Athletics at St. Mary School is not all about winning – it’s so much more.  Dan Slater, Athletic Director, works hard to center competition in the context of our mission as a Catholic School.
 
The Athletic Program at St. Mary’s includes Volleyball, Football, Basketball, and the springtime sports of Golf and Track & Field.  It also includes Physical Education taught during the regular school day.  Student athletes at St. Mary’s are encouraged to develop discipline, physical conditioning and a sense of responsibility to their teammates.   As Mr. Slater notes, “You cannot make predictions about how a kid will develop athletically in the future, based on where they are now, so you want to keep things open a bit.” His approach is to expose students to a variety of sports, allowing them to learn the sport while working hard to improve their skill level.
 
At the heart of our sports program is a balance of competitiveness and the special bonds a small school can afford.  Even though winning games is a goal for every student athlete and team, the most important aspects for students are growing as individuals, sharing the experience with teammates, and enjoying the sport.    Mr. Slater invokes no magic recipe for achieving this balance.  It involves leading by example, knowing the kids well, and structuring a program and teams each year to meet their needs.   Parents too, are reminded of the Diocesan mission statement for Parochial Athletics – which provides healthy guidelines for keeping sports in perspective. 
 
This is not to say that teams at St. Mary’s are not competitive, as evidenced by our 2006 Girls PAL Championship Softball Team, and championships won just this fall by Rec Volleyball and Softball teams.  Rather, the St. Mary program provides a counterpoint to the hyper-competitive environment that can exist in today’s sports culture. 
 
Perhaps the greatest witness comes from the student athletes themselves. Seventh graders, fresh from a playground touch football game, provided a variety of answers when asked what they learned from sports at St. Mary’s:
“the value of friendship and teamwork”
“fundamentals”
“better concentration”
“Win or lose, it’s about having fun.”