GULF HIGH SCHOOL

Athletics

Gulf High School offers three seasons of sports for registered students. Many of the sports offered have both varsity and junior varsity level of play enabling students to learn a new sport and improve their playing ability. Some sports, due to limited team size, have tryouts for available positions. Many of the sports will accommodate any student desiring to play as long as they attend practices faithfully and demonstrate a positive attitude.

Earning a varsity letter on teams without a junior varsity is not automatic. Conditions for earning letters vary with teams. Coaches will inform student athletes of requirements for lettering at the beginning of each season. It is up to the student athlete to work to produce the results needed to earn a letter.

Any sophomore, junior, or senior student wishing to participate in sports must have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average based on a scale of 4.0 (unweighted). Cumulative grade point means the grade point average for all semesters in high school, not just for course work completed the previous semester. Students entering the ninth grade for the first time must be regularly promoted to be eligible to play sports in the fall semester. All students must maintain the 2.0 GPA to remain eligible to play sports during the school year. Students who allow their grade point averages to slip below the 2.0 GPA level will be dismissed from the team, regardless of their athletic ability, due to poor academic performance.

Gulf High School prides itself on the strong academic achievement of their student athletes. Last year GHS tied for the greatest number of teams having the highest average GPA in the county. During the 2000-2001 school year, football, girls swim team, wrestling, boys track, and boys weightlifting had the highest average GPA of any school in Pasco County. In addition, Gulf High had 31 students earn SAC (Sunshine Athletic Conference) All Academic patches last season. These awards are given to students earning varsity letters in two sports while maintaining a 3.2 unweighted GPA for the first three quarters.

New Countywide Sports Participation Fees

The Pasco County School Board recently approved new school sports participation fees for middle and high school athletes. Beginning this year, student athletes will be required to pay participation fees for every sport they are involved in. The first sport a student participates in will require a $60.00 fee, with each subsequent sport costing $50.00. It is hoped that Increased fees win not prevent student athletes from participating in any sports. The Gulf High School Athletic Booster Club will continue to help students in need finance the participation fee. At a recent Booster Club meeting, ground rules for paying the fees for student athletes were discussed in anticipation of increased need for assistance, to addition to the required letter from a parent requesting the Athletic Booster Clubs monetary support, student athletes and their parents will be required to donate time working the Booster Club fundraising events. This year, the Booster Club will be running concession stands at three varsity and two junior varsity football games, as well as running parking at all home football games. These events are the major fundraising events for the year, and support all sports. If an athlete in ANY sport, fall, winter or spring season, thinks they will require financial assistance to pay participation fees they need to make arrangements to work during the fall football season. For more information about financial assistance regarding participation fees please speak with the head coach of your sport, or Larry Strickland (GABC President, cell phone 534-8306).

Academic Eligibility Requirements

A student shall be eligible during the first semester of his/her ninth-grade year provided that it is the student's first entry into the ninth grade and he/she was regularly promoted from the eighth grade the immediate preceding year.

A student's GPA may be raised by attending a regularly organized summer school program.