Dear Chadwick Athletes,

I’m writing in response to Cady Maas’s April 30 opinion article entitled, “An Open Letter to Chadwick Athletics,” in which Maas writes, “I have some issues with the Chadwick athletic requirement.”

At the heart of both the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Songdo campuses of Chadwick School is the philosophy of Margaret Chadwick, whose belief that “experience is the best of all schools” still shapes the school today. It should come as no surprise, then, that a school built on experiential learning would require experiences of its students beyond the classroom, including in athletics

Experiential learning is where some of the most important forms of growth actually happen. It is where students practice grit, perseverance, humility, determination, collaboration, resilience, and curiosity. These are not qualities that develop through observation alone. They are developed through participation, challenge, discomfort, reflection, and, yes, sometimes failure. Athletics are one of the clearest examples of this kind of learning.

Now, as a Xennial, I am going to use the dreaded phrase: “back in my day.” But truly, there was a time when the athletic requirement at Chadwick was much more extensive than it is today. Over the years, the school has evolved to offer students more flexibility and more ways to engage with the community around them. In a culture increasingly shaped by pressure, specialization, and the fear of falling behind, students today are given a tremendous amount of choice in how they spend their time and pursue their interests.

And that is a good thing.

At the same time, there are still a few shared experiences that remain part of the Chadwick journey: Outdoor Education, rigorous academics, community engagement, and athletic participation, among them. These experiences continue to exist because growth often requires discomfort, and discomfort is rarely something people choose on their own.

If I am being completely honest, I would happily spend my days reading, gardening, and cooking soup. That sounds wonderful to me. But I also understand that meaningful growth and responsibility often ask something more of us. Education works in a similar way. We complete requirements not because every experience will become a lifelong passion, but because a well-rounded education exposes us to challenge, perspective, discipline, and community. Sometimes we discover new strengths through experiences we would never have chosen for ourselves.

We know athletics are not for everyone. Truly, we do. But we also know that students are capable of much more than they sometimes believe. We know they are intelligent, funny, compassionate, creative, and resilient. We know they support one another, celebrate together, and mourn together. We know that students often form unexpected bonds through shared struggle, even if they did not love every moment of the experience. Sometimes, connection comes from something as simple as looking at a teammate and saying, “Can you believe that just happened?”

Being on a team is about so much more than wins and losses, though those moments can absolutely be fun too. It is about learning how to manage frustration, communicate under pressure, show up for other people, and contribute to something larger than yourself. It is about accountability, time management, boundaries, humility, and perseverance. It is about learning how to keep going when things feel difficult or uncomfortable.

And honestly, there is something deeply valuable about sharing those experiences with other people.

Coaches are educators too. Like teachers in academic courses, they challenge students, hold high expectations, encourage a growth mindset, and support students through setbacks and successes alike. The goal is not perfection. The goal is growth.

Athletic participation at Chadwick has never been solely about producing elite athletes. It is about helping students become adaptable, capable, empathetic young adults who know how to work through challenges alongside others. In a world that increasingly encourages customization and comfort, there is still tremendous value in shared challenge and collective experience. That, fundamentally, is what experiential education asks of students—and what it gives back in return.