At Commonwealth Academy, our athletic program prioritizes participation, sportsmanship, skill development, and fun above wins and losses. We believe that interscholastic sports provide valuable opportunities for middle and high school students to build self-esteem, discover lifelong physical fitness habits, and develop individual and team values in a supportive, caring community.  

In line with our commitment to inclusion, CA maintains a no-cuts philosophy across our athletic teams; every interested student who joins has a place on the roster, with cuts considered only if a team's size reaches operational capacity. We are a proud member of the Independent Small School Athletic Conference (ISSAC), competing alongside regional partner schools in sportsmanship-focused league play. 

Our Approach to Participation

Trying something new takes courage, particularly when a student believes everyone else already knows how to play. At Commonwealth Academy, we want athletics to be a place where students feel comfortable taking that first step.

Students do not need to arrive as accomplished athletes. Coaches teach the skills necessary to participate and help students improve throughout the season. Our teams include students with different strengths, levels of experience, and individual goals.

We make every reasonable effort to accommodate students who want to participate, and most CA sports do not require cuts. On the uncommon occasion when interest is so high that roster size, available facilities, safety, or the nature of the sport makes it impossible to accommodate everyone on one team, some roster decisions may be necessary.

Athletics at CA are competitive in the sense that we practice, play games, keep score, and want to perform well. But competitiveness never replaces the larger purpose of the program. We want students to:

• learn the fundamentals of a sport;
• discover activities they enjoy;
• become healthier and more physically active;
• build confidence and resilience;
• learn to work with teammates and coaches;
• practice commitment and responsibility;
• compete with integrity and good sportsmanship;
• represent Commonwealth Academy positively; and
• have fun.

A championship can make for a memorable season. So can learning to serve a volleyball for the first time, completing a first cross-country race, making a great pass, sinking a putt, encouraging a teammate after a mistake, or discovering a sport a student never expected to enjoy. Those experiences are what CA Athletics is designed to create.

CA Soccer brings students together for a fast-moving, team-oriented fall season focused on learning the game, developing skills, and having fun on the field.

CA plays 7v7 coed soccer, a format that gives players frequent opportunities to be involved in the action. The smaller-sided game encourages passing, movement, communication, decision-making, and teamwork while allowing students to experience a variety of situations and responsibilities on the field.

Our soccer team participates in ISSAC league play, giving students the opportunity to represent CA against other area independent schools. Home games are played at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, where our team has access to well-maintained Bermudagrass soccer fields.

Players of different experience levels are encouraged to participate. Coaches work on fundamental skills such as dribbling, passing, receiving, defending, positioning, and finishing while helping students understand how those individual skills fit into team play. Just as importantly, students learn to communicate, support one another, handle successes and mistakes positively, and enjoy playing together.

Whether a student is an experienced club player or stepping onto a soccer field for the first time, there is a place to learn and contribute at CA.

Cross country has become one of the fastest-growing sports at Commonwealth Academy, and it is easy to see why. The sport provides a welcoming entry point for students who enjoy running as well as those who simply want to become more active, improve their endurance, or try something new.

Runners work toward individual goals while also contributing to a supportive team environment. Practices help students develop pacing, endurance, running technique, and confidence, while meets give them the opportunity to see their progress over the course of the season. Success in cross country is not limited to where a runner finishes in a race. Improving a personal time, completing a challenging course, encouraging a teammate, and discovering greater confidence as a runner are all accomplishments worth celebrating.

Our cross country team participates in ISSAC league play, giving students the opportunity to represent CA against other area independent schools.

Students do not need prior competitive running experience to participate. Cross country is a great opportunity to get outside, get moving, challenge yourself, and be part of one of CA’s fastest-growing athletic teams.

Girls Volleyball is a popular fall sport at Commonwealth Academy and an opportunity for students to learn one of the world’s great team games in an encouraging and energetic environment.

The team participates in ISSAC league play, with home matches played in the Commonwealth Academy gym. Practices emphasize the fundamentals of serving, passing, setting, hitting, court positioning, communication, and team play. Newer players have an opportunity to learn the game, while returning players continue developing their skills and understanding of volleyball.

Because every point in volleyball depends on teammates working together, the sport provides a natural setting for students to practice communication, perseverance, trust, and encouragement. Players learn that a strong team is built not simply by individual ability but by teammates who support one another and work together.

Competition gives our athletes something to work toward, but our primary goals are participation, improvement, sportsmanship, and enjoyment of the game. We want students to finish the season as more confident players and teammates, and to have fun getting there.

 Middle School Basketball is one of our students’ favorite athletic offerings and gives CA students an opportunity to learn and enjoy the game in a supportive team environment.

