Bulldog spirit hits a breaking point on Dec. 19, specifically at 13 locations on the gym bleachers. What began as a standard winter pep rally and Spirit Bone competition ended with a display of enthusiasm that left the school’s seating in shambles.
The Spirit Bone competition is a long-standing tradition in which each grade level competes for the title of “most spirited” to win the Spirit Bone. While the senior class eventually took home the bone after a heated battle between the junior class, the intensity of the cheering left the school maintenance crew scrambling to repair the seating before the boys’ basketball game that night.
Despite the property damage, Megan Anderson, one of the faculty advisors for the Dawg Pound Spirit Club as well as a foreign language teacher, who helped organize the event, said that the tradition is a vital part of Bulldog culture. “We want to set the tone and expectation so we do not lose the tradition for everybody.”
Anderson addressed what the club plans to do for future pep rallies, and introduced the idea of grade levels being judged based solely on the loudness and intensity of their voices, without jumping and stomping on the bleachers. Students would then be moved to the gym floor in front of their sections to complete the competition there.
While a segment of the student body has expressed their desire to keep the tradition the same, including the stomping and jumping as part of the competition, faculty members warn that the tradition cannot continue if it becomes a safety hazard or causes further destruction.
As of now, Dawg Pound is working with club members for new ideas to sustain the excitement and to keep the student body, staff, and school facilities safe. The proposed changes introduce a compromise between school spirit and school property. While the Spirit Bone remains the ultimate prize, the path is being rewritten to ensure the gym remains standing for future generations of Bulldogs.
The first test for this new version arrives on April 17, at the spring pep rally. As the school comes together to celebrate spring sports and senior signings. All eyes will be on the Dawg Pound Spirit Club to see what they can do with this rule change. The student body awaits the new tradition and what it has in store for Big Spring’s future generations.
