The Choate fan section cheers on Girls Varsity Volleyball on Deerfield Day.
Boars knock down doors. Who’s house? C-house. Scoreboard. All this and more are chanted energetically by Choate students on Deerfield Day, and they all revolve around the “us vs. them” paradigm. Interestingly, something that we fight against brings our community closer than any other event on campus. We’ve witnessed the power of an adversary in strengthening our community in the past — standing up against white supremacy in Wallingford, for example. In a way, knowing what we stand against is just as valuable as knowing what we stand for.
But this power, which can be beneficial, can influence members of our community to degrade our core values. Especially around Deerfield Day, Choate students identify strongly against the image that we have of Deerfield students. On Dress like Deerfield Day, we poke fun at prep school dress code and privilege, sporting collared shirts of various hues, pleated skirts, boat shoes, blazers, and ties. For some, this may merely provoke appreciation for our lack of a dress code. For others, this may simply serve as a foundation for more thoughts and actions that go beyond good-natured competition. While Deerfield students may be required to follow a dress code that we no longer abide by, it is important to remember that we are making fun of an idea of Deerfield students. This is a privilege that we have enjoyed as a part of our long-standing school rivalry.
It is much easier to emphasize teamwork and bolster school spirit when we have an adversary, and we have found that opponent in Deerfield Academy. We have developed a “mortal enemy,” a generalized image of Deerfield students, for the purposes of the Choate-Deerfield school rivalry, not because of a characteristic that makes them any inferior to us. In fact, the two schools found a special relationship, an alliance in the form of a rivalry, probably because of the similarity of the two schools. This is an important distinction: It is an inherent part of healthy competition to satirize the opponent, spurring them to put forth their best efforts, but maliciousness is never acceptable. While we deserve credit for all that we have accomplished, I wonder if the trajectory of our well-rounded, competitive athletic program at Choate would have developed in the same way it has now without an impetus like the Choate-Deerfield athletic rivalry.
But separating feelings of competitiveness and anger is easier said than done. Deerfield Day is a day focused on athletic competition, and tensions often run high. Especially if we are met with verbal, or even physical, instigation, it may be hard to resist to react in the name of our school. However, this is when we have to remember not what we stand against, but what we stand for. We stand for fidelitas et integritas: fidelity and integrity. For Deerfield Day, I would like to have students remember this phrase that underpins our school. No matter what tests we may be put through that day, we have to remain focused on the expectations that we have for ourselves as athletes and supporters, channeling our emotion into athletic performance and support for our teams instead of cutting down the opponent. A healthy rivalry depends on mutual respect and tolerance, and if we finish the day with memories of caustic interactions, the relationship will be doomed to collapse one day.
As a proud member of the Choate community, I am just as excited about Deerfield Day as the next Choatie; for the past four years, the sheer amount of talent, ability, and enthusiasm found across varsity, JV, and thirds teams has inspired me. I hope that displays of these facets of Choate students will be on the highlight reel, and that we can earn another victory on Deerfield Day, proud not only of the scores earned by Choate teams, but also the way that we react to losses and celebrate our victories.
