Watkinson Athletics kicked off two new partnerships in 2019-20 with the goals of increasing Watkinson’s visibility in the greater Hartford area and generating pride in Ram athletics. Watkinson teamed up with the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association (CJSA) to bring youth sport related programming to campus, and also signed a multi-year commitment with Adidas as a commitment to outfitting our student athletes in high quality gear that shows off our Ram pride.
Watkinson Athletics jumped at the opportunity to team up with CJSA, an association that provides support for the many youth soccer leagues, clubs, teams and players across our state. We worked with CJSA to offer two youth soccer clinics on campus, the first one an outdoor clinic for 70 local children on a beautiful fall 2019 Election Day, and the second an indoor clinic held in the gym for nearly 30 children over the local public schools’ Winter Recess. After a half day of innovative training with CJSA coaching staff, campers enjoyed a lunch in the Watkinson dining room, greeted by Head of School Teri Schrader and interacting with a panel of several current Watkinson middle school students.
Watkinson hosted education programs for coaches and parents this year as well. Over Thanksgiving weekend, CJSA facilitated a United Soccer Coaches “7v7/9v9 Coaching Diploma” course for 20 youth coaches, including field sessions on technique, tactics and small-sided play, as well as classroom sessions on player development and principles of play. Finally, in early March, just before Spring Break, Watkinson’s own Director of College Counseling, Terry Ullram, in conjunction with CJSA and Tackling College Sports, presented to an audience of 50, including Watkinson and non-Watkinson families, on the transition for student-athletes from high school to college level sports.
In addition to showing off our campus, Watkinson Athletics made a push to show off our Ram pride by committing to a five-year agreement with Adidas. Our agreement with Adidas allows us to purchase top quality uniforms and team gear at excellent values, with promotional programs that reward us for our commitment. The boys varsity soccer team was the first team to sport our new look Adidas home and aways uniforms, and every team donned a team spirit t-shirt printed with their sport name. We also initiated an all-Watkinson training suit purchase program in which every student-athlete purchased the same style training suit, worn for all sports throughout the year. With the unveiling of our new Ram logo this year as well, the new Adidas gear was a perfect place to show off our Ram pride.