Providence Lions Athletics Mission
Athletic participation inspires students to grow, learn and enjoy themselves while they use and develop their personal, physical, and intellectual skills. Providence Academy values the lessons that have long been taught by athletic participation: the pursuit of excellence through personal development and teamwork, ethical and responsible behavior on the field and off, adherence to the spirit of rules as well as to their leadership and strength of character and sportsmanship –respect for one’s opponents, acceptance of victory with humility, and acknowledgement of defeat with grace. While winning is not an end in itself, we believe that the efforts by the student athletes to be their best will lead them to succeed in life.
Building community and pride in Providence Academy Athletics at Providence builds community through the engagement of students, parents, faculty and staff. Successful athletic teams generate unique excitement across the campus and community, help strengthen bonds among the academy, build academy loyalty and give our community members yet another reason to be proud to represent Providence Academy. Athletes can and should be used as a tool to reach the spiritually lost and to benefit the community around us. (Prov. 4:10-13, 11:30, 22:6)
CONFERENCES
TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools)
Providence Academy is a member of TAPPS for our high school sports. TAPPS is the largest private school association in Texas and currently has 237 member schools with a combined enrollment of over 40,000 students with the schools aligned into 6 classifications. Providence is currently aligned as a 1A school.
CSAF (Christian Schools Athletic Fellowship)
Providence Academy is a member of CSAF for our elementary and middle school sports. CSAF is the only private school league in Texas that offers elementary sports. The league offers 12 junior high regional tournaments and 16 elementary district tournaments.
About Our Programs
Elementary Sports
Elementary athletic offerings are introductory in nature. They provide lower school students an opportunity to experiment with sports they may enjoy and have an early experience being on a school team. Emphasis in all lower school offerings will be on learning fundamental skills, how to be a good teammate, and having fun. While some competitive situations are provided, the focus will always remain on having a positive experience, rather than the outcome of a particular game.
Middle School Sports
Middle School athletic offerings remain developmental in nature but increase in scope and competitiveness. Coaches maintain a strong emphasis on fundamental skill acquisition and technique in a fun, motivational environment. They also begin introducing sport-specific tactics and IQ to their players. When numbers allow, there are both A and B teams provided for student-athletes.
Playing Time
While playing time on ‘B’ teams will be very close to equal for all players, ‘A’ teams will be at the coach’s discretion. Over the course of an entire season, all players will have experienced adequate playing time.
High School Sports
High School athletics provides opportunities for students in grades 9-12 to enjoy a quality sporting experience during their high school years at Providence. Where numbers allow, there are both JV and Varsity levels in a given sport. JV teams play a reduced schedule that attempts to provide appropriate competition and tend to be for younger upper school students. Varsity teams seek to be compete a high level in both conference and non-conference play. Varsity coaches expect a significant commitment from student-athletes on these teams. While this commitment can be a challenge to balance in a student-athlete’s life at times due to the academic rigor at Providence, the time management skills learned through varsity athletic participation will be a benefit that is life-long.
Playing Time
Playing time on both JV and Varsity teams in the upper school will be at the coach’s discretion. Questions about playing time should be addressed in the following manner.
1. Student-athlete seeks a respectful conversation with the coach
2. Student-athlete and parent(s) seek a respectful conversation with the coach
3. Student-athlete and parent(s) and coach seek a respectful conversation with the AD
