The Gate April 2019 | Page 6

Our most valuable asset at BGGA is our peer group of students whom we believe are second to none. Our student- athletes share the common experience of sacrifice in leaving home; courage in typically coming to a foreign country to study in a different language, and great ambition to become a professional golfer or at minimum to have a great college golf experience. Peer group interactions and school culture have consistently been named among the most influential factors on student learning. Further, a mounting body of evidence clearly indicates that students who receive programming focused on leadership, community and character academically 5. How is your child’s fitness? A good team of fitness outperform their peers, get better grades, and graduate at experts who tailor a program to golf as well as to the higher rates. child is another critical point. How often will my child receive physical conditioning and by whom? Is there pre- Maintaining our student body at less than one hundred habilitation and rehabilitation offered? students preserves the intimacy and familiarity of this peer group. A junior golfer’s functional fitness and strength and conditioning are vital to their success on and off the course. For endurance, injury prevention, and to promote peak performance, strength and conditioning is a core part of the golf program at BGGA. 6. What type of diet works best for your child? Proper nutrition and hydration before, during and after golf are as important for optimal performance as your equipment. Ask about meal timing, how they balance food groups and manage hydration. How will the boarding school staff help to navigate the food choices they will face on a daily basis and how will they assist to create strategies for healthy eating? Boarding students eat all of their meals in Champions Hall, 8. Integrating character development into sports and the Clubhouse at BGGA. BGGA utilizes an in-house catering academics provides a healthy social experience. Are there service lead by our executive chef and catering team. We any leadership opportunities for the student-athletes? have experts on staff who assist students in how to best How does the boarding school offer responsibility and navigate the choices they face on a daily basis and help tutor in leadership? create strategies for healthy eating. Educational sessions throughout the year help to further develop these skills. BGGA has both a peer-mentoring /leadership model known as BGGA Ambassadors and a college athlete character 7. Does your child prefer people around or alone time? program called HABITUDES. Through these programs that Would he/she have an easy time making friends? Does harness the power of peers, BGGA leverages the leadership your child prefer being in a large or smaller group? Ask potential of students critical to college and career success. about the boarding school’s peer group. Many experts note that “character, grit, discipline, self- esteem, self-confidence, sociability” are as important in a 6 THE GATE | APRIL 2019