As young people continue to be pressured to hyper-specialize in one sport at a young age, Field takes a different approach to prepare student-athletes for a future where they can be athletes for life. Read more about this approach below.
What does it mean to be an athlete for life? For some it means playing organized sports long after their knees, elbows, and hips cooperate; for some, it is a singular passion for a particular athletic endeavor that sticks with them for years after their last competition; for a very select few (fewer than 1% of high school athletes) it means going on to play in Division I sports and beyond. For most, being an athlete for life means building a foundation of transferable skills during middle and high school years that allows young people to develop into adults who recognize the importance of physical activity in their lives, have experienced the joys of developmentally appropriate competition, have developed leadership and teamwork skills, and have been pushed to develop the resilience and grit that athletics demands of us.
Athletics has been a core component of a Field education since the school’s inception. Early on, Field recognized that the skills developed through athletics -collaboration, teamwork, resilience, grit, and confidence - don’t just support students in their performance on the playing field, but in the classroom and beyond, preparing them for success in college and their careers. To build these skills, athletes need an opportunity to try new sports; they need time and practice to build and refine sport-specific and transferable skills; they need rest and downtime between seasons; and they need the opportunity to play across multiple sports. Unfortunately, today’s society has pushed athletes in the opposite direction. Younger-aged athletes are pressured to hyper-specialize in a single sport. Clubs and leagues urge young players and families to join higher-level teams with grueling practice schedules and year-round competition. It can be tough to push back against the tide, but this hyper-specialization comes at a real cost for athletes. Certainly, it comes at a cost to their mental health, and a robust body of research indicates that it can come at great cost to their physical health with younger athletes now needing treatment for overuse injuries that used to be reserved for athletes at the end of their careers. A growing body of research also pushes us to consider how it harms students’ athletic development and performance, all too often leading to burnout and a rejection of athletics wholesale when hard work and skill are met with injury and fatigue instead of a Division I scholarship.
During our two weeks of professional development this summer, our Athletic Office asked our faculty to reflect on a positive athletic experience from their childhood. The responses affirmed our goals: “Trying a brand new sport my senior year of high school,” “a diving catch of a line drive with the bases loaded to win a softball tournament,” “hiking in the Scouts in high school introduced me to the wonders of combined nature, exercise, and group work,” “learning every basketball skill to overcome self-doubt and contribute meaningfully to teams,” “a team bonding activity after losing in the NY State championship. We all built each other up.” Our faculty didn’t just remember being with their friends or feeling good and they also didn’t just recall thrilling victories. Athletics is about the two ends of that spectrum and all of the moments of perseverance in between.
At Field, we believe in developing lifelong athletes who can experience the joy of being a multi-sport middle and high school athlete, not individual sports stars. This means we work diligently to hire mission-aligned coaches to help students hone their athletic potential. We maintain three distinct seasons, allowing students to fully participate in multiple sports over the course of a year. We invest in the culture of athletics at Field, working with student-athletic interns who promote their classmates’ games and accomplishments. We teach the foundations of strength-training through our elective classes on weight-lifting, and the joys of mindful movement through yoga and hiking. Our coaches talk to our students about what it means to be a competitor: to win with integrity and lose with grace. For some of our athletes, this solid foundation leads them to pursue their athletic goals in college. For all, this means they stay physically active in ways that are meaningful to them in college and beyond.
Our teams have had a phenomenal fall season. It is an exciting time of year when several of our fall teams are in the playoffs. The dedication and spirit of our athletes, coaches, and fans help us advance to the next level. While we say goodbye to fall sports, we are eager to welcome winter sports including basketball, winter track, and swimming. #GoFalcons
