This page was updated on July 12, 2026

Upcoming

SUBJECT: Athletics Tryouts and Registration for Fall 2026 - Important Information 

Students interested in playing a sport in the fall should know the following: 

Golf tryouts start on July 28. 

All other fall sports will begin on August 3.

Check your school’s athletics calendar for the schedule. 

Important: Register IN ADVANCE of tryouts or if you plan to participate in out-of-season practices or activities. Visit A Better Way to register.

Provide a current sports physical to be able to participate.      

Submit your physical when you register.

Fall sports include Football, Cheerleading, Girls' Volleyball, Cross Country, Golf and Girls' Field Hockey.

New FALL Sports: Girls Flag Football, Boys Volleyball.

Note: Tryouts start BEFORE the start of school for fall Sports. If you have a rising 9th grader, this may be new for your family to consider. Students trying out for fall sports should plan to attend all three days of tryouts. Consult your high school’s calendar. 

Tryouts and practices start before the first day of school. We advise families to consider this schedule if their student wishes to participate in a fall sport. They may need to adjust vacations or other summer plans to accommodate tryouts and practice participation. 

All schools are required to hold a minimum of a three-day tryout period when selecting teams. Cuts may be deemed necessary in order to maintain manageable roster sizes. Student athletes are expected to attend all tryout dates as published by the school athletic department. 

More About Registration.  

Opens Monday, June 15

To participate in any LCPS-sponsored high school athletic activity, participants must complete registration on the new athletics registration platform, A Better Way. Rising 9th-12th graders, as well as those new to LCPS high school athletics, will need to create a new account to use this new registration system. Please be sure you have received confirmation of your completed registration at least seven days prior to the start date of your desired sports season. More information and directions to complete the registration process.

More about your Required Physical Examination

Virginia Law and the Virginia High School League (VHSL) require that all participants in high school sports receive a current sports physical examination prior to participation. The physical examination is valid for 14 months from the date it is signed. This physical examination must be recorded on the proper VHSL Physical 

Examination Forms

VHSL Physical Form - English

VHSL Physical Form - Spanish

• Start the second Monday of November

• Tryouts are Monday - Wednesday

• Athletes in fall sports need to express their interests to the coach by November 10th in order to be evaluated when fall sports end

• LCPS handbook on page 17 says athletes have up to the 10th day to try out which is November 13th. 

• Since wrestling is a non-cut sport, tryouts will be conducted to evaluate which athletes are assigned to the afternoon and morning groups.

• The afternoon group will include athletes with the following characteristics:

  • • At least one year of prior experience at the high school level.

    • Weights at or above 175 pounds (due to statistically and historically having low numbers in those weights).

    • Freshman with at least one prior year of experience in a winter youth wrestling league during their 7th or 8th grade periods. 

    • Athletes with the willingness and ability to compete at the varsity level without being intimidated at the discretion of coaches. 

    • Abilities include strength, stamina, and mental fortitude to compete under pressure at the varsity level without losing control or becoming emotionally disturbed. In fact, varsity athletes need to demonstrate excitement and gratefulness for opportunities to compete at varsity levels. 

    • Athletes willing to compete against female opponents in a bracketed or team dual event. 

    • Athletes that show the ability and willingness to be coachable, listen to coaches, focused on practicing as instructed. 

    • Others as selected at the discretion of the coaches. 

    • Ideally we strive to maintain three athletes per weight class which gives us roughly 42 athletes per room (at 14 weight classes). However, coaches need to adjust based on athletes desires to move weight classes, hydration tests, and other factors. 

• The morning group will include the following:

  • • Female athletes regardless of prior years of experience (given VA has now sanctioned girls wrestling) 

    • Athletes with no prior years of experience wrestling.

    • Athletes not selected by the coaches for the afternoon group. 

• If cuts are needed to ensure wrestlers can safely fit in any given room, cuts would be based on evaluations related to:

  • • Strength related to pushups, pullups, situps

    • Strength related to length of time to hand from the pullup bar

    • Stamina and conditioning for wrestling an 8.5-minute match

    • Abilities and willingness to listen to coach instructions, hustle to stations, and conduct exercises or drills. 

    • Note that standards are different for heavy weights as compared to light weights as coaches strive for three per weight class.

Note:  Once assigned to a particular group, athletes will not be authorized to participate in the other group practices without express confirmation by the lead coach for both groups. Athletes often believe this is improving their performance but it actually adversely affects homework and sleep. Athletes also often believe they can use the other practice group as a "make-up" session for missing their main practice but this creates behaviors that ultimately lead to undisciplined commitments to time management and confusion with other athletes and daily wrestling partners due to missing lessons taught for drills. Keep in mind that most schools only have one practice per day. The only reason Lightridge has two separate practices is because the school program increased participation numbers significantly over five years and cannot fit everyone in the same room at the same time. 

• Off-season training

• Tournaments for September through early November on the "Calendars Fall 2025" tab

• Off-season weight lifting Monday/Wednesday

• Dates/times:  4:45 PM start

• See our website tab "Calendars Fall 2025"

• Student Interests to Coach Nathan Tye "the I.T. guy" located in the school

• Interest Form is currently posted online and in school ~ CLICK HERE

• Talk to Coach Tye (the I.T. room) and Coach Barden in school since they teach there daily

• Week-1:  Nov 10-12, 2025, Mon-Wed, Tryouts for the HS Wrestling Team

  • Obtain a medical physical and register online with the school prior to week-1

  • Start on the first day of Virginia High School wrestling starts Monday, November 10, 2025

  • Let the coach know if an athlete is trying out for other sports that week!

  • Let the coach know if athletes are still competing in fall sports championship games.

  • Tryouts may be extended after Wednesday for the athletes still competing in fall sports or trying out for another sport.

  • Tryouts involve strength tests, weight-lifting, and practices.

  • Hydration tests and concussion tests. 

• Picture Day - the week of November 17, 2025

• Parent's Night for Winter Sports - the week of November 17, 2025 

• Online tickets and network accesses available

  • Spectators and Ticket Purchasing

  • NFHS Network and Livestreaming

• Lightridge Wrestling Team Store for Apparel and Spirit Wear Opening Soon