While it has certainly been argued that competitive team sports foster leadership qualities, drive, and team spirit, it can also be argued that the process of selecting teams, of playing for high stakes, and of rough contact can lead to anxiety, humiliation, desperate ambition, divisiveness and quite a variety of physical injuries.

Team sports should be a pleasure, an opportunity for vigorous play in the company of one's peers, not one's rivals. The team should be knit by co-operation and support. The coach should teach and encourage. The process of joining the team should be welcoming. The chance to play should be a chance to improve.

Because our teams must be small, and our philosophy is humane, our team sports are friendly, lively, and civilized. We head off to Philosophers' Walk for a whole school, staff/student game of "Capture the Flag", or to the University College playing fields for soccer and football. We take a basketball to the Y.

We support the athletically gifted, as we support the artistically gifted, in pursuing training and competition extra-curricularly.

Because team sports are not a good foundation for lifelong fitness, we have centred the Dragon physical education programme on martial arts and dance. We believe that these are excellent foundation activities which promote daily exercise, grace, and self-confidence. They do not require elaborate equipment or organizations. They are not dependent on others, or on age. But these pursuits can still be social-classes in martial arts and in dance are readily available in most communities. They are challenging and open ended. Even the absolute beginner is rewarded; there is no limit to how good one can become.

There is another important component to physical fitness: health education. We have a serious, sane, issues-based health education curriculum. We are sensitive to the challenges which confront adolescents, the temptations of risky behaviours. We focus on psychological well-being, the health of the will, tolerance and compassion. We motivate our students to lead safe and healthy lives.