Athletics

Sports Talk with Mr. A

Home & School: What is your vision for NDAA’s athletic program?

Mr. Arizaga: I’d like to expand the program to include junior high and elementary basketball teams, a softball team, and a track and field team. The kids are ready and talented, but a lack of practice facilities and equipment are a huge challenge.

H&S: Can you talk about what facility needs we have, and how this affects our sports program?

Mr. A: Well, with no soccer field, no track, and decreasing access to the St. Luke’s gym, our practice and game preparation becomes more difficult and frustrating for both our players and coaches. It’s possible that instead of expanding we may have to scale back the programs we currently have because of this. The teams we play definitely have these types of facilities and it gets harder to stay competitive when we don’t.

H&S: What schools do we play against and what league are we in?

Mr. A:  We play in both the TCAF, Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship league, and also the SWAU group consisting of other Adventist schools in several states. The TCAF consists of private/parochial schools, organized by district into leagues.  Some of the TCAF schools that we play are Grace Christian Academy, Lakewood Presbyterian School, Highpoint Preparatory 

Academy and Wylie Preparatory Academy. The league also includes some schools 

    from El Paso and Houston.  

H&S: I understand the boy’s team forfeited the TCAF championship game for the second year because it was to be played on Sabbath (see article, above). It seems extraordinary that the league may change the game day so that our team can compete. 

Mr. A: It all has to do with our athletes and their character. I get so many comments about our kids from refs, state officials, even from parents and alumni from the schools we compete against. Our kids have a great reputation because of the way they conduct themselves before, during and after each game.  Kids from other teams, teams that we compete hard against, will come over, sit and talk to our players, simply enjoying their company.  More than any win or championship, this is what is truly important; this is what it is really all about -- developing a Christ-like character that will be a witness to everyone we come into contact with.