Frequently Asked Questions

The IHSAA has mandated that all high schools have the same moratorium week (a time away for student-athletes and coaches where NO athletic activities or contact takes place). The IHSAA moratorium dates for this year and the next are:

  • Summer 2024: June 29 – July 7

Bishop Chatard also observes another moratorium for most sports to provide another break for student-athletes & coaches just before the first Fall Sports Official Practice dates. The BCHS moratorium dates for the next two years are:

  • Summer 2024: July 27 – August 4

Moratorium dates up to 2025

If we are not in school due to inclement weather, then there will be no practices conducted or games contested. [Exception to this could be a city or state tournament activity may take place if the host school or IHSAA so chooses.]

Ideally, ALL OF IT!! Only exceptions: field trips, funerals, doctor’s appointments (with note), retreats, or college visits or other excused situations by the BCHS administration.

Our athletic GPA requirement is this: a student-athlete must earn a quarterly GPA of 2.0 or higher to be eligible to compete as a BCHS athlete. A student-athlete may regain their eligibility at the conclusion of the next quarter in which they attain the required 2.0 GPA. (NOTE: the athletic department works closely with the guidance office in these matters.) See the Athletic Code of Conduct for details.

Singling out athletes . yes…unfairly . no. Athletes are ambassadors of the school. Young eyes are on them and they need to keep that in mind with their daily deportment. It is a choice to consistently do what is right. As for grades, we would be doing our athletes a great disservice if we let them go through their high school career and then hit a wall while not being able to think for themselves &/or meet the NCAA Clearinghouse minimum standards.

Support your child, the coaches, the program, & the athletic department/school. Do it in that order, while keeping in mind the role of each party involved. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion in regards to “how a game plan was executed or calls that are made during contests”, but anything short of positive support during a contest is unproductive & detrimental to the student-athletes and their team.

As Director of Athletics I will not care if we ever win a contest, as long as I am convinced that our student-athletes were prepared & confident of doing their best. I believe that the competitive outcome we experience is purely a by-product of our preparation & attention to detail. Athletics is (or should be) about teaching & confidence building. Most often the edge that separates one competitor from another is not pure ability, but rather the intelligent preparation & positioning that one accomplishes over their opponent. If a student-athlete works hard in the classroom & on the field/court, is coachable & teachable, truly understands the concept of team, brings out the best in the people around them, & represents BCHS with class & dignity; then they are successful. Winning contests is earned only after doing the correct things consistently. No coach at BCHS in the past several years has been released because they did not win contests.

The philosophy we promote to all of our coaches is that the younger the age of the team, the more the playing time should be spread around. This is a difficult concern even for the most conscientious coach, because all student-athletes want maximum playing time and it is just not possible for everyone.

Any student-athlete wishing to participate in a Bishop Chatard athletic program have the IHSAA Pre-Participation Physical on file and all other forms in our software, Final Forms, completed.

Go to Physicals for further information.

The head coach of each sport is responsible for determining the criteria for making the team & remaining on the team. Intangible factors can affect the choosing of an athletic team. We ask that coaches make the criteria clear beforehand & offer to talk with any student-athlete who has been cut to explain the reasons & discuss the individual’s ‘work areas’ should they want to try out again in the future. (Some sports, simply by their nature, do not need to make cuts.)

It depends on the source of the concern/problem. If the issue is between a student-athlete & coach, then a direct one-on-one is best. We need to teach our children to take that initiative. They should ask for an appointment with the coach to discuss their issue. If the parent has concerns about the way a coach is doing their job, then the appointment should be between the coach & respective parent(s). Direct one-on-one communication is always best – but if there is no resolution, an additional step may need to be taken (bring in the sport’s head coach if the issue is with an assistant, or the AD if the problem is with the head coach, etc.)

Any student who plans to play sports in college should visit the NCAA Eligibility Center to sign up and begin the required academic verification process. Visit www.eligibilitycenter.org to get started. It is recommended that this process be initiated by the summer prior to senior year.

This can be found, along with other valuable information, in the student-athlete handbook. Click here to go to the handbook.