SPOKANE, Wash, – The stinky sneaker rivalry between University and Central Valley High Schools will look different this year than ever before, for a couple of reasons.
For the first time ever, the game will be held at Reece Court in Cheney.
The schools made this decision after The Spokane Arena did not offer the same discount to the Central Valley School District as they once did.
Thousands of Cental Valley (CV) and University High (UH) school students have been relocated over the past two years since Ridgeline High School was added to the district.
This year there will be half as many CV students enrolled as there were just two years ago (1200 vs 2400).
Both schools are still optimistic that the spirit levels will be strong, and they have both been training students to perform during the game for spirit points, but some staff and students also have mixed feelings about the game being so far away from home.
Leanne Donley with CV says there has been some good that has come with the relocation. They can now fit their entire student body in the gym for an assembly and they have more room to walk in the hallways during passing periods.
They also have a better chance to build strong relationships between students and staff because there aren’t as many students to connect with.
Carley Schuh a teacher at UH said that this year there is an even playing field. While both schools lost students this year, this might be an advantage for UH.
The student ratio for school’s student ratio is now a more similar than it has been in previous years meaning it’s a fair fight for the spirit award.
UH also is working to involve the community and different events to help their chances of bringing home the title for the first time in six years.
But how will the numbers impact the game? Perhaps only time can tell.
Considering CV has won the spirit award six times in a row, we will find out if they can keep it alive with the new factors.
