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Shippensburg athletics report season rosters and turf scheduling as lights, concessions and senior-night plans advance
Summary
The district reported participation counts for fall and middle-school sports, outlined winter-sport start dates and described turf scheduling limits that will ease after stadium lights installation; boosters will operate a new concessions stand at the turf complex.
Miss Faunas, the district's athletics lead, gave a fall-sports and facilities update at the Shippensburg Area School District board Committee of the Whole meeting on Aug. 11, reporting roster sizes, contest start dates and short-term turf scheduling that the district plans to change once stadium lights are installed.
The update listed participation by team: varsity football 53 players (first scrimmage Aug. 16 at Milton Hershey), girls golf 13 (first match Aug. 13 at Greencastle), girls soccer 33 (first scrimmage Aug. 19 away), boys soccer 54 (first scrimmage Aug. 16 home vs. Susquehannock), field hockey 24, girls volleyball 34, cheer 21, and cross-country 22 boys and 9 girls. Junior-high football has 32 players and a first contest Aug. 27 at Southwestern. Middle-school field hockey was reported as 14 cleared players with additional paperwork pending, a likely total of 16–19 and a threshold of roughly 16–18 athletes to consider two teams.
Miss Faunas told the committee that winter-sport dates were distributed to coaches on Aug. 5, with sign-ups the week of Oct. 6. High-school winter sports will start Nov. 17 and middle-school winter sports Nov. 19.
On facilities, the athletics staff said all contest and scrimmage scheduling on the turf has been arranged without conflicts for the start of the year by shifting dates; that required running events six days a week in the short term because lights are not yet available. Once lights are installed, the district said it will be able to stack practices and contests in the evening and reduce daytime scheduling pressure.
The district has identified three potential dates for senior nights to be held under lights at Shippensburg University; Miss Faunas said the administration is awaiting a contract from the university. A former announcer shed at the turf complex was converted into a concession stand that boosters for field hockey, boys and girls soccer and football can use for some contests.
Miss Faunas also reviewed online and in-person registration. The district previously used Family ID for physicals (2019–22) but discontinued it partly because of parent complaints and language-barrier issues; re-enrollment for Family ID would cost $2,400 per year with a $595 setup fee. For now, sign-ups are held in person during lunches and at the middle school. The athletics web page contains schedules, coach contact information and an Arbiter live schedule that parents can subscribe to for calendar updates and alerts.
Board members asked about female participation in golf (two currently in the tryout process), middle-school field-hockey roster thresholds and the district's decision to continue in-person sign-ups for now. Miss Faunas said staff will continue follow-up calls and offer printed packets for families without home printers.
Miss Faunas closed by encouraging use of the athletics webpage and Arbiter subscriptions for schedule changes and notifications.
