The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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February 19, 2012

Our View: Making a positive rivalry

The Free Press

— It wouldn’t be surprising that historical research would confirm that as soon as the first country schoolhouse heard about a second schoolhouse being built a horse ride away, school rivalry was born. Even if it just amounted to taunts about our inkwells being deeper than yours or our bully being bigger than yours, there were sure to be ways the two schools tried to outdo each other.

This town is no different. Since the 1970s, when one public high school became two, there’s been rivalry between the Mankato high schools. Sometimes the competitiveness can get petty. The newspaper gets a dose of this firsthand when mostly parents and school staff from both sides of town over the years have accused The Free Press of favoring one school over another. Years ago, a longtime education reporter was so fed up with the  accusation that she scoured the paper over months and tallied the number of East and West stories. She was not surprised to see them come out evenly.

This year a column by staff writer Robb Murray about competition between the schools as seen from his eyes as a parent of a West swimmer raised hackles. He meant it to be a good-humored look at healthy rivalry, supporting his theme by making a few jabs at East.

His main message was that most the swimmers and parents toss aside the rivalry when the meets are over. Just like many competitors at East and West, they’ve known each other for years and put the contests in perspective.

Someone anonymously mailed the column back with all the praises about West crossed out and replaced with East references. Obviously, our writer made light of a sacred subject to some.

So knowing all that, we’re happy to see the schools have discovered a wonderful way to make the most out of being true to their school, whether as a West Scarlet or an East Cougar.

The “Red/White Out” is a new fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Students at East and West side schools are encouraged to buy  T-shirts that say, “Saving a life is a real sport,” in their school’s color.

They are to wear the shirts Tuesday during the girls and boys basketball games, which are 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, in neutral territory at the Taylor Center on Minnesota State University’s campus.

Noting that two rivaling schools exist in Mankato, the American Heart Association approached the schools’ Health Occupations Students of America group with the fundraising idea. (The adviser works with students from both schools.)

Parents of students, East and West alumni, and other non-school-affiliated adults also can join in on the fun by buying a T-shirt at the door.

Turning the fundraiser into a battle between the two schools is a positive message to students that competition can be healthy and beneficial. And at the end of the evening — no matter who wins the games — the Heart Association comes out ahead because of the community’s generous spirit.

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