By Meghan Green and Anna McGurkin
There have been many historic events to showcase the most extreme and outrageously skilled athletes in the world. Yet, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and even the notorious RPCS vs. Bryn Mawr Cup game pale in comparison to the weeks-long event that swept the school starting on February 8th, 2022. Over 133 ambitious Reds arduously prepared for the competition of a lifetime and trained their hand to hold a beloved breathtaking spoon to the high heavens, with only one player left standing.
The name of the game: YDAER.
In the fateful fall of 2019, Shannon Smith, the former president of Athletic Association, spawned the game of YDAER, an innovative rendition on the word “READY”. Her goal was simple: unite the student body in a competition renowned by the gods while concurrently fundraising money for a good cause. This year, our Athletic Association president, Garrison Morrill, continued Smith’s legacy and brought YDAER back to our hallowed halls. Reunited at last! Morrill and the Athletic Association sprung into planning.
With thought and deliberation, the Athletic Association chose to use the YDAER’s proceeds to support two local organizations that emphasize the importance of athletics for all kids: Squash Wise and Harlem Lacrosse. Squash Wise is an organization that partners with Baltimore youth to advance equity in squash, education and personal developments with hopes of students being able to achieve all of their aspirations. Harlem Lacrosse centers their efforts on a similar mission of providing opportunities, experiences, and relationships that activate the skills that will allow kids to find their footing on the path to success as students, athletes, and citizens. Both carefully selected organizations focus on empowering kids to rise above any individual challenges and reach their full potential.
The 2022 YDAER competition went off without a hitch and was remarkably successful. Not only did the game gross over $650, but it also left our community with stories and victories that will go down in history.
In the early stages of the competition, the cut-throat nature and tenacious ferocity of the game were palpable, leaving all inhabitants of the school on high alert and in constant fear of the unknown. No one is ever safe. Nobody knows this better than our beloved Dean of Students, Ms. Carter-Bey.
It was the first day of YDAER. So many bright-eyed hopeful players were holding their spoon tight with nothing but a dream of victory, one of whom was Ms. Carter-Bey. Yet, her dreams were brutally blasted when Georgia Szoke, a senior and devoted YDAER-goer, theorized an approach and discovered Ms. Carter-Bey’s Achilles' heel: the school uniform. Disguising herself as a student who had simply forgotten their blue school skirt, Szoke was able to infiltrate Carter-Bey’s office, and once she had lulled her into a false sense of security, she struck, and she struck hard. Just as Carter-Bey set down her spoon to grab a skirt, Szoke approached and uttered the sacred word, “YDAER.”
As competitive spirits raged on, the rules of the game intensified in an eager effort to reveal a winner. Soon, students and teachers were skipping through the corridors with spoons held high above their heads in firm grips.
Players were dropping like flies, unable to bear the harsh realities of persisting in the highest level of athletic prowess. Yet, for the last few weeks of play, the remaining two YDAER titans engaged in fierce, focused, and fearless trials: Amani Green and Suzannah Figler.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and every competition needs its victor. These warriors battled tirelessly, with spoons and heads held high for so long that Athletic Association President Garrison Morrill was forced to raise the stakes one final time. A spoon was to be hidden anywhere on Roland Park’s campus, and the first to find it would be crowned champion.
On March 8th, 2022, Amani Green discovered the final red spoon hidden in the depths of the Den and became the second student to win in RPCS history.
With words of experienced wisdom and having acquired a record-breaking number of over 100 spoons, Green bequeathed knowledge unto the RPCS community saying, “Never let your guard down. Always be ready because anyone, including your friends, could have you at any time”.
But most of all, she said, “Make sure you’re having fun. I think I survived so long because I was genuinely having fun while playing.”
YDAER is a tradition that will forever hold a prominent place in Roland Park’s playbook. It is a valued event that fosters a competitive spirit on campus while simultaneously uniting students and teachers across all grade levels and truly promoting community in the most fun and exciting way.
Stretch your wrists and start planning because YDAER will be back and better than ever before you know it.
Yorumlar