their paths. Up to this point, the athletic program has been structured so that the boys are given the physical, social, and emotional tools necessary to becoming all they can be on the athletic field. As the program shifts to an elective where boys choose their specific sports each season, hopefully the boys are able to use these tools to make decisions to achieve their potential in their respective sports. There may be a boy who signs up for cross country in the fall because he won the Turkey Run in Second Grade and it ignited his love of running, or you may have the boy who signs up for cross country so he can get in better shape for basketball in the winter. In both circumstances, the boys are participating in an activity with the motivation of becoming all they can be as an athlete. Boys who choose to play soccer, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, and hockey, are asked to make a commitment to
their teams, set aside personal recognition, and focus on team oriented goals.
During their time at Saint David’ s, the boys are educated based on the four pillars of our mission statement: academics, the arts, spirituality, and athletics. In“ athletics”, the boys have been taught the physical skills, the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, and given the independence to commit to teams and sports, all for the sake of becoming a better student-athlete. As our boys move on from Saint David’ s, it is our hope that they are able to take these principles and apply them to every aspect of their lives so they can truly become“ All That They Can Be.” M
Craig Learn is Lower School Athletics Coordinator at Saint David’ s.
Young boys are introduced to a variety of sports and their corresponding skills and concepts.
Double-Goal Coach Principles
By Jorge Roman
As one of the four pillars in the school’ s mission statement( academics, athletics, arts, and spirituality), the athletic department embraces the challenge of guiding our Saint David’ s boys in their journey to become“ Good Men.” Through the Positive Coaching Alliance( PCA) philosophy of Double-Goal Coaching 1, we look to provide the boys with the necessary tools to succeed in life as well as on the playing field. By stressing the importance of hard work, teamwork, fair play and overcoming adversity, we hope to instill self-confidence and a competitive spirit.
Goal 1: Winning
We live in a competitive world and it’ s important that we teach our children how to take part in it in an effective and healthy manner. We all like to win and see the value in it, but occasionally we fall into the trap of a winning-at-all-cost mentality. This leads to an attitude that’ s more concerned with the results on the scoreboard, than with the overall performance and development of our student-athlete and teams. To prevent from falling into this trap, we like to utilize the following PCA principles:
The ELM Tree of Mastery 2
E = Effort( Giving your best effort every time) L = Learning( Focusing on learning and improving) M = Bouncing back from mistakes( It’ s okay to make mistakes; making mistakes is a form of learning.)
By using the ELM Tree of Mastery as a model, we help redefine the meaning of what it means to win. Instead of our students being anxious about making mistakes, comparing themselves to others or just concerned about the results
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