Athletic Afternoon Activities

Episcopal believes that physical exercise and conditioning are very important to the health of every teenage boy and girl and that habits and routines of exercise begun at a young age are important to lifelong health. In addition to exercise for the sake of health, EHS is also committed to the values taught by athletic competition. Episcopal believes that the values of sportsmanship and the balance between competition and cooperation are learned through interscholastic sports.

Episcopal’s goal is for every student to experience interscholastic athletic competition, no matter what his or her ability and talent. Thus, physical education requirements are usually met through participation on an interscholastic team. This is the reason that the few intramural and conditioning programs offered are usually limited to older students.

Episcopal’s Afternoon Activities Program is designed to provide each student with a quality structured experience that, through athletic and/or artistic pursuit, imbues values such as teamwork, sportsmanship, creativity, and competition, while encouraging students to develop and pursue special School-sponsored activities each afternoon during the School year. 

 

Cross Training (Winter & Spring)

Prerequisites: 12th grade boys and girls.

Class Size:Approximately 12 girls and 12 boys.

This afternoon option will focus on using a variety of activities to incorporate elements of muscular strength, muscular endurance, aerobic fitness, and flexibility. This program is geared toward the student who is looking to improve or enhance his or her overall fitness level. Activities will include, but will not be limited to, walking, running, lifting weights, playing team sports, core training, and stretching. Many activities will be performed outdoors.

Students will work closely with EHS faculty members who, in cooperation with the head strength coach, will develop comprehensive and varied personal fitness programs designed to achieve personal strength and conditioning goals.

This class will meet every day at a different location as announced by faculty supervisors. Students will be expected to be fully capable and medically cleared to participate in the class for the duration of the winter season both indoors and outdoors.

Equipment Room Assistant (Fall, Winter, & Spring)

Prerequisites: None.

Class size: 2-8 students depending upon season, boys and girls.

The EHS Rock Climbing afternoon option is a competitive sport climbing team for boys and girls. The boys’ and girls’ teams compete in the WAICL (Washington Area Interscholastic Climbing League) as well as individually in amateur climbing meets in the area. Learning to safely climb and belay each other, the students develop strong team-work, leadership, trust, and confidence while actively engaging in a core, leg, upper-body and aerobic exercise. The competitions are not about speed, but rather successfully completing the two most challenging, marked routes possible to earn a score based upon difficulty of the climbs.

Equipment room assistants work directly with the head equipment manager. Responsibilities are related to the everyday operations of the athletic department and are not exclusively related to tasks in the equipment room. Specific responsibilities for game-day operations include scoreboard operations for all home games, field set-up, home-contest video-taping, and official score-book keeping. Also included in daily responsibilities are uniform preparation and issue window assistance. Equipment room assistants are required to maintain a personal fitness plan at least 3 days per week.

Maroon & Black Soccer (Fall)

Prerequisites: Seniors only, boys and girls. 

Class size: Approximately 20-30 students.

The Maroon & Black afternoon option is for boys and girls in the 12th grade only. This program is geared toward incorporating physical fitness while working with teammates and classmates in a competitive environment. The Maroon & Black soccer activity does not compete against other schools but has various inter-squad matches and tournaments throughout the fall season. This option is held outdoors on the Front Drive Fields.

Rock Climbing (Winter)

Prerequisites: None.

Class size: 22 – 26 students, boys and girls.

The EHS Rock Climbing afternoon option is a competitive sport climbing team for boys and girls. The boys’ and girls’ teams compete in the WAICL (Washington Area Interscholastic Climbing League) as well as individually in amateur climbing meets in the area. Learning to safely climb and belay each other, the students develop strong team-work, leadership, trust, and confidence while actively engaging in a core, leg, upper-body and aerobic exercise. The competitions are not about speed, but rather successfully completing the two most challenging, marked routes possible to earn a score based upon difficulty of the climbs.

The team climbs four days a week (Monday through Thursday) at Sportrock Climbing Gym in Alexandria - a short drive from campus. A typical day involves a team stretch, warm-up, and activity designed to enhance technique and endurance by reading and climbing various top-rope routes in the gym. The end of practice includes some free time to work on low-wall bouldering, where climbers can hone smaller muscle groups and specific moves. Thursdays are always exciting as the group breaks into smaller teams for a season-long intrasquad competition. On Friday afternoons the group stays on campus at EHS to work on strength and cardiovascular training. Towards the end of the season, the more advanced climbers have the opportunity to participate in a lead-climbing class taught by the instructors at Sportrock.

