Athletic Policies

Northfield High School hosts one official Athletic Signing Day per school year, held in April during Senior Week.

Eligibility Requirements

To participate in Athletic Signing Day, student-athletes must meet the following criteria:

• Team Participation: Must be a current Northfield High School athlete who actively competes on a Northfield sports team during the current or upcoming season.
• Coach Notification: Must notify their head coach and confirm that the coach has all relevant details regarding the college or university they are signing with or committing to.

Early Signing Exceptions

Requests for an early signing celebration outside of the April event are strictly limited to the following circumstances:

• NCAA Deadlines: The student-athlete has a binding signing date or deadline mandated by the NCAA.
• Early Graduation: The student-athlete is graduating early and forgoing the remainder of their senior year.

All student-athletes are expected to maintain open communication with their coaches and adhere to these guidelines to ensure a smooth, organized celebration.

All athletes must meet CHSAA and DPS eligibility requirements. 

• Academic-eligibility is determined by a weekly check of grades. Certification period of ineligibility is Monday through Saturday of each week. Eligibility is determined by grades that are posted in Infinite Campus at the end of the school day on Friday.
• Students must be enrolled in a minimum of five classes to be eligible to compete.
• Students with one F are ineligible to compete until that F is improved.
• Students with two Fs at the end of day Friday are deemed ineligible for the following week (Monday to Saturday). 
• Student grades should be changed only if one of the following conditions is met:
  • A teacher has made a mistake and submits paperwork via email to the athletic director who must confirm the posted grade was inaccurate. 
  • If a student has an excused absence and makes up missed work within the school-approved guidelines for submission of that make up work. 
• Specific semester, recertification and weekly grade details and requirements are available in the athletic coordinator’s office. 
• Athletes must attend a minimum of 50% of their academic schedule the day of a contest or the Friday before a Saturday contest, unless otherwise excused by the principal or their designee.
• Athletes failing to do so are ineligible until reinstated by the athletic director or their designee. Unexcused absences may also result in the loss of playing time.

NCAA Eligibility

Activity fees are charged to all freshman, sophomore, and junior students at Fall Registration. These fees help to cover the cost of class activities, class luncheons, dances, homecoming activities, instructional support programs, student travel, and reduced admission to certain school-related events. Fee assistance is available upon qualification.

For detailed descriptions of DPS policies regarding attendance, conduct, discipline, health-safety, and interscholastic activities, please review the district’s athletics website.

Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-33-102, provides that school districts establish policies for attendance. The DPS board policy JE directs that schools develop specific guidelines and policies around student attendance. Northfield aligns to district policies.

A candidate for lettering in any sport must meet the following requirements:

1. Meet all requirements set forth by the Denver Public Schools Athletic League.
2. Meet the individual requirements of the sport
3. Complete the season in good standing.
4. Have the recommendation of the coach and the principal.
   Forfeitures and byes are not to count toward winning an award.
   The principal and coach of the school concerned may award a 4-year meritorious service letter to a senior who has never lettered.

Letter Jacket ordering occurs at the end of every season. Be on the lookout for announcements! For additional information please email Northfield Athletics Assistant, Shea Morris.

Sport-Specific Lettering Requirements

• Baseball
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must participate in half of the team’s innings. A pitcher must appear in 35% of the games.
• Basketball
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must appear in 20 quarters throughout a season.
• Cheer and Dance
  • Cheerleaders should attend 90% of assigned varsity athletic events in uniform. Coaches keep a record of all events and practices attended from fall sports to the end of spirit season. Cheerleaders will conduct themselves at all times in or out of uniform in a manner becoming to their position as leaders and official representatives of their high school.
• Cross Country
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition to competing in five varsity meets or placing 1^st in any varsity, dual or triangular meet, or placing in the top 10 in the city meet.
• Dive
  • A swimmer must earn 30 points in dual meet competition or place in the top 3 of the city varsity swimming meet, or qualify for the state meet. Note: Points scored in relays are divided equally among the four relay members. A diver must earn 24 diving points or place in the top 3 places of the city swimming meet or qualify for the state meet.
• Football
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must represent the school in 10 quarters of varsity contests.
• Golf
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must represent the school and win two league matches, play in four matches, or play in two matches as a member of the championship team.
• Gymnastics
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a gymnast must enter 75% of all scheduled meets, as well as place in the top 4 of 50% of all scheduled meets, or earn team points in 50% of all meets, or place in the top 6 places of the district meet.
• Lacrosse
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must participate in five halves.
• Soccer
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must participate in 10 halves.
• Softball
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must take part in 27 innings. The pitcher must take part in 15 innings.
• Swimming
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition:
    • A swimmer must earn 30 points in dual meet competition or place in the top 3 of the city varsity swimming meet, or qualify for the state meet. Points scored in relays are divided equally among the four relay members.
    • A diver must earn 24 diving points or place in the top 3 places of the city swimming meet or qualify for the state meet.
• Tennis
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must represent the school in four league matches and win two, or play in six matches.
• Track
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition:
    • A participant must earn three points for each league meet held during the season. Note: In the DPSAL relays, only members of the first, second or third relay teams, for each event will score points or fractions of points for a letter award.
    • A participant must score a point or fraction of a point in an individual event, or be a member of a placing relay team in the DPS district meet, state meet or any meet that includes 10 or more schools.
• Volleyball
  • See League Standing Rules – General, II, B, C and D Awards. In addition, a player must participate in 50% of all scheduled varsity league games.

Northfield High School student-athletes who participate in CHSAA sanctioned sports and meet the following criteria, may be exempt from the physical education graduation requirement. No grade or credit is given for athletic participation alone; exemptions do not reduce the number of units required to earn a diploma.

PE Waiver Criteria

1. Participation in ONE FULL Sports Season = Five semester hours of PE Requirement WAIVED.
2. Student MUST be a 9th-11th grade student.
3. Student MUST maintain academically eligibility for the ENTIRE Season and MUST complete season.
4. After each semester, the Athletic Director and AP over Counseling will submit waiver requests for students who meet the criteria.

Criteria governing physical education exemptions for participation in DPS athletics: A student-athlete must complete the season in good standing. One full sport season played at DPS is required to exempt a student from 0.5 unit of PE; two full sport seasons played is required to exempt from one unit of PE. Exempted units must be made up in other subject areas. Exemption must be requested at the beginning of the season in the same semester the sport is played. Seniors who have not yet met the physical education requirements are not allowed to take this exemption and must enroll in physical education course(s). Transfer students are also eligible for an exemption if the same criteria are met and the student participates in a sport sanctioned and regulated by CHSAA. Club sports are excluded whether in state or out. Team managers are not eligible for waved credit/unit.

If a student wishes to participate in an athletic program not offered by Northfield, they can access the Student Without a Program (SWOP) process and guidelines:

A student is defined as SWOP if their school of attendance or nonpublic home-based educational program does not offer an activity in which the student wishes to participate, the student may participate in the activity at another public school in the student’s school district of attendance or in the student’s school district of residence. 

The student and family should select a school of participation where they will compete in the majority of their interested sports.

In addition to the FamilyID/arbitersports registration, please complete the Student Without a Program form.