Boarding School Athletics

Just one of the reasons students come to Baylor from across the country and the world is our athletics program. Baylor athletes are part of one of the best high school sports programs in the country, with numerous state championships under their belt and alumni playing at the college level. Red Raider enthusiasm runs deep here at Baylor, and boarding makes it run even deeper.

Let's take a look at why student athletes like to board with Baylor to get the most of our athletics program.

Longer Seasons Than Northern States

Our boarding school is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which means the warm Southern climate sticks around for most of the year. Our students love the extra time outside. We get many athletes from the New England area, where it snows extensively in the colder months. When they board at a school in the South, they get to play sports almost year-round! Outside of the regular season, they can play other sports or keep practicing for their favorite.

Our Northern students come from states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and New Hampshire. Many of our New Yorkers love the extended baseball season, and students from all over enjoy playing sports like tennis, golf and cross country in the mild Eastern Tennessee climate.

More Opportunities at Boarding School

Boarding school athletes spend the vast majority of their time on campus, meaning the practice field is never far away. With such gorgeous weather, the opportunity to train is front and center. Plus, their teammates could live in the same building, making group practices an easy find. Students train all year and have more access to resources than they would elsewhere.

Boarding schools often have better sports programs than public or private schools, and you'll see that difference in Baylor's athletics program. Sports Illustrated listed us as having the best high school sports program in Tennessee and one of the top 25 in the country.

Some of our most successful sports include swimming, wrestling, baseball, softball and tennis. And we don't just have a few successful sports like many schools do. Our program is incredibly well-rounded, with strong performances in everything from swimming and soccer to football and fencing. Here are the sports we offer at Baylor throughout the year:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Bowling
• Cheerleading
• Cross Country
• Diving
• Fencing
• Football
• Golf
• Lacrosse
• Rowing
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

To house all of these sports, we have state-of-the-art athletic facilities and weight rooms that rival most college campuses. That's something you won't find at any old school — the wide-reaching opportunities at a boarding school like Baylor make athletics a much more advantageous experience.

Students can improve their chances of recruitment by going to a school with the high-tier athletic program that Baylor is known for. If a student wants to play at the college level, these resources are essential.

Coaching and Team Bonding

One benefit of boarding at a school like Baylor is that it provides our students with a strong sense of community — something that many of our alumni appreciate. The connections that form at Baylor can help students bond with their coaches and team, and they only increase when students board.

Living on the same campus as your teammates gives you something more closely knit than if you didn't board. Boarding students might run into their teammates at the dining hall and talk about the big game over lunch, or practice together in their free time. Coaches, on the other hand, are there to help students with more than just their accomplishments in their sport — they play an important role in the community of this school and as mentors for our students.

One common area in which coaches help out is in the recruitment process. We are a college prep school, and for students looking to become collegiate athletes, getting recruited is an essential part of that. Coaches can assist with getting the athlete's name out and helping them prepare highlight reels and communication with recruiters.

Having someone in your corner who knows the process is incredibly beneficial for these students. To attest to Baylor's ability to produce collegiate athletes, we have over 100 graduates playing at the college level. Our coaches are no strangers to the recruitment process.

Fierce Competition

Every high school has a rivalry, and Baylor is no exception. We take on robust competition locally, regionally and nationally. Our student athletes are put to the test, with opponents that won't go easy on them. They get a chance to hone their skills and learn from the challenge, developing their skills further and further.

Locally, our cross-town rivals include McCallie, a private school that we play every year in many sports. Our biggest rivalry is in football. We've played them 85 times since 1908, winning 43 of those matches and tying another four. Students embrace this competition and love to line up in the student section each time we square up with the Blue Tornados. This rivalry runs deep and even fuels non-athletic competitions, like the legendary skit night during Baylor-McCallie week.

At the regional level, Baylor has taken home the most wins at the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) state championships than any school in Tennessee, and nationally, Baylor students go on to compete in schools across the country. These include selective colleges like Stanford, Virginia, Harvard and Penn.

Where Our Athletes Come From

It's tough to pin down where our student athletes typically come from because they're so widespread. We get many students from families up north, but we also get a lot of athletes from the Eastern coast, in areas like Washington, D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Our Southern neighbors in Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida also send many athletes to Baylor.

Many of these Southern athletes appreciate the proximity to home, but those from other regions can make the trip in no time via air travel. You can find direct flights from New York, Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte and much more. These flights make it easy to visit or pop down for a big game.

Boarding School Athletics at Baylor

If you or your student is serious about athletics, having them board at Baylor is the best way to give them the full experience. Boarding provides more training opportunities, better relationships with their teammates and coaches and access to a wide array of premier athletics facilities and difficult rivalries. They'll be challenged every week in a place that fully supports their athletic endeavors.

At Baylor, we don't treat athletics like an afterthought. It's a substantial part of the lives of our students and the school community. Baylor athletes gain opportunity and an experience that they won't find anywhere else. For more information on our athletics program, fill out our online form.

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Training Spaces for Elite Athletes

The Von D. Oehmig Sports Performance Center provides space and equipment for elite varsity athletic training while opening additional workout areas for all Baylor students, faculty, and staff. Other areas include Heywood football stadium with a seven-lane track and artificial turf, three baseball fields, a softball diamond, a dedicated lacrosse field with an artificial turf, a soccer complex that includes a stadium with a grass field and one field with the latest in artificial surfaces, a cross-country course that winds through the woods and along the river, eight indoor and 18 outdoor tennis courts. A short-game practice center for golf is also located on campus.