The BruCrew, hundreds of fans and parents from both schools showed up at HHS as early as three hours before the game to ensure their seats and support their team at this thrilling rematch.
But this game, resulting in a win for the Kewpies, marked not only a loss for the football team, but also a loss in dignity for RBHS students. The truly shameful Bruin behavior outweighed the actual loss of the game when our cheering fans turned into a mob, displaying poor sportsmanship and downright cruelty.
About 20 minutes before kick-off, RBHS students were completely united, metaphorically and physically, as the old stands on the visitor side of the HHS field were swaying like waves at the slightest movements. Cheering and clapping accompanied RBHS football players as they stormed onto the field; this game environment replicated that of any game.
But as the HHS players made their run through their huge purple helmet, the profane attitude of RBHS fans began to show. Booing and stomping, though seemingly normal for a rival football game, soon turned into middle fingers and spitting.
The dazzling lights and the cold of the night only seemed to spark a larger reaction from both schools’ fans until half-time began when the HHS dance team took the field. The girls began their performance just as the Bruin Girls do at RBHS home games. The difference in this event, however, was not the dance routines. It was crowd reactions and the utterly shameful behavior which RBHS fans displayed that set this moment apart. BruCrew members instructed Bruin fans to turn their backs on the dancers to show disrespect.
As if these early moments weren’t rude enough, students shoved their middle fingers into the air, and a blatantly vulgar mob chant began: “RATC—!” “RATC—!” The crowd screeched politically incorrect terms and hurled derogatory slang at the Hickman cheerleading squad as well. Not only did fans shout vulgarisms at the girls at large, but they also gathered people in a loud chant in an effort to verbally eviscerate a particular member of the squad.
During the fourth quarter, however, when the Kewpies scored a TD, which would tie the game and send it into overtime, a male RBHS student urinated on the Hickman stands. Though shocked and confused, no Bruin fan openly condemned his shameful depravity.
But this wasn’t even the end of the Bruin’s boorish behavior.
As the buzzer for the beginning of overtime sounded with fans from both sides on their feet, the HHS cheerleaders took the field. Another “ratc—” chant sounded from our bleachers, and a crude “Twerk it b—-!” echoed through the crowd. Backs turned once again, and RBHS fans began to break off pieces of the old Hickman bleachers, passing them around the crowd.
We tore apart and destroyed bleacher railings and paraded them through the stands. We beat on trashcans in a primordial rhythm to accompany our roar.
Once the game ended in a 10-7 defeat, RBHS fans’ cheering turned into crude screaming. The words turned into profane nonsense, and the chanting turned into downright savagery.
According to the Missouri State High School Activity Association handbook, the No. 1 objective under Article II is to promote “the value of participation, sportsmanship, team play, and personal excellence to develop citizens who make positive contributions to their community and support the democratic principles of our state and nation.”
RBHS fans did none of the above.
According to the MSHSAA handbook, any student or fan who takes part in misconduct can result in punishment ranging from a warning to appearing before the board of education. Said offenders would then have the possibility of being prohibited from attending future games, and violent acts may result in charges against an individual under Missouri law.
No Hickman officials at the game filed charges as of Monday; nonetheless, fans and supporters of RBHS should be ashamed and humiliated, not for our dignified loss as a team but for our distasteful and obscene attitude and misconduct as a school.
If RBHS students cannot control themselves in rivalry games, we should be banned from any future Hickman-Rock Bridge competition.
By Hagar Gov-Ari
This opinion piece is labeled as such on the desktop version.
Were you at the game? How did you react to the fans?
Captain • Nov 12, 2012 at 9:59 pm
They lost, they threw a temper tantrum got caught and are embarrassed so now you turn on a fellow classmate who is simply reporting your actions? You guys have some real growing up to do. As for the individual who urinated in the bleachers, i guarantee all options were not exercised before indecent exposure was decided upon (an act that can get you on the sex offenders list). Count that out though if you must. You still tore apart bleachers beat trashcans and shouted derogatory remarks at a peer. Look i get it guys, you’re too cowardly to accept responsibility for your actions so you blame the next guy….it’s time for a new game though. If i would have seen it i guarantee you it would of stopped quicker than they started it, arrogant and selfish is what those young men are. Every person in the stands that didn’t say anything is just as guilty IMHO. I applaud the non-biased journalism on Hagar’s part. You have a bright future ahead of Hagar, keep up the good work.
publius • Nov 10, 2012 at 3:12 pm
A lot of the attack on Hagar parallels what’s wrong with this country, other countries and- come to think of it- pretty much all of the human race at one time or another. This is a microcosm of the brutish, primitive idea of patriotism that has created so much d— conflict all around the world. Implicit in “patriotism” or “being loyal to your country/in-group” at any costs is the elevation of one group over another. Sure, it can start out harmless. “Bruin pride,” “Proud to be American,” etc. But just as the transition from day to night is not seamless- you paradoxically don’t notice it until you do- so too is the transition from patriotism or fervent loyalism to violence, hatred, genocide, and war. I’m certain that most of the people reading this will shrug it off as exaggeration, but think- the evil in this world didn’t suddenly emerge out of nowhere; the seed was planted early, nurtured, and slowly grown until you realize one day the tree is towering over you and its roots reach strong into the ground.
Just read this bulls—:
Both schools love to play off of these “rich vs. ratchet” stereotypes. It’s what make these rivalries so firey and so fun. Everyone just CALM DOWN. I’m proud to be a Bruin! And I can honestly say that I spent all of my time that night cheering on the RB FB players that I love and support, while also having a good time enjoying my years as a high school student. ONCE A BRUIN ALWAYS A BRUIN, rbhs for life ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
If you look past the smorgasbord of circlejerk, you’ll extract a kernel of truth that’s representative of the general sentiment towards Hickman- that it is an inferior, “ratchet” school, and that its supposed acceptance of its identity is good sport.
And you know what the most depressing thing is?
For the most part nobody cares and those that do care don’t have enough influence to do anything about it.
Outsider • Nov 9, 2012 at 12:13 am
It seems as if both sides are hypocritical. For those who don’t know, the incident a couple years ago that is being referenced to was when a few Hickman students vandalized Rock Bridge athletics. Then, very few Rock Bridge students hesitated before categorizing the act as one done by the whole student body. Hickman quickly gained bad publicity and reputation as a result of the action of a few. Now, with this new incident, RB students are conveniently forgetting that they judged Hickman a few years ago. However, this also shows the hypocritical nature of the Hickman parents (haven’t seen a Hickman student here yet) as they were outraged that the whole school was being affected by the actions of the few. Yet, here they are, criticizing RB as a result of the actions of a few who may or may not have gotten caught up in the game.
