Many Cougars get their start in Collegiate athletics through Middle School Cub sports, where participation is more about teamwork and sportsmanship than winning titles. Besides, what is sports without the participation of the kids?
Through the Cub program, students have the opportunity to try out different sports in Middle School, like baseball, soccer, field hockey, football, basketball, and others, to see which ones they have the most interest in. Cub sports provide an understanding of how to play a sport the right way, by learning how to play to the best of your ability, and understanding how important sportsmanship is. Participation is very important for the Cub level, because the more people that play the sport, the more competition there will be at practice. For me, competition has always been the best part of practice, because with it come the thrills of winning and the pain of losing.
To see what Cub sports meant to Middle School Cougars, I spoke with 7th Graders Mac (‘31) and Sam (‘31). When asked how many Middle School students they thought participated in Cub sports, Mac guessed: “I would say 85 percent of the Middle School participates in Cub sports.” Sam guessed “80.” The real percentage is actually higher, at 91 percent, which might be surprising, since Middle School does not have an athletic requirement, like the Upper School. I asked Mac why he liked to play sports at Collegiate, and he said, “I think the best thing about Cub sports is just getting to compete with your friends for your school every day.” Mac explained how competing with your friends is what keeps bringing him back to practice and games. Mac and Sam both expressed how they like knowing that they have something to do and look forward to after school.
I spoke with Athletic Director Andrew Stanley about Cub sports and the development of young players, as well as how the program recovered from the COVID-19 era, when sports seasons were cancelled or limited. He said, “I don’t think there is one reason…” that participation improved after COVID-19. The “kids understood how fragile the opportunity was and how it can be taken away from us.” Many students also play on travel and club teams outside of school, which can affect participation in school sports teams…