If one were to step on the Tabor Academy campus this week, they would experience a very spirited atmosphere. The halls are filled with spirit week costumes, athletes are having difficult practices and, most of all, Tabor pride is everywhere as the school gears up for Holderness Day.
Similarly, the Holderness School is filled with their own excitement. On Friday, November 7, the rival schools will have their annual fall competition.
This celebrated tradition began when former Headmaster Jay Stroud challenged his friend to a game. Ever since, all levels of boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, and field hockey play on Holderness Day to win the trophy with their mascot on it, hand crafted by Rodney Fielding of Tabor’s Plant Ops Department, which Tabor currently holds. In this special tournament, each victory earns a school one point, regardless of the level of team.
What makes this tournament unique is the fact that all team scores count. Both schools have spirit days to gear up for the competition. Tabor students celebrate “Hick Day” to mimic the dress of Holderness students while the New Hampshire natives take part in “Prep Day.”
The day before, Tabor students don all of their Tabor gear to show their school pride. Both schools have pep rallies the night before in which all varsity teams perform a skit or dance to excite the community.
Dorms traditionally have made “Beat the Bulls” banners to hang on the day, and both schools have bonfires. Tabor students head down to the waterfront and gather around the fire on the night before the competition.
The camaraderie is unlike that of any Tabor athletic event. This year, the competition is hosted by Holderness School so Tabor students are heading to New Hampshire to support their fellow Seawolves.
This event is a special one that students look forward to and often recognize as one of the best parts of each school year. This unique and friendly rivalry boosts school spirit and adds an energetic element to the conclusion of the fall athletic season.
By Julia O’Rourke