Finally, many of the posts seem to be straying from the topic at hand and start attacking each other schools as being “ghetto” or “rich.” Maybe, if we could stop being nasty to each other all the time, represent the district as one so that no more harm comes from this great rivalry.
cheer mom • Nov 8, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Leave Hagar alone, she actually has done the right thing, i have noticed on here the innocent kids that didnt do anything wrong and the adult alumna are saying they r sorry and they know it was wrong, and i really respect that, its sad that the kids that were in the wrong r saying its ok and get over it, but its not ok, I just wish they would admit it was wrong and say sorry..People r saying it was targeted at one girl on the cheer team, but thats not true, u said trash talk to the others on the team, even the ones who had no clue why u were mad at them, not everyone on the cheer team and dance team deserved the hateful words they were called, if u r mad at one girl then taking it out on all of them wasnt the right move at all, u never know one of these days when u grow up u may have to work along side of a hickman graduate that didnt deserve to be called what u called them and they will remember u.. Ok and to the ones on here who said parents should stay out of it, do u not realize u trash talked their kids, have u not ever heard the saying dont mess with a momma bears cubs, get real they have a right to comment on here just as much as u do, its a shame that these schools cant get along, i am hickman all the way, but i know alot of rb students and actually know they are great young adults.. What i am saying is if u want to confront someone for bad behavior do just that but dont target a whole group when u dont know who they r as a person, come on now and man up that u made a bad judgement call.
Gregory Kirchhofer • Nov 8, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Hagar, Speak truth to power. Well written. Don’t let the haters get you down.
suzi • Nov 8, 2012 at 12:06 pm
From what I read this all started at the beginning of the game. Most of this could have been avoided if you would have reported these actions to the proper authorities Friday night instead of the whole world Monday morning.
ABC • Nov 8, 2012 at 3:26 am
as deplorable as some of these acts were, what was the writer’s purpose in writing the op/ed?
the article seemed to take an “ehrmagawd rb kids suck” approach. but i implore the writer to think about what her purpose for writing this was. usually, you want to bring about change or at least make people reconsider their actions.
the article was loaded with negativity. i think for the perpetrators of the crime/bullying, it was a tough pill to swallow because the article was highly critical.
the article’s only recommendation to prevent this happening again is banning students from future games, which seems rather extreme. and it told students to be ashamed of themselves.
neither of these is really telling people what to do or change about their actions.
i’m not trying to criticize you. it was very brave of you to write this, but it comes of as a long complaint of students’ actions rather than a proposal for real change.
ABC • Nov 8, 2012 at 3:27 am
but as far as ostracizing the writer, as has been done to some degree – completely unacceptable.
I disagree • Nov 7, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I would also like to say that the girl who is reportedly being “Bullied” Started by attacking multiple RB students on twitter, when the RB students who were involved were originally light hearted until the HHS student took it too far.
Fact check? • Nov 7, 2012 at 9:29 pm
The urination was an accident. The person who did it had to go to the restroom, but it was fourth quarter of a close game, he didn’t want to miss it. And he though he would wet himself if he had to fight the crowd to get out of the stands to the bathroom. He thought, hey I could pee through the stand, onto the ground. So he had some friends block him off so no one could see, but where he though there was a hole the went to the ground just went to the seats a row down. He had immediate regret and you could understand how embarrassed he feels with the entire school talking about his urination. He never meant to be disrespectful. The poor guy doesn’t deserve all this negative attention. The people who should be getting recognized are those who intentionally broke the railing to the bleachers.
Also, next time get your facts straight, please. The article is a little presumptuous. Yes, there was misbehavior on Friday night, and although it doesn’t justify it, you have to expect some of the stuff from a rivalry. Didn’t mention anything about how Hickman fans and players cussed out many Rockbridge students, I had a friend who had ROCKS thrown at him for cheering for his school.
RB senior • Nov 7, 2012 at 8:56 pm
Literally everyone commenting on this is excusing Hickman behavior in the past. That game was last friday. WHO CARES anymore. @ all you parents and alums commenting, I would hope and pray that you all have better things to do with your time than to waste it reading about and commenting on stupid things like this. And to the Hickman parents, i believe none of you were over there, thus you have no idea what actually occured in the stands. I have many friends that go to Hickman that i frequently hangout with and they were not whining to me about what was supposedly done on the bleachers. They frankly didnt care. Some even laughed. Also, i think it is extremely rude and stupid for this article to even exist. Why group and throw all RB students under the bus, talking about how rude, ignorant, and stupid we all are. Shame on the writer and whoever allowed this to be placed on here. Its cool if you want to pick out individuals doing things, but when you group everyone together it gives everyone a bad rep. I respect the fact that people need to write stories to be journalists, however get your information correct before you publish it. The article said we (Bru Crew) were spitting at the Hickman players. I do not think it is possible for any of us teenagers to spit 70+ yards. BOYS SPIT. all the time. We spit on the track, for no reason at all. When someone is chewing tobacco and they spit, do you automatically assume they are aiming for you? And as for the booing, i laughed as soon as i read that comment. Hickman boos us at EVERY SINGLE sporting event. We began to boo them but our principal and school officers shut that down really quickly. The school officers at Hickman do not do anything to censor their fans. I have stood next to some of my Hickman friends at basketball and football games and the amount of profanity that they are allowed to use without getting in trouble is astounding. The principal does not even turn around to attempt to censor them, when we are censored constantly. and lets be real peeing on bleachers(accidental or not)>spray painting penises and such all over our facilities. And have we ever stormed the field in the last few years when we have beat hickman? no. that is extremely disrespectful, and we were told against it. Honestly, this entire thing is very stupid and i am ashamed that people are s quick to put shame on rock bridge, especially all you Hickman parents who have no idea how great of a school we have. Shame on all of the RB students that are persistent in putting down our school. If you hate it so much go to Hickman, we dont want you.
RB sophomore • Nov 7, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Hey!! A reasonable comment!
BARIBE • Nov 7, 2012 at 11:43 am
As a Hickman Alum, I find it appalling that students in general behave in this fashion. The Rivaly between Hickman and Rockbridge in the 90’s was nothing compared to what it is today, because back then we didn’t have Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites to attack each other on. Bullying and name calling and vandalism are poor sportsmanship and just because Hickman was guilty of it 2 years ago doesn’t make these actions justifiable. Please grow up and act like the adults you so want to be and make better choices. Respect your classmates and those that attend other schools. We all have to grow up some day, why not do that now.
A "so-and-so" • Nov 7, 2012 at 10:00 am
This article is so incredibly slanted that it almost makes your opinion irrelevant. I like the fact how you used a thesaurus to come up with words that would make these certain bad events turn into abhorrent events. (Do you see what I did there?). Also, shame on you for judging the character of the teenager who urinated on the bleachers. I know this teenager personally, and he is one of the nicest teenagers you will ever meet. To judge his character for one foolish mistake is a rather large leap to take. He truly wasn’t trying to urinate on the bleachers. It was during overtime, so he didn’t want to miss any important moments in the game. He was aiming to urinate in-between the bleachers, but he missed. We all make stupid mistakes and decisions. But, almost every single one of these mistakes won’t be recorded for the whole world to see and read about. I can’t speak for these other students though since I don’t know them personally. It would not be right for me to judge the characters of these students from these events.
