of the success of Panther Nation and we ask that you assist as much as possible.

Meetings
Before each season, the athletic department will host a Parent/Coach/Player meeting.  These meetings are intended for parents and athletes to meet with the coaches of the team/sport for that season and understand the expectations, policies, and procedures for that team.

Forms
All athletes must have all health forms completed.  These forms can be found on the Parent Portal. This includes:

• 5th-8th Sports Physical Health Form

• Parent Concussion Acknowledgement Form  

Surveys
At the end of each season, we have the athletes and parents complete a survey.  Surveys are an important tool for us to tweak our programs and know where we have strengths and weaknesses.  Your input is valued and very important. 

If you have any comments or questions my office door is always open.  You can also call or email me as well. My contact information is jcohen@edsaugusta.com, and my office number 706-261-0111.

I look forward to meeting you and seeing you on the sidelines.  Go Panthers, and welcome to the Panther Nation!

Jaye Cohen, CAA
Director of Athletics
Go Panthers!