Athletics

The mission of Cardigan’s athletic program is to support the School’s mission in educating boys in mind, body, and spirit by promoting healthy living and an active lifestyle.

Letter from the Athletic Director

Please read this detailed letter from Athletic Director Ryan Frost that provides an overview of our athletic program, what to expect at registration, and specific needs for fall sports. 

Philosophy

Cardigan Mountain School athletics emphasize respect, responsibility, and dedication. Student-athletes are rewarded for effort, hard work, and accomplishment. Each boy is given the opportunity to reach his full potential through a wide variety of competitive sport offerings and intramural activities with support from the teacher–coach model. The Cardigan Athletic Department is committed to maintaining a positive environment for teaching, training, and competition.

Purpose and Goals  

It is the purpose of the Cardigan Mountain School Athletic Department to provide all students with a unique opportunity to participate in an age-appropriate, competitive athletic program. Students choosing not to participate on a competitive team are provided other noncompetitive opportunities to develop their physical skills in the pursuit of a well-rounded education in mind, body, and spirit. The Cardigan Mountain School Athletic Department is committed to the following:

• Offering a balanced and varied program of interscholastic athletics, intramurals, and activities.
• Teaching the value of ethical conduct, sportsmanship, fair play, and teamwork through dedication to the teacher–coach model.
• Modeling Cardigan Mountain School’s four core values: Compassion, Integrity, Respect, and Courage.
• Using positive coaching to address teachable moments to develop positive character traits on the field that translate to positive interactions off the field.
• Recognizing that a healthy athletic environment is inclusive, that every team member is equally important, and that the athletic experience should be fun for all participants, coaches, and spectators.
• Understanding that the systematic development of all student-athletes' skills is a sign of thoughtful programmatic thinking. 
• Embracing the idea that individual, team, and program success is not measured in individual awards, wins and losses, or championships, but in effort, progress, resilience, and dedication to hard work, one’s team, and one’s school.
• Acknowledging that commitment to the program and individual teams is essential and involves daily participation in all practices, games, and team functions while maintaining a healthy balance of the big picture and the overall well-rounded education in mind, body, and spirit.

Sportsmanship Statement

Cardigan Mountain School believes sportsmanship is an essential component for the success of interscholastic athletics. Student-athletes, coaches, officials, and fans demonstrate sportsmanship by following the Cardigan core values of compassion, integrity, respect, and courage. We encourage all participants to enthusiastically support their team, recognize outstanding performance of opponents, and always exhibit good sportsmanship in their words and actions.

Team Membership

Cardigan Mountain School is committed to providing each boy the opportunity to participate on an athletic team. This commitment means that in most sports there will be more than one team per sport offering. The emphasis of the Cardigan Mountain School program is on developing skills, responsibility, teamwork, and a strong work ethic. As student-athletes progress up to varsity-level teams, the level of success achieved is directly related to the physical skills developed through the program.

Team Placements

Our goal is to place each student-athlete in the best situation for him to be successful, contribute to the team, and earn positive feedback for his effort.

Our coaches thoughtfully evaluate the physical ability, skill level, and potential of each boy. When placing boys on teams, we consider speed, skill, aggressiveness, physical conditioning, knowledge of the sport, experience, dedication, coachability, and potential for improvement.

We are mindful that some boys will be disappointed with their placement. When this occurs, it is important that boys feel supported by their teammates, coaches, and parents. You can encourage your son by assuring him that you support him no matter what sport he chooses to play or on what team he is placed. We also urge your son to understand why he has been placed on a certain team, what he can do to improve, and what his role may be on the team on which he has been placed. 

Teamwork & Sportsmanship

We teach the value of being a teammate and the contributions each member is expected to make to benefit their team. Teamwork requires the development of many interpersonal skills, such as leadership, listening, following directions, accepting constructive criticism, and supporting teammates and coaches. Each head coach will determine which boys will start and how much each boy will play in interscholastic games. 

Student-Athlete Expectations

• Be responsible for academic work

• Be responsible for school-issued equipment and uniforms

• Be punctual and prepared for all practices and games

• Be respectful to all coaches, teammates, opponents, officials, and spectators

• Measure success by what the team accomplishes over the course of the season
• Achieve and maintain good physical condition & fitness
• Maintain a willingness to work hard and be attentive
• Fulfill all responsibilities to the team

Spectators at Games

Cardigan expects all spectators to honor our Core Values and model good sportsmanship at all home and away games. We encourage all participants to enthusiastically support their team, recognize the outstanding performance of opponents, and respect the officials.

Letter from Mountain Bike Coach

Families of boys planning to join Cardigan's Mountain Bike Team should also read this letter from Head Coach Doug Clark as it describes the goals of the program, the type of bike and other equipment best suited for your son, and how our coaches can help your son obtain the appropriate equipment.