Blue Dog Spirit: The Power of Positivity in Sportsmanship

Our thriving athletic program at Rumsey Hall School believes in effort, courage, and nurturing the drive for success. The Blue Dog Spirit is defined by perseverance, attitude, and the relationships built between teammates and coaches. Rumsey athletes are taught these fundamentals daily from their coaches during practices and games. To reinforce the training, we brought in the experts from Positive Coaching Alliance (a national non-profit devoted to developing better athletes and people through youth and high school sports) to teach the fundamentals of sportsmanship, effort, and learning.

Tracey Jones, Positive Coaching Alliance representative engaged our student-athletes in concepts and strategies in order to be a “Triple Impact Competitor.” According to Tracey, a "Triple Impact Competitor" is formed when an athlete does the following three things: 1. honors the game; 2. honors themself; and 3., honors their team.

In the active session, athletes were reminded not to fear their mistakes, to demonstrate respect to all members of the game, and the overall power of positivity and success. Through conversations with students, coaches, and parents, a better understanding was had by the attendees to give their best effort and continue to learn and succeed in life and on the fields.