What Are Sports At Head-Royce?

The School is known for its impressive academics, but the sports program is what is often overlooked. Almost everyone knows the famous Class of 2015 Jayhawk, Nico Hoerner, the starting shortstop and second baseman for the Chicago Cubs, but he is not the only one who left the School to pursue sports. 

Just this year, the graduating class of 2021 reported over seven students who are committed to playing sports in college. The years before that had similar numbers too, with the fewest number of collegiate athletes at 5 in the last 9 years. The class of 2019 had 15 students show their academic and athletic skills at 13 different colleges. 

What do these numbers actually mean for the School’s athletic program? Nobody knows what the numbers mean, except for the fact that we as a school can produce a large number of student athletes despite the small focus on sports. 

However, the smaller focus on sports is not necessarily a bad thing. The non competitive atmosphere gives the students the opportunity to try a sport they have never attempted before. The teams give new players a feel for the game, while still offering a chance for the stars to shine.

The new turf, dugouts, and bleachers set to be finished this year will hopefully encourage even more fans to help cheer on the athletes. It’s no secret that better facilities encourage more people to play and root for their home team. Who knows, maybe this new turf will lead to greater athletics participation in the upcoming years.