Skyline College may not have any Division I intercollegiate teams, but it does offer a program that many private four-year universities do not. Skyline makes available to its entire student body, the chance to participate in team sports.
“This program has been offered since the school began,” says Athletic Dean Joe Morello.
The Skyline College course catalog offers skill-development courses in a myriad of team sports from baseball to basketball and even soccer. However, the often inhospitable climate at Skyline College plays a significant role in team course offerings.
“As you can tell by our weather we don’t do a ton of outdoor activities,” laments Dean Morello. “We get more people signing up for indoor soccer than for outdoor soccer.”
But the crummy weather doesn’t stop the Skyline athletics department from offering a few courses that get the students outdoors.
“We have a flag football class,” says Morello. “And it’s fun. Students learn a lot about conditioning and fitness and all that. The instructor, Mike Fitzgerald, is the permanent quarterback. So there’s no worrying about who the quarterback is.”
Apparently some of the classes are more physically demanding than others. Skyline student Joe Stoval, who played sports in high school, admits that the Skyline team course in baseball is a pretty thorough and intense program, but that he joined for a different reason.
“I joined because I love baseball,” says Stoval.
Coach Dino Nomicos is the instructor in charge of skill development in baseball.
“Team classes are for anyone that wants to hone their skills”, says Coach Nomicos. “It’s not just a specific class for the Skyline baseball team. In the fall it’s open to everyone.”
The baseball course usually contains a mixture of students who compete or will be competing with the intercollegiate team in the spring, along with new participants from the general student body.
“They get the opportunity to learn the college game,” says Nomicos of his new students. “They love it. Kids that have gone on to Cal, USF, SF State, write me five years later saying how much they enjoyed the experience.”
While the team sports classes do offer an element of enjoyment, Morello says the name of the game is really about educating students when it comes to health and fitness. Skyline College makes a point of this by having physical education as a requirement in order for students to graduate.
“It’s part of the curriculum,” says Morello. “We look upon it as not just a recreational thing, but that you’re learning something along the way about the importance of exercise and what it means about your health.”
