Last week, Tabor Academy accepted an invitation to join the Independent School League (ISL), the oldest and one of the most competitive independent school athletic associations in the country. The school will officially join the league in the fall of next school year.
The ISL was founded in 1948 as the “Private School League,” with the help of founding member and former Tabor faculty member James Gowing. The league is comprised of 16 private schools in the Greater Boston area, all of which utilize a teacher-coach system throughout all of their varsity and junior varsity athletic programs. At its core, the ISL is committed to integrity, sportsmanship, and leadership in all of levels of competition.
“This is a group of schools that understand the key role athletics can play in student learning, and which works hard to create the best possible competitive and participatory athletic experiences for students – within the strong academic programs we all share,” said Tabor Head of School John Quirk.
The opportunity to join the ISL arose when St. Paul’s School of Concord, New Hampshire decided to leave the league after 43 years in favor of becoming a member of a Six School League with five other major New England independent schools.
“We applied to join the ISL because we believe that doing so will create better, more satisfying and more meaningful competitive learning experiences for our student athletes,” said Conan Leary, Director of Athletics, in a press release from the school. He explained, “ISL schools tend to be fierce competitors and there are tremendous and fun rivals in the group. However, it is rare for that competitiveness to over-shadow some essential truths: that it is in the process of competition, not its outcome, that student athletes best grow.”
For years, Tabor has had interest in joining the ISL, which Quirk describes as the “premier athletic and educational association in New England.” When applying for membership, a full team of Tabor administrators, board members, alums, and both current and former members of the athletic administration pitched in to shape a successful application.
“It was Tabor’s reputation for excellence, I think, that really made it happen,” said Quirk.
The ISL will provide substantial improvements to the athletic experience for student athletes at Tabor. On a practical level, the close proximity of the schools and defined structure of the league allows easier scheduling of athletic contests and less travel time for athletes and coaches. The bus rides to schools in Connecticut and New Hampshire, which often last over three hours one-way, will now be largely replaced by frequent visits to schools not much farther than an hour away.
From a competition standpoint, the ISL will provide a more competitive yet supportive environment for athletes at all levels of play. The longstanding reputation of excellence held by the ISL is one that Tabor will both benefit from and contribute to, adding its own flair of athletic philosophy into the mix.
While senior and tri-varsity student athlete Martha Peppes will never get the opportunity to experience Tabor athletics as a member of the ISL, she still feels honor and satisfaction for the acceptance.
“I am so thrilled that Tabor student athletes will be able to compete against such great teams,” said Peppes. “The ISL has always put forward teams of hard work, sportsmanship, and talent, all three things in which I believe Tabor imbues in its student athletes. When you see an ISL team on your upcoming schedule, it is always guaranteed to be a good game.”
Over the years, Tabor teams have competed against ISL teams in just about every sport. While facing off against an ISL team will be no new event for Tabor student athletes, the ability to compete for league honors and championships will be something no current member of the Tabor community has done.
At Tabor, where being a member of an athletic team during more than one season is not only recommended but required, the decisions made affecting the athletics at the school can have a positive influence on each member of the school community. Because of the strong relationship between academics, athletics, and community at Tabor, membership to the Independent School League creates a ripple effect into all parts of life at Tabor. For other member schools as well, the acceptance of Tabor into the league means acceptance of Tabor’s beliefs, actions, and culture into the collective body of the ISL. While pushback is seemingly eminent with a decision as major as this, there was noticeably a lack of such pushback in this acceptance.
“There are not many decisions I’m involved in that seem to have complete unanimity in them, but this felt that way to me,” said Quirk. “Both here at school and out and about New England – there was only excitement at the prospect of Tabor becoming part of the ISL.”
According to the school’s press release, “Tabor looks forward to hosting league contests and tournaments in its excellent traditional facilities (the Travis Roy Rink, the Fish Center for Health and Athletics, the G. Richard Duffy ’56 Turf Fields), while sharing some of the unique settings the school enjoys (Buzzards Bay for sailing and Kittansett Club in Marion for golf).”
By Jack Gordon