A Game Changer

By Beth DeGerlia, Assistant Head of School

I have been so encouraged by how open the athletics staff, coaches, and students have been to new programs and ideas. That’s what drew me to Rocky Hill and has me excited about the future of the program.

Megan Williams, Director of Athletics

This summer, the School welcomed Megan Williams to our team as the new Director of Athletics. “We were eager to add to the department so that the School could engage in important strategic planning, coach education, and player/ program development. Megan brought with her a wealth of experience and training in all of these areas, and she seemed like a perfect complement to Art Entwistle who has served a dual role as AD and Athletic Trainer for the last few years,” noted Head of School Diane Rich.

With the addition of Megan, the department has been able to reorganize roles and expand the program. In a short few months, Williams has made a big impact. Megan shared that her experience at the college level made it clear that the mental side of athletics is too often neglected in training. Skilled athletes need to be keenly self-aware with respect to their bodies, their role in the game, and their own skills and talents. But the most successful athletes, Megan would argue, are those who have strong mental and emotional self awareness, and the playing field is an excellent place to hone that student competency. “Individuals and teams perform at the highest level when student-athletes learn resiliency, self-discipline, leadership, and pride in tandem with skills and conditioning. I came to Rocky Hill because I saw so much potential for athletics to foster the student competencies through some new programs and a slight shift in mindset,” says Williams. To bring those priorities to the forefront, Williams instituted The Mariner

Way, a guiding principle for all of our teams to foster Resiliency, Effort, and Pride. This mantra has been quickly adopted by players and coaches alike and is what helps define our missionfocused approach to athletics.

Megan’s strategic plan centers around two main goals: creating and maintaining a winning culture and growing the overall athletic experience. She has established a brand identity for athletics gear, created a Mariner Super Fan program, incorporated strength and conditioning training into all sports, elevated the impact of the Athletic Boosters Club, brought guest speakers to campus, established a new RIIL E-sports team, implemented coach training, revamped the awards program, and enhanced the leadership development and college athletics guidance programs, among other initiatives. We are excited to see the continued evolution of the program under Megan’s leadership. Next on the horizon is fundraising and sponsor development, facilities and programmatic strategic planning, and continued player and coach development. Williams noted, “Rocky Hill School is ripe to enter an athletic golden era. We have talented athletes and coaches to work with, and Art and I are committed to growing the program. And, while I am not enjoying the cold weather, I am loving the potential I see here. Every day I see things that excite me about the future of RHS and athletics.”