CSD Athletics: Bulldog News
August 25th, 2023
Message from your Athletic Department
Happy Holidays to our Bulldog Families!
We are celebrating as we have reached the end of the first semester! However, while school may be out, we know our students and coaches NEVER stop working. Our basketball and wrestling teams will compete over the break, cheer and swim will pick up as soon as we return, and all of our Spring coaches and athletes are preparing for tryouts in January. Check the website and connect with your coach for details about tryouts. Spring Sport athletes and parents, please check decaturbulldogsathletics.com for updates on tryout schedules and expectations. Reach out to our coaches and Athletic Department with any questions!
Please note, at the end of the Fall semester, grades are reported to the GHSA. Students who are passing 5 or more classes will be eligible for participation in athletics in the Spring semester. We will be checking academic eligibility as soon as grades are posted. If you are concerned about academic eligibility, please reach out.
If you have any questions or need guidance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Go Bulldogs!!
Director of Activities & Athletics: Rodney Thomas
Assistant Activities & Athletics Director: David Harbin
Bookkeeper & Administrative Assistant: Kelli Aaron
Athletics Announcements
Spring Season Interest Forms and Tryout Information
If your student is planning on participating in a Spring sport, please be sure the complete the appropriate Interest Form linked below. Completing the Interest Form will notify the coach of the student's plan to particpate, provide contact information, and allow the Athletic Department to check academic eligibility, as well as Dragonfly medical profiles.
Spring Sport Interest Forms and Coach Contacts
Detailed information about each sport's tryouts will be updated on the website as soon as possible!
Spring Sports: Update Your DragonFly Profile
Reminder: With many Spring Sports tryouts happening when we return from break in January, now is the time to update your student's DragonFly profile. Student must have an updated profile with current medical forms on file in order to participate! Please reach out to your child's coach or the athletic department with questions. Click HERE for instruction from our website.
Annual Boys' Basketball Community Clinic a Success!
This weekend, our Boys' Basketball team partnered with Decatur Parks & Recreation to host their annual Youth Basketball Clinic. The Varsity Boys spent Sunday afternoon teaching fundamental skills to 60+ future basketball players. The basketball clinic continues to be a great community-building event for our team and our future basketball families!
Boys' Lacrosse Hosts Winter Youth Clinic
The Boys' Lacrosse program hosted the first Winter Youth Lacrosse Clinic. The Boys' spent time connecting with future Decatur Lacrosse stars, teaching fundamentals and inspiring the next generation.
Flag Football Superhero Coaches Recognized at Banquets
DHS Wrestling Seeing Success!
Our DHS Wrestling team has gotten off to great start this year. Our student-athletes are learning and competing at a high level against great competition. We are excited about the growth we are seeing each week in the program! Click HERE for a detailed recap of our past few wrestling meets.
BHMS Wraps Up and Successful Swim & Dive Season
A short but successful Beacon Hill Middle School Swim & Dive season came to and end after the Championship Meet at Marist. Our girls' team finished 3rd at the championship and our boys' team finished 9th for a combined team 6th place out of 19 teams.
We are proud of our Swimmers and Divers for the effort they've given to the team this season and the growth we've seen in each of them! Great job, Bulldogs.
Thank you to Coach Coyle, Coach Roberts, and Coach Randall for all of the time they have dedicated to the program!
DHS Baseball Tree Recycling & Pick-Up Fundraiser
Our Decatur Baseball team is raising money for their upcoming season by providing a post holiday tree pick-up service! Sign up today to have your tree picked up and delivered to the Tree Recycling Center at Legacy Park by members of our Decatur Baseball program. Pick-ups can be scheduled for either December 30 or January 7.
DHS Girls' Lacrosse Interest Form
As we approach the start of this year’s season, all students interested in participating in tryouts for the DHS Girls’ Lacrosse program should complete the Interest Form below. This includes Varsity and JV (8th-grade and UP).
DHS Girls’ Lacrosse Interest Form
If you have any questions, please contact Coach Alex Powers (apowers@csdecatur.net).
DHS Tennis Tryout Information
Tryouts for our DHS Girls' and Boys' Tennis teams will start on January 8th at Glenlake Park.
If you have any questions, reach out to Coach Messer (dmesser@csdecatur.net)
Special Shout Out to Ultimate Frisbee
Congratulations to the DHS Boys' Varsity Ultimate Team for their FIRST PLACE finish at the Forsyth County Classic Tournament this past weekend, Decatur 16! The team won three competitive games to win the tournament.10-2 vs. Lakeside ; 8-4 vs. Eclipse ; 10-8 vs. Lambert
Interested in joining these champs?
