CSD Athletics: Bulldog News

Bulldog Families,

We have hit the ground RUNNING with our CSD activities!! Our athletic schedule official started on Tuesday, as our Softball Bulldogs took the field against Chapel Hill. Good luck to our Volleyball Bulldogs as they head to Drew Charter this afternoon for their first matches. And, we hope you will join us on Friday, August 9 for our first home football game. We are excited to welcome mascots from our feeder schools to DHS for the CSD Mascot Run at Halftime!!! See more details in the blurb below.

Reminder: If you have not already done so, now is a great time to schedule doctor's appointments for sports physicals and get DragonFly profiles updated for this school year. Students must have an up-to-date profile in DragonFly to participate in tryouts. See the website HERE for directions

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

(rthomas@csdecatur.net)

Assistant Activities & Athletics Director: David Harbin

(dharbin@csdecatur.net)

Bookkeeper & Administrative Assistant: Kelli Aaron

(kaaron@csdecatur.net)

Join us at the DHS Football home opener on Friday, August 9th for our first-ever CSD Mascot Run! Mascots from our CSD schools will face off in a halftime competition to see who is the 2024 CSD Mascot Run Champion. We are inviting our Future Bulldogs to come support their school's mascot and cheer on the Decatur Bulldogs for a fun Friday night to start the school year! Long-time Decatur Bulldog Booster sponsor Keller Knapp Realty is giving away cowbells for fans, and there will be a special half-time Mascot Race. Which CSD school mascot has what it takes to bring home the winning hardware?

Kickoff will be at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased at gofan.co using the link HERE.

On Wednesday, our Bulldog Football players and Cheerleaders were up early to welcome students to school at all of our Upper and Lower Elementary Schools. Our student-athletes greeted the Future Bulldogs with smiles, high-fives, and stickers inviting everyone to the first football on Friday evening. We invite all of our Bulldogs to Decatur High School stadium to support the Bulldogs as they take on Wheeler High School AND... to cheer on their school mascot in the halftime CSD Mascot RUN!! Kickoff will be at 7:30 PM

Is your student-athlete thinking about pursuing college athletics?? If so, SAVE THE DATE!!

We are excited to welcome Amy Bryant from Bryant College Coaching back to DHS. Coach Bryant specializes in supporting student-athletes through the process of college recruitment and will be at DHS to share many valuable tips for both students and parents! Join us on August 19th at 6 PM in the DHS PAC. Student-athletes and parents are encouraged to attend!

Moving into it's third year, the DHS Student-Athlete Leadership Team is restructuring it's structure to give more opportunities and responsibilities to our student-athletes. Check out the link below for more information and sign up to be a leader amongst leaders!

DHS Student-Athlete Leadership Team Executive Board Positions

All students interested in participating in Swim & Dive at DHS and BHMS should plan to attend the Interest Meeting on September 10. The meeting will be hosted in the BHMS Cafeteria at 5 PM. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Randall (mrandall@csdecatur.net)

All boys interested in trying out for the BHMS Soccer team should plan to attend tryouts, which will take place on August 21, 22, and 23. Tryouts will be at Ebster Field from 4-5:30 PM. Students should arrive with cleats, shinguards, and a filled water bottle. Students must have an updated physical on file in DragonFly in order to participate. Contact Coach Burgess (dburgess@csdecatur.net) and Coach Lange (jefflange70@gmail.com) with questions.

Please complete the INTEREST FORM HERE to notify coaches of your intent to participate.

All girls interested in learning more about the basketball program at Beacon Hill should plan to attend the interest meeting held on August 13. Students should meet in Room 1101 immediately after school. The meeting will last until approximately 4:30 PM.

If you have any questions, reach out to our coaches:

Coach Hood (BHMS Coach) - chood@csdecatur.net

Coach Deloach (DHS Varsity Coach) - ndeloach@csdecatur.net

We are excited to start another season of Beacon Hill Football! The Bulldogs will once again participate in the Atlanta Public School Middle School League for the 2024 season. Students who are interested in participating should complete the Interest Form HERE to communicate with our coaching staff and plan to attend the first practice of the season on Wednesday, July 31. The roster will primarily be composed of our 8th-grade students. All 6th- and 7th-graders are encouraged to participate in our feeder program through the Decatur Recreation Youth Sports Department.

Practices will be held Tuesday-Friday from 4-5:30 PM on the backfield at BHMS.

A Parent Meeting will be held on August 7 from 5:30-6 PM (after practice).

