Character Building

Christ-likeness in training & competition

In all aspects of life, Christians are called to glorify God and to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ. Athletes and coaches are therefore encouraged to strive for Christ-likeness in all of their activities, whether training or competing.

Grace Christian School athletes will be challenged to do their best using their God given talents, not for selfish gain but for the glory of God and the good of the team. Competing to win is strongly emphasized without sacrificing the development and display of Christ-like character. Athletic training and competition provide numerous opportunities to instill the practice of Biblical principles, including developing an appropriate approach to authority, working together as members of a team, and learning self-control in the midst of competition.

The GCS Crusader Athletic program trains each athlete to work to develop Christian character qualities, including:

Diligence

Use all your strength and ability to complete each part of a task, whether in practice, in a game, or anywhere else. (Col. 3:23)

Endurance

Withstand stress, hard work, and the situations that Christian athletes experience. (Galatians 6:9)

Boldness

Be strong and courageous. The Christian athlete cannot be one who is timid or gives up. (Acts 4:29)

Obedience

Be obedient both to the Lord and to those He has put in authority over you. Jesus was always obedient to His Father’s will (I Peter 2:13, Hebrews 5:8, Mark 14:36 )

Faith

Show that you know the Lord is in control of all circumstances and that He is carrying out His will in your life. (Hebrews 11:1)

Humility

Show the attitude that God is the one responsible for your abilities, talents, and success. (Proverbs 22:4)

Dependability

Be at all practices and games on time and do what is expected of you in all situations.

 

The Middle School Athletic program is the foundation of all GCS athletics. Available to students grades 5 through 8, this stage of development is the most important level of learning and includes:

  1. Spiritual emphasis (developing Christian character)
  2. Respect for authority (coaches, teachers, parents, etc.)
  3. Developing a consistent work ethic
  4. Preparing athletes to work together as a team (team concepts, encourage, motivate)
  5. Fundamentals (individual skills)
  6. Learning the sport (terminology)
  7. Prepare GCS athletes for Junior Varsity programs
  8. Teaching healthy competition (learning how to be aggressive within the rules of the game and competing for a roster spot, a position, playing time)

Middle School athletics gives us an opportunity to not only refine each player’s individual skill sets, but more importantly to build their character as team members, leaders, Crusaders and followers of Christ.

In order to give more students the opportunity to grow and compete in athletics, Grace offers Gold developmental teams in some of our Middle School sports. These teams are heavily focused on fundamental skills. They have an approximate 50% reduced game schedule in order to invest more time in practice and training.

Practice or games run at least 4x a week for Green Middle School teams, and at least 3x a week for Gold developmental teams. Wednesday is normally the off day, but they may practice on Saturdays due to limited athletic space during the season.

The Junior Varsity Athletic program is available to students grades 6 through 10 for athletes who have mastered the fundamentals taught in the middle school program. Fundamental skills are refined with an increased intensity for excellence, competition, and complexity of Soccer strategies.

GCS Junior Varsity athletes must be prepared to compete for playing time. Our goal is to prepare our athletes for the demands of the Varsity program, training them to be ready to contribute immediately. Decisions related to playing time are made solely at the coach’s discretion.

Junior Varsity teams practice/or play at least 4x a week.

The privilege to wear the GCS Varsity uniform is reserved for our top athletes, grades 7 – 12, who have mastered fundamental skills with increased intensity for excellence, competition, and complexity of Soccer game strategies. Varsity players must demonstrate a consistent display of the core Christlike characters traits of our athletic program: Diligence, Endurance, Boldness, Obedience, Faith, Humility, and Dependability.

Varsity players must be prepared to compete for playing time and work to keep it. Seniority of a player is not a factor. Our Varsity players are judged on athletic ability, work ethic, attitude, and knowledge of the coach’s strategies.

Competing to win is strongly emphasized, without sacrificing the display and the development of Christ-like character. GCS Varsity athletes are expected to act accordingly to their roles on the team, and contribute unselfishly in accordance with their abilities. Playing time will be determined solely by the coach/coaches. Coaches will not discuss playing time or strategy.

Varsity teams practice/or play at least 5x a week with possible Saturday practices and games.

GCS Athletic Leadership

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