Super Bowl Saturday

Last Saturday was the Super Bowl game between NHS and David Prouty High School. As a self-confessed sports-phobic, please excuse me if I get any of the following details wrong, but 'super bowl', is essentially an American football final and the name comes from the Championship game of the National Football League, which traditionally takes place on a Sunday.

The game was scheduled to take place at a larger stadium on a college campus some distance away from Northbridge. Fans could be bussed there, but we opted for a car. School games are popular, high profile events here and generally generate a huge turnout. Entry to the game costs $10 and talent scouts are often present.

Not deterred by the driving blizzard or bitter cold (it snowed the whole time - sitting on cold, wet metal benches in the open air wasn't exactly pleasant), both sides had a decent representation in the stands - mainly fellow students and family members. Each side is supported by the school band and a cheerleading squad and it's clear who's sitting where as everyone wears the school colours and merchandise (I didn't disappoint on that score, although it wasn't obvious under my hat, coat, scarf and gloves!). NHS's colours are maroon and white and the school has the ram mascot (a student dressed in a ram suit accompanies the cheerleaders and generates school spirit). The fans are a passionate bunch, too - cheering, shouting and stamping their feet throughout the match.

The match itself was confusing to me, as despite the best efforts of my colleagues, I just can't get my head around the rules - but then I don't really understand the rules of football/soccer, either! I know the game is divided into four quarters and that the time for each section can be stopped and re-started and that teams can call 'time out' to discuss strategy, but I still haven't really got to grips with what's actually happening on the field - the teams will assemble, go into a sort of rugby scrum (which I believe is called a 'fumble') and then stop. This process is repeated until one team gets the ball to the end of the pitch (which I think here is called the 'field'). I used the crowd's reaction to judge whether what was happening was good or not and responded accordingly!

Sadly Northbridge didn't win on this occasion (the final score was 11 - 7) but they did, I think, play a fine game. Watching my students play, cheer and dance in a ram suit was, in itself, rewarding. Go Rams!