Whether depicted in fiction or experienced in real life, rivalries are the wood feeding the flames of passion. From the intellectual sparring of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty to the clashes of Batman and The Joker to the race of Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, history proves again and again that rivalries push individuals to grow and excel, fueled by the innate desire to defeat their competition. 

At Olympic Heights Community High School, which was established in 1991, a healthy competition exists with the high school just west of us in everything from the drama department to the football field. Our rivalry against West Boca Community High School can be compared to that of the story books, nudging our sports teams, our departments, even our teachers to land on the moon before our competition. 

West Boca was erected in 2004, and since then our local rivalry has flourished, spurred both by proximity and our schools’ growing sports scenes. “Competition only serves to elevate our drive and determination,” explains Leevy Mears, OH’s varsity wrestling coach. Though the competition is fierce between our schools, Mears also explains that “respect” exists, which demonstrates sportsmanlike conduct. Competition gives students a reason to take both academics and sports seriously, no longer excelling simply for the sometimes invisible goal of college or personal growth; a face to beat drives students further. 

Our varsity girl’s soccer coach, James Cappello, affirms this view. When competing against West Boca, Cappello explains the difference between OH and WB vs. OH and other schools. Against West Boca, “Everyone gives 100%,” Cappello states. “It’s a game where everyone wants to be perfect.” He described a soccer game a few years back when OH won their first championship game since 2002. They played directly against West Boca and ended up winning.  To the girls soccer team, their competition with West Boca has been a source of drive, prompting OH athletes to give their all, no matter how close the game comes or how tired the athletes are. 

In my own experience in OH’s choir program, a tense rivalry exists between us and the West Boca Bulls. Students in the advanced choir team, Soundsation, when faced with a competition such as MPA (music performance assessment) often compare scores with and strive to defeat the West Boca program. 

However, rivalries are not always in the best interest of the participants. “While rivalries can create excitement and camaraderie, they can also escalate into hostility or even violence,” The College of Social Work states. “Studies show that fans are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior toward rival teams or their supporters.” An example of school rivalries going too far is when Ohio State University donned shirts that were not only blatantly disrespectful to rival University of Illinois but were vulgar and amoral. These shirts went viral, prompting USA Today to cover the story. Even the students of Ohio State University admitted that the rivalry was “pushing the line” and, instead of fueling growth and excellence, caused hatred and disrespect to fester.  

It is important to differentiate between these two types of rivalries, not just between schools, but individually. From science fairs to tryouts, competition is as common in high school as procrastination (yeah, we all do it). While there is such a thing as going too far, overall, healthy competition spurs greatness. 

Greatness was evident at a recent wrestling tournament. “Winning districts was incredible,” Mears explains, “but doing it by defeating [West Boca] made it even more special.” Go Lions!