Important Meeting Dates for New Bloomfield Hills High School Athletes

Preparations for the the first fall sports season at the new Bloomfield Hills High School begin this week as teams host initial meetings for students. Coaches of the respective football, soccer and cross country teams said they are looking forward for the first opportunity to address prospective members of the inaugural Black Hawks teams.

Though the new facility to be built on the existing Andover campus won't be ready until 2015, students from Andover and Lahser will merge into the new Bloomfield Hills High School in the fall. Students chose the the during a voting process last year.

On The Run

Head Coach Nick Stration and Associate Coach Beth Sinclair will host the Bloomfield Hills Black Hawks Cross Country Kick-Off Social from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11 at the Lahser High School cafeteria. All parents and athletes are welcome and will learn about the philosophy and future of the Black Hawks cross country program, Stration said.

It will the be first of many planned 'social' events before the fall to help the students get to know eachother and build comaraderie as a team, he added.

"We want this transition process to be as smooth as possible and have them ready as a team, and believe this is a good step," Stration said.

Coaches asked that the following grades to bring either food or drinks to the social: 

• Middle School/Freshmen: Fruit: bananas, apples, oranges, etc… (1 dozen)
• Sophomores: Desserts: cookies, brownies, etc… (1 dozen) (Please keep in mind that some students are allergic to nuts)
• Juniors/Seniors: Beverages: coffee, hot chocolate, water, etc… (1 dozen)

On the Gridiron

Bloomfield Hills Black Hawks football will also kick-off the program with its first meeting on Monday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Andover media center. Any and all parents and students considering playing for the freshman, junior varsity, or varsity teams next fall are encouraged to attend.

"I'll give a complete overview of the program for all three levels, including expectations, schedules, and program details," Head Coach Dan Loria said. "We'll also talk about where we're going as a program."

The 'Other' Football

Dougie MacAulay, head coach of Black Hawks men's soccer, will host a team introduction meeting from 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, at the Andover media center. There will be two meetings; one with present high school students followed by one for incoming freshmen directly after for players only.  A meeting with parents will take place at a later date.