Category: Activities

Girls who come to the Diamond Ranch Academy (DRA) and participate in the residential treatment program have the opportunity to be a part of programs that will be designed for their personal needs. The foundation of the beliefs at DRA is that every teen who resides with us is counting on the DRA program to help them to understand how to work through challenges that are presented to them in their daily life. This done through educational as well as therapeutic programs that align them with life skills to deal with life issues as they happen in the best way possible.

The DRA educational structure has co-educational programs in areas such as career and life skills, performing arts, and vocational training. All of these programs are designed with several goals in mind which are to help teens to develop their personal strengths, skill sets, and interests.

Every program includes at some point a discussion on career interests and goals and developing effective study skills and habits. The end result for each teen will be taking what they learned and confidently apply it in their chosen work environment, educational setting, and in social circumstances throughout their life. One particular program called Horsemanship gives each teen who participates in this therapy program the opportunity to be responsible for the well being of someone other than themselves. It also gives them skills in relationship-building that they can carry over into their social relationships with others.

The Diamond Ranch Academy also offers girls an opportunity to explore life on a first-hand basis with a variety of field trips that allow them to explore specific vocations and life experiences in the real world as opposed to just discussing it in a classroom or therapy session.

Additionally, there are dedicated girls’ programs offered at Diamond Ranch Academy. The girls’ athletic program at DRA is very proud to offer sports that as a whole have been recognized and approved in Utah by the High School Activities Association in 2011. This means that there are opportunities for any teen who participates in these state-sanctioned sports to be considered for a college scholarship.

The girls’ athletic programs offer a variety of sports that will allow each teen to experience healthy peer interaction with other girls in an environment of their choosing whether it is in a larger team setting something on a smaller scale that suits their social comfort zone. All of this will give them the much-needed practice in relationship-building as well as confidence-building regarding their own personal strengths.

The coaches are trained in recognizing each teen’s level of comfort in participation and how to develop self-confidence in each girl leading to a deeper level of trust and enlarging the scope of their social circle through a team-player mentality that they can utilize throughout their lifetime. This includes an understanding of mutual respect that each coach impresses upon the girls that helps them to understand the value of respect for others and how that reflects on their own personal level of respect.

The dedicated girls’ athletic programs are as follows:

Soccer

The team practices and participates in home games on a dedicated soccer field on the DRA campus that boasts a Diamond Ranch Diamondback logo that spans the full length of the all-turf soccer field. Each player competes at their own pace and at their own skill level.

Cheerleading and Dance

Girls at DRA can participate on dance teams as well as a small cheerleading squad. The goal of the coaches for these teams is to promote the importance of team participation and trust in your fellow team members. Each member is encouraged to respect and encourage their teammates no matter what level of skill they bring to the team.

Volleyball

The Lady Diamondbacks team at DRA participates in practices and games in The Snake Pit where the boys also take part in basketball games. This gym is considered the “loudest gym in Utah” by several regional sports radio announcers and sports sites online. They are proud to say that they have consistently made the regional finals and state tournament finals for the state championship.

Golf

Approximately two miles from the DRA campus is where you will find the Sand Hollow Golf Course where the Diamond Ranch Academy golf teams for both the boys and girls practice and compete. They are coached by PGA professionals and participate in regional golf tournaments.

Track Club

This called a club for girls at DRA, but there is also an opportunity for competing in track as each club session has a track coach who monitors activity, makes suggestions for improvement and organizes a friendly competition among the girls who participate.

Zumba

For any girls who want to just challenge themselves, Zumba is a perfect alternative to a team sport that not only helps teens who participate to stay in shape, but it is an energy booster and healthy way to let off some steam.

City League/Intramural Sports

This an alternative for girls who are not as comfortable with their level of physical skill and agility. The city league offers both individual sports as well as team sports that include football. All of these sports promote active participation no matter what gender, physical ability, or age the teen may be.

Learn about our Girls Academic Programs

Boys who are part of the Diamond Ranch Academy (DRA) residential treatment program will participate in therapy programs that are designed to suit their individualized needs. The core belief of DRA is that each teen who is working through trying to adapt to difficult life circumstances, teaching them to educate themselves on how to best deal with life issues that arise is the foundation of the DRA specialized programs. These programs include co-educational programs in life-skills, the performing arts, and vocational skills training. These programs that cater to both male and female teens in the program all focus on developing each teen’s understanding of their personal strengths, abilities, and interests.

There are discussions on career goals, study skills, and how to be most effective in pursuing a career through job interviewing techniques, workplace skills, and exploring a career that will meet their long-term goals in life. One special program called horsemanship gives each teen an opportunity to develop an emotional stake in caring for someone else. This type of therapy gives them an opportunity to develop relationship skills that can be implemented in their relationships that they develop with other individuals throughout their life.

The DRA program also includes field trips that give boys the opportunity for some hands-on learning in environments that give them a real-world perspective on what they are considering pursuing as a vocation as they enter into a trade school or university environment.

There are also dedicated boys’ programs at DRA. One such program is athletics where Diamond Ranch Academy takes pride in having developed one of the most comprehensive sports programs of any residential school in the state of Utah having been fully approved by the Utah High School Activities Association in 2011. Each boy who participates in sports that are offered has coaches that are dedicated to encouraging each athlete for the purpose of building their confidence and in teaching them to have a personal stake in their own goals.

This also includes a focus on understanding the importance of being a team player that reflects the value of respect for others that needs to be developed throughout the teen’s lifetime.
Some of the sports that are available for teens to participate in are the following:

Baseball

The games at DRA are played at the Diamond Ranch Academy’s 55-acre grounds at a state-of-the-art all-turf baseball field called Venom Park that boasts its own batting cages and turf pitcher’s mound. It also has a baseball-stadium sized logo touting the Diamond Ranch Diamondbacks as the home team.

Basketball

As the 2016 1A Utah state champions, the DRA boys’ basketball program is proud to offer not only a championship program that has been consistent in making the top five in its region, but it is also a team that is known for its optimal teamwork. The games take place at the DRA campus in a basketball arena known as The Snake Pit that has an original 3-D logo artfully displayed complements of DRA’s own Art Department.

Soccer

The goal of the soccer program for boys is to physically develop the skills of coordination coupled with speed and agility. As the coaches focus on these skills, they are also helping each boy to build physical as well as mental strength and endurance. Each home game, as well as all practices, take place on a dedicated all-turf field on the Diamond Ranch Academy site which displays a DRA Diamondback team logo that spans the length of the field.

Golf

All golf practices and tournaments for boys takes place approximately two miles from the DRA site at the Sand Hollow Golf Course. This a course that has been consistently rated #1 in Utah and nationally in the top 50. Each of the DRA golf team coaches has received training from a PGA certified professional.

City League/Intramural Sports

For teens who are not yet ready to join a dedicated DRA team, there is an opportunity to engage in intramural sports on city leagues as well as participation in individual sports. This includes joining a football team that plays every Friday evening in a stadium venue within the region.

Learn more about the Boys Academic Programs