NORTH ALLEGHENY SPORTS NETWORK Athletic Director

TO:                 All North Allegheny Student-Athletes and Parents/Guardians

FROM:           Robert Bozzuto – Director of Athletics

SUBJECT:     2007 – 2008 Physical Procedure

 DATE:            May 15, 2007

 The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has changed its requirements for participation in interscholastic athletics.  The PIAA has instituted a new procedure whereby all student-athletes are mandated to have a Comprehensive Initial Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation (CIPPE) completed by an authorized medical examiner, which includes a licensed physician of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a certified registered nurse practitioner, a certified physician’s assistant or a school nurse practitioner.  Based on that change, North Allegheny will be revamping its physical procedures for the 2007 – 2008 school year.  All student-athletes are required to complete the new PIAA physical examination known as CIPPE.

 All students interested in participating in athletics at North Allegheny for the 2007 – 2008 school year are required to undergo a comprehensive physical evaluation for participation in his/her  first sport of the school year and sign an Insurance Waiver Form.  The CIPPE forms and Insurance Waiver Form are available to download from our website at www.northallegheny.org, and then click on “athletics”.  The short physical forms used this past year for sports participation will no longer be accepted by the North Allegheny School District.

 To be eligible to play a sport during the 2007 – 2008 school year, the initial CIPPE  physical evaluation form must be completed no earlier than June 1, 2007.  Any CIPPE physical turned in after that date will be valid for the entire 2007 – 2008 school year.  This comprehensive evaluation can be performed at your family physician’s office or with our school doctor.  If you decide to have your primary care physician perform the physical evaluation, please check to ensure that the student’s initial physical will be valid for one year, otherwise it may be advantageous for your child to get a physical with our school doctor.  When making an appointment with your family doctor, please take all physical forms to the authorized medical examiner and have him/her fill out Section 4 of the evaluation. Please note – students participating in the sport of wrestling need to complete Section 7.  If you elect to use our school doctor, we are offering one physical date for ALL sport’s seasons (fall, winter and spring).  The physical date is Saturday, July 28, 2007 (no make-up date).  The physicals will be performed at our school doctor’s office. The cost is $10 per athlete.  Checks should be made payable to Northern Area Family Medicine.  The location for the physicals is as follows:

                        Dr. Robert Potter

                        Genesis Medical Associates, Inc.

                        Northern Area Family Medicine – Pittsburgh Office

                        Research Park – Building 3

                        5700 Corporate Drive, Suite 100 (near TGI Fridays)

                        Pittsburgh, PA  15237

 Schedule for School Physicals on Saturday, July 28, 2007:

 8:00am – 9:30am                    All Fall Sports – Grades 10 – 12

 9:30am – 10:30am                  All Winter Sports – Grades 10 – 12

 10:30am – 12:00pm                All Spring Sports – Grades 10 – 12

 12:00pm – 1:30pm                  All Fall Sports – Grades 7 – 8 – 9

 1:30pm – 2:30pm                    All Winter Sports – Grades 7 – 8 – 9

 2:30pm – 4:00pm                    All Spring Sports – Grades 7 – 8 – 9

 All forms must be sent directly to the Athletic Office, not the coach, prior to participation.  Physicals turned in at the last minute may result in the student not being permitted to practice or to participate in tryouts. Such delays may result in a loss of tryout time or perhaps losing the opportunity to tryout completely.  Once the physical is turned into the Athletic Office and reviewed for satisfactory completion, the student will be granted permission to participate in athletics.  When a student-athlete has a desire to participate in a sport that has roster reductions or cuts, it is imperative that they have all of their paperwork submitted in a timely fashion.

 For any athlete participating in multiple sports seasons, please follow the guidelines above for the initial CIPPE for the first sport season.  For the 2^ndor 3^rd sport season, the parent/guardian and student will need to re-certify their contact information and health assessment, which include Sections 1, 2, 3, 5 (CIPPE forms) and 8 (Insurance Waiver form). Wrestlers must complete Section 7 at least six weeks prior to the start of the winter sports’ season.   We will also need an updated Insurance Waiver Form for each sport’s season. Your doctor does not need to re-certify any information unless there has been a change in the student-athlete’s health or if he/she has sustained a serious injury since the initial evaluation. 

 Lastly, the North Allegheny Athletic Department mandates that all students participating in athletics complete the UPMC Impact Concussion baseline testing program prior to the first day of official practice as outlined by the PIAA.  This innovative process known as IMPACT, which stands for Immediate Past Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing, is offered on line at the northallegheny.org website on the “athletic” page.  Additional information or scheduling IMPACT testing appointments may be obtained by contacting our Certified Athletic Training staff at 724-934-7269.

We have included a “Frequently Asked Questions” section on our North Allegheny Athletic website.  If further information is necessary, please contact the Athletic Office at 724-934-7238.

QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BOB BOZZUTO AT 724-934-7238