I hit a bit of a slump in my sketching today. I didn't have a reference photo, and didn't even know what I wanted to draw, so I did this doodle of a dog. Not one of my prouder moments, I assure you, but a sketch none the less.
When you work at a no-brainer job like I do, sometimes the strangest things pop into your head. Like today, when I was singing my Jr high school fight song. I'm actually amazed that I can still remember it, since that was back in the 1976-77 school year. Our colors were purple and white, and our school saying was, "Purple Pride Never Dies." I still have a purple pencil with that printed on it. The 7th grade football team was the Braves and the 8th grade team was the Warriors. The high school mascot was the Chiefs. Not very PC, but back then nobody minded. Speaking of PC, did you year about the Native American intramural basketball team at a college out West a few years back? They decided that they were going to show us how it felt, so they named their team the Fighting Whites, and sat back and waited for the outcry. The only problem was that white folks weren't offended by it. They LOVED the name. I heard the team got requests to buy their team shirts from all over the States. But I digress....
Anyway, the fight song went something like this:
Warriors and Braves stand here and now, we will fight on for you Oh West Orange Jr High.
Chorus: Our fighting men have held up our standard, passed on our glorious name, so hold it high and never day die and fight on to victory.
Years will go by, still we will know, days were the best, here at you, Oh West Orange Jr High.
The summer between my 6th and 7th grade years, the school district merged with the nearby Orange school district. Our colors changed to blue and silver, and our mascot became the Stallions. Slightly less offensive, except maybe to the horses. If you truly want an inoffensive mascot, you need go no further than Delta State University in Cleveland MS. Their mascot is the...are you ready? ...get this...brace yourselves now...The Delta State Fighting OKRA. Doesn't exactly inspire awe, but it doesn't offend anyone either. But I digress again...
The new Jr High fight song went like this:
Hail Mighty Stallions, we'll stand by you.
Forever Stallions, silver and blue.
Our fighting spirit always will be
for West Orange Jr High unto victory!
Once we got to high school, we were the Mustangs. Our school song was:
Far out on the coastal prairie, standing plain to view
Is our dear West Orange-Stark High School, towering toward the blue
Hail all hail our alma mater, Hail West Orange-Stark High!
We bear thee a love so fervent, it shall never die!
I wonder what the Delta State Okra have for a fight song.
2 comments:
I heard the team got requests to buy their team shirts from all over the States.
Now you wouldn't think there were that many "White Power!" types around these days, would you? Cool story though. Since I'm not very PC, I think the whole Washington Redskins, Chicago Blackhawks, etc., thing is way overblown. Just sayin'!
As for the "Fighting Okra" have you ever picked that stuff wearing short sleeves? You only do that once!
I agree with you totally. Funny how you don't hear much of an outcry over the Fighting IRISH. Personally, if I ever found out there was a sports team called the Swedes, I'd be right there supporting them.
No, I've never picked okra, but I've sure eaten plenty of it--fried, Yum!
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