A Carefully Crafted Game

A long line of young girls await their turn to get a signed autograph.  But these are not movie stars, pop artists or the normal kind of celebrity.  This publicity stunt comes after a varsity volleyball game at the small town local high school where I work. Although the players are only between 15-17 years of age, they have been working on being star hitters for years.  Their name and picture is often in the local newspapers and they wear a confidence that comes from an undefeated season. Now it is their turn to pass on that dream to the younger girls who idolize them.  That afternoon they held a volleyball camp and invited all the girls to that night's game. The young guests were treated to prizes and special seats in the front row. 

 I enjoy watching these games because so much of it resembles a performance put on as much to intimidate their opponents as to rally their fans.  The band is playing loudly as the girls begin their choreographic warm up.  They jump, hit and dominate the net. The crowd goes crazy and I notice the entrance of the football team dressed as cheerleaders. They support their girls with pride.  And every other girl watches with a touch of envy.
I played sports in high school, but never experienced this adoration of the players by the community.  And even in college I often played in cold gyms without one spectator. We played for the love of the game and certainly didn't expect any recognition, even when wining the finals.  But then the culture of college and high school sports was never that of the carefully planned and produced show that it is in small town America.

Homecoming celebrations are a big part of this "show".  A senior court is named and paraded round all week.  The parents help set up a week of activities along with other members of the community. It is no surprise that the king is a football player and the queen on the volleyball team. They choose elementary students to be their attendants, which involves the younger half of the school as well. There are prizes given out for those who dress up and show school pride. The marching band leads the parade of cars and trucks. The young hopefuls of the youth football team pass out candy to the Kindergarteners on the curb.  All school clubs have made floats that publicly shame their opponents through posters and wild cheering.

The parade is followed by a pep rally for the whole school and town. Royalty and staff perform and the cheerleaders do their stuff.  The atmosphere was such that it made you wish you were back in high school.  I noticed a few home-school kids sitting apart from the crowd. They looked so left out.  They couldn't aspire to be a volleyball or football player or a proud Buccaneer.
When I look at the success of the girls volleyball, I attribute some of it to their dedicated coaches, but much more to the showmanship of the high school athletic department.  When they build a program, they start small and build to a mighty finale.
After the pep fest there was tail gating food and a football game. About 9:30 pm all the teens packed the school gym once again for a dance. By this time I was exhausted and wondered at the energy of the young.  Maybe I was glad not to be in high school again after all.

The students started to leave about 11:30 pm and we were on our way home by midnight. Rumor had it that duck hunting season opened the next day and most of the teens would be setting out early.  It is saying quite something of the place, that it can keep its students engaged in school activities when they traditionally only care about guns and trucks.
I think the "spirit tutu", worn by so many fans to show support for their team, really sums up the whole sporting experience.  No one knows why they wear them, or how the practice started.  It might be something to do with football players supporting a small boy who was bullied for wearing a tutu to school. But it is fun, a chance to stand out and fit in at the same time.  I might have to get myself a tutu!