Athletics Program

 

The St. Laurence Catholic School (SLCS) Athletic Program strives to serve the mission of the school by helping to develop the students as whole Christian persons. Physical fitness for the students is important to their overall health and development. Middle School sports are one avenue for accomplishing this mission.  The SLCS Athletic Program not only strives to develop students physically, but it also incorporates goals that develop the whole Christian person through developing teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect for oneself and others. 

The SLCS Administration and the Athletic Department strive to provide for all sports programs equitably. Eleven different sports are offered, including soccer, tennis, football, volleyball, cross country, cheerleading, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, baseball, softball, and track. Many of these sports are offered for multiple grade levels in order to provide opportunities for younger students to develop skills and gain the experience of participating in a school team. Each year a budget is created to project costs for the following school year and to ensure that all necessary equipment and coaching staff needs can be adequately covered.

Equipment
Each sport is provided with the necessary equipment required to practice and participate in games. Coaches are welcome to request additional equipment as needed. SLCS is fortunate to have a budget that can provide for the basic needs of each sport. Individual players are required to provide their own personal equipment such as baseball gloves, tennis racquets, appropriate shoes or cleats, helmets, shoulder pads, shin guards and other items. Uniform jerseys are provided by the school. Depending on the sport, uniform bottoms may be provided.

Coaches
The SLCS Athletic Department attempts to find the most qualified coaches available for each sport. This can sometimes be difficult due to time constraints and the number of sports and teams we offer.  The majority of our coaches come from the parent community and work full time.  SLCS pays a stipend to coaches hired by the school.  This amount is determined by the level of expertise and time commitment involved.  We are very grateful to these adults who are willing to give of their time to help these girls and boys develop into better athletes.

Transportation
SLCS participates in the Greater Houston Catholic Athletic Association, (GHCAA), which includes almost fifty Catholic Schools in the greater Houston area. The SLCS Athletic Department provides bus transportation to league games that are played on school days. The bus takes the team one way to the GHCAA opponent’s site but does not return the students to school. Parents must provide transportation home form the games. Not all sports play a GHCAA league schedule. Tennis is not a GHCAA sport. Track has group meets on Saturdays for the GHCAA. Cross Country became an official GHCAA sport in 2017. The only official GHCAA event for Cross Country is the Championship race. Sports that are provided bus transportation pay a higher athletic fee to offset the cost of the buses.

Facilities
A challenge to the SLCS Athletic Program is in the provision of facilities for the multiple sports teams offered by St. Laurence Catholic School. The lack of green space at the school has made it necessary for our teams to play at multiple locations around the area. In the school’s current strategic plan, this is an area that is being reviewed for future planning. For now, we have been able to coordinate with FBISD, the City of Sugar Land and other local sports organizations in order to provide space for all the teams. Sports that use the school gym must share the space, not only among our teams but also with multiple schools and parish events.

Study Hall
Study Halls have been made available to different teams throughout the years. It is usually the team Coach that offers a study hall through the school lagniappe program. We have provided this for volleyball in the past and currently, football is offered an opportunity to pay an extra fee for a study hall.  This is due to the coach being willing to offer and monitor the class and because practices begin at 5:30 p.m. Coaches are welcome to set up a study hall for players if they can make the time commitment. There have been free study halls offered in recent years for volleyball and basketball teams waiting for home games. This can only be provided if there are enough parent volunteers available, otherwise, parents must pick their child up at school and return them for games.

Uniforms
Uniforms are replaced on an as-needed basis. The SLCS Booster Club has generously supported the purchase of new uniforms over the past four years. The purchase of track/cross country uniforms in the spring of 2018 will complete the cycle of each team having new uniforms within four years. A decision has been made to put the uniform replacement on a rotating schedule every five years to help with budgeting and to ensure that uniform replacement is equitable. Cheerleaders purchase their own uniforms since custom fit uniforms were the preference of that team.
Practices

Practice times are based on facility and coach availability. Since many of the coaches are part-time and have full-time jobs outside of SLCS, they may not be available until later in the day. There can be an issue when multiple teams require the same facility space. For example, there are six different basketball teams that all practice in the school gym. Priority will usually goes to the Varsity teams. The C Teams are typically asked to practice in the early morning before school; however, practice times are rotated so that the same team is not always getting the late practice slot or the before school slot.

Parent and Staff Support
As a school, we are committed to excellence and our mission of developing the whole Christian person in body, mind, and spirit.  As role models for our students, we ask that our parents and spectators adhere to the Positive Works +Playwell Pledge when attending all sporting events. 

Let the coaches coach,
Let the officials officiate,
Let the children play, compete, perform a nd learn.  

        
St. Laurence Catholic School is indebted to our parent community as faithful supporters of the SLCS Athletics Program.  We have been blessed with the resources, facilities, and personnel that have made this program successful over the years.  We have a very active Booster Club that raises funds by selling spirit wear and concessions, as well as memberships to offset costs to our students involved in the athletic program. SLCS also has an Athletic Committee that reviews the budget and advises the administration on decisions that may have a long term impact on the school.