The Colonnade 2017 (The Steward School) Issue 31 | Page 10

Athletic program promotes unity amongst Middle, Upper School student-athletes through shared activities, practices.

One School. One Team.

Athletic program promotes unity amongst Middle, Upper School student-athletes through shared activities, practices.
EXAMPLES:
Steward’ s tight-knit community isn’ t only reflected in its academic divisions— the school’ s Athletics Department also aims for united camaraderie through the integration of Middle and Upper School athletic teams into one program.
One of the department’ s main goals is for all studentathletes, despite their grade and / or skill level, to view themselves as part of one cohesive unit rather than separate teams. In fact, the program motto is“ One School. One Team.” which promotes the idea that coaches and student-athletes alike are a single familial entity.
“ It all starts with this united mentality,” Director of Athletics Bruce Secrest said.“ The concept trickles down from the older teams to the younger ones, but they’ re all under one umbrella. If you think of your own team and that’ s it, your focus can be very scattered, for coaches and for students. But if you think of the whole program, it supports the idea that we’ re all one family.”
Coach Secrest said the concept presents a variety of benefits for student-athletes, including character building, increased self-esteem, opportunities for mentoring, risk-taking, and overall increased attendance at games. In addition, students feel a deeper connection not only to their teams, but to their school community, and they often aspire to rise up through the ranks in the athletics program.
“ We want students to look forward to working their way up the ladder, all the way from sixth-grade soccer to varsity soccer, for example,” Assistant Director of Athletics Christen Heidler said.“ So there’ s a strong retention piece that comes with our philosophy. We want students to stay here as they build on their athletic skill and develop their character over the years.”
In order to impress the importance of program unity onto the student-athletes, coaches often have their teams engage in mentoring partnerships with younger players.
MIDDLE SCHOOL AND VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY
“ We have 42 runners in grades 6-12 who practice together every day,” Middle School and Varsity Cross Country Coach Laura Akesson said.“ They also have a buddy system in which they check in with each other throughout the week to ask how the other is doing. It gives me some flexibility as a coach to have the runners practice together. It also gives the younger students a chance to attempt harder workouts if they want, as well as observe how the varsity runners physically and mentally tackle their practices.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL AND VARSITY BOYS LACROSSE
“ This past spring, our Middle School boys lacrosse team was finishing up practice while I was preparing my varsity team to do face-offs,” Varsity Lacrosse Coach Jim Tyler said.“ I asked the Middle School students to cheer for one face-off unit or the other. My varsity boys responded with a heightened focus on winning the face-off for their side. At the end of this session, my team and I gathered the Middle School students around us and thanked them for injecting energy into what would have been a routine practice otherwise.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL AND VARSITY GIRLS FIELD HOCKEY
“ The field hockey teams participate in an annual‘ Program Day’ at the end of the season,” Middle School Girls Field Hockey Coach Beth Farmer ̓09 said.“ We create‘ families’ between the two teams. Then, they participate in activities such as pumpkin carving, a scavenger hunt, an obstacle course, etc. At the end of the program, the parents bring us dinner and we all eat together. The event is a great way to end the season, and it’ s also a chance for our younger athletes to bond with the varsity team.”
MIDDLE SCHOOL, JV, AND VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL
“ JV Boys Basketball Coach Don Burnette encourages Middle School students to try out for the JV team,” JV Boys Basketball Coach Peter Kum-Nji said.“ He always points out that a lot can be learned from playing with older and more polished players. Coach Burnette also emphasizes that the leadership of Upper School players is a key factor in team development. Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Jamiel Allen ̓02 drops in on JV practices and interacts with them. He also encourages the varsity players to cheer on the JV team.”
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