By J.T. Elliot
It causes grown men and women to work 16-hour days. It causes grown men and women to sleep in tents. It causes grown men and women to shout at their same aged peers, as well as, those who are generations younger. It causes grown men and women to cry tears of sorrow and joy. It has a title, and it’s called sports.
Fans love their teams. Especially in Madison county. We all recognize the Colonels, Pirates, Patriots, Mountaineers, Eagles, and Indians. Did you know that Madison county is also home to the Knights and Guardians? The increase of homeschool athletic teams has steadily grown over the past decade in the state of Kentucky.
The Kentucky Christian Schools Athletic Association (KCSAA) includes day schools, home school associations and hybrid models. The conference has 23 total teams competing in boys’ basketball and 22 in girls’ volleyball. Madison Christian Academy competes in the conference with 45 students between the sports. The Knights basketball team reached the elite eight this past season and volleyball was the state runner-up.
The Richmond Guardians, formerly Wellspring Guardians, are another homeschool athletics program. They currently offer boys and girls basketball, with 55 total student-athletes. In recent years, the Guardians have defeated Berea community and Jackson county in boy’s high school basketball. They play in the Ohio River Homeschool Conference.
Other homeschool athletic options are available in Madison county as well. Red House Runners offers cross country for public, private, and homeschool students. They compete in 5k events across the commonwealth. Homeschool students may also participate in archery through the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP). Likewise, these open competitions are for all student-athletes, regardless of school affiliation. Homeschool students may participate in their public-school district extracurricular activities, though that is decided by individual districts.
Kentucky aligns with national trends which continue to show homeschool education growing. This means more athletic opportunities will likely be made available to these students. Overall, increased athletic opportunities and competition is a benefit for student-athletes and sports fans alike.
