I live in Ashland, Kentucky, a small town of about 20,000 people. Everyone’s family knows everyone else’s, and kids that grew up together stay friends for life. Friday night ball games are as important here as putting food on the table and sometimes are taken to the extreme. While unlike Harlan, Kentucky, Ashland doesn’t have feuding families—or at least none that I’m aware of—there are two school districts in Boyd County, where Ashland is located, that fight like siblings. Blazer High School is home to the Ashland Tomcats, where people bleed maroon. Located about 15 minutes away is Boyd County High School, where everyone is a Lion. Football and basketball games between the schools would be heavily patrolled by the law, and parents wouldn’t let small children wander around. Fights would break out and people would be arrested over which school they went to. Like the Turner/Howard situation, no one really knows why the two hated each other so much. Yeah, there were little things that came up like in Harlan (not downplaying the murders that took place) where one team would vandalize another team’s school bus, field, mascot, and so on, but what really started it all is a mystery.
People from Ashland are referred to as preppy, goody-goods, who wear name brand clothes and strut around like they’re all high and mighty. Hick, hillbilly, and redneck have been associated with kids from Boyd County. They drive old beat up Fords and wear flannels and Carhartt; we drive sports cars and “bowties” and wouldn’t be caught dead in cowboy boots. Obviously, this is all wrong, but for some reason we carry the tradition on from generation to generation. The best part is, Boyd County High School is located in Ashland, Kentucky, and Ashland, Kentucky is in Boyd County. I’m inclined to say that Boyd County is like the Turners, they’re the ones starting all the trouble, and us Tomcats are just defending ourselves, but who knows really.
As time goes on, though, the two schools have seemed to somewhat have…controlled their hatred and violence and such has died down. Nevertheless, kindergarteners from Ashland hate the County kids from the first day.
Old school rivalries. In Cabell County, there's two high schools, Huntington High and Cabell Midland. I attended Midland. At football games, we'd wear shirts commenting on social stereotypes of the other school, such as being predominantly black or redneck. There was a balance between us though. We'd clobber them at football, and they'd clobber us at basketball. I like how you say Boyd County started the trouble. Halfway through high school, we got a new principal, and he wouldn't let us wear "offensive" t-shirts. So if any fights did break out during our rival games, we obviously couldn't be blamed because we weren't allowed to wear our special made t-shirts.
ReplyDeleteThis whole schools hating each other thing must be really common. I went to Fairland, which is in Proctorville (about 5 minutes from Huntington). We have a huge rivalry with Chesapeake, a school that is also only about five to ten minutes from Huntington. The story is the same...no one knows why the rivalry got started but it is pretty intense. Vandalism and fights are just an accepted part of sporting events between the two schools. It doesn't matter if you lost every game of the season, if you beat Chesapeake, it was a good year. Now it has just become part of the culture and I don't see it changing any time soon.
ReplyDeleteHey now...I feel like you are a little biased when you say that Boyd county is like the Turners...haha. But yeah I guess if i mention anything about the Chesapeake Fairland rivalry, I ll be repeating Ryan. But I do remember one time, we were at a football game, and someone from Fairland spipt on a cheerleader of the opposing team. I mean, that's just ridiculous. But yeah things deffinitely get out of hand with the whole culture of honor thing...
ReplyDeleteHannah--we were never allowed to wear shirts like that. haha.
ReplyDeleteRyan--Yeah, at Ashland they are, too. Expect Blazer just got all new landscaping and buildings and Boyd spray painted a ton of stuff and they got the law called on them and a huge fine.
Aikansh,I'll readily admit that I am. haha. wow, you're kidding?!