Thoreson: When school spirit crosses the line

Cross-county rivalry between high school sports teams in Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene took a disappointing turn for Kerri Thoreson on Friday night. Thoreson, a Coeur d'Alene Press columnist, Post Falls City Council member and Coeur d'Alene High School grad, shared her thoughts in a note on her Facebook page:

Whenever Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene meet on the basketball court or football field you can count on a spirited, generations long rivalry. The stands will be filled on both sides and the score of the game will usually be close. Tonight's game at Coeur d'Alene High School was no exception to that tradition. At half-time the cheerleading squads from both schools combined for stunting, to the delight of the crowd. The boys game went into overtime and was decided by a three-point shot at the buzzer for a Viking victory.

But the score of the game has nothing to do with why I feel disappointed and somewhat embarrassed by my alma mater. The student section for the Vikings was filled with fans dressed in what could be described as hillbilly attire, holding aloft a sea of red plastic cups. In fact at least twice, maybe three times the PA system played the currently popular country drinking song, Red Solo Cup. Some of the taunts from the Viking section to the Trojan players were offensive at best. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the game the entire CHS student section, maybe 100 strong, rushed the court under the basket in celebration. Which wouldn't have been a problem had there not still been three Post Falls players on the court and caught in the throng. At least a couple punches were thrown.

Here's the capper ... Post Falls had three administrators in attendance at the game to ensure that the student section behaved appropriately. I wonder about Coeur d'Alene. Did any of their administration know what I was told by members of their Blue Zoo (student cheering section) that today was White Trash / Truck Stop Day to reflect their opinion of Post Falls. Hence the Red Solo Cup song reference. (*when CHS played Sandpoint the Blue Zoo was costumed in snow boarder garb)

School spirit is a good thing. I have no shortage myself over four decades since high school in Coeur d'Alene. But grown ups are supposed to set boundaries as well as examples for our young people. I witnessed neither in the Viking gymnasium tonight.

Thoreson's opinion of Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" song being highlighted at the game: 

A fun and catchy tune but appropriate for a high school basketball game? Played multiple times as a sing-along with students waving red cups, it was a stunning display of bad judgement.

What do you think, was the song (official video posted above) an appropriate choice for a high school basketball game?