The foundation of the after-school sports program is the belief that every student should have an opportunity to participate in organized team sports at BCD. Among the many things which can be learned from team sports are physical conditioning, sportsmanship, cooperation, social interaction, dependence on others, and the shared-experience factor. This last point is particularly important at a small school and is a major reason for having only one sport each season through the ninth grade. Perhaps the most compelling reason for having team sports is that the peak time for physical skill and coordination development in a person's life is from ten to thirteen years old. Being on a team provides a means for this development through the skill and time requirements. It also provides a reason to want to excel so that the individual may be an asset to the team. Another reason to have team sports at the elementary/middle school level is that this may be the only opportunity for a student to be on a team due to the far more competitive demands of high school and college sports. Finally, a basic tenet of the BCD sports experience is that students are encouraged not to give up and quit. After a number of years of practice and play, even students who never felt that they had any particular ability find themselves playing well and truly enjoying being on the team and in the sport.

At Berkshire Country Day, after-school sports are required for all students in Grades 5 through 9 in the spring and fall and are available on an optional basis for 4th graders. In the winter, there are numerous optional sports offerings for Grades 4-9 as well as the Friday Ski Program which is open to students from Pre-K to Grade 9. Students who have particular interest beyond the scope of what BCD offers (such as tennis, riding, swimming, karate, etc.) may choose an alternate program in the fall and/or spring as long as it meets certain criteria such as meeting three times per week, provides active as opposed to passive activity, and is supervised by a qualified instructor. The administration at BCD finds it particularly important for students in Grades 7 through 9 to be involved in after-school sports as no physical education classes are scheduled for these grades within the school day.

The most difficult problem with a required competitive sports program is striking a balance between participation and competition. Achieving a perfect blend of the two is virtually impossible even though this is what the program tries to accomplish. The reason is our belief that all children should have an opportunity to play team sports. While an intramural program would be sufficient for some, it does not provide the competitive edge or the format for teaching good sportsmanship for those who have the skills to play on a competitive team. So BCD tries to create enough teams at varying levels in an effort to meet the needs of all of its students.

The emphasis of the program for Grades 4 and 5 (the Farm Team) is on learning skills, and, consequently, there are no required interscholastic games at this level. In the Junior Varsity and Varsity programs, students participate on competitive teams that play teams from area schools. In both of these programs, the coaches try to balance participation and playing time. The question of balance between competition and participation is always a delicate one, but the fact is, everyone is on a team and everyone is involved.