I do know that there was a lot of trash talking from both sides through twitter, facebook, and other social mediums. This leads me to my next point. Sure, you have a right to an opinion. As do I. All you can ask for is that your opinion be respected. Do you know how you could achieve this? I’ll answer this for you. In order for an opinion to be respected, it must take into account all of the sides of the argument, event, etc. You failed at gathering information from BOTH sides. You only looked at one side of the event. If you still had this same opinion after investigating the event from both sides, then I would respect your opinion. Hell, I may even agree with your opinion then!
Raphael P • Nov 7, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Public urination is illegal in the state of Missouri, is it not?
Define Opinion: “A prevailing view, A judgment or estimation of the merit of a person or thing…” This being an *opinion* piece, it does not need both sides.
A "so-and-so" • Nov 7, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Public urination is illegal in MO. But, it is a minor crime. So let’s not go on a witch hunt for some teenager committing such a crime. The teenager made a stupid mistake, so let’s just leave it at that. Let’s not judge his character for this mistake. I’m sure you have committed many minor crimes. But, I can assume that your crimes weren’t placed in the public spotlight. Would it be fair for me to judge your character for barely going over the speed limit on a roadway?
Also, I do know the definition of ‘opinion’. But, do you know what makes an opinion strong? Well a strong opinion states a belief and then it supports this belief with the use of an argument. Now, an argument can also be weak or strong. A strong argument explores both sides and then it uses counter-evidence to make one side of the argument look “weaker”. The author did state her opinion, but her argument was incredibly weak and shallow. Do you know why it was weak? It’s because she didn’t look at both sides of the argument. She didn’t make one side of the argument look “weaker”. And for that, I don’t respect her opinion. That’s what I meant in my earlier post.
Is that an acceptable basis for not liking her article?
Bruce • Nov 7, 2012 at 4:06 pm
umm… this is an op-ed. In case you don’t know what that means, let me tell you. Op-ed means OPINION editorial. “A so-and-so” if you’re basis for disliking the piece is because it only gives one opinion… umm…
A "so-and-so" • Nov 7, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Look at my above reply, Bruce. It answers your question since you basically restated what Raphael said.
Bruce Wayne • Nov 7, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Okay, maybe you misunderstand the purpose of op-ed. It is not a stance in a debate or argument; rather it is just a piece where one states their opinion. I agree, if Hagar had been in a debate or something of that nature, she would have had to explore the other side, and show why hers was stronger. However, she was merely writing an editorial about a belief or opinion she held. She was under no such obligation to show “the other side” as you call it; particularly because at the time of her writing the editorial there was not “debate.” How was she to foresee the impact of her article? The backlash and “other side” came after the publication of this. When she wrote this, she was not in argument with anyone. The debate started as a result of her article, her article was not a result of debate. And while you don’t agree with her, fine, there is no reason to be so rude. She did nothing to discredit anyone or disrespect anyone, no names were mentioned throughout the piece.
And, “A so-and-so”, joke’s on you! I’m Bruce Wayne… and no one ever beat Bruce Wayne…
A "so-and-so" • Nov 8, 2012 at 12:14 am
Okay, I’ll ignore your attempt at humor. You fail to see that the debate started right after these events occurred. There were insults thrown back and forth from both sides in response to the chants, urination, bleachers, etc. The debate had already been brewing way before the author published this editorial. Do you think the author was oblivious to the aftermath of these incidents? These were so clearly seen on facebook and twitter and heard in student conversations. So in fact, the editorial did come after the “debate”. It wasn’t the other way around. If she was oblivious, then you are correct that she didn’t have to show the other side.
Also, how was she not disrespectful? She used every possible word to describe the attitude and actions of the the Bruin fans. She JUDGED them as a WHOLE, which in my mind is completely disrespectful.
And how am I being rude? I didn’t call her any names. I didn’t label her like others have. I clearly just critiqued her editorial. There is nothing wrong with doing this.
Bruce • Nov 7, 2012 at 4:25 pm
As a Rock Bridge student, I am deeply disgusted by what happened Friday night. I love RB and I’m proud to be a Bruin, but this behavior is not acceptable. I think Hagar’s editorial is spot-on. She’s writing about something that is often swept under the rug. RB has much to be proud, but won’t much longer if we keep acting like this. We have so much freedom because we are supposed to be responsible and mature enough. And because we have so much freedom, we, the students are responsible for our image- not the teacher or faculty. I think this has brought to light an issue that really needs to be solved.
On the flip side, however, Hickman isn’t completely guilt free. I think the rivalry has escalated to such an awful amount. Both sides just need to take a breather… and parents need to back out. The multiple comments by the HHS parents on this forum had me shocked! You would really speak like that to a student? Just like RB students lost their dignity and gave all of RB a bad name- you, parents of HHS, do the same to your child’s school when you respond like that!
Bruce • Nov 7, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Hagar, I just want to applaud you! You had the courage to write something you knew to be controversial, but also necessary. The fact that you get so many strong responses, both positive and negative, just means you wrote a story good enough to merit a response. You broke the news! 🙂
Keep it up! 🙂
Bruce • Nov 7, 2012 at 4:31 pm
RB has so many amazing qualities, and it such an amazing school. Not only will they lose the opportunities they get, that many other high schools don’t, people will forget the good and only remember the bad if they don’t get act together!
RB sophomore • Nov 7, 2012 at 9:55 pm
Seeing that you know the fellow personally, me and you are probably friends. But yes, The kid is the nicest kid I know. I feel bad of how big of a deal the whole school is making about an embarrassing mistake. I also like the Thesaurus joke.
RB fan • Nov 7, 2012 at 8:33 am
I think that Hickman cheerleader had the rude comments coming. Do I think she deserved them? No. But maybe she shouldnt be talking bad about others. It’s not exactly nice to be tweeting rude things about RBs dance team and others. Although no one should have been shouting the things they did, she’s not exactly innocent.
Patrick Smith • Nov 6, 2012 at 11:38 pm
I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince anyone of anything regarding the game, or the students at the game. I wasn’t there so my opinions would be soley based on what I read, which sounds an awful lot like a big argument between a bunch of blind people trying to explain to each other what an elephant looks like, but I will say this: anyone can hide behind a keyboard and spit insults; thousands of 12 year-olds live for that kind of stuff on YouTube and other social networks all day long. But most people here are older than that. I challenge you that if you state your opinion on a subject like this one, leave your name with it, not some RB Alum, or proud Hickman Mom. But your name. Man up and and be ready for any… dissenting opinions to come your way. What would it be like if this crazy, new-fangled, disgraceful article was published by a “RB So-and-So” I’d say it was published by a coward.
I’ve already gone on too long, oh well. That’s my two sence.
