GDS Athletics: A Generational Conversation on Legacy and Leadership

On a fall afternoon in 1987, when our school was not yet widely recognized for athletic excellence, the GDS high school men’s varsity soccer team found itself battling St. Vincent Pallotti High School in a tense overtime showdown.

Athletic Director Harold Newton was leading the fledgling GDS athletics program. The facilities were modest, but the field was new, and something changed that day.

“We won our first PVAC soccer championship on our brand-new field in overtime over Pallotti,” recalls Harold, referring to the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference tournament.

When Harold began teaching and coaching at GDS in 1980, he ran the show. He served as Middle School Athletic Director from 1984 to 1987. He was also Middle School soccer coach, Middle School basketball assistant, Middle School track coach, High School men's soccer coach, and assistant for High School women's and men’s basketball.

In his first year at the middle school, GDS offered coed soccer, men's and women's basketball, and coed softball. “We soon started women's soccer, and when Karen Epstein joined the staff, she started a women's softball team. The high school had men and women's soccer, basketball, cross country, and track and field,” he said. “Teachers Kevin Barr and John Burghardt coached softball and baseball respectively for a few years,” he said.

The program was just getting started, but over his 25 years of coaching at GDS, Harold compiled 305 wins, capturing eight PVAC championships, six Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) titles, and multiple tournament crowns. Eighteen players went on to play college soccer. In 2002, the soccer program was ranked eighth by The Washington Post.

Yet when he reflects on those decades, the emphasis is not on banners so much as on growth, commitment, and building a lasting athletics program. For this, he gives shout-outs to many coaches and faculty who helped shape and grow the program:

“Pam Stanfield, Nooman Kacem, Quinn Killy, and Bobby Asher were great people to work and coach with. They have always been supportive. CA Pilling, Anthony Belber, Karen Epstein, and Bea Fuller have been great coaches who make sure our athletes are well taken care of. Veronica Ampey and Kathy Hudson set an example of professionalism. Richard Avidon was one of the many faculty members who were always supportive of the GDS athletes, to name but a few.”
 

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Kathy Hudson took the helm as Athletic Director in 1996. When she looks back on her tenure, she sees an evolution both in the facilities and in the program, continuing to build on the foundation Harold and the other faculty and coaches had established.

“We transformed a program that began with one gym and a grass field into a comprehensive athletic powerhouse,” she said. 

Under her leadership, GDS added coed varsity golf, transitioned crew from club to varsity status, introduced indoor track in 2000–2001, strengthened cross country and swimming, and guided the men’s teams from the PVAC into the MAC. 

But Kathy also notes that she didn’t do this alone. She believes that the growth of the athletics program was due to excellent coaching and the creation of a culture. She measures her impact by longevity.

“Rather than a single moment, I am most proud of how our coaches built sustainable programs from the ground up. Their dedication transformed the culture of GDS athletics,” she said.

“Cross country and track & field coach Anthony Belber grew a program that began with too few athletes to field a full team into a powerhouse of hundreds of participants, over more than 25 years, resulting in numerous ISL and MAC Championships. Most importantly, he focused on training every athlete regardless of skill level to reach their personal best.”

She also noted that under the leadership of Quinn Killy and Katie Redmond, the men’s and women’s soccer programs matured into elite competitors, securing both MAC and Independent School League Championships. And Brandon Weist took the volleyball program from the bottom of the rankings to being one of the premier teams in the ISL and the DC metro area.

Still, Kathy defines athletics at GDS to be aligned with the school’s mission; it’s not all about championships.

“Athletics at GDS should never just be about the scoreboard; it is a laboratory for character. The lessons learned in a loss are often more valuable than those found in a win.”
 

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David Gillispie inherited that legacy when he stepped into the Athletic Director role in the fall of 2019. The programs were established. Championships were accumulating. Alumni were returning to coach. Yet he sensed something still evolving in how athletics was perceived within the broader school community.

“When I took over, I think GDS athletics maybe wasn’t seen as a priority for the school.”

There was an underlying question about identity. Could GDS be both academically rigorous and athletically competitive?

“There’s no reason we can’t be great at academics, great in the arts, and great in athletics,” he said.

David manifested this idea during his tenure and helped broaden GDS’s identity to include athletics. Soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and basketball teams won championships. The volleyball program began a historic run. Individual athletes broke records and earned statewide recognition. More students pursued college athletics than ever before.

“I think the biggest change during my tenure was shifting from ‘GDS isn’t an athletic school’ to ‘Wait a minute—they’re pretty good.’”

Then, almost immediately, the world changed.

“Covid was the hardest thing by far,” he said.

Of all areas in education, athletics likely felt the most impact, with interrupted seasons and fields lying empty. Athletes were separated from teammates and coaches. David describes the lengths required to bring students back.

“I painted ten-by-ten boxes on the field so athletes could come back safely before school reopened.” Even when sports resumed, they looked different. Basketball players competed in masks. 

But the lessons from this trying time were in some ways illuminating. “I think one of the biggest takeaways is how important athletics are to students’ identity. For many students, athletics was not an extracurricular activity. It was community. It was structure. It was belonging,” said David.

He echoed Kathy’s sentiments on what GDS athletics is all about: “I think it is probably one of the best places to prepare kids for life, because you have to deal with disappointment, you have to deal with adversity.”
 

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Current Athletic Director Mike Brooks reflects on this long history of growth and change in GDS athletics. Like previous directors, he appreciates the steadfast dedication of former directors and coaches who laid the groundwork for championships, record-breaking seasons, and individual athletes who went on to collegiate and national successes. 

But for Mike, the real markers of success are more relational and developmental.

“Yes, we want to compete. Yes, we want to hang banners. But first and foremost, athletics at GDS must reflect the mission of the school. Growth is deeper… It's students feeling seen and valued by their coaches, teams that reflect the diversity of our school, athletes who learn to lead with empathy and communicate with courage, and alumni who look back and say, ‘That experience shaped me,’” he said. He hopes his tenure will be remembered as people saying: “They built a culture.”

“Twenty years from now, I hope GDS athletics is thriving and is competitive across leagues, respected by peers, and known not just for titles but for the way we treat people. I hope a student walking onto campus in 2046 still feels what we want students to feel today: This is a place where I can grow. This is a place where I belong. This is a place where I will be challenged, and supported, to become my best self.”