“It was a little nerve-wracking when I showed up to [M-A’s swim tryouts] because I was the only TIDE student,” senior Justus Howell said. “I didn’t know anyone there other than the coach.”
TIDE Academy students have been able to participate in M-A athletics since 2022. Because of its small student body and limited athletics opportunities, TIDE signed an athletics agreement with M-A so TIDE students could meet new friends while playing their sport in a high school varsity environment.
For Howell, joining the M-A swim team meant the opportunity to participate in larger meets with potential college scouts. Howell has been swimming for a club team since he was six years old and tried out for the M-A team as a sophomore. “Everyone was really nice and inviting,” Howell said. “It didn’t take too long to find my little group.”
Senior Adam Lyle, a former TIDE student who has since transferred, played on both M-A’s tennis and wrestling teams. “Tennis was a big part of what I liked to do, and it was just easier to go to M-A rather than some private place,” he said.
Senior Ella Chamness had never played badminton before but decided to join the M-A team to fulfill her PE credits. “One of my favorite parts about the team was how supportive everyone was,” she said.
But for Chamness, one of the challenges of playing a sport at a different school was the commute time. “It is a big time commitment,” she said. “I spent a lot of time driving to and from my school for the badminton practices.”
“It was really essential for me to have a driver’s license,” Lyle added. “I’m not sure how students without a car get to practice.”
Beyond playing their sport, TIDE athletes enjoy the opportunity to meet new people. “At TIDE, it’s such a small community, and, when you go to one of these bigger schools, you meet so many more people,” Lyle said.
“I like being able to connect with my teachers in the smaller school setting of TIDE but then have a bigger social life outside of that,” Chamness added.
