Last week was Homecoming for Bay City High School and it made me feel a little nostalgic.
Well, a tiny, itty-bitty bit.
For the past few weeks, I’ve seen mums on and off the field at three districts that look like they’re about to trip up their respective wearers along with a handful of old school and new fads.
I’m talking, huge, unnecessary mums made with multiple flowers as the base – some even in the shape of an overgrown heart or even a western style boot!
It’s definitely a little weird seeing mums with neckbands, lights, and even whole stuffed animals on them.
Not to mention, given the rate of inflation affecting everything, I don’t even want to consider the small car payment that some of those might have cost.
Personally, I was glad when my mom decided to make ours herself and we stuck with traditional motifs, colors and sizing – we weren’t those ‘go big or go home’ kind of students when it came to school spirit.
And while my sister and I were in high school at the same time, our younger brother seemed hell-bent on joining in the Homecoming traditions even in fifth and sixth grades.
Still, we were also students that participated in a number of events at the original Memorial Stadium with the old, mechanical Black Cat sign near the scoreboard, too.
There’s also the memory of sharp feedback from the microphones we used when Show Choir sang the National Anthem before kickoff.
But, to be completely honest, I only truly enjoyed football season so that I could get out early on pep rally days!
Still, I remember the way cheerleaders, Aristocats and band members descended upon shelves of Halloween makeup and snatched up blue, black, gold, and white colors in almost every formula.
Time was spent between classes and lunch getting ready for the pep rally and/or game, depending on a student’s carpooling or driving situation, too.
Plus, I can still smell the spray in hair color and glitter that rivaled Aqua Net hairspray from our childhoods.
Sure, back then we also spent time decorating our own clothes or buying spirit shirts – and I vaguely remember the themed days leading up to Friday.
I sort of remember most them as pretty easy themes that usually only required a specific shirt color or something that was a full on costume.
But, of all the things I recall most?
Homecoming used to be the game where Bay City faced off against El Campo and the football beef was serious!
I mean, it is the oldest continuous rivalry in the state, and back then I even remember one pep rally that featured a fake coffin being carried in – complete with a Ricebird effigy!
As a history nerd, I’ve always wondered why such a rivalry has existed for so long and what started it all.
Outside of a time machine, I’ve only got decade’s worth of smack talk to sift through for that tiny grain of truth.
Then again, I’m remembering how many fights used to break out on and off the field while I was a current student.
Overall, it’s still a bit weird to me that the El Campo games are no longer Homecoming games – I wonder why that is.