Tryouts: Jan. 18th @ Agnes Scott 4-5:30, Jan. 22nd @ Trinity Field 4-5:30
Parent Info Meeting Jan. 11th. 6:30 pm
@ 110 Hickory St. Decatur 30030
Contact nliddon@yahoo.com with questions
For more information on Boys and Girls Ultimate teams, tryouts and seasons visit https://www.decaturultimate.com
News from the Decatur Bulldog Booster Club
Registration Open for Run With the Dogs!
The Decatur Bulldog Boosters are pleased to announce that registration for the 20th Annual Run With The Dogs 5K is now open! The race is scheduled for Saturday, January 27 and includes a 1-mile "Pup Trot" (8:30 a.m.) and 5K race (9:00 a.m.). Runners of all ages are invited to participate, and dogs are also welcome on the course. All runners who register before January 15 will receive a coveted Run With the Dogs 5K long-sleeved t-shirt featuring original "Face of the Race" artwork by Decatur Artist, Adam Pinsley.
Register HERE: Run With The Dogs 5K
And the Face of the Race Winner is...
Lego! This adorable pup will grace this year's iconic RWTD t-shirt, designed by our favorite local artist and lacrosse coach, Adam Pinsley.
If you haven't already registered for the 2024 Run With the Dogs, you won't want to miss it! We offer both a 1-mile Pup Trot (free) and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race qualifying 5K. Sign up today at https://rwtd5k.com.
Thanks to everyone who voted and for our sponsors for supporting this year’s Run With the Dogs, including Primary Sponsor, Ava’s Flatbread Crisps; Presenting Sponsor, Amy Widener Realtor; and Associate Sponsors Bad Daddy’s Burgers, Dynamo Swim Club, and Chick-fil-A North Decatur. For a full list of sponsors or to learn more about the Decatur Bulldog Boosters, please visit our website. Woof!
Show Your Bulldog Spirit! Get Your Swag!
Visit our Decatur Bulldog swag shop for all the latest Bulldog styles. We’ve got tees and polos, with more coming soon!
Winter Sports Are Here!
Get your all sports passes for winter and spring sports by becoming a member of Decatur Bulldog Boosters. In addition to game tickets, your membership will support 1,100 athletes, on 57 teams, representing 19 sports at DHS and BHMS – including your own athlete! Become a member HERE.
Upcoming Home Events
Happy Holidays! Our athletic teams will return home in January
Friday, 01/05: Varsity Basketball v. Lithonia - 6/7:30 PM
Saturday, 01/06: BHMS Basketball v. Miller Grove - 10:00 AM
Saturday, 01/06: JV Basketball v. Cross Keys - 10:00 AM
Partnering With The Positive Coaching Alliance
The Coach As A Positive Partner
This year, the Bulldogs are partnering again with the Positive Coaching Alliance to enhance the experience of our students, coaches, and Bulldog families. The PCA has a vast number of resources that can help us make the most of our experience.
This week's resource is a short clip of an interview with John O'Sullivan, founder of the Change the Game Project. In this clip, O'Sullivan discusses a few ways that parents can help to ensure that their children love their sport and continue to grow and learn from participation.
"The #1 Goal of Sports Parents Should Always be to Help Kids Love the Game"
Great job to all of our coaches who have completed the "Developing the Triple-Impact Competitor" Professional Development Workshop provided by PCA!!
Coach William Faulkner (Basketball)
Coach Taryn Williams (Softball)
Molly Randall (Swim & Dive)
Nicco Salvador (Wrestling)
Chance Hood (Basketball)
Nicholas Deloach (Basketball)
Allison Forte-Paul (Flag Football)
Inspirational Ideas
"How Do We Define What Failure Is?" - Giannis Antetokoumpo
After his team was eliminated from the NBA Playoffs last season, NBA star Giannis Antetokoumpo was asked if he thought the season was a failure and his answer provides great perspective for all athletes, coaches, and anyone else involved in sports. When we sign our students up for sports, we sign them up for disappointment, we sign them up to make mistakes, we sign them up for frustration. Keeping perspective about how we respond in sports is key to learning and to growth. Not only do we define failure as is done in this conversation, we also have the important opportunity and responsibility to shape how we measure success.