Senior Nathaniel Romine joined Sidwell Friends School’s football team this fall season due to a shortage of students on the team. Two students at Edmund Burke School were also added to the roster.
Romine has always wanted to play football, he said, but having gone to GDS since kindergarten, he’d never had the option. When he was given the chance to play for Sidwell by Jamar Chichester, Sidwell’s head football coach and a P.E. teacher at the school, he jumped at the opportunity.
Over the summer, Romine reached out to GDS athletic director David Gillespie, after hearing rumors that GDS students had been able to play football at other schools in the region. Gillespie connected Romine to administrators at Maret, but when Romine reached out to them, they didn’t respond.
After that, Romine turned to Sidwell. “Afterwards, David [Gillespie] had a meeting with the Sidwell coach and their athletic director, and they told him that they’d love to have people come play for them,” Romine said.
“We’re at a point with our football program where we’re going through a bit of a rebuild,” said Chichester. “A number of kids decided not to play this year, so that left us with some relatively low numbers, and we wanted to get some more athletes to come join us without having to wait a full year for the next admissions process.”
The D.C. State Athletic Association (DCSAA), an organization that GDS and Sidwell are both members of, has a handbook that states, “Student-athletes in grade 9, 10, 11 or 12 attending a member school in which a desired sport is not offered, [sic] may request authorization to participate at any member school offering the desired sport.”
While the rule means that Romine can play for the Sidwell team in DCSAA games, the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) does not allow for students to play for schools that they do not attend. Romine and the two students from Burke did not play in any MAC games.
Paolo Imbroscio, a GDS junior, said that he’d also been offered a spot on the team. “A friend of a friend who goes to Sidwell texted me over the summer and asked if I wanted to join the team,” he said. Imbroscio, who does not play football, declined the offer.
Romine made a big impact on the team, according to Chichester. He was the running back and a defensive back, two of the most highly competitive positions, on the 33-player team.
“He’s been a great fit,” Chichester said in early November. “The kids here seem to be getting along with him really well by all accounts; they’ve really enjoyed him being here. Also from a strictly football perspective, Nate has been a huge asset. To bring in a kid with his character, work ethic and obviously athletic ability is great. We couldn’t have asked for a better addition to our roster and community this year.”
Romine said he has really appreciated the opportunity to play for Sidwell. “I’ve really enjoyed my time there,” he said. “The whole coaching staff is new so I’ve been able to kind of develop alongside them.”
He added that he was grateful to get to play high school football, an opportunity that he did not expect. “It’s meant a lot to me because I’m finally getting to play football, which is something I’ve wanted to do all my life.”
Senior Mario Imbroscio said that many seniors knew of Romine’s situation. “A bunch of people talked about it at the beginning of the year,” he said. “I think a few other people thought it was interesting, but even when people knew it was an option I don’t think anyone else tried to get on the team.”
Although Romine competes against Sidwell in other sports, he says he has felt completely welcomed by the team and its environment.
Romine attended practices every weekday after school by taking the bus to Sidwell’s campus. The team went 5–3 this year, and the season’s highlight was a 42–0 win against the Central Virginia Disciples.
Chichester said that he would love to continue inviting GDS students to play for Sidwell’s football team. “We’ve had such a pleasant experience doing this this year with Nate, and we hope that we’re able to continue and develop this partnership for years to come.”