Join Downey High School Athletics
By participating in athletics, students will learn cooperation, respect, sportsmanship, hard work, and commitment to others.
We encourage all students interested to try out for a team and/or show their support at games and competitions. Go Vikings!
Benefits of Athletics Participation
Prepares You For The Future
Research shows that people who play high school sports get better jobs with better pay, reports The New York Times. The lessons learned in athletics, combined with the knowledge that student-athletes must do well in school to participate, motivates their persistence and drive for success.
Teaches Collaboration and Teamwork
Sports in school teach student-athletes how to collaborate and how to operate separately but together — an essential skill for the competitive workplace they will one day serve.
Elevates Academics
The NFHS found that the average GPA of a high school athlete was 2.84, while a student who doesn't participate in sports had an average GPA of 2.68. Student-athletes are encouraged by their teammates and coaches to succeed. They develop a competitive nature both on the field and in the classroom.
Expands Leadership Skills
The mentoring that occurs between student-athletes provides invaluable leadership skills.
Senior student-athletes set examples both in the field of play and off that help younger students practice and carry the heavy responsibility of leadership.
Increases Time Management
Adding a school sport to the busyness of life and academic rigors is worth the effort, but it does require good time management skills. To achieve success in their sports and on their report cards, student-athletes must learn to maximize their time and focus to achieve. Coaches, side by side with supportive teachers, make this essential skill obtainable.
Constructs Positive Character Traits
Some of the benefits of team sports are referred to by Education.com as the three P’s: persistence, patience and practice. While there are numerous character-building opportunities through school sports, learning to commit to practice times, to sometimes sit on the sidelines and to simply persist in doing something again and again produces character traits that will last a lifetime.
“Winning and losing gracefully are hallmarks of people equipped to live in and lead a civil society. And learning to treat people with dignity, especially under the pressure of competition, is one of the most valuable life lessons sports can offer,” says the Positive Coaching Alliance.
Improves Fitness Levels
An active lifestyle is healthier than a sedentary one. A student on the move benefits from sharpened senses and less idle time. According to a report from the NFHS, a 2006 study on female athletes discovered that female students who are given more opportunities to participate in athletics in high school show healthy improvement in their weight and body mass numbers.
Expectations of our Student Athletes
As a Downey High School student-athlete, you are required to represent, uphold, and practice the principles of Victory with Honor. This program is based on the “Six Pillars of Character” of the Character Counts Program that is practiced district-wide.
As part of a Viking athletic team, you will be required to maintain a minimum G.P.A of 2.0 and be looked like a model of student discipline. You will be asked to participate in fundraising efforts on campus and in the local community. The effort of the coaches is to instill and nurture the concepts of responsibility, discipline, and teamwork in each student-athlete.
Athletic Eligibility
Athletes are held to the highest standards academically, below are the other requirements:
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2.0 Grade Point Average
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ASB Card
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Physical Exam required for athletic participation
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Insurance Coverage Required (available for purchase through school)
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CIF Code of Ethics Form
How to Join a Sport
In order to participate in an extracurricular sport, all students must receive athletic clearance. Students must also submit the Physical Evaluation Form, Athletic Clearance Form, and Extra-Curricular Waiver. Parents are also highly encouraged to purchase extra accident and injury insurance for their child, as DUSD does not provide insurance coverage.
Athletic Clearance Process
Downey High School utilizes the website athleticclearance.com to clear all athletes for participation. Download the complete instructions.
You will need a Physical Evaluation Form completed by a physician to submit online to athleticclearance.com.
Student Accident & Sickness Insurance
Even though we take precautions to protect your child from injuries, accidents can and do happen while students are participating in school activities on campus, on school trips, and during extra-curricular activities and sports.
Although DUSD does not carry medical or dental insurance for your child, a variety of low-cost medical/dental insurance plans are available through Myers-Stevens & Toohey & Co., Inc.