PRINTRival Survival
From mascots to marching bands, the high schools are ready to battle it out
Patrick T. Fallon
The Kewpies and the Bruins duke it out.
September 24, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
To a high school student, rivalry is more than just a word; it’s a way of life. And rivalries aren’t something adults leave in the past with their prom corsages and baggy Jnco jeans. Rivalries are epic: The Sharks had the Jets, the Tigers have the Jayhawks and Spencer and Heidi have the world. But when it comes to Rock Bridge and Hickman, which school truly rules Columbia?
Stuffed with spirit
- Scenes from the Providence Bowl
- Fast times at Hickman High
- Tech-savvy students
- The young and the reckless
- Rumors and realities
- Overcoming obstacles
- The spread
- The Education of Segregation
- Lifelong leaders
- Edged out
- Roosters, cows and mice, oh my!
- Crosstown competition
- Playing the field
- Say what?
- Where are they now?
- On the Job: High School Custodians
- After-school alliance
- Through the Years
- High school mascots go head to head
So what does it take to be a mascot? Creativity, enthusiasm, dance moves and the ability to interact with the crowd are vital qualities, says Yvonne Kutz, secretary to the assistant principal of student activities at Rock Bridge. But how many of these qualities can a naked baby have? The nationally recognized Hickman Kewpies recently landed on a reader-influenced list of 31 absurd high school mascots. Referring to the intimidation factor of Hickman’s Bruins, Scott Donoho, a former Bruins mascot, calls the Kewpie a less-than-ferocious doll. “A bear is probably going to tear up a baby anytime,” he says.
Choir kids duet the best
When choirs start to battle, you know you’ve got treble. Similar to what’s presented in FOX’s new show Glee, high school choir rivalries are more about energetic students proving themselves on stage rather than partaking in behind-the-curtain sabotage. “The biggest sense of rivalry I felt as a student at HHS came during All-State choir auditions,” said Joel Schilb, a 2005 Hickman choir alum, in an e-mail. Hickman always wanted — and usually had — more students in its prestigious choir, he says. Jason Sattizahn, a 2007 Rock Bridge show choir alum, says that Hickman had more choir members in general.
(Cheer)leading the way
The Bring It On films blasted high school cheerleaders to the forefront of pop culture references, leaving Vox with just one cliché question: Spirit fingers aside, how can a squad bring it? “Well for one, we’re much cuter,” says Maria Huebert, a former Rock Bridge cheerleader from the class of 2006. She believes the Bruins hold an edge over the Kewpies. “I’m kidding,” she says. “But seriously, we’ve always had really good coaches that really push us.” Huebert says that a sense of rivalry lurks in the air, particularly during state competitions when Hickman and Rock Bridge are neck-and-neck. “You’re actually competing for first place — normally it’s Rock Bridge,” she says. But both schools’ squads achieved champion titles in their respective divisions in the 2009 regional competition. The rivalry lives on.
Sounds of success
As one of the largest groups at any high school, the marching band is a host to both talent and high school stereotypes. Let’s skip the talk of band camp and go straight for the jugular. “I think both sides think there’s a rivalry,” says Stephen Turban, a sophomore at Rock Bridge who plays the tenor drums. When asked if Rock Bridge was better, Turban, also a nominee for student council president, gave a rather diplomatic answer: “No, I think we’re both equal,” he says. But he is willing to toot his own horn — or in this case, bang his own drum. Turban says that Rock Bridge’s drum line is superior to Hickman’s.
Acting the part
Donning Broadway paraphernalia, theater students are the ones you’ll find organizing flash mobs to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and screaming the lyrics to Wicked at the top of their pitch-perfect lungs. They fight one another for key roles and are even more fierce when it comes to loyalty to their own groups. Add school spirit to the mix, and the result is even more dramatic. “We have a better performing arts center,” says Ellen Thieme, a sophomore at Rock Bridge. “It’s more high-tech and we have more backstage area, not that I’m biased or anything,” she says. Theater space is one thing, but the main difference seems to be financial. “We had limited supplies and funding, so we had to be a lot more creative with the things that we did get,” says Jennifer Stringham, a 2006 Hickman alum, in an e-mail.
Figures aside, both schools performed on international stages in 2006; Hickman traveled to Italy and Rock Bridge toured Ireland and the U.K.
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