Palo Alto High School Athletic Department
Step 1: Find your sport
The first step for any prospective student athlete is to find the sport or sports in which they would like to participate. Students can participate in sports throughout the school year; however, they can only participate in one sport per season. Here is our selection of sports:
Fall Sports
Co-Ed: Football*, Cross Country*, Sideline Cheer
Girl’s Sports: Girl’s Volleyball, Girl’s Water Polo, Girl’s Field Hockey, Girl’s Tennis, Girl’s Golf
Boy’s Sports: Boy’s Water Polo
Winter Sports
Co-Ed: Wrestling, Traditional Competitive Cheer
Girl’s Sports: Girl’s Basketball, Girl’s Soccer
Boy’s Sports: Boy’s Basketball, Boy’s Soccer
Spring Sports
Co-Ed: Track & Field*, Badminton*, Swimming & Diving*
Girl’s Sports: Girl’s Lacrosse, Softball, Stunt Cheer
Boy’s Sports: Baseball, Boy’s Lacrosse, Boy’s Volleyball, Boy’s Golf, Boy’s Tennis
Year-Round
Girl’s Sports: Dance
* Uncapped Teams – These teams do not have a specified roster limit set by the CIF/CCS. This means that the head coach is able to set their roster size according to facility access, performance standards, and coach availability.
Step 2: Contact the Coach
Once the student athlete has selected the sport, the next step is to reach out to the head coach of that team to get more information about the program and requirements.
Step 3: Find the Practice & Tryout Schedule
Practice and tryout schedules will be posted for each team at www.palyathletics.com. Go to your sport’s page to get the most up-to-date information. Please note, all athletes will have the chance to get a 3 day tryout period. If you are still competing for another Paly team, just let your coach know that you will be coming out once the season ends.
Step 4: Get a Physical
- All student athletes must have a current physical in order to participate in any athletic activity.
- Take the Paly physical form to be completed at your physical appointment.
- Make sure to keep a copy of any forms submitted for your records.
- Physicals are valid for one year from the date the exam was administered (e.g. a physical completed on 7/1/2022 is valid until 7/1/2023.)
- If a student’s physical expires during the season, the student must get a new physical before resuming practice or competition.
**Recommendation: We recommend all students get their physical between late June and early August of each year. This way the physical will be good for the entire school year and all three athletic seasons.
Step 5: Register to Play
- Visit the Paly Athletics Registration Site
- We have an Athletic Clearance Information page you can visit for more detailed information and instructions on completing the Athletic Registration process.
- Follow the instructions to register your student’s information. They can be registered for multiple sports at a single time, and information can be updated at any point.
Step 5: Attend Practice
Once your online registration is completed, the Athletic Director or Athletic Trainer will clear all athletes electronically; you will receive an email with notice that your athlete is cleared. The coach has access to athletic clearance lists and if a student’s name does not appear on that list, they have not completed the registration process and are not cleared to participate in practices nor contests.
