“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” – 1 Cor. 15:57 (NIV)
Every year Trinty’s students show up ready to learn, ready to grow, and ready to play. I have always viewed school athletics as an extension of the classroom. There are lessons a child can learn through competition that they will take with them as they grow academically and spiritually. Children learn about commitment (showing up to regular practices), they learn how to set goals (we want a winning record this year!), and they learn how to exemplify the teachings of Christ through sportsmanship and fair play. A bad day on the court or at the field is a great time to remember that you are representing Christ and put into action lessons learned in the classroom.
This year we tried something different with our athletics program. We started a group of “clubs” for our Fall sports. These worked a little differently than a traditional school sports team. Students from 4th-8th were invited to join the after school volleyball and/or soccer clubs once a week with the coach where they learn how to play the sport; developing skills and conditioning themselves for a final informal game at the end of the 6 week period. This turned out to be greatly received. Our volleyball club had a full bench and our soccer club needed two coaches in order to make sure each student-athlete was given the attention they needed to grow in the sport.
Coach Eliza has also been working hard with our middle school girls on cheerleading. Whether it has been at pep rallies or at our basketball games, these ladies have been bringing the Viking spirit with them all season.
As I write this, both our boys and girls JV basketball teams are defending a winning record this year. The boy’s returned home from this year’s CFLAA JV basketball tournament with a 3rd place trophy and determination to win the Orlando Metro-League tournament at the end of February. Both coaches Henry and Louis have been working with an extraordinary group of students this year. I am always impressed with how our JV teams conduct themselves with Christian character on and off the court thanks to the guidance of their coaches and parents.
We look forward to a growing athletics program at Trinity with the inclusion of the upcoming Spring Track/Field season, coached by Dr. Brockberg, and the upcoming flag football club with Coach Louis. Track and field seemed like a natural progression from last Fall’s cross-country club. There are plans to have Trinity represented at 2 regional meets that remain to be scheduled.
Flag football club is new to Trinity this year. With the completion of our soccer field last summer, we now have a large multi-purpose field at our disposal. This gives our coaches the ability to offer more after school sports activities like soccer and flag football, which were previously housed in our gym. Flag football is a new sport for Trinity, one that our students and Coach Louis are increasingly excited for. I can’t wait to see how our Vikings take to it, and if it’s anything like cross-country or soccer, then I’m sure it will be a hit!
I am excited, Trinity is excited, to see the athletics program grow with new offerings and growing student interest this year. The upcoming year-end Athletic banquet is going to be a big one for sure as we gather together to acknowledge the excellence of our student athletes as well as celebrate Trinity athletics. We have only just started the 3rd quarter and there’s still quite a lot of game left in the 2016-2017 athletic year. Trinity, as it always does, will finish strong and will keep playing and keep growing all through the final whistle.
-Mike Miessler, TLS Athletic Director
GO VIKINGS!
