08-18-2024 Back to School - Flipbook - Page 8
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A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, August 18, 2024
Student Athletes Excel On And Off The Field
What’s better – playing a single, focused sport
or different sports each season?
“You should pick the sport you want to play,”
says Clark. “No matter what sport, be a great
teammate, have no individual expectations.
Control what you can and do your best. Push
yourself.”
You might even start your own team if none
exists at your school. Clark refers to his daughter,
who, as a high school junior, wanted to play lacrosse. Her school did not have a women’s junior
varsity lacrosse team, so she got several friends
and other athletes to commit, and the school’s
women’s JV lacrosse team was born!
Crawford advises: “Let the athlete guide your
expectations. Not everyone will be a superstar. A
non-starter can have a big role in a game.”
By Lisa Baldino, Contributing Writer
A
day in the life of a student athlete is
more than practice and pep rallies. Although student athletes have a magnetism that brings other students flocking to them, they are really role models who have
the job of setting an example for their peers.
Student athletes have proven to be wellrounded academically, personally and socially.
A study from the NCAA says that participation
in team sports results in a higher GPA for both
male and female high school athletes. Student
athletes also tend to have 40% higher test scores,
and they earn higher incomes than non-athletes
once they hit the job market.
If your child is prepared to be an athlete and
embraces all the expectations that come with it,
here are perspectives from some local experts on
how to approach the opportunities.
When should your child get started
in school sports?
School teams are organized beginning as
early as middle school. Heather Crawford, athletic director at Havre de Grace Middle School
and High School, says middle school sports
programs are growing. Her middle school introduced a sports program two years ago to wide
acceptance – 50 students tried out for the boys
basketball team and 60 for the soccer team. “The
number of people who support the school is
amazing,” exclaims Crawford.
Jaroud Clark, athletic director at neighboring Patterson Mill Middle and High School in
Bel Air, also has a middle school sports program
that competes around the county. “The stadium
is always filled,” he agrees.
A study from the National Federation of State
High School Associations found that when transitioning from middle school (8th grade) to high
school (9th grade), students who had continuous
involvement in sports and academic initiative
were associated with having more friendships,
making social adjustment to high school easier.
What are the advantages of your child
becoming a student athlete?
Aside from the sheer joy of seeing your child
playing his or her sport with the school colors
and your last name blazing on the shirt, the
advantages are many. We’ve already established
that it’s a built-in social group for your child. The
team members share the same goal – to play a
sport they love – so they are more likely to encourage each other to have good habits – socially
and academically.
Second, it’s a structured activity. Kids need
structure and rules. Having to report to a daily
practice gives them responsibility and independence.
It helps your child to manage time. The student swimmer who practices at the pool at 6
a.m., then heads directly to school, attends and
participates in classes, has lunch, attends mandatory study hall, works out in the gym and heads
home by about 8 p.m. to do homework, will learn
time management quickly.
Participation in a sport holds your child to a
higher standard. At the John Carroll School, 80%
of the students participate in a sport, according
to Principal Carl Patton. “The teams support the
mission of the school: dignity for every student,”
Patton says. “These athletes are part of a thriving
community of students who support each other,
whether it’s in sports or other activities.”
“We want to engage the students. Our model
is ‘coaches being teachers and teachers being
coaches,’” Patton notes.
What are the risks of having a student
athlete in the family?
Family dinners during the week will become
challenging, for sure. Instead, you’ll need snacks
that are portable, nutritious and tasty and reheatable dinners.
Self-induced stress to be a high achiever and
meet the “standards” for student athletes is a risk
you can evaluate based on your child’s personality. Meeting the expectations of the entire school
community may be a daunting job.
Coaches and schools are addressing mental
health solutions for athletes who are struggling
with all their responsibilities. Patton acknowledges that the positive mental health of these
athletes is top priority. “The number one thing
we tell our students is, ‘ask for help.’ If you are
lost or not keeping up, talk to a counselor.” At the
John Carroll School, students are each assigned
an academic counselor and college career counselor to whom they can go for help.
Crawford comments, “Some athletes struggle with the responsibilities that come with being
a student athlete. They feel they have to keep up
appearances. I tell them as long as you love what
you’re doing, keep doing it.”
The mantra doesn’t change in college. Steve
Eigenbrot, athletic director at Towson University, notes, “Student athletes are coping with the
demands. If they need help, they can talk with
their sport’s assigned academic advisor or our
department’s dedicated sports psychologist.” Eigenbrot says students can also take advantage of
the resources available at the campus counseling
center.
Should your child (or you) aspire
to college athletics?
You and your child can aspire to anything
you want. If it’s college sports, know that according to the NCAA, just a little over seven percent
of high school athletes move on to play college
sports. Of those players, less than two percent
play Division 1.
Towson’s Eigenbrot says first, the athlete
must have talent to have even been looked at
from a recruiting standpoint. He suggests, “Try
some camps where there are coaches present and
your child can be seen by them.” He firmly recommends, “Choose a school on the basis of the
totality of the experience, not on the coach.”
How does your child get his or
her academic work done?
From the college perspective, Eigenbrot emphasizes that academics are a priority. Towson
has a mandatory study hall for all new and transfer players. When students achieve a 2.6 GPA or
higher, it’s no longer mandatory, but many students continue to attend because it’s their time to
get their schoolwork done.
Time management. Time management and
more time management. Student athletes find all
kinds of creative ways to get the job done. “It’s
one of the coolest things you see when kids learn
time management,” Clark says. “You’ll see athletes doing their homework in the stands while
waiting for their games to begin. They do it on
bus rides to away games. They have study halls in
the afternoon after school and before practice.”
He notes that mastering time management is an
accomplishment. “The sport is the reason to excel. You do good work, and when you’re finished,
you do your sport.”
Top: Rob Torres, head coach of The John Carroll School track & field and cross-country teams, along with track & field athletes. Bottom left: The John Carroll baseball team. Bottom right: Varsity softball head
coach Sherry Hudson, who was named IAAM Coach of the Year in 2023, coached the John Carroll School team to win the IAAM championship in 2024.