FCA hosts annual knockout game and shares a student testimony
December 10, 2019
Senior Nicole Player joins the game to show her spirit and bring together the community as she competes against junior Jocelyn Lee for a critical shot. FCA aims to create a safe space where students can explore ways to bring their faith and life as an athlete together.
The Los Altos Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) held their yearly basketball knockout tournament on Wednesday, December 4. The goal of this event was to bring the school community together to show students how their faith and their love of sports can connect.
“We really try to build a community in the club, and make sure everybody feels welcomed and included,” senior Olivia Cairns said.
Because so many students involved in this club play sports competitively, FCA aims to teach student athletes how to integrate the two parts of their lives together. Outreach events such as the knockout tournament are intended to recruit for the club while providing a fun lunchtime activity for students to connect with others.
Senior Nicole Player, club president, believes that the connection between faith and athletics helps her in her sports, but also motivates her in her religious life.
“The Christian morals are really helpful when you’re on a team and it’s all about supporting each other and boosting each other up,” Nicole said. “Your support and how you interact with your teammates is all about being kind and supportive; and you can see that in a church community too—it’s all about being brought together.”
Junior Desmond Liu shares a testimony that begins from his first time at church around age three. He explained how it took years for him to discover his faith, which FCA helped him deepen.
The leadership and advisers of FCA all have their own personal connections between their faith and their athletic life. Spanish teacher Robyn Hughes and PE teacher Bob McFarlane advise the club. They didn’t have access to FCA until they reached college, so they appreciate the sense of community that comes with it, and how it can be beneficial for students in high school.
Olivia considers the sports she plays to be an outlet for her to express her religion and what God has given her.
“I’d say I live by faith and by the Bible,” she said. “I try to use the skills that God has given me to play my sports. He’s given all of us unique skills, and for some people that skill is athleticism, so I try to use my playing to show those skills and show God through how I play.”
FCA hopes to build their club this year, through more outreach events such as the knockout basketball tournament.
“We usually do the knockout event every year because we tend to get a lot of the basketball players interested,” senior Nicole Player said. “Our goal is to really grow it this year, to get a lot of underclassmen interested in the club, and so we love doing outreaches. It’s just trying to show people who we are and get them to come to our regular meetings… we talk about how our faith and our athletics come together.”
FCA meets Wednesdays at lunch, where they do activities such as bible studies and play games.
“We’re just trying to get people to come back,” Olivia said. “We’re still learning. about faith and we’re still learning about Christianity and how to show that in your sports. We want them to come back and learn with us”.
