St. Agnes Parish CYO
(Catholic Youth Organization)
Athletic Program
CYO WEATHER LINE: 913-981-2200
CYO Official Website
Click on a sport for detailed information
Home, Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Track
History
“Johnson County and Wyandotte County Athletics. The CYO dates back to 1940 when Monsignor Koch appointed Irwin McCurdy to administer the sports programs. During the war years, 1942 through 1945, the CYO Sports Programs were somewhat non existent. Reverend Andrew Knat was appointed the CYO Director in 1946. Tom Dorney, coach and teacher at Bishop Ward High School, was appointed as full time Athletic Director for CYO. Tom Dorney, with the help of several advisors, administered the CYO Programs for 28 years. Tom Dorney retired in August 1974.
Reverend Tom Tank, Archdiocesan Youth Director, established the CYO Executive Board in 1974. The purpose of the CYO Executive Board is to provide CYO athletic activities for the youth of Wyandotte and Johnson Counties conducted according to the norms of Christian Sportsmanship. Dave Nick is the Executive / Athletic Director of the CYO.”
The history of how the CYO sports program was introduced at St. Agnes is as follows; In around 1989, parishioner Steve Dunn approached Fr. William Finnerty, and requested that the parish form a Board of Directors and appoint an Athletic Director to effectively manage the sports program for the students of the parish. Thus, the CYO sports program at St. Agnes began, and has been operating as it does today.
Purpose
“The purpose of the athletic program is to help youth grow in the image of Christ through athletic events; to assure its contestants and managers of complete honesty and fair play at all times; to provide proper safeguards for its contestants; and to cultivate the confidence of the general public in the integrity of the contest played under its sponsorship and supervision.”
Athletic Board
The Board’s purpose is to support the Parish and the CYO mission, and strives to ensure a fair, fun, and safe environment in which students can play sports. The board also supports the Athletic Director in his or her commitment to organize each sport, recruit coaches and other volunteers, maintain equipment and uniforms, and corroborate with the CYO to ensure that rules and policies are adhered to.
Athletic Director
The Parish Athletic Director is the official parish representative to the CYO. Directing the parish programs and ensuring that the parish is in compliance with the CYO Rules & By-laws is the responsibility of the parish athletic director. The athletic director is a voting member of the CYO Parish Athletic Directors Organization. For further details, go to www.cyojwa.org, Rules of Competition Document, Article III - Parish Athletic Director; Sections 1-9.
Volunteers and Coaches
To be a successful organization, the St. Agnes CYO Sports Program relies on parent involvement and volunteers. Opportunities include coaching, scorekeeping, registration, uniform distribution, and other areas. If you are VIRTUS trained, and interested in volunteering in any of these areas, contact the Athletic Director; Mike Whitmore at (913) 831-9335, or mjwsaw@worldnet.att.net. Coaching assignments are determined by the Athletic Director, and the Board, as needed. For details regarding coaches qualifications and requirements, go to www.cyojwa.org, Rules of Competition Document, Article IX – Coaches; Sections 1-9.
Virtus Requirement
All adults who work with or are in contact with children in any capacity at the parish level, school level, or any activities associated with the parish and/or school, must complete and stay current through the VIRTUS training program. CYO coaches and volunteers must be VIRTUS trained (and current on training), prior to the beginning of each sport season. For more information about VIRTUS, go to www.virtus.org, or contact Ms. Neona Russ at (913) 262-1689.
Participation
Children who attend St. Agnes School or who are a registered member of the parish may participate in CYO sponsored programs. St. Agnes CYO offers the following sports programs for grades 5-8; football, volleyball, & track. Basketball is available for grades 3-8 (as eligible coaches are available, & enough participants sign up to seed a team). High School CYO basketball and volleyball is offered for grades 9-12, as available.
Parents, guardians, or spectators who attend CYO sponsored events have a moral obligation to be role models, who shall display proper sportsmanship towards children, coaches, opponents, and officials. Please remember to conduct yourself in a manner consistent with our parish and Catholic faith.
Evaluations
During the first weeks of practice for volleyball and basketball, participants skills are evaluated by coaches, third party individuals, the Athletic Director, and Board members as needed. Based on skill levels (and number of participants signed up), players are placed on A, B, C, (or red, white) teams for their grade. Team placement and practice schedules are announced at the conclusion of these evaluations. There may be a necessity to combine grade levels, to fulfill team rosters.
Registration & Deadlines
Announcements regarding sign-ups for each sport are placed in the parish bulletin prior to the beginning of each season. Notices may also be on this website, as well as through the school, and by word of mouth. All participants must complete the on-line registration process prior to participating in all the sports programs. All uniforms must be turned in from prior season (as applicable) prior to participating in future sports. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Athletic Director.
*Online Parent Release Forms and on-line Archdiocese Registration
All CYO participants must complete a mandatory online parent release form, prior to attending sign-ups. There is a $20 fee per participant, for the entire current school year. Please complete this online registration as soon as possible (on a home computer or local library computer), if your student plans to participate. Your child cannot complete the sign up process or be placed on a roster until this online registration is completed. This is an Archdiocese requirement. To complete this mandatory form online, go to www.cyojwa.org. Click on CYO Online Registration, then follow the prompts (you will need a credit card ($20) to complete this online process. Participants must register in advance on-line, prior to attending sign-ups. In addition, students and parents still need to attend the sports sign-ups, to pay the registration fees. If you are unable to obtain access to a computer, (or credit card) to complete the online process, accommodations can be made to have access to the school’s computer lab, and a credit card at signups.
More Information
Additional information about CYO can be found at www.cyojwa.org. This includes policies, rules & regulations, parent release forms, maps, standings, game schedules, weather line, and more.
Ideas/suggestions
This webpage is always a work in progress! We welcome your ideas and suggestions, so please direct these to the Athletic Director.