Fort Couch MS Athletics

2022-2023 Fall Sports Line-Up: 

Boys Football (7th and 8th grade team)

Girls Travel Volleyball (7th and 8th grade team)

Girls Intramural Volleyball- Ft Couch Volleyball League

Co-Ed Cross Country 

Co-Ed Swimming

Boys Football (7th and 8th grade teams)

Heat Acclimation Practices (3 days total): TBD (typically 1 week before school starts)

Middle School Football Camp Registration is now open: Visit www.uscfootballcamps.com to sign up today 

USC football has a great tradition of excellence over the years with multiple WPIAL and PIAA championships and our Ft Couch middle school football program is where it all begins.  Come join in on the winning ways and learn from our team of experienced coaches.  To learn more about our program or to join the upcoming summer conditioning/skills football camp, click here.  

~ message sent from: Garrett Beard, Ft Couch Athletic Coordinator 

After receiving questions regarding MS football from an earlier email that was sent out,  I want to provide some clarification. If registration supports two teams at either grade level, like last year, Ft. Couch will have two teams.  Coaching staff have yet to be determined.  If you have any questions please contact me at gbeard@uscsd.k12.pa.us.  We will be sending out additional information regarding MS football in the near future.   

Equipment: all football equipment (excluding cleats) is issued by USCSD and every USCSD helmet is reconditioned and certified for the current school year.  If you plan on using your own helmet, you must get it certified for the upcoming 2022 season.  Century Sports of Peters Twp can certify your own personal helmet, but you must call Century Sports to schedule a drop off.     

~  Make sure to have your athlete registered in Healthy Roster before Aug 10, 2022. Healthy Roster 

~  The Fort Couch Athletic Registration Fee of $50 can now be paid online: https://webinfo.uscsd.k12.pa.us/middle-school-athletic-registration/  Please note: This is a one-time athletic $50 fee for the entire 2022-2023 school year and allows your athlete to play in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons.  

Girls Travel Volleyball (7th and 8th grade team)

1st Try-out Practice: TBD 

USC girls volleyball is one of Ft Couch's most popular sports to play during the Fall season.  In years past, we have had over 100 girls come into the program to learn the basic skills and, for the majority of them it's their first time playing competitive volleyball.  This year we plan to develop a new travel volleyball team that will be hand-picked by our USC varsity coaches.  The teams will compete on an 18-game schedule that travels to play teams all around the South Hills.  There will be two separate teams, one 7th and one 8th grade team that will be decided during try-outs. All players that do not make this travel team will be encouraged to play in the VolleyBallers intramural program- see details below. 

7th grade Head Coach:  TBD

8th grade Head Coach: Karen Martini - kmartini@uscsd.k12.pa.us

Equipment:   All volleyball participants should have tennis shoes, black volleyball shorts and knee pads. A USC game jersey will be provided for each player and must be returned at the end of the season.

~  Make sure to have your athlete registered in Healthy Roster before Aug 10, 2022. Healthy Roster 

~  The Fort Couch Athletic Registration Fee of $50 can now be paid online: https://webinfo.uscsd.k12.pa.us/middle-school-athletic-registration/  Please note: This is a one-time athletic $50 fee for the entire 2022-2023 school year and allows your athlete to play in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons.  

Girls "VolleyBallers" Intramural Program 

1st Evaluation Practice: TBD  (first or second week of school)

USC girls "VolleyBaller" intramural program will play exclusively in the Ft Couch gymnasium.  The teams will be organized by the athletic department and our team of coaches will run a regular-season schedule through the months of September and October.  The VolleyBallers intramural season will conclude with a tournament to decide who is the 2022 VolleyBallers Champion.  Each student will be assigned to a team and compete or practice 3-4 days per week from approximately 3:30-5:30 each day.  No weekend commitment.

Coaches:  TBD

Equipment:   All volleyball participants should have tennis shoes, black volleyball shorts and knee pads. A USC game jersey will be provided for each player and must be returned at the end of the season.

~  Make sure to have your athlete registered in Healthy Roster before Aug 10, 2022. Healthy Roster 

~  The Fort Couch Athletic Registration Fee of $50 can now be paid online: https://webinfo.uscsd.k12.pa.us/middle-school-athletic-registration/  Please note: This is a one-time athletic $50 fee for the entire 2022-2023 school year and allows your athlete to play in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons.  

Co-Ed Cross Country

1st Practice: TBD  (typically the 2nd day of school)

Head Coach Steve Levine has been helping Ft Couch runners for over 25 years and has been one of our winningest MS coaches of all time.  His experience and love for the sport plays a big part in making cross-country an enjoyable experience for roughly 80 boys and girls each Fall.  Along with most practices, each cross-country home meet will be held on the 1.95 mile CC course at Gilfillan trail in the heart of USC.  Students will practice 2 days at Ft Couch and 2 days per week over at the Gilfillian trail.  USC busses will commute the students to the trail and parents will be required to pickup at Gilfillan.  Come join in on the fun and compete against eight schools from across the South Hills who will run for top honors. 

Head Coach: Steve Levine -  slevine@uscsd.k12.pa.us

Equipment:   All cross-country participants should have running shoes and black running shorts. A USC game jersey will be provided for each player however must be returned at the end of the season.

~  Make sure to have your athlete registered in Healthy Roster before Aug 10, 2022. Healthy Roster 

~  The Fort Couch Athletic Registration Fee of $50 can now be paid online: https://webinfo.uscsd.k12.pa.us/middle-school-athletic-registration/  Please note: This is a one-time athletic $50 fee for the entire 2022-2023 school year and allows your athlete to play in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons.  

Co-Ed Swimming

1st Practice: TBD  (typically the 2nd week of school)

Practice and compete at USC's newest and finest competitive high school swimming pool in Western PA.  This new facility will give our Ft Couch swimmers a chance to experience swimming at its best.  Plus, each participant will individually learn from our elite coaches and gain experience while taking part in a fun and healthy team sport. During swim meets, race and set yourself apart in your favourite events such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, as well as the individual medley.  

Head Coach: Alex Hardwick -  coachalex@peaqpgh.org

Equipment:   All swimmers will need to have their own goggles and a black swimsuit.  A USC swim warm-up jacket will be provided for each athlete, but this jacket must be returned at the end of the season. 

~  Make sure to have your athlete registered in Healthy Roster before Aug 10, 2022. Healthy Roster 

~  The Fort Couch Athletic Registration Fee of $50 can now be paid online: https://webinfo.uscsd.k12.pa.us/middle-school-athletic-registration/  Please note: This is a one-time athletic $50 fee for the entire 2022-2023 school year and allows your athlete to play in the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons.  

Healthy Roster Instructions for New Users 

If you are a new user to Healthy Roster, please email the following information to our USC Athletic Trainers (listed below), so they can set-up your account information.

• Student’s name

• Student’s DOB

• Student’s graduation year

• Student’s sports for the school year

• Guardian’s name

• Guardian’s email address

USC Athletic Trainer: Brittney Halbig: brittney.halbig@ahn.org

USC Athletic Trainer: Robert Smith: Robert.SMITH@ahn.org

USC Athletic Trainer: Kelsey Wallace: kelsey.wallace@ahn.org