Athletics are woven into the fabric of O’Dowd community life. Through sport, students learn the power of teams and the discipline of working towards a common goal. Our families and alumni bond through cheering on the sidelines. And our community is invigorated by winning together, or taking a loss in stride. That is why we are thrilled that the new O’Dowd Center will include a modern full-court gymnasium to triple our current seating, and a state-of-the-art athletic performance lab to support students at every stage of fitness.
“O’Dowd’s academics, athletics, and co-curriculars exemplify excellence,” says Elizabeth Kramer ’03, who played basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse while a student. “The programs deserve a brick and mortar building that reflects the soul of the school. This new Center will bring O’Dowd into the future.”
For Elizabeth, playing sports at O’Dowd helped her focus on her strength and talent as an athlete, instead of the all too common high school pressure to focus on physical appearance. “For women especially, athletics are so important to build confidence and composure,” she reflects. “Everyone feels vulnerable in high school, especially as a freshman. Sports give you a chance to be yourself, to learn who you are. Your free throw might have some pizazz. You might get aggressive and loud on the field, when you’re usually quiet. You might get silly celebrating with your team. Athletics help you break loose.”
Elizabeth gave to the Cor Unum Campaign for the O’Dowd Center because she believes the bigger and more robust facilities will continue to support students in becoming who they want to be. “O’Dowd shaped me,” she affirms. “I want all students to have that experience.”
““For women especially, athletics are so important to build confidence and composure. Everyone feels vulnerable in high school, especially as a freshman. Sports give you a chance to be yourself, to learn who you are.””
“Athletics create incredible growth opportunities for students,” agrees Tom Counts, parent to Peter '11, Caroline '12 and Elizabeth '15. “The beauty of sports is that they can simultaneously provide different life lessons to different people.” Both Caroline and Elizabeth played volleyball, and Tom witnessed how the team experiences of adversity, perseverance and exhilaration helped prepare them for college. “Lizzie became a leader on the volleyball team and then went on to play in college,” he says. “Caroline became a coach.”
For the Counts family, sports were also a fun way to build community. “When you’re picking kids up for practices, watching matches, traveling to tournaments, you get to spend a lot of time with other parents,” Tom laughs. “They become your new best friends.”
““Athletics create incredible growth opportunities for students. The beauty of sports is that they can simultaneously provide different life lessons to different people.””
The Counts contributed to the Cor Unum Campaign because they believe the quality of the programming merits a quality facility. “Prior generations invested in O’Dowd and my kids benefitted,” says Tom. “This project is long overdue. I’ll be happy to watch my friend’s kids and even my grandkids play in the new gym,” he declares. “And the excitement of a sold-out home game with triple the seating capacity will be unrivaled!”
“The new Center will be a site for so much joy,” anticipates Lou Richie ’89, O’Dowd’s championship basketball coach. “I have so many memories playing for O’Dowd,” Lou recalls. “From the infamous game with Skyline, to traveling with the varsity team, and going to the state championships. As a coach, I love when students bring their families to the gym, point to the wall, and say, ‘That’s my banner.’”
Lou donated to the Cor Unum Campaign to help build the legacy of O’Dowd. “I want to give students the best opportunities, and we’ve been behind in our facilities for a long time,” he says. “The Center is going to be beautiful. Not just for athletics. PE is going to benefit from the new strength and conditioning facilities. Drama and band are going to thrive in the new space.” Lou smiles and continues, “I can’t wait to sit on the terrace and watch a baseball game!”
““The new Center will be a site for so much joy. Not just for athletics. PE is going to benefit from the new strength and conditioning facilities.” ”
For individuals and families who love O’Dowd athletics, the Cor Unum Campaign also has an opportunity to be featured ‘On The Court.’ With gifts or pledges of $10,000 and above ($2,500 for graduates of the last 15 years), individuals or families can have their names commemorated on the gymnasium floor, including the center circle, three-point line, and sidelines.
“Our football team helped build the lower field when I was at O’Dowd,” remembers Peter Ross ’83. “And the fact that we helped build it made playing there even more special.” The O’Dowd football team used to play at the Castro Valley field. “When we finally got the chance to play on our own turf, with our home crowd cheering,” Peter says, “it felt great.”
““Our football team helped build the lower field when I was at O’Dowd. It made playing there even more special.””
Peter believes his whole experience at O’Dowd was enlarged through sports. “My team members were my brothers,” he proclaims. “I’m still very close with my quarterbacks and wide receiver.” The Ross’ gave to the Cor Unum Campaign to help strengthen O’Dowd for future generations. “The Center is something we can all be proud of,” Peter says. “When our community gathers for home games, for mass and liturgies, for celebrations, it will be a huge boost to our school pride.”
