From the CLASSROOM to the ARENA

story by Jillian King

Inmy thirteen years at Wichita Collegiate School, I have had the distinct privilege of watching our students thrive in so many different areas. I have always believed that part of what makes our school so special is that we encourage our students to do it all. It is not uncommon to find a student in our Upper School who is preparing for a Calculus Exam, a band concert, and a track meet, all in the same week. During their time at Collegiate, we want our student-athletes to develop selfdiscipline, leadership skills, and an inner desire to succeed. These are skills that serve them daily in the classroom, on the fields and courts, and beyond our halls as they set out on the next part of their journey.

As a student-athlete myself, many years ago, I don’t think I fully understood at the time how my experiences and interactions with teammates and coaches were impacting the person I was to become. So many aspects of my character were developed during my youth and adolescent years on the soccer field. Some of the most important aspects of character development can be fostered during positive athletic experiences. I am proud to say that I watch our students at Wichita Collegiate display these traits on a daily basis.

Few things serve our classrooms more than the fact that our students show up motivated and ready to perform, day in and day out. While parents, teachers, and coaches establish high expectations for our student athletes, we want them to develop high expectations for themselves and work hard to meet those expectations. Through athletics, our student-athletes learn to set short term and long term goals. These goals can be personal or they can be team goals, but these goals prove that our students are learning to push their limits and invest in their personal growth and progress. Our coaches help our students to understand their role on any given team and how to work toward the betterment of the group to achieve desired outcomes. To thrive personally, and as a part of a team, is a valuable experience that helps student-athletes to develop their confidence throughout their adolescent years. In our soccer program we refer to this as putting “Drops in the Bucket”. Simply put, everyday we are pouring everything we have into our school work and our team practices, knowing that there always comes a time where we will have to “weigh” the bucket. In the classroom, that might be on test day, on the field it is Game

Day. We work with the intent to pour into our collective bucket, but we are also confident that we can rely on our teammates to pour into the bucket, making ours heavier than our opponents on Game Day. We want to be confident that we were motivated throughout our week of practices, therefore prepared to perform when called upon. Here at WCS we hope to encourage a partnership between teachers, coaches, and parents to help these student-athletes to put their “Drops in the Bucket” each day, thus helping them develop into adults who are motivated to lead lives of impact by “pouring” into others once they leave our campus.

Optimism

There is nothing like the thrill of a crowd’s cheers on Friday night. There is a confidence that builds in our kids when they are winning. But how do we help student-athletes to keep pushing forward when the going gets tough? In my coaching experience, there are few things as vital to team chemistry as optimism. On our team we call this idea “Being Contagious”. Really this boils down to spreading positivity and putting out more light than we soak up. We also understand that this means support of our teammates. On any given day, one teammate needs more than another, and as a part of the TEAM, we are prepared to fill in where needed. As a coach, and especially as a coach of female athletes, it is imperative that we help our students and our athletes to understand that to support one another, and to see another succeed, in no way dulls our own shine. Together we achieve more than we can individually! There is strength in numbers!

Leadership

When we think of studentathletes, we tend to think of leaders. However, not everyone is a natural born leader. So how do we help all players on our teams to develop leadership skills? In my opinion, leadership is about ownership of your role on any team; not just those teams that take the field of competition. I encourage all of our athletes to embrace a leadership role in their respective programs, no matter what that may be. There are different types of leaders; those that are vocal, those that lead by example, those that step up without being asked, etc. But there is true power in the TEAM that encourages every player to be a leader. On our team we refer to this as the “Margin of Victory”. When every player embraces their opportunity to be a difference maker and to have the confidence to step up when called upon, our teams thrive. This also translates to the classroom as leadership skills help our students to advocate for themselves, gives them the confidence to ask questions and participate in the classroom, and the willingness to take on new challenges.

A SENSE of BELONGING

As parents, there are few things more important to us than knowing that our kids feel accepted and supported by others. I have always found that our school community strives to foster a sense of belonging for our students, and our athletic programs are an extension of that environment. When part of a team, kids are given an opportunity to work toward a common goal. Our teams allow for kids to feel supported by coaches and teammates as they hone their skills in a safe space. Our athletic programs at WCS provide a high level of competition, while at the same time, foster a sense of development for all participants. Following Covid, we have seen a decline in the number of athletic participants throughout our league and across the state. I encourage our young athletes to get back out there and get involved with our programs.

If you are a new member to a team, a returning member, or a veteran of our programs at WCS, each child has something special to offer to our community and a unique opportunity to be surrounded by people that will help them to grow into the best version of themselves.

Walking on campus every day at Wichita Collegiate School I am reminded that this is a special place. I am thankful for an environment that allows our kids to thrive in whatever they love, whether that be academics, the arts, athletics or all of the above! There is a place for all of the students in our community to contribute to our programs in a positive way that benefits themselves and others. And specifically, being a student-athlete at Wichita Collegiate School is an opportunity to grow as a lifelong learner AND a competitor at the highest level.