Props to Hagar for having the gull to write this, and the skin to take the crap she’s getting from a bunch of “so-and-so’s”…
RBHS junior, and a proud Bruin,
~Patrick Smith
Andrew Belzer • Nov 6, 2012 at 11:17 pm
It is a great shame when those accused of shameful acts deny and accuse rather than accepting their fault, changing their attitude, and moving on. I’m sorry to hear that so many people participated in such an event but it really isn’t surprising. When emotions run high and everyone has great emotional investment, it is only natural for people to act outside of their regular patterns. In this case it was an entire group of people. Though many of the aforementioned complaints probably hold some value, that does not mean that the behavior is acceptable. Very recently in Egypt, during a nationally ranked soccer games, a similar situation occurred, but in this instance many people were killed, mutilated, and beaten because the two teams were SO involved and invested in a mere GAME, that they were willing to kill. I don’t think that that is what we as people want, and I don’t think that that would have happened, but as a community we should take a minute and think about our actions. If a group of people had stood up for decency and turned the other cheek than this entire fiasco very well could have been avoided. It wasn’t bravery that caused our actions, it was cowardice plain and simple, and if we are too ignorant to understand that, than why should we care about anything?
Proud RB senior • Nov 6, 2012 at 10:40 pm
I must say I am absolutely appalled at this distasteful, inncorect, exaggerated article. I wonder if the author was even at the game? As a rockbridge senior I have been to plenty of the rockbridge vs. Hickman games, and I can say that Hickman students are not innocent to us. Should I remind everyone why rb’s crowd was yelling at that cheerleader? As I recall she had tweeted some mean things about our dance team. And may I say how classy it was for her to flip off our entire crowd (our parents included) oh yes very classy, and let me remind you at last years basketball game between the schools she did the same thing, I was not standing with brucrew but was standing in front of them the entire game, so I had a pretty good view of EVERYTHING going on, and this article is completely exaggerated and needs to be removed. And to the parents jumping on here bring up how rockbridge thinks were the rich school and classy school. How about acting like an adult and stop argueing with teenagers online. To the author of this article, and whatever teacher let this be published, how dare you. You say that our actions made us look bad and we should be ashamed? No this article did and YOU should be ashamed. I support my school, all of it. Where is the article about how Hickman students spit at our players as they walked by? Or all the awfull things they said about out players? Or how Hickman students were trying to fight us? Or how after the game Hickman students were going to vandalize rb students cars? Hickman students have always been hateful to us! I went in the building to use the bathroom and a Hickman student looked at me and told me there were porta pottys outside I should use. This is absolutely disgusting. And one last thing, the author would like to act all innocent in this, and like she was disgusted by the rudeness, but I seem to remember at a student coilition meeting when everyone was asked what ideas they had to change the school, YOU suggested that we should get rid of cheerleaders… Well guess what I find THAT rude! Little ironic.
Cheerleaderhater • Nov 6, 2012 at 11:20 pm
@Proud RB Student:
I must say I am absolutely appalled at this distasteful, incorrect and exaggerated comment you just posted. Going along with insanely ignorant. First of all, Hagar was not the one who said anything about getting rid of cheerleaders. I know this because it was ME. And, just saying, maybe if we abandoned this program, we wouldn’t have as many extremely rude and ‘holier than thou’ people walking in our hallways. I can’t wait until you graduate and rid our school of your rude, senseless, and overall selfish ignorance. Hickman could have written an article like this, if their behavior mirrored ours, however they haven’t and that is neither Hagar’s fault or anyone else’s. If you were in the front row, you must have had your lens cap on or something. You know what’s just as bad as our behavior at the game? Everyone bullying Hagar for TAKING HER RIGHT AS A JOURNALIST TO PUBLISH HER THOUGHTS AND NEWS ON A FOOTBALL GAME, as well as being too self-focused and stupid to recognize when they’re wrong, and trying to fix their conduct for the next time we run into Hickman on the field. Everyone posting these horrible things and personal attacks on her in NO way, shape, or form disproves the article, as these personal attacks are “distasteful and obscene,” quoted from the article. You are too self-absorbed to take a step back and look at your actions. And for this reason, God please help the future of the world, as this generation truly sucks, proven just now by you. Thanks to all those RB alums, parents, and students who realize that our actions were inappropriate at the game, and that we, as a school, clearly have a LOT of growing up to do.
PROUD RB STUDENT • Nov 7, 2012 at 7:03 pm
COMPLETELY agree.
Cheerleaderhater • Nov 7, 2012 at 7:53 pm
SO glad you grew up:)
Joseph Greevz • Nov 6, 2012 at 8:57 pm
If governer Romney is elected as our next president, I promise to do everything within my immediate ability to ensure that the Hickman baseball team brings home a state title this spring. #DOGGPOUND #SAVAGENATION
Proud RB student • Nov 6, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Hagar, it is an absolute embarrassment that you would degrade your fellow students in such an ignorant manner. I was at the game and it is clear that you have blatantly exaggerated the details of the situation. The bleachers broke on their own, because they were old and simply could not withstand hundreds of students. The student that urinated on the bleachers did so during the game because they could not leave to go to the bathroom. Yes this is dumb, but they tried to pee between the bleachers onto the ground. To automatically assume that they did it simply because they wanted to vandalize Hickman out of disrespect is completely ignorant of you and shows how negatively you view your own school. The chants were not nearly as vulgar as you made them out to be. Not one person that was at the game, from Hickman or Rock Bridge, said anything negative about Rock Bridge’s behavior until after the publication of this extremely false article. It is shameful that you would publish this, and I believe an apology is necessary.
Proud Hickman Mom • Nov 6, 2012 at 9:37 pm
@ Proud RB Student- You said no one mentioned anything negative about the behavior of RB students until this article. Wrong!! In fact, during the game many on the Hickman said were saying how we couldn’t get over the rudeness of the RB band playing over the Hickman band while playing their school song after a big play. Seriously rude and bad etiquette!! Not just once, but 3 times the RB band did this!! Now, I know the band was following the direction of the director, but that makes it even worse! That adult should have showed more class and maturity, rather than further pulling down the behavior of so many on the RB side of the field.
And as far as the guy peeing on the bleachers because he “could not leave to go to the bathroom”, that’s seriously the dumbest excuse for disgusting behavior that I’ve ever heard!!
RB Alum • Nov 6, 2012 at 9:57 pm
@ Proud Hickman Mom get over it. Have you not ever been to a sporting event??? Bands do that all the time it’s part of sports. Go RB Go BAND
PROUD RB STUDENT • Nov 7, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Amen to that.
RB Grad • Nov 6, 2012 at 11:27 pm
@Proud RB student. I am so P—– at the RB students who did this. I have only once seen the Kewpies act this way and it was A LOT less than what you guys did at the game. It is rude, disrespectful and I think that you guys need to give the Kewpies a sincere school-wide apology. Because you need to know that in a few years it won’t matter if you went to Hickman or RB you will be in college and HS won’t matter and you can get arrested for doing that crap. I used to be proud to say I’m a bruin alum. Not anymore. If that’s what Bruins do then I don’t want to be one anymore. Cannot stand this kind of behavior at all. You all are going to be adults. And the author of this article is not did not disrespect his classmates they disrespected themselves. I don’t care if Hickman did it at others you should have enough school pride not to embarrass your school and your self.
Editor’s Note: I have censored the moderate profanity. – Atreyo Ghosh
Justamom • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:45 pm
RB Senior Student, two wrongs don’t make a right. I might be old school, but I just can’t get over how today’s generation of students are so self-serving and feel like their wrong actions are justified in some way. As you get older you will have some hard lessons coming your way. Good luck with that. And, guess what? I’m an RB parent.
