Athletics
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A Focus on Fitness and Sportsmanship
At Belmont Day, we help every middle school student discover the athlete within themselves. Students know that our coaches—whom they also encounter as teachers in the classroom—will challenge and support them every step of the way as they create healthy habits and active lifestyles. Because students commit to a sport each season, they gain the skills and confidence of well-rounded athletes. They also understand teamwork and cultivate a love of the game.
Grounded in the school’s core values, our students learn how to lead and how to compete with grace and respect. As they go on to high school and eventually college, Belmont Day graduates carry with them an appreciation for lifelong fitness and the foundation of what it means to be a true athlete.
Fall Teams
Winter Teams
Spring Teams
Schedule
Middle school athletics takes place Monday to Thursday, from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. On game days, events start at 3:30 p.m. Athletes are dismissed at 4:45 p.m. for home games; the dismissal time for away games is location-specific.
Athletics Policies
With a focus on creating healthy habits and active lifestyles, the middle school athletics program seeks to prepare students for their future athletic opportunities through skill development and competitive play, while also building character and promoting self-confidence through its team-oriented approach.
When student interest in a particular sport warrants multiple teams to be created, tryouts will be held to determine the make-up of a varsity and a junior varsity team. Although both teams will follow the value driven mission of the athletics program, each team will have its own unique philosophical approach. In the junior varsity program, athletes will develop their foundational skills, be allotted equal playing time, and play a limited interscholastic schedule. In the varsity program, athletes will refine their sport-specific skills, earn playing time based on performance, and play a full interscholastic schedule. Leadership opportunities will be provided in both programs.
Athletics takes place Monday through Thursday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. and is a required component of the school’s curriculum. Students are expected to participate to the best of their ability on a daily basis, and all out of-school commitments should be made in accordance with the athletics schedule.
Most interscholastic competitions are scheduled on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday afternoons and may result in later school dismissal times—approximately 4:45 p.m. for home games and 5:15 p.m. for away games. Dismissal times may vary depending on traffic, weather, and game conditions.
Students are required to wear athletic clothing to every practice and should come prepared each day with a water bottle and any sport-specific equipment. Students participating in sports that require cleats should also have sneakers for indoor practices.
Students are welcomed and encouraged to use their own sport-specific equipment. When needed, Belmont Day can provide any piece of equipment on a daily or seasonal basis. In addition, students are responsible for their school-issued game uniforms, which need to be returned at the end of each season.
Each student is assigned a locker where they may store clothing and equipment during the school day.
Team placement is based on a combination of skill level, effort, attitude, and team balance. Placement decisions are made to create the most appropriate developmental and competitive experience for each student-athlete.
Multiple Team Approach
When student interest in an offering requires creating multiple teams, tryouts may be used to determine placement on either a varsity or a junior varsity team. Although both teams are guided by the athletics program’s values-based mission, each level serves a different developmental purpose.
Junior Varsity
- Focus on foundational skill development
- Playing time distributed as evenly as possible over the course of the season
- Participation in a limited interscholastic schedule
Varsity
- Focus on advanced skill development and competition
- Playing time is influenced by preparation, performance, effort, and team needs.
- Participation in a full interscholastic schedule
Athletics is a required and valued part of the Belmont Day School middle school curriculum and plays an essential role in each student’s educational experience. Through participation, students develop skills, build confidence, and grow as teammates, leaders, and members of a community.
We also recognize that in certain instances, students may have outside athletic commitments that extend beyond what can reasonably fit within the BDS athletics schedule. In these cases, families may apply for a waiver.