The Treaty of Tradition

After a recent string of occurrences at Highland basketball games, students are left wondering if they are still allowed to follow any traditions of the past.

At the latest East game played at East, Highland students were checked vigorously at the entrance of the gym in attempt to halt any appearance of a “gangster”. All bandanas were removed from students along with particular chains or hats. Students were threatened to be kicked out of the game if they did not consent to these arrangements. This “gangster night” tradition passed on for years looks as if it could be gone for good.

However, the reason for this was not to crush the students’ spirits, but to put an end to the mockery one East administrator believed to be outrageous. Sandra Buendina was born and raised in East L. A., and is invested in protecting her Latino culture, which she felt was being ridiculed. After going through years without saying a word, Buendina thought it was best to put an end to the chaos and ignorance being displayed at these games.

But what these administrators don’t know is the motive for the theme, which is meant to be in no way mockery of the Latino culture. Tradition has always been an essential thing at Highland and gangster night was a part of that. After recent years of wild atmospheres at games which includes some playful pushing, helpful suggestions to opposing teams, and of course students cheering their hearts out, it is very confusing for there to be such an abrupt switch from anything goes to almost nothing.

There is a set of UHSA sportsmanship rules that all spectators must follow, but these rules are overlooked in abundance. Other teams in region have the loose restrictions of Highland’s past, which is hard to deal with when it comes to defending your side.

“Everything is supposed to be positive towards your team,” Interim Administrator Jason Kirchner said. “We won’t accept anything negative towards the opposing teams.”

This headlock that the faculty has the student body in is leading to decreased attendance at games, and less support from the crowd, which is not what the team needs. It’s clear to see that the home crowd isn’t bringing the hype after Highland lost 3 of their last 5 games at home.

Not only is it affecting the players, this problem is affecting some concerned students that are set to protect the tradition. One of these students is junior Josh Watchman, who has a lot of experience with the atmosphere of these games. Watchman played basketball his first two years and now has transitioned to the stands so it’s easy for him to relate to the players.

“The Highland theme is tradition, passion, and ambition,” Watchman said. “Seeing that this tradition has been killed off, it hits the Black Hole deep.”

Whether there’s an administration change or not, students must learn to adapt to the new situation and run with it. Even though most demeaning terms are out of the question, it’s still possible to get a point across from a cheer by saying it in a positive fashion.

“I’d rather see you get more creative about it,” Kirchner said. “There’s ways you can be witty that are much more appropriate to get your point across.”

So while there is probably no hope in fighting back against the restrictions, there are many things that can be done to keep most of the traditions in place. Get creative, follow the rules, and most importantly, get loud. These are the ways of the Rams, where traditions never die but may be altered.

“If you take the horns off the ram, don’t expect the ram not to fight back,” Watchman said.