Genuine admission: I have never played a varsity sport. In fact, I’ve never played a junior varsity, thirds, club, or intramural sport. While I have fond memories of riding the bench in third-grade little league, my talents are not in that area. And though I enjoy exercise, mine comes in the form of a yoga mat, where the “thrill of victory and agony of defeat” are not part of the picture. Therefore, when I began working in admission in 1992, my understanding of the role that athletics plays in admission decisions was zero. Not only did I not know the work of admission, athletics were not part of my experience at my college alma mater, other than an epic run in the NCAA tournament that shot the school into the national consciousness for two weeks. Even I got caught up in that frenzy, finding myself screaming with joy along with the crowds as our team marched, Cinderella-style, to the Elite Eight. Did this make me a devoted sports fan? No. But it did teach me that being one was not required in order to experience the joy of community around athletics.

At my first admission job I worked at a university with an elite athletics program boasting a devout fan base, especially during basketball season. On school visits across the country, I saw my institution’s name splashed across sweatshirts worn by high school students who came by my table to ask me about the players on our team (I usually responded with “Allen Iverson’s doing fine, thank you,” and took pleasure in the naiveté of youth). It was clear that many stopped not just because my school’s name was recognizable, but also because they wanted to attend a school where athletics spirit was high. Having a nationally recognized athletics brand was hugely advantageous in recruiting, whether those students had any interest in playing – especially in places far from campus. I learned that the power of community around athletics was significant to trying to build that community in the first place.

I also had a front-row seat to the role that athletics plays in admission for elite athletes, as I was assigned as admission liaison to the women’s soccer team. Why, you may ask? It’s a mystery. The coach wisely gave me a team shirt at our first meeting, making me immediately Women’s Soccer Fan #1 despite my complete lack of knowledge of the game. As the liaison, it was my job to form a strong relationship with our coach, provide him with feedback on the players he was recruiting, and advocate for admission for as many of his academically admissible players as possible. We worked together to ensure that the messages he was sharing with families about chances for admission were realistic, because his program was not the only one the institution needed to support. While we did not agree on every outcome, our mutual commitment to what was best for the institution never wavered. I was incredibly fortunate to learn athletics from someone who was also willing to learn admission from me.

When I interviewed for my next job as a middle school admission director at a K-12 independent school, every person I met asked me about a singular topic: my athletics recruitment experience. This was a harbinger of what was to come; if my first job was an introductory course on college athletics admission, this was going to be an upper-level seminar on how kids got there. The school pride around athletics was off the charts across multiple programs, from the annual football rivalry kicked off by a school-wide spirit parade to the girls lacrosse team, which held the longest winning streak in the nation for many years. However, it wasn’t until I became a college counselor there four years later that I witnessed the impact that athletics recruitment has on applicants. For one, while many athletics recruitment processes had successful outcomes, I saw more than my share of college coaches who were not as transparent or well-informed as the coach I worked with previously. I also worked hard to manage expectations for students and parents who overestimated the role coaches could (or would) play in their process. I saw some students’ dreams dashed when they matriculated, thanks to college coaches who left unexpectedly, career-ending injuries, and the simple fact that the competition in college is just greater – and in some cases, a lot less fun. These were stories that epitomized “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” of the athletics experience itself, and it was personal to me, because I cared greatly about the individuals involved.

Working at Loomis Chaffee, I have seen all of these experiences play out, but I’ve also learned many new things about the ever-evolving landscape of high school athletics. One similarity is that athletics, and its resultant school pride, is important to Loomis. We have a legacy, as most boarding schools do, of educating students in “mind, body, and spirit” so much so that for many years participation on athletics teams was required. Loomis also has a storied history of success across both boys and girls programs, with many Founders League and New England Prep School titles. So, too, the school spirit around athletics is witnessed every year during our quest to retain the spoon (a football tradition that needs its own separate blog post), our zeal for our boys hockey mascot, Larry the Lobster (yet another blog post), and the crowds at our girls basketball and volleyball games, for example. It’s easy for students to support their school teams when they don’t even have to drive to their games.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, like many other boarding schools, participating in athletics at Loomis Chaffee is pretty easy. If you want to play soccer in high school, you can play it. It may not mean you’ll play varsity, but you can play. It’s easy to try a new sport; more than one of my former advisees started with a passion for one sport and found another, sometimes even one they enjoy more. It’s easy to do athletics at prep schools because physical activity is required (although participation in team sports is no longer required) and so many students enjoy playing them. And with nearly 60 teams at Loomis, it takes a lot of students to fill them.

Given all these factors, we in Sellers Hall spend a lot of time collaborating with our colleagues in the Athletics Center. Like those at colleges, our admission liaisons work with varsity programs to understand the coach’s goals each year and help meet those goals the best that we can. Like it was with my college experience, not every outcome is a positive one, but there is no question that the relationship between athletics and admission at Loomis is built on a fundamental understanding that we are all on the same team: The Loomis Chaffee School. What is best for the school is what is best for the athletics program – not the other way around.

The relationship is also important because our coaches play a valuable role in recruiting and enrolling students who can contribute not just to athletics but in other areas of school life. As I experienced myself early in my career, nothing gets an athletics liaison more excited than seeing a top academician, well-rounded contributor, or strong community member on a coach’s roster — or all three! Our athletes are singers and prefects, environmental proctors and student council representatives, among many other things. Unlike college admission, the recruitment of athletes in high school is in many ways more complex. We need students who will possess the skills and potential, but also ones who can manage the independence and self-discipline of boarding school, who will engage with those outside their teams, and who will invest fully in their academic growth. We still need students at Loomis Chaffee who are demonstrating an interest in becoming their best self and in serving the common good – because that is our school’s mission, which is the foundation of any admission offer we make.

I know it’s not always clear to families the role that athletics will ultimately play in their future school. One prospective parent asked me recently if their child could try out for their team before they had to decide whether to come to Loomis. The question isn’t unreasonable; for a family whose commitment has been substantial over many years, being able to play is a significant factor in deciding which school to attend. Going through this process thoughtfully, then, provides a great opportunity for families to discuss what the ultimate goal of athletics is for the student, and how each school might meet that goal. Is it to play, or is it to play at the highest level as soon as possible? How much does potential college recruitment play a factor in school choice, and at what level? And most importantly, if you can no longer play, what else about the school fits your goals, talents, and interests outside of athletics? These are crucially important questions for families to discuss before a commitment is made, and having realistic conversations with coaches along the way should help to inform that discussion.

So, whether you want to play for MLB one day or you just want to learn how to play squash, there’s a place for you at a school like Loomis. It’s just a matter of finding the right one. And if you want to just scream at the Spoon Game, there’s a place for you, too – just like there is for me. #soarpelican