MCH Student-athletes Learn Valuable Lessons Through Competitive Sports
It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. Student-athletes at Methodist Children’s Home play the game to be “better,” whether it is to become more physically fit, work on a new skill, build friendships with teammates, or as an outlet from everyday challenges of life. Win or lose, MCH student-athletes are successful in building self-confidence, creating memories and learning life lessons that they will carry into their adulthood.
Students attending the Methodist Children’s Home charter school, operated in partnership with the University of Texas-University Charter School system, are eligible to participate in athletics as long as they are passing their classes. MCH strives to build a culture on campus where youth are able to live out a “normal” childhood complete with high school experiences like pep rallies, extracurricular activities, prom and other dances, as well as team sports. By attending school at Methodist Children’s Home, many students will even have opportunities and experiences they wouldn’t have had if they stayed at home. In MCH’s culture, participation is encouraged and developing talents is celebrated.
The Bulldog athletic program is led with the MCH model of care in mind. Director of Athletics Matt Rodgers and his team of coaches focus on building a great team and helping their student-athletes learn life skills, like working together and good sportsmanship, in order to become better people. Unlike other high school coaches, MCH coaches must meet childcare training requirements that include trauma-informed practices utilized in everyday care in order to provide consistency throughout the residential program.
Coaching in a unique environment is something the coaches take seriously.
“Some of our kids are here by their own fault or some may have just been dealt a bad hand,” Rodgers said. “I made plenty of bad decisions in high school but I had people who loved me and cared enough about me to hold me accountable and teach me otherwise. I think I may be hard on them, but I would hope that they would learn from or be better by what I tell them and show them.”
Rodgers, a 2007 Baylor graduate and former graduate assistant on the Baylor men’s basketball team, joined MCH athletics in the fall of 2012 as an athletic coordinator and became director of athletics in 2015. He has led his teams to the postseason every year since he began at MCH, an impressive accomplishment especially considering his rosters change from year to year and sometimes even during the season due to youth leaving the residential program. He said it is important to find leaders on the team each year.
“For us to be successful, players are going to have to say the same things that I’m saying but in their own way and know what I expect,” he said. “If a kid makes a mistake (off the field) and can’t play, that affects other people. So if we have guys who are leaders in what they say and do, it provides a lot more opportunities to be successful as a team.”
Rodgers leads a fairly young athletic program which began through the charter school in 2008 with flag football, basketball, volleyball, and track. In the beginning, MCH competed in the Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League. Six-man tackle football replaced flag football in 2010. Today, the Bulldogs compete in the Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship and the program consists of six-man football, volleyball, basketball, track and, most recently, golf.
Lindsey Fortner, athletic coordinator and head coach for girls volleyball, basketball and track, joined the program in 2009 while still a senior at Baylor University. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Fortner has become a standout for her leadership and relationships she has built with her athletes.
“I’m really big on relating to each one and finding something special in each person so I can build that bond with each girl,” Fortner said. “I’m also extremely honest, but I tell them the truth in a way that will build them up.”
It is not uncommon for athletes on MCH teams to come in without any prior playing experience. This year the volleyball team only has two returning athletes from last season.
“The biggest challenge is trying to instill confidence and teach them how to be an athlete – the mindset is different,” Fortner said. “They may come in and think they can’t do this, but I want to help them see that ‘Yes, you can do it. Let’s work on it.’
“Part of getting better is you have to work through it,” she continued. “I think that’s what helps them to get motivated – I try to relate it to life and give them life lessons. I want them to learn to be a hard worker, accountable for their actions and be a good person to others, as well as a good student. A lot of my girls have been valedictorians here.”
“She’s like a second mom or a big sister,” said Amashia, one of Fortner’s current athletes who competes in volleyball, basketball and track. “There’s fun times and then there’s hard times where she really teaches us stuff like becoming leaders.”
Soleana, who played sports for the first time last year, now competes in volleyball, basketball and track.
“The coaches are very encouraging,” Soleana said. “They make me feel like I’m an important part of the team. I just didn’t want to let them down, so you start working hard for your teammates. It’s fun to be together; before games in the locker room, you talk about stuff. It’s like a family here. It’s always fun – no one is ever sad.”
Rodgers, Fortner and the Bulldog athletic staff have built a successful culture based on relationships, teamwork and accountability. Rodgers said his teams learn his expectations very early on. He stresses the importance of youth being on time and responsible for their own actions.
“I try to get them invested enough to where they care about the success of both the team and themselves,” he said. “I paint a picture of what this team has looked like in the past, where we are now, and where we’re hoping it goes.”
For Rodgers, that goal this fall is to finally win the state championship in football. But he is also excited about how far the athletics program has come during his tenure at MCH.
“I’m proud that we’re always competitive,” Rodgers said. “It may take us some time to get going and figure things out. But I would hope that the kids that have played and gone through the program leave as better people. That’s the ultimate goal and something to be proud of.”
Bulldog Program Highlights
2003-2004:
• MCH charter school opens in partnership with University of Texas-University Charter School
2008-2009:
• MCH charter school adds competitive athletics (flag football, volleyball, basketball, and track)
• Boys basketball finishes state tournament in fourth (Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League)
• Girls basketball finishes state tournament in second (Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League)
2009-2010:
• Cross country added to program
• Flag football team wins state championship (undefeated for season)
• Volleyball – State runner-up
• Girls basketball wins state championship
2010-2011:
• Six-man football added
• Junior varsity volleyball and basketball added
• Football – TCAL state quarterfinalist
• Volleyball – Qualifies for state tournament
• Girls basketball – Qualifies for state tournament
• Boys basketball – State runner-up
2011-2012:
• Junior varsity football team added
• Developed football field to host home games
• Six-man football goes to second round of playoffs
• Boys basketball team – State runner-up
• Cross country competes in state meet
2012-2013:
• Football – State quarterfinalist
• Boys basketball – State semifinalist
• Girls basketball and volleyball – Qualify for state tournament
2013-2014:
• Boys basketball – State runner-up
• Girls basketball and volleyball – Qualify for state tournament
2014-2015:
• Football – State semifinalist
• Boys basketball – District champs and state semifinalist
• Girls volleyball – State quarterfinalist
2015-2016:
• Football – District champs and state runner-up
• Boys basketball – District champs
• Adds boys and girls golf program
• 1 girl (Marissa) qualifies for state golf tournament
2016 – 2017:
• Football – State semifinalist
• Boys basketball – State semifinalist
• Girls basketball – State quarterfinalist
• Girls golf – District champs and state runner-up
• Boys golf – 2 boys qualify for state
• Boys track – 2 individual gold medals (100m & 200m) and 1 team gold medal (4x100m)
• Girls track – 1 individual gold medal (100m)
Click here to view schedules for the MCH Bulldogs. Let’s go Bulldogs!
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