Today, 152 student-athletes from 5th-12th grade were recognized during chapel today as part of National Student-Athlete Day.
April 6th is recognized as National Student-Athlete Day. Established in 1987 by the National Consortium for Athletics and Sports, National Student-Athlete Day honors high school and college students who are successful in academics and athletics, and who work to improve their communities. While individual athletic awards will be presented during our awards chapels in May, today at Salem, we recognized all our student-athletes and sports teams.
Students at Salem have the opportunity to participate in athletics beginning in 5th grade. We are members of the North Carolina Independent Athletic Association (NCISAA) and compete against several local schools that are not in our conference as well. Between the Fall, Winter, and Spring sports seasons, we have 21 sports teams that compete during the school year. These teams represent approximately one-third of our student body, and 74 of these students participate in more than one sport. More than half of our student-athletes are also on the school’s honor roll, meaning they have maintained A’s and B’s in all their classes.
Below is a list of the sports available at SBCS:
Fall Sports
MS, JV, and V Girls Volleyball
MS and V Cross Country
MS and V Boys Soccer
Winter Sports
MS, JV, and V Boys Basketball
MS and V Girls Basketball
Cheerleading
Spring Sports
MS and V Boys Baseball
V Girls Softball
MS and V Girls Soccer
MS and V Golf
V Track and Field
Owen Smith, a senior who has attended Salem since kindergarten, shared how being a student-athlete has impacted him: “Being a student-athlete has made my time in high school much better. The friendships and games are things that I will never forget. Juggling sports and school was difficult at times, but I am thankful for the experience. It taught me time management, and also the helpfulness of homework graces!” Owen has played baseball for Salem since 8th grade. Next fall he will attend Guildford College, where he has received an academic scholarship and has committed to play baseball.
As our school has grown, we have been able to add more teams and provide more opportunities for students to participate in athletics. This year, we added Track and Field. Our Assistant Athletic Director and Track and Field coach, Aaron Pope, is excited about our growing athletic department: "Being the Assistant A.D. at Salem Baptist has been amazing this past year. I’m proud of how far we have come and all of the plans that have been made to ensure the future of Salem Athletics. My favorite part of this year has to be starting and coaching our Track & Field team. I’ve been blessed to see many kids have success with things they’ve never done before. The excitement on their faces when they learn a new skill is worth more than any paycheck I could receive."
By participating in athletics, students develop important skills such as time management, leadership, integrity, sportsmanship, humility, accountability, sacrifice, teamwork, and perseverance. Coach Pope teaches his team to follow the 3 H’s–Heart, Hunger, and Humility:
Heart: When someone puts their heart into what they do, they will do it to the best of their ability every single time. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
Hunger: Our athletes should be working towards improvement every single day. They must hunger and thirst for being the best versions of themselves. “You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessing and prosperity will be yours.” (Psalms 128:2)
Humility: In victory as well as in defeat, this team will act and speak with humility towards one another and towards all opponents. “Before a downfall, the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” (Proverbs 18:12)
At SBCS, we follow the Luke 2:52 model by providing students with opportunities to grow intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially. Athletics is one way that students can grow physically. Salem Athletics presents students with possibilities to develop their physical talents while cultivating a Christian view of competition, teamwork, and leadership.
Are you interested in becoming a student-athlete? Join our growing Athletic Department and become a Salem Viking!