Carmel high school is no stranger to athletic success. With 123 IHSAA State titles, CHS ranks the highest in number of State championships, almost doubling the next highest, North Central.

Ethan Merriweather, basketball player and sophomore, said the feeder programs offered to athletes in Carmel play an important role in the school’s success. He played on a Carmel Dad’s Club (CDC) Pups team and said he wouldn’t be the player he is today without the program. As Merriweather continues to grow as a basketball player, he said he has realized how much the program truly helped him.

“Playing on the Pups team for three years straight allowed me to become really good friends with my teammates and develop a strong relationship with my coaches. Playing for the Pups fueled my love for playing basketball,” Merriweather said.

CDC president Jack Beery said the program has a big impact on high school sports. He said the program is proud to say it has played a big role in the development in several of the strongest athletes at CHS and that a large percentage of CHS athletes have been a part of at least one CDC program.

“A strong feeder program positively impacts all sports. High school coaches involved in CDC programs can start working with kids at young ages and implement drills and philosophies that they will run in the future at the high school,” Beery said.

According to True Sport, a program which, according to its website,  “advocates the importance of crucial life lessons that can be learned through sport,” starting sports at a young age benefits athletes greatly. True Sport references the five “C’s”—competence, confidence, connections, character, and caring— as the most critical components of positive youth development. It states that playing youth sports can provide young athletes with all five “C’s.” Beery said he agrees that athletes can learn more than just how to play a sport through feeder programs.

“Learning at young ages, proper fundamentals, how to be a teammate, how to work hard and how to have fun with athletics are so important. This is the opportunity to create a positive foundation for these young athletes that can stay with them throughout high school years,” Beery said.

Along with Merriweather, Walter Ackerman, baseball player and junior, said CDC has impacted him as well. He said he learned fundamentals from CDC that still benefit him today. Additionally, he said he made lifelong friends. As Ackerman is preparing for the upcoming season, he said he is grateful to have learned what he did when he was younger. He agreed having such a strong feeder program increases the competitive level of CHS sports, which creates a strong athletic program.

Ackerman said, “I gained a passion for playing baseball through CDC because I met a lot of my new friends that I’ve grown closer to by continuing to play with them over the years. CDC taught me the fundamentals of baseball and helped me develop as a stronger player.”

Beery said CDC has created a great partnership with CHS coaches in the sports CDC offers. He said the partnerships communicate the fundamentals that athletes should be learning and get CHS coaches involved with younger athletes.

“We are very lucky to have coaches at CHS that understand the importance and connection of the CDC programs and their high school program. We are in communication often and many of the high school coaches put on beneficial clinics for our coaches and athletes,” Beery said.

Merriweather and Ackerman said that other than learning fundamentals from CDC, they  have also learned how to be positive athletes. Ackerman said he learned how to be a smart player and that CDC helped him define his character, as he gained some of his closest friends through the program. For Merriweather, he said he learned so much including what it takes to be the best player he can be. The two both said they are grateful they were a part of the program and that it will continue to help support the high school’s sports.

Merriweather said, “Playing for the Pups teams taught me how to become a better leader and enhanced my talents. I also learned how having good communication and positive body language on the court is important.”