Middle school sports: A great way to keep kids active and engaged

Middle school is a make it or break it time to keep kids interested in school. What better way to grab them than through sports?

In the world of middle school athletics, the gold standard can be found on the playing fields and in the gyms and pools of Coronado.

Not only does this jewel of a city across the bay from San Diego have a thriving high school athletics program, its middle school program will either make you green with envy or make you want to start an after-school sports program at your child’s middle school.

Consider this impressive statistic: Coronado Middle School has roughly 700 students; 450 of them - about 64 percent - participate in at least one sport.

And this bit of research: Children who are physically active tend to do better in school.

Now consider this dismal stat: The recent Gallup Student Poll found that only half of the 70,000 plus students in grades 5 through 12 who were questioned said they are engaged in school. Involvement and enthusiasm for school peaks in elementary school, starts falling in middle school before leveling off later in high school.

“This downward trend suggests that we may be losing the hearts and minds of some students in middle school,” said pollster Shane J. Lopez, who authored the report on Gallup’s first ever student poll.

In Coronado, the Islander Sports Foundation plays a key role in keeping the hearts and minds of middle schoolers engaged in school. The volunteer-driven non-profit organizes activities, including practice times and game schedules, and raises money to pay coaches, travel costs and other necessities.

Its motto: Helping all students become champions through sports.

Coronado, to be sure, is an affluent community with sporting facilities that are second to none among public schools. But David Axelson, athletic director for the middle school program and father of two adult children who competed on multiple sporting teams in Coronado, said the cost to keep the programs going from year to year is quite reasonable.

Fundraising: Keep it simple

The foundation earns much of its money from a July 4 run and walk, Axelson said.

Parent volunteers helping with individual teams can also earn money from working at the snack booth during high school football games.

All fundraising falls under the umbrella 501c(3); an accountant from the community keeps the books.

Middle school athletes pay a $110 registration fee for each of their first two sports. If they play a third sport, the fee is waived.

Benefits far out weigh the costs

Any way you add it up, the cost is minor compared to what kids get in return.

Axelson appropriately refers to the athletic venues around Coronado as “outdoor classrooms.” Many students flock to their outdoor classrooms straight from their indoor classes, although Axelson said some go home to change and grab a quick snack.

The foundation oversees about 20 sports programs, most of them start in middle school. The non-profit, which started in 1994, took middle school athletics under its wing after budget cuts took a toll on the school’s athletic offerings.

Middle school athletes play other teams in the South Coast Middle School League. They have to maintain a “C” average to compete.

“This is a major carrot for the kids,” said Axelson.

It’s worth noting that Coronado along with Rancho Santa Fe Middle School, located in a wealthy community north of San Diego, are the only two public schools competing in the league.

‘They need another anchor’

But there are other middle schools that have started after-school programs. In fact, Axelson’s daughter, Kristen Axelson, teaches in a school district not far from Coronado that added a middle school athletics program this year.

Kristen Axelson, who teaches at Eastlake Middle School in Chula Vista and coordinates its athletic program, said students at the school and other middle schools in the Sweetwater Union High School District can play baseball, softball or co-ed flag football in the fall and soccer or basketball in the winter; in the spring, girls can play volleyball. Next year, co-ed track and field will be added, she said.

The program is free to students. Kristen Axelson said coaches at her school include teachers, parents, coaches from the feeder high school and staff from the local YMCA.

As a middle school teacher and former middle school and high school athlete, Kristen Axelson said competitive sports offer students a connection to school, camaraderie with other students and an opportunity to become proficient at a sport before they enter the more competitive world of high school sports.

“They need another anchor to be active and involved in school,” she said. “I personally feel it’s so important to the development of kids to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

And, one more thing, she said the kids love competing against other schools.

“That’s the first question they ask, ‘Do we get to play other schools?’ Having that rivalry going really helps build enthusiasm at the school.”

To learn more: Research shows that kids who are physically active do better in school. Read Such A Smart Mom’s The value of physical education goes way beyond fitness.