Haverford-EA Day, an adrenaline-packed tradition in which Haverford competes against The Episcopal Academy, is cherished by both current and former students and student-athletes.
For onlookers, it is a chance to be a part of something greater than oneself—to support peers who have been entrusted with a great responsibility in representing the school, and for the athletes, it is an opportunity to continue a decades-old legacy. These athletes invest all they have into their sports, and to be able to showcase their hard work and represent their school is truly an honor.
But what about the athletes who participate in winter and spring sports? These athletes work just as hard, and invest no less than the athletes participating in fall sports. Do they not deserve the same opportunity to represent their peers, faculty, and alumni?
According to Fifth Form varsity athlete Jamie Stait, “Competing in EA Day is something that an athlete will never forget. For athletes who compete in a non-fall sport like myself, I find myself often wishing to one day have a similar opportunity. I understand that to alter the format of EA day would be a change to a tradition, but I think it is a change that would be embraced school-wide.”
“Competing in EA Day is something that an athlete will never forget”
V former jamie stait
By changing the season of each EA Day, not only would winter and spring athletes have a chance to compete, but all seasons would be equally rotated through during a student’s high school career.
Every athlete, from every sport, would have the opportunity to take the field, court, pool, or mat, surrounded by hundreds of their friends, families, and teachers. EA Day, a cherished tradition, would be expanded beyond only a third of the school’s athletes, leaving more students with a memory to last them a lifetime.
Haverford is known for the positive experiences that students take beyond these walls and into the world. Rotating the season of EA Day would only further these memories.