Did you know that athletics funding comes from gate revenue, Decatur Bulldog Boosters (DBB) and YOU!

DBB is a 501C3 charitable organization that supports more than 1,100 DHS and BHMS student athletes on 57 teams, representing 19 sports. Each year we raise more than $100,000 that goes directly to support these athletes.

Join today and get your All Sports Mobile Passes (sports tickets for your student and/or family for all events throughout the year), along with this year's 2024-25 car magnet. Your mobile passes (game tickets) are accessible on your devices for game admittance on GoFan. And, the ticket transfer functionality is back this year!

Join DBB: decaturbulldogboostersmembership and select your Membership Level - the number of included tickets per level is in the description. Once purchased, you have access to all of your tickets on your devices. Car magnets items will be delivered to the address provided.

Email decaturbulldogboosters1@gmail.com with questions.

Watch the game while also raising money for your team. Any DBB-supported sport can earn up to $100 per game by encouraging their athletes to manage concessions.

• $20 per volunteer per game
• Max: 5 volunteers per game
• DBB pays quarterly payouts to the Athletics Play Fund for each participating sport

Sign up HERE!

We appreciate all of our local families and companies who step up to support our Bulldogs every year!!

Learn more about how you can become a Bulldog Sponsor for the 2024-25 school year by clicking the button below.

Check out the new Bulldog spirit wear, which will be on sale during home football games at the Decatur Bulldog Booster table. New styles and items are being printed as you read this, so check back often to make sure your Bulldog apparel hasn't turned into vintage wear!

Head to Legacy Park on Friday, Sept. 6 from 5-9 p.m. for a fun family evening of live music and community! We’ll have some of CSD’s amazing community circle bands bringing the tunes – you bring your school spirit! The school with the largest percentage of school representation will win a music grant, along with a trophy (and bragging rights, of course)! We’ll have food vendors and sweet treats to supplement your picnic.

*If cost is an issue, please email Drew@DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

Purchase tickets for adults HERE (kids enter free)!

Stay in the know on all things Boosters by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

@Decatur Bulldog Boosters

@rwtd5k

@decaturbulldogbash

Join Decatur Bulldog Booster meetings on the second Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the DHS Performing Arts Center Hospitality Suite. All supporters are welcome to help us make the 2024-25 school year a success for our entire Bulldog Community!

Friday, August 9 - Varsity Football vs. Wheeler - 7:00 PM

Saturday, August 10 - Varsity Softball vs. Stockbridge - 12:00 PM

Tuesday, August 13 - JV Volleyball vs. Druid Hills - 5:30 PM

Tuesday, August 13 - Varsity Volleyball vs. Druid Hills - 5:30 PM

Thursday, August 15 - Varsity Softball vs. Meadowcreek - 5:30 PM

Thursday, August 15 - JV Volleyball vs. Maynard Jackson - 5:30 PM

Thursday, August 15 - Varsity Volleyball vs. Maynard Jackson - 5:30 PM

Tuesday, August 20 - JV/V Volleyball vs. Dutchtown - 5:30 PM

Tuesday, August 20 - Varsity Softball vs. Shiloh - 5:30 PM

Wednesday, August 20 - JV/V Volleyball vs Paideia - 5:00 PM

Wednesday, August 20 - BHMS Volleyball vs. Stone Mountain - 5:30 PM

Thursday, August 21 - JV Softball vs. Dunwoody - 5:30 PM

Friday, August 23 - Varsity Football vs. GAC - 7:30 PM

This year, we are excited to highlight our student-athletes and the value they bring to their teams and our school community!

We are blessed to have so many dedicated adults working with our young student-athletes. You see them on the field, you met them at the pre-season meeting, you receive the weekly updates, but how well do you KNOW our coaches. Check here each week to learn more about our Bulldog coaches!

Our goal is to create an educational experience that our student-athletes look back on as a positively. The impact of participating in athletics and extracurriculars on our students is huge and can include improvements academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. Participating in athletics in CSD is an opportunity for growth and we hope that creating and maintaining a positive environment facilitates positive growth. Check out this video from our partner, the Positive Coaching Alliance on the Power of Positive, and Thank You for allowing us to partner with you through this time in your children's lives!

Power of Positive

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 resource is an activity we shared last year that aims at helping students and their families determine what their goals are as student-athletes. This exercise can spark some important conversations about how families decide to navigate this experience. Making sure everyone is on the same page about what desired outcomes can help to create a positive experience!

"What are YOUR Youth Sport Goals? Parent/Caregiver 100 Point Exercise"