Community Services’ middle school sports programs offer seventh and eighth grade students the opportunities to practice and compete in key sports in preparation for high school sport participation. Our instructors are experienced and skilled in teaching and coaching their sport. Students learn the value of competition and good sportsmanship.
Swimming/Diving
Middle school swimming and diving instruction focuses on strengthening and perfecting students’ swimming strokes and diving form while increasing endurance for competition.
Girls Swim and Dive – 7th & 8th Grade, Winter 1 Sport
Boys Swim and Dive – 7th & 8th Grade, Winter 2 Sport
The team will participate against other schools in the West Michigan Middle School Conference. League Schools: Wayland, East Grand Rapids, Spring Lake, Northview, Byron Center, and Rockford.
- The boys and girls teams consist of athletes from all three FHPS middle schools
- Athletes will choose to participate on the Swim team or Dive team during the first week of practice.
- Practice will be held from 7:30-9:00 pm.
- Meets: Tuesdays and Thursdays (4:00-6:00 pm)
- Transportation is not provided
- Team shirt is provided
Girls’ Water Polo
Imagine the sports of soccer, hockey, basketball, and lacrosse combined into one sport, played in the water, without horses! Middle School water polo is an excellent opportunity for girls to gain water polo experience before high school.
Girls Water Polo – 7th & 8th Grade, Spring Sport
- This team consists of girls from all three FHPS middle schools
- Participants must be able to swim and tread water; swim team experience is not required.
- Practices will take place three nights a week (Time TBD)
- Matches: Saturdays between 8:00-4:00 (Start time TBD)
- Transportation is not provided
- Team shirt is provided
Tennis
Athletes interested in participating the West Michigan Middle School Conference Tennis program should enroll in our middle school tennis program. Instructors emphasize proper forehands, backhands, serves, volleys, overheads, and specialty shots. Court strategies are also taught.
Boys Tennis – 7th & 8th Grade, Fall Sport
Girls Tennis – 7th & 8th Grade, Spring Sport
- Northern Middle, Eastern Middle, and Central Middle practice and compete at their High School tennis courts
- Practices: Monday through Thursday, 6:00-7:30 pm
- Matches are played Monday through Thursday (Time TBD 4:00-6:00 pm)
- Transportation is not provided
- Team shirt is provided
Middle School or Community Services?
Each of our middle schools, Eastern, Central, and Northern oversees the following interscholastic sports for seventh and eighth grade students:
- FALL – boys and girls cross country and girls volleyball
- WINTER 1- boys and
- WINTER 2 – girls basketball and boys wrestling
- SPRING co-ed track
For information about sports run through the FHPS middle school sports programs, call the middle school athletic offices at the following phone numbers:
- Central Middle School, (616) 493-8750
- Eastern Middle School, (616) 493-8850
- Northern Hills Middle School, (616) 493-8650
FHPS Community Services oversees the following interscholastic middle school sports:
- FALL – boys tennis
- WINTER 1- girls swimming and diving
- WINTER 2 – boys swimming and diving
- SPRING – girls’ water polo and girls tennis
For information about the FHPS middle school sports run through Community Services, call (616) 493-8950.
Enrolling
Only students attending Forest Hills Public Schools can be enrolled in middle school athletic programs.
There are pay-to-play fees associated with the FHPS interscholastic athletic programs. No athlete will be denied the opportunity to participate due to financial reasons. Qualifying families must contact their school principal for confidential arrangements.
Registration for all middle school sports is done online via Final Forms. A registration link to that form is below.
MHSAA Guidelines
All middle school sports, regardless of who runs it within FHPS, follow guidelines set forth by the Michigan High School Athletics Association. These guidelines include academic eligibility, athletic physicals, and codes of conduct. Additionally, all coaches adhere to and meet strict employee standards. Instructors are experienced and skilled in teaching and coaching their sport(s), and both programs compete against other middle school teams.
Transportation
As for transportation, when participating in a school-run activity, if school transportation is provided, athletes must ride to the event as a team, unless the school principal or athletic director approves an alternate plan. There is no busing associated with the middle school sports program run by Community Services, and parents/guardians of the athletes are responsible for transportation.
