Athletics
Frederick Gunn was a champion of the arts, athletics and the natural world. He established the school’s first athletic teams and encouraged his students to participate in sports based on his conviction that they “strengthened not merely muscle and nerve, but character as well.”
Today, The Frederick Gunn School’s athletic and co-curricular programs continue to be guided by Mr. Gunn’s philosophy. With 35 teams competing in 15 sports, you also have the chance to take your skills to a new level or try something completely new.
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Students are required to participate in a co-curricular activity every term.
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Beyond this, students are required to participate in a minimum of two (2) terms of an interscholastic athletic team in their first year, and a minimum of one (1) term in each successive year.
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Students who have a demonstrated interest outside of interscholastic athletics have the opportunity to create an alternate route to the above policy. Specifically, students may propose to replace one term of interscholastic athletics in their first year with a non-athletic program or project (see Music, Theatre, Visual Arts).
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All returning students must participate in at least one interscholastic sport.
Athletics at Gunn had a direct impact on who I am today. The two years I spent [at school] taught me crucial skills like discipline, leadership, and respect, which allowed me to physically and emotionally mature. Because of what FGS taught me between academics and sports, I learned how to be an effective leader, but also how to be the best teammate I can be. Being surrounded by very competitive but motivated coaches and teammates also pushed me to reach academic and athletic goals that didn’t seem attainable to me before I came to FGS.
The skills that I learned didn’t just help me during my time at Gunn, but they have fostered an attitude that was necessary when I transitioned into my first year of playing college [athletics]. Thanks to [my coaches] and my teammates throughout my time at Gunn, I was more than prepared to step into college.
Morgan Wells '17
Athletics News
Student-athletes were celebrated May 22, 2023, at the school’s annual Athletic Awards ceremony, an event highlighting individual accomplishments and the shared experiences that bind our teams, and our community, together.
On May 21, the College Counseling Office hosted a signing ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of nine standout student-athletes, who have commitments to study and play sports at colleges and universities in the fall. The students represented six different varsity teams in three sports at Gunn and were supported by their families, coaches, and peers, who wished them continued success in their academic and athletic endeavors.
Two teams will represent The Frederick Gunn School in the 2023 NEPSAC Championship Finals on Sunday, March 5. Boys Varsity Basketball and Boys Varsity Ice Hockey both advanced to their respective tournament finals after winning the semifinals on Saturday.
Gunn Boys Varsity Hockey upset #6 seed Tilton School 5-4 in the NEPSAC Boys Ice Hockey Tournament quarterfinal at Deerfield Academy on March 1. The #3 seed Highlanders will face #2 Seed Holderness School on Saturday, March 4. The game will be played at 2:30 p.m. on an outdoor rink at Holderness in New Hampshire, which is under a winter storm warning, with heavy snow predicted.
Boys Varsity Basketball pushed past #6 seed Governor’s Academy 79-69 to win the NEPSAC Class B Boys Basketball Quarterfinal at Deerfield Academy on March 1. The Highlanders, the #3 seed, will take on #2 seed Millbrook School in the NEPSAC Semifinals on Saturday, March 4, at 1 p.m. at Millbrook.
Two Frederick Gunn School teams have earned spots in the 2023 New England Championships. Boys Varsity Basketball is the #3 seed in the NEPSAC Boys Basketball Tournament Class B Bracket. The Highlanders will face #6 seed The Governor’s Academy on Wednesday, March 1, at 3:30 p.m. at Deerfield Academy.
On January 11, Natalia Zappone ’23, a four-year senior, scored the 1,000th point in her basketball career at The Frederick Gunn School. It is the kind of accomplishment that does not happen often, and requires years of practice, commitment, hard work, and consistency.
The Gunn community showed up in many ways to support the annual Play4theCure field hockey game, played under the lights on Barnes Field on Saturday, October 29. Organized by both the JV and Varsity Field Hockey teams, the game and fundraising events surrounding it, including a bake sale, dress down day, and bracelet sale, succeeded in building community while supporting a good cause. The team raised $2,560 — more than double its initial goal — for the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
The Frederick Gunn School will host Canterbury School on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12, which is Canterbury Day. This annual event brings together athletic teams from the two schools in the spirit of competition, sportsmanship and camaraderie. The one-day event rotates between the two campuses annually.