Athletics Philosophy
Our philosophy is that education happens everywhere.
Working out in our sparkling fitness center, playing on a team for an award-winning coach, exploring a new activity—all of this is education, and we take it seriously (and joyfully). We are resolved to meet each and every GFA student where they are in terms of interest and ability level, and help them unlock the athlete we know resides within. From the Division I recruited athlete to the student trying a sport for the first time and every student in between, the experience is transformative.
Lower School
Our physical education and sports programs in the Lower School focus on staying healthy, learning new skills, and loving being active. Our P.E. teachers will often say things like: “We get outside. We get dirty. We get sweaty. We learn how to take turns, listen to coaching, and work through challenges. The foundation we set for our youngest learners through the sports requirements serves as an essential part of the Lower School education. We are molding good teammates for life.”
Middle School
In the Middle School, we have a three-season athletic requirement—and a year-round belief in the importance of honoring your own health, testing your abilities, and working with teammates toward a shared goal. You can be athletic in lots of ways, from fitness to field hockey, from recreational frisbee to interscholastic lacrosse. Fifth and sixth graders get to sample all of our sports in an intramural program that emphasizes fun and skill building, while seventh and eighth graders get to put on the GFA uniform, compete against other schools, and learn all of the enduring lessons that come from being members of teams. We’re here to help you love it and learn from it.
Upper School
Our Upper School athletes participate in 50 activities, including interscholastic sports, independent studies, and fitness classes. Through these programs, we are committed to helping each student be active and authentically engaged through athletics.
Our varsity teams feature best-in-class coaching, remarkable individual achievement, and stellar team results. In the last 4 years, GFA varsity teams won a combined 34 national, regional, and league championships. Not surprisingly, in any given year, 20–25% of our seniors are recruited athletes at outstanding college programs.
Find our Recent Graduates Playing
LACROSSE at Bates, Colby, Kenyon, Middlebury, Occidental, Penn, Tufts, Colgate, and Hamilton
CROSS COUNTRY at The University of Chicago and Tufts
VOLLEYBALL at Dartmouth, Bryn Mawr, and Emory
TENNIS at Cornell, Boston College, Davidson, Middlebury, Michigan, and Wesleyan
SOCCER at Colgate, Swarthmore, Franklin & Marshall, Kenyon, Hobart, Richmond, and Pitzer
SAILING at Brown, Connecticut College, UPenn, and George Washington
BASEBALL at Amherst, Williams, Grinnell, and Tufts
SQUASH at Colby, Franklin & Marshall, and
St. Lawrence
GOLF at University of Louisville
FIELD HOCKEY at Barnard College and Columbia
TRACK AND FIELD at Dartmouth
BASKETBALL at Emory, Williams, Boston College, Ithaca, and Williams
WRESTLING at Stanford, University of Virginia, The University of Chicago, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Wesleyan, and Cornell
ROWING at UC Berkeley, Harvard, and Wisconsin
... and this is just a sampling! Click here to see more!
2022–23 By the numbers
34 - national, regional, and league championships won by the Class of 2023 during their four years in the Upper School (the winningest class in GFA's 98-year history)
20 - members of the 90-person Class of 2023 recruited to play college sports at NCAA Division I, II, and III institutions
13 - New England, Western New England, and FAA League & Tournament championships won across three seasons (Girls Golf, Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Boys Tennis, Softball, and Wrestling)
10 - New England Individual Champions (Girls Squash, Girls Tennis, Wrestling)
6 - All-Americans (Boys Lacrosse, Wrestling)
5th - GFA's finish at the 2023 Prep National Wrestling Championships, featuring the top programs in the country
2 - New England Championships (Boys Soccer, Wrestling)
1 - National Individual Prep Wrestling Champion (Steven Burrell '23)
1 - Connecticut Boys Soccer Coach of the Year (Varsity Boys Soccer Coach Chris Mira)
1 - Connecticut Boys Soccer Player of the Year (Matvey Timashev '23)