RB Senior Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Let me first start off by saying that I don’t really care if you are a RB parent or not. As for what you said, “I just can’t get over how today’s generation of students are so self-serving and feel like their wrong actions are justified in some way.” I agree with you all the way up to, and including the “self-serving” part of that statement. Now let me further explain what I meant when I said that they feel that their actions are “justified”. I would like you to keep in mind that we are teenagers, (as you once were, a very, long, long time ago) and that most teenagers make stupid mistakes every once in a while, as I’m sure you will agree with. It doesn’t have to make sense to you, but what I’m telling you is that these teenagers, these students, felt that these unlawful actions were, in fact, “justified” based on previous events, such as the vandalism by a few Hickman students that took place on Rock Bridge’s campus a couple of years back.
Thanks for the good luck,
Sincerely yours:
RB Senior Student
HHS mom • Nov 6, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Those Hickman students from several years ago were prosecuted and paid a hefty price for their stupidity. Those of us associated with Hickman were ashamed of their behavior and were happy to see them punished. Now, for you to use that as justification for your very immature and disgusting behavior is not only ridiculous, but totally unrelated. My husband is a RB graduate and has been increasingly embarrassed to be associated with the school because of the continuous and increasing nastiness toward HHS. We are proud HHS parents and have good friends at RB. They too are disgusted by the behavior shown Friday night.
justanoldmom • Nov 6, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Yes, I guess I’m old, thanks for pointing that out. I’ll still stand my ground on my belief that two wrongs don’t make a right. I do understand that you guys are teenagers and make mistakes. That’s part of growing up. But also part of growing up is standing up and taking responsibility and learning from those mistakes. That’s the missing element here. Your comments continue to justify and make excuses for those who made bad decisions. I do very much remember the vandalism that took place a couple of years ago by the three or four HHS students and I remember being very angry about it and then very glad that those individuals were arrested. It sure would have been nice if we could have just taken the high road on this – it’s just not good PR for RB. You’re welcome for the well wishes.
RB Alum • Nov 6, 2012 at 10:38 pm
@ HHS Mom I was a member of the RB track team in 2010 the year that the kids drew male sexual organs all over the track. I had to run and see those on the track every single day, because they were not fixed until 6 months later days leading up to the district meet we were holding. We had to hold a home track meet with a Giant penis on our track. Maybe be a little more informed before you make comments like this. it was just a quick easy payment. and i know for a fact that the hickman kids that vandalized the track that day are proud of their actions. still.
Flaussin Daly • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:38 pm
2010 Track damage, $1,000+. 2012 trash can, $10. That picture of Casey, priceless.
hickman for life • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:37 pm
Everyone who keeps bringing up the fact that four or five hickman kids caused alt of damage to the rb track are also forgetting that those kids wre arrested and had to pay the damages so if you want to arrest the fans at the game and make them pay for the damages to make the punishment equal then that seems li..ke the right thing to do
Raphael P • Nov 6, 2012 at 8:11 pm
I think that is a great idea. Those who damaged the Hickman stands should definitely pay for it.
Muhammad Al-Rawi • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:13 pm
Honestly, having graduated from Rock Bridge myself, I wouldn’t doubt the information written here. And if Hickman was as proactive about their actions as the Rock and Bearing News, they’d be writing stuff like this too. I see that it’s some grand misconception that this represents the whole Rock Bridge student body, which it obviously does not. I also see it’s a misconception that this is something to do with economic status. Rock Bridge isn’t really a “rich” student body. There are economically proficient students, and there are economically insecure students. I know Hickman has the same deal. I also know that like the degenerate students at Rock Bridge that take part in such behaviours, there is an equally degenerate group of students among Hickman’s student body. In fact, this exists in just about every high school in the world.
This isn’t an isolated event, nor is this the first time these kinds of things happen. it’s simply the first time it’s been widely/publicly written about.
I think it’s interesting that “parents” (or so they claim) are commenting on this, more specifically, the things they are bringing up. They bring up social and economic status and how the tables have turned on Rock bridge. I don’t understand how the behavior of few has any proportionality to the “rich”ness and/or “ghetto”ness of a school and/or it’s student body.
Kathy willis writes: “To the parents and students that go to church and claim to be Christians, u need to realize it doesn’t count if u just claim it on Sunday.” I think that is a misinterpretation of what going to church really symbolizes. I’m not Christian, but if I’m not mistaken, attending church is an event where people seek God and His forgiveness. Please correct me if I am wrong. Everybody sins, including yourself, Mrs. Willis. Besides, I’m sure Christianity does not condone wearing short dresses and choreographing provocative dances, as cheerleaders’ roles are often comprised of. This isn’t an attack, just a note.
I also find it interesting that Rock Bridge students are, quite literally, bullying the writer on Facebook and Twitter. You find people like @RBLifee and fellow students cursing and degrading the young lady. Mind as well call them degenerates too. it really sickens me to see students attacking and degrading a fellow student. Many write about her taking down her school’s image, but what is really going on is a student body taking it’s own image down by attacking one of it’s own fellow peers. I think instead of foaming at the mouth about how bad and inaccurate they claim the article is, they should put their energy into preventing events and situations like this from getting to the point where someone would write about it. I’m actually glad that I’m not part of the class of 2013. Shameful, shameful people.
I should clarify that I’m not here writing this to defend the writer, nor am I here to defend Rock Bridge or Hickman. I barely know her, and I couldn’t care less about rivalry and football. I know Rock Bridge students would be all rowdy if a Hickman journalism student wrote about the actions of their degenerate students…
– Muhammad Al-Rawi.
Mitchell Frechmann • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:37 pm
As a former student of RB, I always had some pride at being a student there, but now, all i feel is shame at the students who behaved in this manner. Yes, they are our rivals, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to act like a belligerent asshat about.
Rock Bridge Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:36 pm
I understand this article is an opinion article, but it’s not fair to represent the entire Rock Bridge student body with the actions of a few. I was at the game, and not everybody did what was described in the article.
Hickman High School Senior • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:22 pm
The privilege of getting to attend such a close and exhilarating game was absolutely incredible. The intensity that both teams played with made the game very exciting to watch for either side. But the actions that were displayed on the Rockbridge side are very saddening to me. I am a Senior at Hickman and I have several great friends who go to Rock Bridge so I’ve never been too tied up in the cross town rivalry. But seeing what the school that claims themselves to be more “classy” did to our stands was highly upsetting. People bring up the incident two years ago where a few Hickman Seniors degraded Rockbridge’s property, but the thing people forget is they paid for their actions, and unlike the BruCrew student section there was only 3 of them, not a full crowd. Having a rival is healthy in motivating a team to work hard and can be quite fun, but the hateful words being yelled and the actions that the Rockbridge student section interacted in, is completely embarrassing. Like said before, money cant buy you class. And class seemed to be a vital element missing from the Rockbridge students on the night of this game.
