The Country Day School prides itself in teaching its athletes top-level technical skills, with an emphasis on sportsmanship and integrity. With an offering of 65 teams across 24 sports, many CDS students also compete at a more elite-level outside of school. Supporting these athletes as they strive to excel in all areas of their lives is an important part of what CDS does.
Throughout the School’s history, there has been a willingness to customize class schedules specific to the needs of student-athletes to allow them time to compete competitively at a provincial or national level, while still prioritizing their academics. Some of the higher profile graduates to benefit from these accommodations include Elvis Stojko ’91, two-time Canadian Olympic Silver Medalist (1994 and 1998) and three-time World Champion; Michael Cammalleri ’99, former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the NHL, retiring as a left winger for the Edmonton Oilers; and more recently, Alexandra Paul ’09, member of Canada’s 2014 Olympic figure skating team for Ice Dance; Adriana Leon ’10, Olympic Gold medalist (Tokyo 2021), member of the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team and player for West Ham United; Barclay Goodrow '11, two-time consecutive Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay and right winger for the New York Rangers; and Victor Mete '16, defenseman for the Ottawa Senators and member of Team Canada's 2018 Gold medal winning World Junior Hockey Team.
CDS's High Performance Phys-Ed Program (HPPP) offers scheduling accommodations for provincially or nationally ranked athletes in Grades 9-11 to help balance their busy training schedules. In order to be part of this program, these competitive athletes must be at least provincially ranked and training a minimum of 12 hours or more outside of school each week.
This year there are five students enrolled in the program. All interested candidates must complete an application form available through Coach Steadman or Mrs. Huckvale in the Student Services Centre. For more information, please contact
Denise Steadman in the Physical and Health Education Department or
Peter Milonas, Head of Physical and Health Education.
To learn about some of our recent HPPP student athletes, please read some of the stories below.