At Padua, students have the option to participate in many clubs, programs, and sports. Sports are a big part of Padua and many students take part in different teams. Sports at Padua are fun, challenging, and of competitive. Padua sports teams compete against teams from all over the area, and some teams even have the opportunity to compete at a national level.

An athlete at Padua must develop methods to balance school, life, and sports. Most teams practice everyday and have at least one game each week. Grace P. ‘20, a current freshman and member of the junior varsity and varsity volleyball team at Padua, enjoys playing volleyball for Padua because it is “fun” and she loves “the thrill of all the games.”

“Managing practice with school work can be hard, but my team and teachers are great and help me a lot, my favorite part of the season was the DMA varsity volleyball game,” Grace said. When asked about what her favorite part of the game was, Grace said, “DMA was the previous champions and when we played really good against them, we realized what we were capable of.”

Michelle K. ‘20, a freshman and member of the junior varsity volleyball team as well as varsity basketball team at Padua, says that she loves playing sports at Padua because it is “very exciting.” “My favorite part of my basketball season so far has been the Newark Charter game that we played,” said Michelle. “The game was thrilling, filled with comebacks, and it was just a really good game overall. At that game, we not only grew in our skill and play on the court alone, but we played as a team,” said Michelle.

Overall, students enjoy representing Padua in sporting events. Padua athletics are very competitive, and not only do the girls grow physically stronger, but they also grow emotionally stronger when they are placed in stressful situations on the court or on the field.