Matt (@sanspants) • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Please keep a journal of the treatment you receive due to this Op-Ed, Hagar Gov-Ari, and write a follow-up. I think a lot of high schools’ various representatives (as well as many of us outsiders) would love to see the kind of treatment you experience as a result of your article.
And good luck. You may need it.
Muhammad Al-Rawi • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Brilliant idea. Would definitely be interesting to see that documentation.
chandler wyatt • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:28 pm
okay first off, there is absolutely nothing that separates RB students an and Hickman students. last year Hickman students spray painted our field and press box and slashed our soccer nets. At the district softball game, Hickman students talked as much smack on RB students as we did on them. ALSO, Hickman students tweeted, face-booked, and chanted about Joe, our kicker, after the providence bowl. what makes that any less offensive than that cheerleader. Both schools are equal in this aspect. neither school was right, but in all honesty, it’s not going to stop, it is a RIVALRY. we don’t actually
hate each other, even though it seems over the top, these are just games.
RB Senior Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:47 pm
The fact still remains, regardless of the differences between Hickman students and Rock Bridge students, that this article comes off as extremely rude and hostile toward the ENTIRE Rock Bridge student body (even for students that had no part in these activities). This is embarrassing and in mature, especially sense it was written by a fellow Rock Bridge student.
I personally feel that this article should be taken down, sense the writer (a fellow Rock Bridge Student), obviously cant look at both sides of the story, and blatantly insulted the ENTIRE Rock Bridge student body (even the students that had no part in these activities), and not just those responsible.
HHS Alum • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:08 pm
Ok Chandler Wyatt, for being a student at Hickman High School the year that the RBHS fields were destroyed NO ONE was in support of those boys. In fact most people didn’t know or even liked those boys. In fact majority was shocked that it happened and was in favor of those boys being kicked out of school and placed in jail. I have many close friends on both the current seniors of the Hickman and of the Rockbridge football teams. I don’t cheer for Rockbridge because their’s a rivalry but acts like that are NOT apart of the rivalry. I’m sure you’re probably young and are not old enough to understand that what happened was not ok under any circumstances, so take this as a life lesson and NEVER AGAIN compare the act of a couple stupid boys from Hickman to a student body from Rockbridge! NOT OK
RB Alum • Nov 6, 2012 at 10:18 pm
@HHS Alum Are you kidding me?! this was a couple of students that pissed on some bleachers..?How can you say you are not doing the same thing??
RB Senior Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:17 pm
For the people out there with awful memories, here is a little something for you:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=540051#.UJsCasXR5IE
A lot of you probably don’t know about that because it wasn’t as “publicized” as the “trashcan incident”. In other words, RB students didn’t make a big deal out of it. I just wanted to make it clear that there may have been some reasoning behind the RB students actions. I still think that a trash can is a little easier to replace than a press box or a track.Now i know that there are some of you out there that disagree with me, but in my opinion, I think that the RB students actions were, in fact, justified; and that Hickman actually had it coming 🙂
#unfollowbearingnew
Yasmeen Taranissi • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Man, this is crazy. Everyone needs to quit hating on Hagar. She spoke the truth which most people are too cowardly to even do. Something like this happening was beyond my wildest imagination, but I guess I was wrong. The only thing I disagree with is that while yes- we (as Rock Bridge students) should be ashamed of our misbehaved peers, this situation does not represent our student body as a whole. Reading this article just made me thankful that I did not attend this football game. We owe a big apology to Hickman, and I hope that we’re not all punished for these childish, rude acts of our peers.
Beast • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:56 pm
No this the truth about half of it is true. Besides even you said that you didnt go so that means you wouldent have the right to protect her because I was at the game and the kid that peed did not mean to pee on the bleachers and that shows that some of this stuff happens to be completely false
Ease the tention • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:28 pm
“I was at the game and the kid that peed did not mean to pee”
Why didn’t he just pee in his pants? This is the real question. I think we should have an article on that.
PROUD RB STUDENT • Nov 6, 2012 at 8:31 pm
He was a dedicated fan. He had to pee really bad but didn’t want to lose his seat. He couldn’t hold it any longer, so there it went. He was embarrassed. It wasn’t an act of vandalism. Besides, GET OVER IT. A little rain and it’s all gone. People are too sensitive.
Ease the tention • Nov 6, 2012 at 8:41 pm
I was being sarcastic…I understand that when a man’s got to go, hes gotta go.
Jim • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:10 pm
“I was at the game and the kid that peed did not mean to pee on the bleachers and that shows that some of this stuff happens to be completely false”
Beast…. how does some one pee on something by accident?
PROUD RB STUDENT • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:10 pm
People need to CHILL OUT. I am very offended and annoyed by the form in which this article was written. You are all sitting here dismissing the fact that this is a High School rivalry football game. These are the types of things that students love to get out and go crazy for. Both schools do it, just not every school writes and prints profound articles, in such crude and inaccurate detail, making a public issue over a common reoccurring event. It’s obvious that most Hickman fans weren’t even aware of the “misbehavior” just as I’m sure our RB fans were oblivious to any unnecessary HHS behavior. It’s not really an issue. Kids are rowdy and wild, if you aren’t aware of that than you are ignorant and highly unobservant. As an RB student with many close friends at both schools, I can speak for a large portion of the RB students who aren’t and don’t claim to be “spoiled little rich kids”. I’m a middle class human being with an average life just like the majority of the other kids at both high schools. I don’t pretend to be “rich” or better than anyone who has less money than me. And that is true for basically every other person at RB. Both schools love to play off of these “rich vs. ratchet” stereotypes. It’s what make these rivalries so firey and so fun. Everyone just CALM DOWN. I’m proud to be a Bruin! And I can honestly say that I spent all of my time that night cheering on the RB FB players that I love and support, while also having a good time enjoying my years as a high school student. ONCE A BRUIN ALWAYS A BRUIN, rbhs for life ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
RB Senior Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:52 pm
well said ^^^^^
RB Sophmore • Nov 6, 2012 at 4:33 pm
People on twitter need to calm down. Stop attacking the author and saying her article is “biased”. Its supposed to be! It’s an OP/ED article. Seriously, I respect the author for going out there and saying something that half of us don’t have the guts to say.
Also, someone needs to take down the RBLifee page on twitter. That thing is really offensive.
I disagree • Nov 7, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Why, It’s just a RB student. The page isn’t associated with RB. The student has the right to own it. People take things too seriously.
Tracey Conrad • Nov 6, 2012 at 4:31 pm
I think it is important for us to keep in mind we are all capable of using really poor judgment from time to time. I applaud this student for writing what must have been a very difficult article. However, I know many students at Hickman are often embarrassed by the actions of a few, and are upset when generalizations are made about our entire student population based on these actions. Therefore, I think it is important to acknowledge the actions of these students do not represent the majority of students at Rock Bridge High School. We can all learn to treat each other with more civility and learn from these experiences. Here’s hoping both schools can make this rivalry a healthier more positive one in the future.-Tracey Conrad, Principal-HHS
HHS Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 4:09 pm
The undesirable behavior certainly isn’t limited to football games. At the softball district semi-final between the two Columbia schools, RB students were poorly behaved. It may have started out as “fun and games,” but giving Hickman students boxes of pizza crust was definitely poor sportsmanship.
