From the athletic fields, to the pool deck, to the theater, school spirit invigorates the entire GA community the week leading up to GA-PC Day.
On Nov. 12, 2022, one of the longest-standing high school sports rivalries between Germantown Academy and Penn Charter took place on our beloved GA campus: GA-PC Day. Although the day ended in a 5-5 tie, with the Quakers retaining the Competition Cup, the ferocious school spirit from GA was contagious since the first Monday of spirit week.
GA-PC Day is one of the longest continuous high school rivalries in the nation, starting in 1887. The rivalry started one November afternoon at GA’s home field. Back then, the only sport that was played was football. At this time, GA’s football team was undefeated and pulled off a 20-6 win. Little did the team know that they started a long rivalry.
Starting in the 20th century, both schools expanded to other sports including field hockey, boys and girls soccer, girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, and boys and girls water polo. 1990 was the first year GA-PC Day included girls’ sports.
To accommodate for the added sports, one point is awarded to the team who wins each respective sport. Whichever school has the most points by the end wins GA-PC Day and the Competition Cup.
At the beginning, the games were just a part of GA’s roster and did not have its own full day of festivities. However, in recent years, the day has blossomed into a highlighted event by both schools. Now festivities like face-painting, bounce houses, and corn hole take place, as well as a number of food trucks and school merchandise sales.
Photo Courtesy of Smugmug
Since the beginning, GA was the favored football team because of its incomparable facilities. When PC made its move to only a few blocks away from School House Lane, proximity relaunched the long-existing rivalry. What once was a strength for GA, became a weakness when PC acquired new athletic facilities that surpassed GA’s. With this, the rivalry intensified.
No one really knows why PC was the chosen rival team. Still, throughout the years, PC was GA’s favorite team to play against. When GA added a football field in 1921, the team chose PC for their first game on the new field. This contest, the 35th contest, on Nov. 5, 1921, brought out over 3,000 spectators.
In 1953, the addition of the Geis Trophy, in honor of class president Joseph Geis III ’48, extended the rivalry. Then, in 1990, the tradition of hallway decorating began, instigating electric school spirit throughout the students of GA.
Photo Courtesy of Smugmug
The school spirit shown from the students has been exhilarating since the day the rivalry began. From spectator betting to post-game destruction of the goal post, students show an unmatched sense of GA competitiveness and identity throughout GA-PC Day and the Spirit Week leading up to it.
Every year, the week leading up to GA-PC Day is filled with many ways for students to express their school spirit. During this week, each day, students are encouraged to dress up in accordance to a specific theme. This year, the themes were Pajama Day, Superhero Day, “What’s in my Closet?” & Anything but a Backpack Day, Day at the Office, and Class Colors.
Madison Destefano ’24 said, “I really love the spirit week leading up to GA-PC day, being able to dress up every day and show my school spirit all leading up to the pep rally at the end of the week.”
Every year, spirit week concludes with a pep rally run by the GA Superfans. The pep rally is one of the few times a year the entire school is in the same place at once, and the energy is electric. The pep rally leaves every student at GA in anticipation for the day ahead filled with competition.
When interviewing students at the event on Saturday, many people were filled with excitement and pride for GA. Brendan Hodgens ’24 says “I just really love the environment and everyone is just so supportive of one another, whether we win or lose.”
This past year was the first “normal” GA-PC Day hosted at GA since the Covid-19 pandemic. Hodgens says, “[GA-PC Day] is a really good opportunity for students to bond with one another which we’ve sometimes been lacking at the Academy, especially after the impacts of the pandemic… It’s been really hard since then, but I feel like we’re starting to take advantage of these opportunities to meet new friends, and just have fun with one another.”
Throughout this year’s GA/PC Day, we could really feel the energy of every student at GA supporting their classmates on the athletic fields. As an athlete, the feeling of having all your friends cheering you on from the sidelines is amazing.
It was a surreal moment when GA beat PC in field hockey and the entire team, the girls soccer team, and even other students watching on the sidelines, stormed the middle of the field when the final buzzer went off, cheering.
Madison Destefano ’24, a member of the GA field hockey team, agreed, saying, “I think the energy and being part of a team, and the feeling of storming the field after every win that we get is just so amazing. Everyone is in such a good mood on GA-PC day.”
Gracen Brant ’23 was able to close out her final season playing field hockey in a big win against PC. Brant says, “We worked really hard this season, and it paid off when we defeated PC. We all worked together and communicated well, and I’m really proud of this team.”
Claire McMicheal ’23 emphasized the energy on campus, saying, “I love the spirit of all the teams on GA-PC day. GA field hockey has a tradition of going all out with face paint, hairstyles and ribbon which is just a super fun way to show team spirit.”
Even though GA tied PC this year, students are already preparing for next year’s competition, ready to take back the Competition Cup.
Sources
https://www.germantownacademy.net/athletics/gapcday/a-ga-pc-day-retrospective
https://www.penncharter.com/athletics/pcga-day-history/one-for-the-history-books
https://www.penncharter.com/athletics/pcga-day-history
https://www.germantownacademy.net/athletics/gapcday/ga-pc-day-what-a-tradition