For three GFS teams, preparation for the 2026–27 season extended well beyond campus this summer.
Varsity Girls Basketball, Cross Country, and Varsity Boys Soccer each hit the road, traveling throughout the Carolinas and across the Atlantic to England. While each trip looked different, they shared a common purpose: giving student-athletes opportunities to train, compete, experience something new, and strengthen the relationships that turn a group of athletes into a team.
Girls Basketball Heads South
Varsity Girls Basketball traveled to South Carolina to attend Dawn Staley’s Basketball Camp at the University of South Carolina, giving the Tigers an opportunity to learn and compete in one of the country’s premier college basketball environments.
The trip also included a meaningful GFS connection along the way. The Tigers stopped at the University of North Carolina, where GFS alumna Katherine Bixby ’06 serves as an assistant coach with the Tar Heels women’s basketball program.
(Coach Bixby speaking to the team inside of the UNC basketball facility)
Bixby met with the team, took them on a tour of the facility (including a shoot around in the team gym!) and shared her experiences with the Tigers, providing current GFS female student-athletes an opportunity to hear from an alumna who has continued her basketball career at the collegiate coaching level.
Senior Captain Izzy Ritchie said, “It was inspiring for us to see the work and dedication that the players put into their program. I have teammates who are trying to play at the next level, so it was good to see what it takes.”
Between their time at UNC and the experience at South Carolina, the trip gave the Tigers a chance to see the game at the highest collegiate levels while spending valuable time together away from campus.
(The Varsity Girls basketball team with Hall of Fame coach Dawn Staley)
When asked the hypothetical question of which program she’d choose between UNC and USC Ritchie responded, “I would have to say South Carolina. Dawn Staley is such an inspirational coach…she’s done so much for the women’s game and she’s from Philly, which is pretty cool.”
The Tigers will look to take what they’ve learned from Coach Bixby and Coach Staley this summer and apply it to the GFS Basketball program this winter.
Cross Country Takes on the Mountains
For GFS Cross Country, summer travel meant heading for higher ground.
The Tigers traveled to North Carolina, taking their training to the mountains for a series of challenging runs. Highlights included a run up Lookout Mountain and a climb to the 6,684-foot summit of Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River.
The difficult climbs and unfamiliar terrain provided a change of pace from the team's normal training environment. Just as importantly, traveling, training, and tackling those challenges together gave the Tigers an opportunity to build the camaraderie that will be important when the season gets underway.
Assistant Coach Kate Henderson finds that these trips provide invaluable time together as a team, gelling together as one now so that they can compete as individuals with confidence on race day. "It's not just the runs and the workouts that we're paying attention to. Being together in this new way, preparing meals for each other with intentionality, it's an opportunity for us to grow closer as a group."
Both the boys and girls cross country programs will look to re-establish themselves on top of the FSL League in the 2026 season.
Boys Soccer Crosses the Atlantic
Varsity Boys Soccer went the farthest from home, crossing the Atlantic for a preseason trip to Winchester, England.
(The Varsity Boys soccer team in front of Tower Bridge in London)
The trip continued an ongoing relationship between GFS and Winchester College, an independent boys boarding school in Winchester. During their time in England, the Tigers trained and competed against local teams, gaining the experience of playing against unfamiliar opponents and experiencing soccer in a country where the sport is deeply ingrained in the culture.
“It’s a different brand of football over here”, commented Varsity Assistant Coach and GFS Alum Caleb MacTavish ‘09. “The matches have been competitive...the team has grown stronger from the experience.”
The experience extended beyond the field. Players had opportunities to explore the London area, attend an Arsenal match at Emirates Stadium, take in local sights such as Tower Bridge, experience the English culture in Borough Market, and spend time together as a team before returning home for the start of the fall season.
(The boys attended an Arsenal match at Emirates Stadium)
Senior attacker and team captain Will Pendse spoke to how this year felt different than other years. “We almost got to live like the Winchester College kids' daily life, it was a really different experience than here.”
Pendse, who is committed to play soccer at Swarthmore College next year, feels that the time spent traveling together will pay dividends in the coming season, “We’ve got a strong group of returners and some younger sophomores who are looking to step up. We were a close team last year but I think this team can end up even closer.”
(Varsity Boys Soccer training on the grounds at Winchester College)
Coming off of an amazing 2025 campaign that resulted in a Friends School League Championship the Tigers will look to pick up where they left off as they kick off their season against Julia R. Masterman on August 27th at their home pitch, GFS AA Smith Field.
*Check back in to Family News next week for a deeper look into the boys’ trip to England.*
For all three programs, the destinations and activities were different, but the value of the experiences went beyond basketball, running, or soccer. Each trip offered student-athletes a chance to challenge themselves, strengthen relationships with teammates, learn from other perspectives, and represent Germantown Friends School beyond the campus.
As the Tigers return home and the 2026–27 season gets underway, they do so with plenty of miles, and some memorable experiences, already behind them.