Philosophy of Athletics
We believe that participation in competitive athletics can play an important part in the physical and spiritual growth of home school students. It is an educational experience that teaches the value of hard work, discipline and determination, respect for others, handling adversity and honoring God. It contributes to good character development, good sportsmanship and the development of God-given talents and abilities. We expect our student-athletes and coaches to work hard, enjoy the competition, respect each other and their opponents and honor Christ in all they do. We will strive to teach and train homeschool students how to use their God given talents to compete with intensity (“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training…” 1Corinthians 9:25a), integrity (“The integrity of the upright guides them…” Proverbs 11:3), and for the glory of God (“And whatever you do…, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17).
Although God has given parents the primary responsibility for the spiritual growth of their children, we believe that God often uses committed Christian coaches to make a lasting impact for Christ in the lives of young student-athletes. We are committed to providing quality coaches who teach fundamentals and train for competitiveness while remaining pure in their motives and actions before God.
Because we participate in competitive leagues, winning will always be one of our goals but we believe that God cares far more about how we compete and how we respond to winning and losing than about the outcome of a competition. We believe that it honors God to compete with maximum effort and then to demonstrate humility in winning and respect for the opponent in losing. We require our coaches and student-athletes to dedicate themselves to this goal. We recognize that losing can present a beneficial learning experience. We will strive to stand in contrast to a sports world that all too often emphasizes winning at any cost.
We believe that every member of a team plays an important part in the team’s success regardless of the amount of playing time that they receive. However, we are committed to finding coaches who will balance the goal of winning with the goal of providing playing time for each athlete and who will teach fundamentals and develop each athlete to their full potential.