Spirit Week is a thrilling time for all Rye High School students. In the seven days leading up to the Rye-Harrison football game, hallways are decorated, houses are toilet-papered, and, the day before, hundreds of people cram themselves into the gym for the pep rally.
By Miranda van Dijk
Spirit Week is a thrilling time for all Rye High School students. In the seven days leading up to the Rye-Harrison football game, hallways are decorated, houses are toilet-papered, and, the day before, hundreds of people cram themselves into the gym for the pep rally.
While everyone can feel the excitement in the air, there are ten to 20 girls who, every year, are even more fired up.
Garnet cheerleaders spend the week in a frenzy, perfecting their halftime dance, dressing up the gym for the pep rally, and making sure all other traditions – even the lesser-known ones – are fulfilled. For instance, cheerleaders, clad in all black, spend the night before the game locating and then toilet-papering the senior players’ houses. It’s a tradition that has been in existence for more than three decades, and a fun start to the biggest weekend of the year.
For Nikki Poney, a senior and a captain of the team, the pep rally is the crown jewel of Spirit Week. “The entire town is involved,” she said. “It’s so cool to see them all there. All the hard work that goes into the pep rally pays off when so many show up to support the boys.”
Other cheerleaders look forward to traditions centered on the game itself. Madison De Baker, a junior and first-time cheerleader, is looking forward to performing the halftime dance routine. “It’s something special,” she explained. “We never do anything like it.” Leire Sobron, a junior who has been cheerleading since freshman year, says nothing compares with the post-victory jump in the brook. What would normally be a disgusting idea becomes something to anticipate, and to hope for, during Spirit Week. It’s too rooted in tradition to be avoided.
There is a flip side to the joy that comes from the Rye-Harrison game festivities, and it hits especially hard for the seniors. “It’s sad knowing that we can’t do this again,” said Samantha Bentivenga, a fourth-year cheerleader and a captain.
However, this is not the case for Diana Vita, who was a cheerleader in the 80s and is now back to coach the team. “It’s a good feeling, like I’m still a cheerleader,” said Vita. While she admitted some traditions have changed, Coach Vita insisted the emotions and ideas behind the week remain intact, and – no matter how many years have passed – they create a sense of unity in Rye.
“The community pulls together. That will never change.”