Practices focus on basketball fundamentals, including dribbling, passing, shooting, defense, rebounding, movement, and court awareness. Students also learn concepts that are harder to practice alone, such as communication, spacing, teamwork, decision-making, and understanding their role within a group.

Our program is designed to meet players where they are. Students with previous basketball experience can continue developing their skills, while beginners can learn the fundamentals and become comfortable playing in practices and games.

The middle school years are an ideal time to try a new sport, build confidence, and learn how to compete positively. We encourage effort, improvement, sportsmanship, and being a good teammate. Games are exciting and students want to do their best, but the most important outcomes are learning the sport, contributing to the team, and enjoying the experience.

Varsity Basketball is a longstanding favorite among CA students and gives Upper School athletes the opportunity to challenge themselves while representing Commonwealth Academy on the court.

Practices build individual basketball skills as well as the tactical and team concepts needed for varsity-level games. Players work on ball handling, passing, shooting, defense, rebounding, conditioning, movement, and team strategy while learning to communicate and make decisions together.

Our approach remains consistent with the larger CA athletic philosophy: students should be challenged while also being supported. Some players arrive with significant basketball experience; others are still developing their game. Coaches help athletes improve from their individual starting points while preparing the team to compete together.

Varsity competition brings energy and school spirit, but a scoreboard does not tell the entire story of a season. We value growth, effort, resilience, sportsmanship, commitment, and the relationships students build with teammates. The goal is for players to finish the season better at basketball, more confident in themselves, and proud of the way they represented CA.​

Golf is a newer CA athletic offering that has developed a committed following and continues to grow each year.

The program gives students opportunities to learn and practice the game in the environments where golf is actually played. Students spend time at the driving range and golf course, working on fundamentals such as grip, stance, swing mechanics, putting, short-game skills, course awareness, and golf etiquette.

One of the benefits of golf is that students can participate and improve at their own pace. A beginning golfer can work toward making consistent contact and understanding the basics of the game, while a more experienced golfer can focus on technique, shot selection, course management, and lowering scores.
 

Golf also encourages patience, focus, honesty, self-management, and resilience. A difficult shot does not have to define a round, just as an early mistake does not have to define a student’s experience.

Our goal is to help students become more comfortable and confident on the course, enjoy spending time outdoors with teammates, and perhaps discover a sport they can continue playing long after their time at CA.

Coed Volleyball is one of the newest additions to ISSAC athletics and has quickly become another growing sport at Commonwealth Academy.

The spring season provides students with another opportunity to learn and enjoy volleyball while playing alongside classmates in a coed team environment. Practices introduce and reinforce serving, passing, setting, attacking, court positioning, communication, and team strategy.

Students do not need previous volleyball experience to join. Players who participated in fall volleyball can continue developing their skills, while students who are new to the sport have an opportunity to learn alongside supportive teammates and coaches.

As the program grows, we want to preserve the qualities that make it appealing: a welcoming team atmosphere, plenty of opportunities to learn, positive competition, and a lot of fun. Participation in ISSAC competition gives the team goals to work toward and the excitement of representing CA, while improvement and enjoyment remain our primary measures of a successful season.

Ultimate is a coed sport that combines running, passing, teamwork, and strategy in a fast-moving game that can be both easy to begin learning and challenging to master. CA offers Ultimate in the spring when there is sufficient student interest.

Because students can quickly learn the basic concepts of throwing, catching, moving into open space, and defending, the sport is particularly well suited to students who want to try something new. More experienced players can continue developing both types of throws (forehand and backhand), positioning, decision-making, and team strategy.

Ultimate also has a strong tradition of sportsmanship and player responsibility, making it a natural fit with CA’s athletic philosophy. Players learn to communicate, make decisions, support teammates, and compete with respect.

With several popular spring options available at CA, the Ultimate team depends on having enough students interested in participating each year. When we field a team, the emphasis is on getting students active, learning together, enjoying the game, and creating a positive team experience.

Flag Football is coed and gives CA students a chance to experience football’s passing, receiving, route-running, defensive, and team-strategy elements in a fast-paced, non-tackle format.

CA offers Flag Football through Flag Star when there is sufficient student interest. Flag Star’s philosophy of getting better, having fun, and including everyone aligns well with CA’s own approach to athletics.

Students can participate with different levels of football experience. Practices and activities help players learn throwing and catching, route running, defensive positioning, teamwork, communication, and game strategy. Because players fill different roles on both offense and defense, there are many ways for students with different strengths to contribute.

Flag Football is one of several popular spring options available to CA students, so the program is offered when enough students select it to form a team. When we do take the field, our goal is simple: learn the game, improve together, compete positively, and have fun.