News

How Older Students Help Young Athletes Find Their Place

By Rebekah Kauffman, Assistant Athletic Director

On May 6 at our Rising Raiders track meet, a group of third grade girls took off across the playing fields in one of the afternoon races. One student had pulled ahead and was on her way to finishing first when she looked back and saw a classmate trailing behind. Instead of continuing on alone, she stopped, waited and reached for her friend’s hand. Then the two girls noticed two more classmates further behind and paused again so they could all finish together. Hand in hand, the four crossed the finish line at the same time.

Moments like that are what we keep in mind when we design opportunities for our youngest students in athletics.

For our lower school students, these early experiences matter. Stepping onto a field or into a gym for the first time can feel big. What we’ve found is that who meets them there can make all the difference.

Throughout the year, our upper school athletes lead a series of clinics designed specifically for lower school students. During Homecoming, what began as simply a co-ed field hockey clinic has expanded to include volleyball, soccer and flag football clinics. In the winter, as part of the Dunk Alzheimer’s Basketball Bash, we typically host basketball clinics in the West Gym, creating space for younger students to learn and try the game at their own pace. This spring, we added soccer and tennis clinics to our Spring Sports Extravaganza, each one another opportunity to build familiarity and confidence.

These aren’t high-pressure environments. They’re intentionally structured to be welcoming, supportive and fun. Lower school students are introduced to the basics of each sport, but just as importantly, they’re encouraged to ask questions, take risks and keep trying.

For many of them, it’s their first real exposure to organized athletics. And instead of learning from adults, they’re learning from older students — ones who remember what it felt like to be in their shoes.

That dynamic shows up clearly during our Rising Raiders track meet, now in its second year. Held on our playing fields, the event gives lower school students the chance to participate in a variety of races, with older students helping to organize, guide, and cheer them on throughout the afternoon. It’s less about competition and more about experience — what it feels like to be part of a team, to be encouraged and to cross a finish line.

We see something similar at the Crosstown Classic, where our second through fifth graders join peers through our partnership with Urban Initiatives. The focus is on teamwork and play, but also on helping students feel comfortable in a larger athletic setting.

What stands out in all of these moments is how quickly younger students grow into them. With the right encouragement, hesitation turns into participation. Participation turns into confidence.

And over time, those early experiences start to shape how students see themselves. They begin to imagine what it might feel like to be on a team, to wear a jersey, to take on a leadership role of their own one day.

That’s the long view of a JK–12 program. These clinics and events aren’t just standalone experiences — they’re entry points. They give our youngest students a place to start, and a sense that they belong here from the very beginning.