An Overview of Competitive Sports at STMC

Over the past decade or so St Thomas More Collegiate has become an athletic powerhouse in BC high school competitive sports. This is no accident. All of us at STMC have worked very diligently to ensure success, and we have been fortunate to have many talented student athletes play for our teams.

One of the most important actions the coaches of the athletic department have taken was to determine which sports we will consider STMC's "Core" Sports - that is, which sports will have teams and coaches at every level, and in which sports will we allocate most of our resources. It is one of our main goals to be truly great in competitive sports, at local and regional levels. Because we are a small school, we have limited student athletes, staff coaches and resources, and have to make choices about our priorities. If we try to offer too many sports and support all of them at the same level, we spread ourselves too thin and risk not being great at anything.

Therefore, in Spring 2010, the STMC coaching staff selected six Core Sports, considering these factors:

which sports have been traditionally offered at STMC
which sports are sanctioned by BC School Sports and therefore offer province-wide organization and competition
which sports have a consistent demand among STMC families from year-to-year
which sports can STMC offer a level of play that is superior to what is offered at the community level

We understand that not all of our students want to participate in the six sports selected as Core Sports. We also strive to offer a number of other Non-Core sports in response to student interest and the availability of staff coaches. These Non-Core sports have fewer teams, fewer coaches, and fewer resources allocated to them, but we greatly value them as part of a well-rounded Athletic Program. In addition, STMC offers an Intramural Sports Program to provide more opportunities for every student to participate in sports, regardless of ability.

STMC is proud of all of our athletes and strive to celebrate their accomplishments and support their efforts - no matter what sport they choose to play and whether it is a Core or Non-Core sport.

Following is an outline of the philosophy, policy and expectations guiding how we conduct our competitive program:

Coaches are assigned by the athletic department and administration, and are responsible for team selection. Criteria for selection are established by the head coach in consultation with the athletic director and the entire coaching staff of that sport.
The STMC athletic program is highly competitive and we are not able to place every student who wishes to participate on every team. Some teams have more competition than others. The hardest thing our coaches have to do is to tell young people they will not be on a team.

When your child tries out for a team, please be sure both you and your child understand there is a very real possibility they may not be selected. Further, if selected, both you and your child should be prepared to accept placement at any team level. When a student makes a team, and then quits, they have taken away someone else's opportunity to be on that team.

Normally, coaches have a very short time frame to make team selection. They try to do the very best they can in keeping the most talented athletes, filling positions for play, and appropriately placing students on the proper team. Coaches are under a good deal of pressure to assemble the most competitive team possible. Further, coaches are volunteers and many are sacrificing time with their own families to do the work of coaching. Any one of us might select different athletes for the team. We at STMC believe it is the coaches' responsibility and right to select the team with whom they will work for the entire season, and STMC is committed to support our coaches discretion over their team selection.
Our experience in athletics reveals there are many community or "club" teams offered by many different sport organizations. Participation on a "club" team does not guarantee any player a spot on another "club team" or any high school team. While we believe players can gain valuable experiences outside of STMC's athletic program, neither parents nor students should count on this type of participation to guarantee a spot on STMC's team.
In order to make a varsity team as a senior, a player must be outstanding and also play a position the team needs. Junior athletes possessing these qualities have the same opportunity to make a team as the senior does. While the varsity coach has every right to request that a junior athlete move up to the more SR team, it is ultimately up to the athlete and his or her family to decide if this is the best decision.
One of the main goals of any competitive athletic program is to put the most talented member of the team in competition to win the contest. Starting positions and playing time are not guaranteed to seniors making a team or anyone else for that matter. Each member of a team is very valuable to the team's overall progress. Some members may play a great deal of time in a contest while others may not see what a parent would consider "significant" playing time. Each student should have personal improvement as one of his or her goals.
Being a member on a team and representing STMC brings a certain amount of responsibility and notoriety. Athletes should take this seriously. They should be dedicated to the program, teammates, and the school. Coaches and teammates are counting on team members to be at practices and games. In making a commitment to the team and program, we ask that vacations and any other events that will take your son / daughter away from practices and games be planned before or after the sports season.
By being a member of a team, regardless of time spent in actual competition, a person can learn many valuable life lessons. Among them are citizenship, sportsmanship, appreciating good play by an opponent, working together to meet team goals, responsibility, and commitment to team and school, loyalty, placing team above self, learning to accept instruction and criticism, respect for others, winning and losing with dignity, self-control, and being responsible for one's own actions.

We hope this overview helps explain the philosophies underpinning competitive athletics at St. Thomas More Collegiate. If you have any questions regarding any aspect of the athletic program, please feel free to contact the Athletic Director:

Doug Corbett, Athletic Director

doug.corbett@stmc.bc.ca

(604) 521-1801 ext 106