Annoyed • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:25 pm
I agree that the actions of Rock Bridge students were despicable and rude, but for everyone who is commenting on this article, remember that you are talking about teenagers. When I read a comment written by a Hickman parent that degraded Rock Bridge for degrading Hickman, I felt annoyed. Parents, as said by many, should set an example for those younger than them. For goodness sake, who do you think taught those students to act that way? I’m pretty sure that Hickman students also act uncivilized at sporting events as well. The acts committed by those RB students at the football game are considered bullying and should be punished, but bullying happens everywhere. It’s even happening within the comments. So before we get into another bout of insults and rude actions, let’s just calm down and consider the feelings of others so we all don’t commit the same offense that was committed by RB students at the football game.
HHS Senior • Nov 6, 2012 at 9:55 pm
Please explain to me how being a teenager justifies what was done that night. High school students are on the verge of becoming adults and from now on, should expect to be treated as adults. Of course, I understand you when you say that behavior is learned from parents; however, at seventeen, eighteen years of age, one learns to think for themselves and recognize right and wrong. Nevertheless, what’s done is done. I believe in justice, but aside from paying for the damages done to our stands, this article alone serves as a good enough punishment for Rock Bridge students.
RB student • Nov 6, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Every year almost all of these things happen at all Rock Bridge vs Hickman sporting events. Its shouldn’t be a surprise. It is one of if not the most heated high school rivalry in Missouri. It is apart of the atmosphere of a rivalry. Even though the hatred between Hickman and Rock Bridge is expected every year, it needs to be controlled to an extent. I think that some of the things that did go on during the game are disrespectful and the students who committed the vandalism should be punished for their actions.
Storme lane. • Nov 7, 2012 at 4:20 pm
1. Hagar you cleaaarrrllllyyyyyyyy are overexaggerating the situation, were you on the hickman side? do you know anything the hickman kids shanted and shouted? No. so stop trying to make rock bridge kids out to be the worst rudest kids when hickman does the same damn things. If youre gonna make an article about how we act, please do me a favor and make an article about how hickman acted and next time do me a favor and go to their side.
Lauren • Nov 6, 2012 at 3:53 pm
As an RB grad, I can say I am truly upset by this article. I would like to say that the behavior of this select group of students should not in any way reflect the entire student body, but it is appalling that nothing was done during the game to stop these individuals. The most offensive part of this entire ordeal is the targeting of those poor cheerleaders. Stories like these are popping up all over the country, not just at Rock Bridge, and something needs to be done. These kids need to be disciplined, and should be required to apologize to the cheer squad as well as the maintenance staff and administrators. I do agree with “RB through and through” in his message, but not the delivery. Whoever was there taking photos and first hand accounts of these antics, why did you do nothing to stop it? Being a bystander is just as bad as participating, and you are accountable as well.
Hickman Parent and Fan • Nov 6, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I’m a parent of a Hickman football player and although we didn’t heard a lot of what was being said by the RB student section (b/c we were cheering for our team and not degrading other students, players, cheerleaders or humans) I am embarrassed for your school, your students and your parents. Whatever you THOUGHT you were doing to “show your team spirit” did the exact opposite – who’s the “ghetto” school now? I find it so funny that RB claims to be the rich school, classy school, etc. but at every turn they continue to show just how tacky they really are. It’s been said before, but I will state again……money doesn’t buy class! And going to Rockbridge doesn’t make you rich…please don’t make me start listing names of those who are broke, in foreclosure or are on the verge of filing for bankruptcy. You know who you are and people would be shocked! Do us a favor…..get the Southside in order before you worry about what goes on over on the “Northside”. Say what you want about Hickman, we are proud to be Kewpies and while you were breaking our railings and urinating on our bleachers — we were breaking your hearts, ending your football season and moving past you in the district playoffs.
Proud RB student. • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:32 pm
To some the comments made on this article, no one should be generalizing the school as a disrespectful student body or undeserving of freedom with responsibility. The acts of these few students were uncalled for, but you can’t blame their actions on the whole school, faculty, or other people that were there. Obviously the faculty members there were paying attention to the game and themselves, not worrying about what some of the students were doing. So don’t say why didn’t they do anything about it. Why didn’t anyone do anything when Hickman students wrecked things at RB? Plus the Hickman comments that say they’re glad Hickman beat RB and ended their football season is extremely rude, the RB players shouldn’t be hurt for others poor actions. The RB players had a good season and I am proud of them. Plus, this is an OP/ED article so it is supposed to be opinionated. Calm down.
RB Senior Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Who says that RB is a “rich” and “classy” school? A bunch of teenage high schoolers? Sure there are those who associate wealth with class, but shame on those people, from Hickman and RB alike. I’m a senior at RB high school, and I’ve had nothing given to me my entire life. I worked for almost a year to pay for the car I’m driving, not to mention the insurance and gas every month.
The fact is that Rock Bridge and Hickman are both in the wrong, but you are also in the wrong. You are simply judging everyone at RB by the actions of a few. You should be ashamed; embarrassed even. So the next time you decide to chastise your fellow community, you should think again. Don’t even pretend like you have an argument to this, because these are simply the facts.
RB Alum • Nov 6, 2012 at 10:10 pm
@Hickman Parent and Fan EVERYONE KNOWS THESE STEREOTYPES ARE TRUE. Why do you think they redistricted the City for Battle hs the way they did?! Ghetto Hickman is getting a whole bunch of new classy, rich “bankrupt” rock bridge kids to class up the halls of Hickman high school. Oh yeah, and unfortunately ruining the sports dynasty that rock bridge has created over the past few years. GO BRUINS
Tyler HHS 2010 • Nov 7, 2012 at 1:35 am
No, RB Alum, the stereotypes are NOT true. Spend a day at Hickman and you’ll see the truth. Get a clue and get some class.
Tyler HHS 2010 • Nov 7, 2012 at 1:38 am
Stay classy RB
Very well written article, the author of it has full support from me. Submit this to the papers, get MSHSAA involved. Truly unacceptable behavior from students. Some people commenting on here need to get a clue and get some class.
Tyler HHS 2010 • Nov 7, 2012 at 1:30 am
RIGHT ON!!
Hickman Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Wow. This is an all time low. I was at the game but I didn’t know about all of it. Rockbridge may claim to be the better school because they’re rich, but this behavior just shows how scummy some of them really are.
Muhammad Al-Rawi • Nov 6, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Again, behaviour and economic stereotype are not proportional in any way.
RBHS through and through • Nov 6, 2012 at 3:21 pm
And what were you doing when this was happening? Did you not have enough balls to stand up to the crowds during the, but had to wait until you were safe behind your keyboard? Yeah, we did get out of hand, but you can’t act like your better, or above all of us, while you did nothing to stop what was happening.
RB Alum • Nov 6, 2012 at 3:16 pm
They deserve it, Hickman kids caused $1,000s of dollars in damage to the Rock Bridge Track and Stadium in 2010.
