Athletics Program Builds Skills and Character
Starting the fall sports season with some convincing Panther victories—such as varsity football’s 49-21 win and varsity soccer’s 3-0 score in the first games of the season—is always a thrill! More than that, it’s a testament to the hard work and dedication that Principia Upper School athletes and their coaches pour into the pre-season training “sports camps” that take place during the weeks just before school begins.
While the athletic programs naturally include fitness and skills development in each sport, the most important component, coaches agree, is spiritual and character development—exercising prayerful and moral muscle, in other words. During the camps, and the season, Bible Lesson study is supplemented by references to and discussions about articles from the Christian Science Sentinel or Journal and passages from the Bible and Science and Health, as well as excerpts from Education at The Principia, a collection of talks and writings by founder Mary Kimball Morgan.
Here’s one example from Ken Leavoy, head softball coach for both the School and College. (He also coaches the junior and senior Canadian national teams during the summer.) Leavoy asked the Upper School girls to ponder this statement by Mrs. Morgan: “Principia sends you forth to conquer” (p. 163). Responses like this one show how seriously the girls took the assignment: “It’s not about conquering just physical stuff, it’s mental, too,” says player Tanya Marquardt, a senior. “Principia is a place to learn, and people here are getting you ready for the future so you can go out with confidence and strength and be able to conquer whatever needs to be [met].”
Meanwhile, the tennis team is taking its own unique approach. “There is a reason tennis starts with love,” the JV girls’ coach, Rusty Jones, likes to point out. “Love is our theme this year. We share metaphysics before every practice and match, with readings and inspiration, and we expect everyone to remain committed to these ideals.”
Similarly, “purity, love, and hard work” form the theme of this year’s soccer program, notes JV coach Patrick Harber, “These three qualities will not only lead to a successful soccer season . . . but also ground and ready individuals for their future endeavors.”
“Whether I am teaching, coaching, or directing, I always put character development first,” says athletic director and head football coach Brad Warrick. “Football offers one of the greatest training grounds for experiential character education. Players are consistently faced with how they will respond to adversity, and we give them the right tools with which to do so. We build a spiritual foundation.”
While hard work and teamwork are essential in all the sports, some aspects of being a reliable team member may require a little extra emphasis—promptness, for instance, and clear communication. “For our team-building night,” Coach Jones recalls, “a few of the girls were late to the bus, and were left behind.”
“We later went back for them,” he adds, “but we chose to drive home the point that they are expected to be on time and that when they are not, everyone is affected. We also shared with them that communication is just as important, and players should communicate immediately if they know they will not be on time. That is taking responsibility, becoming accountable to oneself and to the team.”
Ultimately, Jones notes, “Unity is what we’re striving to live and to learn from one another.”