On Saturday, October 23rd, Germantown Academy hosted its first annual Ginny Hofmann day to celebrate girls’ athletics at GA. Varsity fall sports (field hockey, soccer, cross country, tennis, volleyball and water polo) competed in games throughout the morning.
Ginny Hofmann Day was started as a way to highlight girls athletics, and as a way to honor Ms. Hofmann’s 44 years at GA. Athletic Director Mr. Tim Ginter said, “Ms. Hofmann has been such a mentor to me and to countless others during her 44 years. It was an honor to be able to celebrate her in this way, she really deserved it.” Many also enjoyed this day because women’s sports everywhere are severely underrepresented, especially in comparison to men’s sports.
The day began with a ceremony to honor Coach Hofmann. All six of the girls fall sports teams, along with their parents, friends, and coaches, met on the Sisters Fields. Tim Ginter opened the ceremony with a welcome, then Ms. Hofmann talked to the crowd about her years at GA. Senior Blythe Berlinger sang the Star Spangled Banner, and the ceremony ended with all of the teams taking a picture together.
Field hockey had a great game on Saturday. Penn Charter scored the first goal, but GA quickly bounced back and scored three more goals, defeating PC 3-1. Captain Bri O’Hara ’22 said, “The highlight of the game was being able to play and win in front of Ms. Hofmann and so many of the other GA teams.” It wasn’t just the game that was memorable though. O’Hara said, “The day overall, especially the ceremony before the field hockey game, was extremely memorable and special.”
The water polo team fell 15-6 to Penn Charter, but captain Blythe Berlinger ’22 said they played “exceptionally well” with highlights being “Liz Burke ’23 and Grace Good ’22 game-opening goals and Noelle Paynton ’23 amazing 5-meter save in goal.” The team is “incredibly close” and the girls believe that “having those friendships on the team really enhances our performance in competitions.”
Cross country ran a great race on Saturday, easily defeating Episcopal Academy 16-42. Captain Juli Gonzalez ’22 said, “The team did amazing! We almost had a perfect score, placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th place. It was such an amazing race to end my XC career at GA.” Captain Bethany Matje ’22 said, “I’m insanely proud that we killed it for our last home meet for the season! My highlight was cheering my teammates on for their finishing sprint towards the finish line”.
Volleyball lost to Notre Dame 2-1, but captain Fiona McKenna ’23 said, “We fought really hard during the game, and as a captain I am extremely proud of the team for always giving their all.” McKenna also noted how the support of the families that came out to watch the game and the support teammates showed each other all made the game even more enjoyable.
Soccer beat Villa Maria Academy 3-2. Captain Alex Goodridge ’22 said, “It was a competitive, hard-fought, and physical game, but we played some of our best soccer.” The team was able to talk to Coach Hofmann during half time, and dedicated their team cheer and second half to her. The team also thought that “Seeing all the girls sports teams gather at the beginning was a great way to start the day.”
Tennis lost their match 6-0 to Episcopal Academy. Captain Alexa Baer ’22 said, “Even though we lost, I think the entire tennis team played hard and well.” The team is very supportive of each other. In fact, Baer’s highlight of the match was “Cheering each other on.” Baer thought the day was “great” because Ms. Hofmann “led the way for female athletes at GA.”
All the girls sports teams at GA thought this day was a great way to celebrate girls’ athletics. Fiona McKenna ’23 said, “Being a female isn’t always easy, and having a whole day full of female sports is amazing.” They also thought it was important to recognize everything Ms. Hofmann has done for GA athletics. Blythe Berlinger ’22 said, “Ms. Hoffman was truly a pioneer for women’s sports at GA, so it is a wonderful way for us to honor and acknowledge her contributions to our athletics program.” Field hockey captain Bri O’Hara ’22 said, “Ms. Hofmann has been a huge influence on all GA sports, but field hockey and women’s sports in particular. I think this day is an amazing opportunity to show our gratitude to her and everything she has done for us and female athletics.”
While this day was a huge success, Mr. Ginter and fall sports captains are already thinking about how to make the event even better next year. Some changes that are being discussed include spreading the game times throughout the day. Field hockey captain Sydney Cameron ’22 said, “I wish the day was more spread out so I could actually attend more games— the games were overlapping so it was hard to find times to go to each one.” Cross country captain Bethany Matje ’22 thought if you couldn’t go and support other athletics, then “what was the point of the day?”
To some, the scheduling of a football game just a few hours after the GH44 event ended drew attention away from the day. Cross country runner Allison Eichsteadt ’25 said that “the football game had more fans than [the girls teams] got.”
Mr. Ginter says they will, “expand the event next year and have our first annual Winter GH44.” He also hopes next year more fans will come out to watch the games because he “enjoys their support.”
