This year, PDS launched a new Athletic Leadership Program with the goal of training our athletes in leadership and teamwork with regards to their sports, and it is led by PDS Athletic Director Katie Fay. The participants include junior and senior athletes who aspire to be future captains or currently serve as captains of their teams. These athletes meet with Ms. Fay about once a month during lunch to discuss challenges they encounter on their respective teams and to gain insight into becoming better leaders. Before each lesson, Ms. Fay assigns online courses that consist of videos, written response questions, and multiple choice questions. Each lesson is designed to focus on a different topic, which is explored in depth in their next meeting. Some examples of topics they discuss are nutrition, how to communicate with coaches and teammates, and diversity in sport.
When asked about her favorite aspect of the program, Junior Shuchi Vanga, captain of the girls’ tennis team, explained, “I think it’s really great seeing how different sports react to different situations, and the program teaches you how to be a better leader in general.” Junior Victoria Sichel, cross country captain, responded similarly, stating, “My favorite thing about the program is getting to learn about teams I am not a part of and applying their lessons from different experiences to my sports.”
A specific moment Sichel found memorable in the program was, “an activity we did where groups wrote the strengths and weaknesses of the PDS athletic programs, and we found many similarities even though we all play different sports.” Vanga added, “I liked when they made us talk to captains from other teams…that was really insightful.”
Overall, this program helps athlete leaders move closer towards their goals by teaching them tools to utilize to help their team be as successful as possible. This program will hopefully shape PDS athletics in the future, and create stronger future captains, while also keeping in account any changes or improvements necessary to become an even better program.
