When rivalry rears its friendly head

When I was in high school, my best friend went to the public school.

And I went to the Christian school.

A friendship like ours was uncommon.

And that's not just because we were so close or any of that mushy high school stuff.

It was primarily because of the intense rivalry between our schools.

The Pella/Pella Christian rivalry was - and still is - one of the cross-town greats.

Not only are both schools strong competitors year in and year out on the basketball and volleyball courts, they compete in the same conference.

So fighting for that Little Hawkeye title can make the townfolk a little crazy.

Take the annual Pella/Pella Christian basketball games, for example.

In order to even think of getting a decent seat (and parking within three blocks of the gym) you had to arrive at least an hour early. And this game was played at Central College due to the enormity of the crowd.

But my senior year I faced quite the dilemma. Do I talk to my best friend before/during/after the game? Do I allow myself to be seen - while donning my Eagle maroon and white - talking to a green Dutch fan?

Looking back, friendship should outweigh the rivalry, but in high school, for those two nights a year, we didn't speak. At least not face-to-face. Maybe on the phone before or after. But those were sacred nights and we were quick to uphold the holiness.

It's a curious thing, rivalry.

Because despite our intense 'hatred' during the Little Hawkeye Conference games, we were more than excited to cheer for our fellow townsfolk come the postseason and the state tournament.

Being a class lower allowed us to cheer for the Dutch to make it to state while still advancing in our own postseason bracket.

And it was so fun to drive through the town square and see signs celebrating not one, but both schools' accomplishments.

When the 2A session was over at Vets, we'd take a brief shopping hiatus and then return for the 3A session to cheer on our rivals.

That's what it's all about.

It's not that we hated Pella. We just wanted to beat them. But in the great scheme of things, we could both go to state, whether or not we won that conference battle.

When I came to northwest Iowa for college five years ago, I just assumed that Unity Christian's biggest rival was MOC-Floyd Valley. And three and a half years later, I found myself in a similar position as I wondered how the crowd would be at the Le Mars/Gehlen Catholic basketball game.

To find out that the latter didn't exist was more than slightly disappointing.

I couldn't imagine high school without the Pella/Pella Christian game. So it was difficult for me to see how the basketball season could be even halfway thrilling without looking forward to THAT game.

But in the past year and a half, I have witnessed something far more moving than the rivalry game I cherished as a high school student.

I saw the camaraderie that the kids - and even the coaches - across Plymouth County share.

It's the relationships you make throughout your high school years that you will take with you for years into the future.

The best example I have seen is the friendly rivalry between former Kingsley-Pierson baseball coach Dean Harpenau and Gehlen baseball coach Marty Kurth.

The pair met on the diamond for the final time last July as the Jays bested the Panthers 4-1 in the district opener.

But the history between the pair goes back to their high school days of playing baseball together at Remsen St. Mary's. They went on to coach two state title teams for Gehlen before Harpenau took the reigns at K-P, where he ended a nine-year career last summer, leaving everything on the diamond in the final game of what Kurth called a friendly rivalry between the two.

Well if that's not a great example, I don't know what is.

But let's look at a few more.

Probably the best example of high school students ignoring the walls of rivalry would be Kayla Hatting. I need more hands to count the times I've seen the Gehlen senior chatting with her foes before, during or after a contest. From cheering alongside the Spalding cheerleaders at this year's CYO basketball tournament to sitting with St. Mary's girls following a heated basketball contest in Remsen to talking with other runners before competing against each other at a track meet, the senior proved she could leave all the competition on the court (or whatever surface).

There are the times I have seen other local athletes in attendance at another school's game. From regular season games in Carey Gymnasium to postseason battles across northwest Iowa, it's refreshing to see high school athletes cheering on their competition.

Even at Wednesday's Remsen St. Mary's/Gehlen baseball game, I saw some faces in the crowd from other local schools.

I even had a Gehlen mom tell me about sleepovers her daughter and friends have with girls from RSM.

If you're still reading, you've got to be wondering what this girl has been rambling about for the last 700 words and if she is ever going to make a point.

So I'll try to get there now.

Rivalries are fun. Whether it's a high school basketball game, the annual Iowa/Iowa State football game or cheering for the Packers and whoever is playing the Vikings, it's fun to get caught up in the thick of the battle.

But when it's all said and done, someone wins the game and everyone goes on with their lives.

High school athletics give kids the opportunity to make friends from school to school and maybe they'll take those friendships to college and beyond.

It helps keep high school athletics in perspective.

So next time you find yourself an observer at one of these fierce rivalries, remember no matter how intense things get on the court, when the game is over, these kids are friends.

This a lesson adults can learn from their kids.