The New Normal in the World of Athletics

After over a year of COVID-19 restrictions, eager athletes and the entire Germantown Academy community are overjoyed to have the fall sports seasons back to normal. The GA student athlete community has grown stronger since all have a common love for their sport. They are ultimately united by simply being able to enjoy their high school seasons with normalcy once again. As the GA athletes have gotten stronger, the rest of the community has followed along as the fan sections have gotten bigger and their cheering louder. All members of the community seem to be invested in all aspects of GA’s High School sports teams —regardless of the sport. Being backed by the community has not only motivated GA’s athletes to put their best foot forward, but also increased the morale at school, as people in the community are constantly supporting each other and looking forward to the next big game, match, race, and meet.   

Two students from the senior class are chosen each year to be the “GA SuperFans” leaders. These students help create the biggest student section in the whole inter-ac, they are tasked with creating the themes for the sports games, making sure people are aware of the upcoming sports events, and working with the athletic department. For the 2021-2022 school year, Bri Ohara ‘22 and Matt Andress ‘22 serve as the GA SuperFans leaders. When asked the question “how do you take on the duty of embracing the sports teams GA students have missed for so long,” Bri Ohara  emphasised that sports have always naturally been a big part of the GA community, and after a year of limitations due to COVID-19, it was extremely disappointing to not have a student fan sections. She also discussed that the lack of a normal season last year contributed to the communities excitement in both their own and other sports so far throughout the fall season. She said that since sports are one of the biggest ways the community bonds, the job of being a super fan comes very easily to her. Bri stated, “Matt and I are working hard to find ways to get as many fans as possible to all games in a safe way and we are hopeful that as the year continues, these restrictions will lessen.” The SuperFan leaders are doing a fantastic job at recreating a “pre-covid environment” that highlights and appreciates all students regardless of the sport, which has united the community after over a year of restrictions. 

Mr. Tim Ginter, the Germantown Academy Athletic Director, was offered this position in February 2020, right before the pandemic. He described that while it was frustrating with the restrictions and that he had to be the the one to tell parents they could not come watch their child play; this pause in athletics gave him and the whole athletic department time to plan and really think out the changes he wanted to make and additions he wanted to make to the athletics programs at GA. This year, with sports back in action, the athletic department has come out with a “GAme of the week,” where each week a different high school team is highlighted and given the GA social media spotlight. The GAme of the week has allowed every team to feel included and important, taking very little effort and resources from the school to accomplish. Another new addition to the athletic world at GA is the Ginny Hoffman Play Day, which highlights all the highschool female sports at GA and shines a light on the female athletes at GA. In addition, there is a new sports journalist club at GA that allows those passionate about sports and writing a chance to follow one or a few teams around and produce articles about that team and their games, which will be shared on the GA website. This club not only gives these journalists a chance to show their talent but also raises awareness about each  individual sports team— whether that team is the most or least known sport at GA!  There is so much more to what the athletic department has been doing behind the scenes and they have done a fantastic job. Mr. Ginter said that “making ppl feel wanted in the department is big for me.” Each team feels involved and appreciated especially after over a year of sports seasons filled with tight restrictions due to COVID-19. 

As the GA community has united to support all the student athletes, everyone is anxiously awaiting the beloved GA/PC day. Looking ahead, the game, match, and meet that all athletes look forward to throughout the whole season is GA/PC day, which includes the Football game that concludes the day and generally brings out the biggest fan section of the whole year! GA/PC day is the oldest continuous high school football rivalry in the country. Currently, GA has 37 wins, PC has 86 wins, and there were 11 ties. All athletes are playing for the Competition cup that is given to the school that overall wins the day; GA has taken home the cup 13 times, PC 7 times, and there were 5 ties. The competitive day brings out the inner superfan in all members of the community as everyone comes together to support each other in hopes of bringing home the Competition Cup.