Saints Athletics

St. Andrew's athletic program is, for many students, the cornerstone of their St. Andrew's experience; it is on our teams that students learn their most impactful lessons and forge their most indelible St. Andrew's memories. Our coaches spend two hours of uninterrupted time each day with student-athletes, more than any single teacher or advisor, and more than half of graduating seniors identify an athletic moment or team when asked to name a highlight of their time at St. Andrew's.

Our athletic program is centered on:

Encouraging students to pursue multiple sports rather than specializing in one
Highly personalized coaching & mentorship
The highest standards of sportsmanship

The most powerful impact that athletics has at St. Andrew's is that it teaches our students their efforts matter, that being engaged matters, that being there and having each other's backs matters, that pushing their chips to the center of the table and being "all in" matters, and that when they take this approach collectively as a student body that there is no more powerful force in the world than the St. Andrew's community.

Al Wood, DIRECTOR, SPORTS MEDICINE

What Does It Mean to Be a Multi-Sport Athlete?

Although single-sport specialization is the current prevailing trend for American high school athletes, St. Andrew's encourages its student-athletes to pursue a different path: that of the multi-sport athlete. In leaving home to attend our all-boarding school, St. Andrew's student-athletes forego playing a single sport year-round on their local club or travel teams, but gain the opportunity to become more complete athletes—and we believe the benefits of pursuing this "road less traveled by" makes all the difference for our student athletes. And, thanks to our coaches' extensive network, committed St. Andrew's athletes are also able to compete with local clubs, travel teams, AAU, or U.S. National teams if they choose.

Greater opportunities for leadership development & personal growth

As a multi-sport athlete, every four months, our students start over: they begin a new sport, on a new team, with new teammates, all of whom have varying levels of talent. The best player on the soccer team in the fall may find that he is not the best basketball player or swimmer in the winter. This differential creates an opportunity to grow, both physically, and mentally. Athletes learn to display leadership within different teams and different context, and to work within differing social dynamics to build connections with teammates and coaches. This growth opportunity is not as present in the club or travel team environment, in which athletes in the same age group routinely play together every season, with the same coaches, year-round, and year after year. As they develop as adolescents, high school athletes need opportunities to challenge themselves within their zone of proximal development, break out of the set role or expectations coaches and teammates may have assigned to her within a given sport, and define and re-define themselves on their own terms. Multi-sport participation gives our students such opportunities.

Lower rates of injury

Multi-sport athletes display improved overall health and wellness, and have much lower rates of repetitive overuse injury. Changing up their sport each season gives student athletes an opportunity for "active recovery," that is, a space in which they can heal and recover from any aches and pains incurred during the previous season, while still being challenged physically and competitively. Specialized athletes participating in year-round single-sport competition cannot access this space of active recovery, and thus routinely develop repetitive overuse injuries, which can sometimes end their season, as a result.

More fun!

Many of our student-athletes note that participation in a variety of sports is simply more fun. St. Andrew's athletes are not just challenged and developed by their multi-sport play—they're inspired and energized, too. Each season, our athletes embrace their new teammates, coaches, challenges, and opportunities, dive into new experiences, and breathe energy and life into the school community.

Athletic Training

Functional Movement Testing

St. Andrew’s sports medicine staff utilizes the Functional Movement System as a major component of the School's injury prevention programs. Athletes may come to the Siprelle Field House to be screened by the sports medicine staff before the season begins to assess each athlete’s movement quality. Athletes are then placed on a personalized program to improve movement efficiency and to eliminate overly tight or weak areas of the body (since such imbalances often lead to injury). When student athletes reach an acceptable level of movement technique and quality, they work through a program that challenges them in areas from balance and stability to posture and improved performance in their strength, power, and speed.

Strength & Conditioning

ImPACT Testing

The ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) Test is a concussion-evaluation toolkit. Administered to each St. Andrew's student every two years, the ImPACT test allows sports medicine staff to maintain an accurate baseline evaluation of a student's standard brain function (such as verbal and visual memory, processing speed, and reaction time). In the event that the student suffers a head injury and concussion is suspected, sports medicine staff will re-administer the ImPACT test, and use the student's prior baseline test as a comparison point to evaluate concussion symptoms, manage improvement, and make return-to-play decisions.

Injury Care

When injuries do occur, St. Andrew’s employs two certified athletic trainers who provide immediate first aid and emergency care to students. Most post-injury rehabilitation occurs on campus under the care of our athletic trainers, in our state-of-the-art Performance & Rehabilitation Center in the Sipprelle Field House. Sports medicine staff will also coordinate any necessary off-campus doctor's visits or follow-up appointments with the school's Health Services Center, with a goal of providing both top-quality care to students, and communication to parents.