Jay • Nov 6, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Now I feel bad for going to the game. 🙁
rb student • Nov 6, 2012 at 2:52 pm
This artical is “RATC-“
PROUD RB STUDENT • Nov 6, 2012 at 8:37 pm
ayeeee!
Sam • Nov 6, 2012 at 2:31 pm
As a RB student I find this article extremely offensive. The amount of people within the Bru Crew acting in an irresponsible manner was an extremely small representation of our school. As a journalist I’m aware that a huge rule and moral would be to always report the absolute truth. Throughout this article that rule has been violated multiple times. Although I am not trying to excuse the actions of certain individuals within the stands, I can speak for majority of the student body when I say we deserve accurate representation. Another problem is the fact that the author writes for The Rock which is obviously RB’s newspaper. Instead of attacking the student body for attacking another student body, a mere apology on certain persons behalf should have been issued. I find it the slightest bit hypocritical to offend the mass amount of people the author offended about how vile we are for offending other people. When representing RB as a writer, the pessimistic opinion throughout the article is extremely offensive.
Still Classy :) • Nov 6, 2012 at 2:51 pm
If Hickman students could hear what was being said on our side it was not a small portion of students that were being rude.
Hickman Grad • Nov 6, 2012 at 2:26 pm
I am a recent Hickman graduate and this is just shameful to me. Rockbridge, when I went school, was still our rival but the rivalry was usually pretty civil. Yeah you had all the childish names and what ever but at the games we always acted like decent human beings. My girlfriend graduated from Rockbridge two years ago and was appalled when i read her this. Everyone who participated in this should be ashamed. P.S. very well written article, I agree that this should be posted somewhere more public.
Davis • Nov 6, 2012 at 2:23 pm
This is what gives RBHS a BAD RAP Way to go Bruins
Casey Wright • Nov 6, 2012 at 2:09 pm
As an alumna of RBHS and having parents who work at the school, I am so embarrassed and ashamed. Rock Bridge is a school with talent and heart, and its disappointing that this is what the community hears and sees from us. This is not Freedom with Responsibility, and frankly if this is how students act, they shouldn’t have that freedom in the first place.
RB parent • Nov 6, 2012 at 1:56 pm
And where were the RB faculty, staff and parents? Were faculty and staff oblivious to these happenings? Why would staff and parents let students get away with acting this way? This display of disrespect should have been stopped by authorities in charge and not allowed to proceed.
Disgusted RB Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 1:53 pm
As many have said, very well written article.
This behavior is absolutely disgusting. RB is considered one of the best schools in the country, but you wouldn’t know it from this utterly vulgar display. I don’t normally go to the sporting events, and I’m very glad I didn’t go to this one. This is just ridiculous and shameful. RB wouldn’t have deserved to win. Congratz to Hickman.
Classy not Trashy • Nov 6, 2012 at 1:52 pm
So ya, I go to Hickman and I have a lot of friends that go to Rock Bridge that always make fun of me for going to the “ghetto school” but I have never been so mad as I was during that game. Seeing my friends crying because they were targeted by rivals that used to be best friends is not a fun thing. Thank you for writing this because these things needed to be said. I knew there were good people at Rock Bridge and I don’t agree with some of these comments saying that you are turning your back on your school. What these students did was wrong and it was bullying. I hope something happens to show that this kind of behavior will not be accepted. I honestly can say that I have never been so proud to be a Kewpie and not a Bruin, not because of how the game turned out but because of the actions that were taken. Again, thank you. Oh, and by the way, I’m a cheerleader and I’m not ratchet and I don’t twerk so please if you are going to BULLY a group of people get to know them before you pick the words that describe them.
kathy willis • Nov 6, 2012 at 1:24 pm
As a parent of a hickman high cheerleader,
To the person who wrote this article, thank u for printing the truth. I have heard stories of how much Rock Bridge students hated us Hickman people and this upsets me to know that even the parents aprove of this uncalled for behavior. We r supposed to all be created equal and I dont understand why location is such a big deal with Rock Bridge. I now think it is an unwritten message that was passed on by the parents. To the parents and students that go to church and claim to be Christians, u need to realize it doesn’t count if u just claim it on Sunday.
Maria Kalaitzandonakes • Nov 6, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Editor’s note: The writer saw no parents involved in the situation.
PROUD RB STUDENT • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:12 pm
“ratchet” is not a vulgar term. It’s just like calling someone dumb. Is dumb a vulgar term? Do we need to censor it in articles?
Daphne Yu • Nov 6, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Editor’s note: The term is slang and slang does not necessarily have one definition. This one can have both vulgar and generic meanings. We prefer to err on the side of protecting our readers when possible.
Disappointed RBHS Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 1:19 pm
This article is very well written. Being a part of the student section during the game was one of the more shameful activities I have ever participated in. I will say one thing, though. I was seated in front of the section where the bleacher railing was broken, and from what I gathered the initial breakage was accidental. The amount of students and strain was just too much. However, all further actions (like lifting the railing up and passing it around the crowd), were not accidental. Just stupid and disrespectful.
Izzy Neis • Nov 6, 2012 at 12:40 pm
I’d recommend this article getting passed to local papers. This is an example of bullying, and without proper attention – it’s going to go unattended. I work in bullying online – and this kind of behavior starts at home and is supported through peers. It’s inappropriate and disgusting, and there should be retribution for such public displays of mob cruelty – ESPECIALLY for minors in the process of learning behaviors acceptable and NOT acceptable.
Melissa J. Mahoney • Nov 6, 2012 at 12:38 pm
very Disappointed that parents would set this type of example for their children…Surely the parents and grandparents of these so Called role models for our impressionable youth were taught better than that…very shameful
RBHS student • Nov 6, 2012 at 11:40 am
Go to Hickman then
Angry student • Nov 6, 2012 at 11:36 am
Half of this is false.
Btw what is “RATC”? I was there and that chant was never said
Poorly written, way to turn your back on your school
Maria Kalaitzandonakes • Nov 6, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Editor’s note: The word chanted was “ratchet.” The writer did not print the full word in the editorial because the context it was used in is vulgar.
MU Student • Nov 6, 2012 at 3:34 pm
I believe what Kathy is trying to get at is that this is a learned behavior that is condoned in the homes of these students. If the parents allow it behind closed doors, the children will behave like this in public.
❤Alex Gompper❤ (@alxgmpr) • Nov 6, 2012 at 11:32 am
I’m so glad to see this article. I think that a formal apology and repayment for damages caused, are certainly necessary.
M. Thomas • Nov 5, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Very well written and honestly put.The reality of our actions were despicable. Thank you for having the courage to voice your opinion and say what needed to be said. Freedom with Responsibility? More like rudeness with no boundaries.
akD • Nov 5, 2012 at 8:20 pm
you guys should put this somewhere where everyone can see it.
kirsten • Nov 5, 2012 at 8:17 pm
well written article.
RB Student • Nov 5, 2012 at 5:13 pm
wow…rockbridge. real classy