Caledonia United 9-12 Girls Basketball Update

Caledonia United 9-12 Girls Basketball Families,

As you are probably aware, we have been seriously exploring the possibility of combining the Cabot, Danville, and Twinfield 9-12 girls basketball programs. Throughout this process, we have had discussions with school administrators, girls basketball coaches, the Vermont Principals' Association (VPA), parents, and—most importantly—our student-athletes. Decisions that affect our school communities are not made lightly. They require extensive discussion, careful review of current and future participation numbers, and thoughtful consideration of how they will impact our schools and students.

After reviewing current and projected participation data, we have made the difficult, yet exciting, decision to combine the Cabot, Danville, and Twinfield high school girls basketball programs beginning with the 2026-2027 season.

At the center of this decision is our commitment to providing the best possible experience for student-athletes. Our goal is to ensure that girls basketball remains sustainable for years to come while creating opportunities for every student who wants to participate. We believe this cooperative model will provide greater roster stability, increased opportunities for player development, and a stronger foundation for long-term success than either school could consistently provide on its own at this time.

We understand this news will be met with a wide range of emotions, and we are committed to taking the necessary steps to integrate the three schools with as little disruption as possible. Per VPA rules, this cooperative agreement must remain in place for a minimum of two years. We plan to revisit the arrangement during the spring of 2029. If participation numbers and circumstances allow our schools to successfully support both a Cabot/Twinfield team and a Danville team at that time, we would have the option to return to that model.

The options considered, as outlined by the VPA, included:

Member-to-Member Placement (p. 42)

This option is not viable because the maximum number of athletes who can be placed from a sending school to a receiving school is two. Even if we were able to petition the VPA to allow two placements for both a JV and varsity team, there is still a strong possibility that some student-athletes would be unable to participate.

If interest exceeded the allowable number of placements (two or four), all interested athletes would be entered into a lottery, and only those selected would be permitted to participate. In addition, the receiving school has the ability to decline placements based on its own participation numbers or other considerations. These rules apply regardless of which school serves as the receiving school.

Cooperative Agreement (p. 46)

This option is permitted under VPA rules and functions similarly to the cooperative models already in place for our 7-12 soccer and 7-12 softball programs.

A cooperative agreement allows every student-athlete who wishes to play the opportunity to be part of a team while also creating the potential for freshman (if needed), JV (if needed), and varsity teams. Under this model, the program would compete as Caledonia United at the JV and varsity levels. The program would receive new uniforms, and all coaching positions would be posted and filled through a new hiring process. Current coaches from each school would be encouraged to apply.

Continue Operating Separate Programs

We considered continuing to offer girls basketball separately at Cabot/Twinfield and Danville. While this may become a viable option in the future, the participation trends outlined in the attached projections and survey data suggest that maintaining separate programs does not currently place either school in the strongest position for long-term success.

Attached are three documents that helped guide our decision. Two summarize the surveys distributed in March, and the third contains projected participation numbers for the next six years.

There are still many details to work through between now and December, and we will continue to keep families informed throughout the process.

Our next step will be posting the varsity coaching position, and we would appreciate your help spreading the word.  We anticipate having that position posted by the end of next week.

Thank you for your support and commitment to our student-athletes as we begin this new chapter for girls basketball.

Sincerely,

Randy Rathburn
Dana Welch

CCSU Girls Basketball Parent/Guardian Survey Summary

CCSU Girls Basketball Student-Athlete Survey Summary

Projected Girls CCSU Basketball Numbers