Many students at Choate love Deerfield Day and look forward to it every year, which begs the question: Should we have a Deerfield Day every term? A Deerfield Day every term would not benefit Choate or its athletic teams, despite there being a number of people who think otherwise.
First, Choate’s sports teams are historically better in the fall. Last year, Choate came away from Deerfield Day with an impressive 5-0 varsity sweep. Varsity Football has been undefeated for an unbelievable four years. Girls’ Varsity Volleyball has won the New England Championships the past two years. Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Soccer each made the New England Playoffs last year. These teams usually promise a successful Deerfield Day in the fall.
In the winter and spring, Choate athletics don’t fare as well as it does in the fall. Last winter, Choate’s overall sports record was 170-130-7, and its overall win percentage was 55%. These numbers are pretty similar to last year’s spring term in which, Choate had an overall record of 187-152-3, and the same overall win percentage of 55%. These percentages, although perfectly acceptable, do not compare to our winning percentage of 61% from last fall’s sports season. These numbers show that we would have a lower chance of winning Deerfield Day in the winter and spring than we do in the fall.
Deerfield Day being a once-a-year event makes students more inclined to participate and go to games — being able to experience it only four times, at most, in one’s Choate career adds to the excitement and makes it much more special. If Deerfield Day happened each term, it would not be as exciting. For many students, Deerfield Day is one of the most exciting events of the year, a time where students get to show school spirit and support their friends. The spirit and essence of Deerfield Day would be diluted if it occurred each term.
Some people, like J.V. Girls’ Basketball coach Mr. Oliver Morris, think there are arguments to be made for both sides. Morris said, “I think it would be great to have Deerfield Day during the winter and spring terms, rather than letting the fall sports have all the fun. I imagine that the logistics and scheduling might be a challenge, though, particularly for the winter, when court and rink time is so hard to come by. Certainly, the teams get fired up to play Deerfield all three seasons, and it would be great to have the support of our classmates at those games, so I’d love to see if there’s a way to make it work.”
Jackson Elkins ’18 shared a similar sentiment. He said, “I think having Deerfield Day only once a year builds up the anticipation and almost keeps the rivalry from getting stale. But as an athlete who’s played in some unbelievable hockey games in the winter and ran in some great track meets in the spring, I would’ve loved to have participated in those during Deerfield Day, because it would’ve made all those victories just that much more special.”
Deerfield Day is one of the most beloved days of the year, and is preceded by an entire spirit week. Until it is certain that there is a better way to do Deerfield Day, or that Choate would have a fair chance at walking away from the day with more wins than losses, the school should stick with the current Deerfield Day format of having it once per year.
