We are excited to share that beginning with the 2027–2028 school year, Gaston Day’s Varsity and JV athletic programs will join the Foothills Athletic Conference, and our Middle School teams will move to an independent scheduling model. The Metrolina Athletic Conference (MAC) has been a great home for Gaston Day since 2013, providing more than a decade of strong competition and relationships. When we joined, the conference was made up of schools similar to Gaston Day in both size and approach to athletics. Over time, that has changed. Gaston Day is now the only NCISAA 2A school remaining in the MAC, with the other members competing at the 3A and 4A levels. We have also seen a shift in member schools' athletic models. Gaston Day remains committed to using athletics as a vehicle to teach life skills, develop students, and pursue athletic excellence. The Foothills Athletic Conference includes Statesville Christian, Hickory Christian, University Christian, Salem Christian, and North Hills Christian. “For nearly two years, we have explored what the best conference structure could look like for us. Moving to the Foothills Conference allows our Varsity and JV teams to compete against fellow 2A schools. This move provides flexibility for our Middle School teams and an independent schedule to ensure the focus of student-athlete development is at the center of the Middle School experience,” shares Lulu Brase, Director of Athletics. We know a conference change naturally brings questions about schedules, travel, opponents, and what this means for our teams. The FAQs below provide some additional context about the transition and, most importantly, what families and student-athletes can expect as we prepare for 2027–2028. Why is Gaston Day making this change now? Gaston Day has spent nearly two years evaluating our conference options, with a deeper review over the past six months. As our school and the MAC have evolved, we believe now is the right time to move to a structure that better aligns with our school size, athletic philosophy, and the developmental needs of our student-athletes. Why is the MAC not the best fit anymore? The Metrolina Athletic Conference (MAC) has been a good home for Gaston Day since 2013, providing more than a decade of strong competition and relationships. When we joined, the conference was made up of schools similar to Gaston Day in both size and approach to athletics. Over time, that has changed. Gaston Day is now the only NCISAA 2A school remaining in the MAC, with the other members competing at the 3A and 4A levels. We have also seen a shift in the athletic models of member schools. Gaston Day remains committed to using athletics as a vehicle to teach life skills, develop students, and pursue athletic excellence. When does the change take effect? The change will begin with the 2027–2028 school year. Gaston Day will remain a member of the MAC for the remainder of the 2026–2027 school year. Who will we play? The Foothills Athletic Conference includes Statesville Christian, Hickory Christian, University Christian, Salem Christian, and North Hills Christian. What happens with Middle School? Our Middle School teams will use the flexibility of an independent schedule to put development back at the center of the Middle School experience. This will create more time for practice and skill development, allow us to be more intentional about the number of games we play, and give us the ability to find appropriate competition for each team. We will compete against many Foothills Middle School teams, along with other schools throughout our area. The goal at the Middle School level is to prepare our student-athletes for future opportunities at the JV and Varsity levels. How does this change impact team schedules for JV and Varsity teams? For our Varsity and JV programs, this move puts Gaston Day alongside schools more similar in size, with four of the five current Foothills members competing in NCISAA 2A. Competing against more 2A schools within our conference will also help us meet NCISAA scheduling requirements and give our coaches greater flexibility to build the remainder of their schedules around the needs of each program. Will this impact Gaston Day’s ability to compete for conference and state championships? Our JV and Varsity teams will compete as members of the Foothills Athletic Conference, including opportunities for conference championships and recognition. Our Varsity teams will continue to compete in the NCISAA postseason under the same classification (2A) and postseason structure established by the NCISAA. How does this impact team travel? For JV and Varsity families, overall travel time should remain similar. While Salem Christian and Statesville Christian will add some additional miles, most travel for conference play will avoid Charlotte and the heavy I-85 traffic that can significantly impact trip times. University Christian and Hickory Christian, both in the Hickory area, are also already regular opponents for many of our teams. For Middle School teams, we will be able to prioritize playing local schools throughout our schedule without required conference games. Will we still play schools from the MAC? Yes, when it makes sense for our teams. Leaving the MAC removes required conference competition, but it does not prevent us from scheduling current MAC schools as nonconference opponents. Coaches will have greater flexibility to build schedules that provide the right level of competition and experience for their teams. Are any teams going away? No, we will continue to have all the same sport offerings and teams. We are excited that our new conference for JV & Varsity provides competition across our sports, and moving to an independent scheduling model for Middle School allows more flexibility in game scheduling and finding appropriate match-ups and amount of games.