Which Fall Sport is the Best?

By Hadley Nussbaum ’24

Athletes at the Frederick Gunn School are very passionate about the sports they play.  The sports occurring in the fall are football, field hockey, cross country, crew, and soccer.  I wanted to know a little more about each sport so I sat down with students from a few teams to hear their thoughts.

I first interviewed Maeren Hay from the girls varsity soccer team. Maeren is a 4 year senior and athlete on the team.  Soccer has been one of Maeren’s favorite sports since she was little.  She believes soccer is the best fall sport because the team has fun together, and everyone has grown.  Maeren says that the team works really hard, and she finds it fun to do new things in practice and improve.  Maeren said, “We have fun because we are a unit.”  Not many teams can feel like the soccer team and that’s what Maeren loves about soccer.  My interview with Maeren made me feel as if the soccer team is a family and everyone works together.  She made some good points about why soccer might be the best fall sport.

Next, I interviewed Joe Shaker.  Joe is a junior on the crew team and he loves it.  Joe also has some strong feelings about his sport being the best.  Joe thinks the crew team is the best because the crew members go to their own boathouse, have their own wifi, and go out on the beautiful water every day.  “It’s so much fun to be out on the water even if you’re not on a competitive boat.”  Joe made some solid points about how the crew team has the advantage of going to an amazing place like Lake Waramaug.

Megan Sladish is an athlete on the field hockey team.  This is Megan’s first year at The Frederick Gunn School, so it’s her first year on the team.  Field hockey is the best according to Megan because the players get fit on the field playing each day because of how much they run.  Megan chose field hockey because she plays ice hockey and loves it, so she figured they are similar sports.  So if you’re an ice hockey player and looking for a fall sport, it seems like field hockey is the sport for you!  

Jenny Macler is on the cross country team.  My interview with Jenny actually convinced me to do cross country for my next fall sport.  Jenny has a strong passion for cross country “You put all of your energy and strength into it and you feel so accomplished when you finish a race mentally and physically.”  During practice, Jenny says everyone is running together, talking, laughing, and just having a good time.  Jenny also included that, “Everyone is really supportive of each other.”  That is a major factor of sports teams because without support it’s hard to succeed.  Jenny looks forward to the end of the day after all of her classes to go on a nice run and relax her mind.   Cross country sounds like a great sport to clear your head and get good cardio.  

My last interview was with Taylor Brown from the football team.  Taylor is one of the few team captains and is very passionate about his sport.  “Football is the best sport because the game cannot be dictated by one singular person, it requires an entire team to be on the same page as one another.  It is a demonstration of teamwork. Everyone plays a different but equally important role and everyone is a part of a whole.  Football also requires grit and determination and can bring people together both on and off the field.”  His comments gave me a different perspective about football because of the work that he puts into it. I was impressed with his appreciation for the camaraderie of the team. 

I think these athletes made strong and good points about why their fall sport is best.  Each person I interviewed enjoys their sport and only has good things to say about it.  At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: fun, teamwork, and hardwork.