A Rosemary Hall student on horseback in the 1930s.
By Lauren Hsu ’24 and Ayaz Zuberi ’27
According to the archives of The Choate School and Rosemary Hall, horses once trotted through campus and a riflery range was housed in the Worthington Johnson Athletics Center (WJAC). Since then, sports teams, such as the equestrian and riflery teams, have come and gone over the years.
Skiing began as a club at The Choate School in 1938 and at Rosemary Hall in 1961. It developed into an interscholastic team in 1947 and in 1972 respectively, continuing on after the two schools merged in 1974. Beginning in the 1949-50 season, skiing took a hiatus at The Choate School but restarted in 1961. Finally, in 1995, the ski program came to an end.
During the 60s, the team trained at the former Powder Hill, now named Powder Ridge Ski Area in Middlefield, Connecticut, just a 16-minute drive from campus. “The snow bore no resemblance to powder and little resemblance to snow. It was, most agreed, a slightly tilted ice rink,” Andy Love ’63 wrote in the spring 2019 issue of the Bulletin.
One notable skiing coach was Mr. Donald Beaton, who taught math from 1963-1975. Under his leadership, The Choate School won nine New England Prep School Ski Championships titles against teams at other schools, including Phillips Academy Andover and The Lawrenceville School . The team also earned five rally victories over Deerfield.
In 1916, Rosemary Hall began a horse riding program. Josephine Smith, Captain of Riding in the 1923-1924 school year, wrote about the program in the October 1923 edition of Question Mark, Rosemary Hall’s alumni and literary magazine. “We have had some splendid rides on the near-by bridle paths and two Sunday morning rides which were especially enjoyable,” she said.
In 1922, the riding program formed a club called the Equites to promote team bonding. Co-Headmistress Ms. Mary Elizabeth Lowndes would invite the Equites to her home for tea to discuss riding.
At The Choate School, riding was more recreational than interscholastic. Up until World War II, riding was a popular and common activity at the Choate School.
“Some boys quartered their own private saddle horses. All the mounts were exercised each day to keep them fit, and every night the groom gave them a good curry and rubdown,” The Choate News reported in 1956.
Students even took excursions on horseback into the surrounding countryside, and there was once a red barn for horses where Archbold now stands. Upon its construction in 1928, the barn was moved to be near the Remsen Arena, where it remains today.
In the late 1930s, unable to justify the cost of maintaining horses as the popularity of riding declined, the stables became home to the Dramatic Club, devoted to performing Shakespearean plays.
“Today, around the Choate campus, a boy on horseback would attract more attention than a tomcat in a soup tureen,” reported The Choate News in 1956.
Home to many of the School’s athletic courts, the WJAC once also housed a shooting range for the competitive riflery team.
The interscholastic riflery program began in the 1950s, but a rifle club had existed at the Choate School since 1915.
In 2001, the program ended when longtime coach Mr. Carl Johnson retired from his position as a Photography teacher, and the School was unable to find a replacement. Expensive ammunition costs also deterred the School from continuing the program. That same year, the WJAC underwent major renovations, so the riflery range was emptied out.
The riflery team had several experienced students who were active in local competitions. In its last year, Whitney Young ’02 and Co-Captain Brian Partridge ’02 competed at an all-state match. To facilitate students to continue training after the program ended, the riflery team was given a year to practice at an off-campus range.
Beyond skiing, riding, and riflery, the School once boasted sports such as cricket, gymnastics, and badminton. Teams may never hit Powder Hill again, and students may no longer trot across Wallingford on horseback, but a visit to the School Archives will take you on a deep dive into old sports at the School.