Climbing Schedule 2011-12

Dec. 6 – at Earth Treks in Rockville, MD versus Woodberry Forest, St. Albans, and National Cathedral School
Not EHS - (Dec. 13 – WFS & NCS/St. Albans dual meet at Sportrock in Alexandria, VA)
Jan. 6 – at Earth Treks in Rockville, MD versus Woodberry Forest, St. Albans, and National Cathedral School
Jan. 10 – at NCS Climbing Tower versus Woodberry ForestJan. 17 – at Earth Treks in Columbia, MD versus Woodberry Forest, St. Albans, and National Cathedral School
Jan. 24 – at Earth Treks in Rockville, MD versus Woodberry Forest, St. Albans, and National Cathedral School
Jan. 31 – at Earth Treks in Columbia, MD or possibly Sportrock in Sterling, VA versus St. Albans and National Cathedral School
Feb. 7 – at Earth Treks in Columbia, MD versus Woodberry Forest, St. Albans, and National Cathedral School
Feb. 14 – at Earth Treks in Rockville, MD versus Woodberry Forest, St. Albans, and National Cathedral School

Speed, Core, & Strength Training (Winter)

Prerequisites: Seniors only with intentions of competing on varsity team in the spring season.

Class size:  Approximately 8-10 students.

The Speed, Core and Strength (SCS) afternoon option is for boys and girls in the 12th grade. This program is designed for student-athletes who want more from their strength training routines and focuses on elements of overall strength, core strength, agility and performance. SCS focuses primarily on developing functional strength but incorporates speed training as well. The strength and core training aspect of the workout ultimately provides student-athletes with a greater degree of strength and athleticism that is directly transferable to his or her sport. The speed training part of the program helps to maximize natural foot speed and improve reaction time.

The type of activities will include but will not be limited to the following type schedule or a combination of the activities listed below:

  • 2-3 days of core and total strength exercises, including olympic style movements
  • 1 day of monitored cardiovascular conditioning
  • 1-2 days of agility/speed training

This option will be taught by the staff of Sisu Systems.

This class will meet in the free weight room daily and will use the cybex area, cardio area, and outside facilities.

Tennis (Fall)

Prerequisites: All grades, boys only, with intentions of competing for EHS in the spring season.

Class size: Approximately 10-12 students.

The boys’ fall tennis afternoon option is for boys in the 9th – 12th grade. This program is designed for student-athletes who intend to compete for a spot on our varsity or junior varsity teams in the spring season. This program is focused on developing each participant’s physical fitness and fundamental tennis skills. The boys’ fall tennis activity does not compete against other schools but has various inter-squad matches and tournaments throughout the fall season. 

This option will be taught by a member of the EHS tennis staff.

This afternoon option will ocassionally meet in the fitness center for cardio-conditioning days designed to supplement on-court strength and fitness activities and reinforce strong off-season conditioning techniques in preparation for the spring season.   

Weight Room Monitor (Fall, Winter, & Spring)

Prerequisites: 11th or 12th grade, boys and girls. Experience working in the Free Weight Room or involvement with a sports team that has spent ample time learning relevant lifting technique and safety precautions.

Class size: 2-4 students, boys and girls.

Student-athletes are expected to attend this afternoon option in athletic issue five days a week. The daily schedule for each weight room monitor may vary as the head strength coach works to staff the fitness area between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Monday – Friday

Whitewater Kayaking (Fall & Spring)

Prerequisites: None.

Class size: Up to 12 students, boys and girls.

The Whitewater Kayaking afternoon option is for boys and girls interested in participating in a fun, exciting, and challenging sport. The program takes advantage of Alexandria’s close proximity to the fall line of the Potomac River to teach a wide variety of skill sets on Class I – III whitewater. Depending on the water level and the weather, there are countless options for work on the Potomac making it an ideal teaching river. EHS faculty-coaches certified by the American Canoe Association work with a professional outfitter to supervise this option and ensure that safety is the group’s number one priority.

Beginner kayakers are taught how to safely wet-exit, swim in whitewater, T-rescue each other, and maneuver the boat in flat and moving water. As they advance, more particular skills are taught on reading whitewater, eddy-turns, ferrying, and learning the kayak roll. For the most advanced boaters, focus is placed on river running and scouting, play-boating, and advanced paddle strokes and techniques.

Monday through Thursday, the team will drive to one of the various “put-ins” on the Potomac just below Great Falls. The typical week will include skill days on Monday and Wednesday, and short downriver trips on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday afternoons are spent on campus getting in a workout or watching an instructional video. At least once each year there is also the opportunity for a weekend trip to nearby rivers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia or down to North Carolina for a multi-day Thanksgiving Break trip.