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Springbrook athletes and their coaches have been hard at work since August 13. In reality, a lot of work was done before that date. Coaches are in during the summer volunteering in the weight room, cleaning and gathering equipment, as well as planning
for the upcoming season. A fact that many don’t realize is that 40% of Springbrook’s coaches continue volunteering throughout the year. We are fortunate to have a combination of both paid and volunteer coaches who genuinely care for the students at Springbrook.
At Springbrook, athletics is an important component of the high school experience. We work hard to win, but our first priority is winning the correct way. At the top of our list of priorities is safety, academic success, and good sportsmanship and citizenship.
Safety – Each coach, whether paid or volunteer, is required to complete two courses: “The Care & Prevention of Sports Injuries” as well as a Coaching Seminar Class. The first class teaches the basics of First Aid for coaches; the second explains the MCPS and Maryland State rules to which coaches are expected to adhere. Additionally, each coach is required to be fingerprinted. These prints are then reviewed by both the FBI and Maryland State Police. We take serious steps to ensure the safety of our children.
Academics – At Springbrook HS, many of our teams hold mandatory study halls for their students. All coaches stress the importance of academic success. We have found that students who are involved in athletics and other extracurricular activities have better time management skills. Studies have shown, especially for females,that those involved with extracurricular activities have higher esteem and experience greater success in many areas of their lives than their counterparts who choose not to participate. For these reasons and others, the athletic teams’ cumulative GPA has been higher than the school average for the last several years.
Sportsmanship - Springbrook HS expects its players and coaches to do things the right way. This includes playing by the rules, as well as being respectful towards opponents, officials, and fans. We also expect our fans to cheer both teams when a good play has been accomplished, to support the decisions of our coaches, and to remember that officials are only human. They try hard but they do make mistakes.
Citizenship – This is best defined as the way the student-athletes handle themselves when they don’t think anyone is watching. At Springbrook, we have extremely high expectations of our students, especially our student-athletes. We expect our student-athletes to be leaders in a positive way, not only around school, but when out in the community as well.
Winning – The State Championship in every sport is the ultimate goal at Springbrook. We believe that the phenomenal student-athletes who walk our halls can make this a reality. Will it happen in every sport? Maybe it’s not highly likely, but we never say “never”—let’s strive for the top. As Vince Lombardi once said, “Perfection is impossible, but we’ll chase it and achieve excellence.” Ryan Zimmerman may strike out a lot, but he also hits a lot of home runs. At Springbrook, we are working hard to touch all of the bases.
I hope the above reveals how athletics are viewed at Springbrook. While winning is a goal, our ultimate challenge is to produce happy, successful, courageous, and confident young men and women. Our lofty expectations for our student-athletes assure that they will accomplish many great things, but they will only achieve their highest potential with the support of their parents, administration, teachers, and greater school community. Let’s all share in the responsibility: please get involved in the Booster Club, come to the games, and support the Blue Devils!
Ronald D. Lane
Athletic Director
Springbrook High School
Ronald_D_Lane@MCPSMD.org
Office 301-989-6070
Fax 301-622-1875
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