By Parker Ruth

8th Grade Cub football game. Photo courtesy of Barkley Jamison.

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. 

8th Grade lacrosse team. Photo credit: Jennifer Ruth.

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.

Stanley cares about teamwork and player development and believes that when players are taught the right way, it can help a player’s development tremendously. With regards to participation and teamwork in athletics, Stanley said, “When the ‘me’ gets put before the ‘we,’ you lose the ‘why.’” Athletes are encouraged to build teamwork, focusing on success for the team, and not just individual accomplishments. 

When I was playing Cub sports, I never had the perspective that I do now. I would play the game to the best of my ability but never really thought about the people around me. Now that I am on two varsity teams (football and lacrosse), I understand better why sportsmanship and teamwork are so important. Everyone plays a very important role. If a player misses a shot or drops a ball, it affects the whole team, and teamwork is what brings everyone together to help the player realize their mistake. And if a player has an amazing catch, or save, or shot, then it’s not just the player that scores; the team scores.