Six years ago, when the Black and Blue Olympics began, Santa Clara High School came out swinging, winning the first two contests, and going up 2-0. Since then, Wilcox has been on a streak, winning the last three years and taking a 3-2 lead into this year’s games. On May 1, the ongoing war between the two Santa Clara high schools continued.
With over 700 tickets sold, students from all classes arrived at the Walter E. Schmidt Youth Activity Center to see if SCHS could tie the tally at three, or if Wilcox would continue its domination, turning its dynasty into a legacy. If Wilcox won, seniors would never know what it’s like to lose BBO and if Santa Clara lost, seniors would never know what it’s like to win the coveted golden cup.
In addition to the games students have become accustomed to, like the human pyramid and tug-of-war, this years “May Day” event contained a few new surprises.
“We have a few new games,” said Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Coordinator Rich Casem. “We’re doing a game called “Autocorrect,” which is almost like a spelling bee. We have 16 letters and players have five minutes to make as many words as they can. They get a point for every correct word they use and extra points for words longer than three letters. It’s a whole different play on things. We want to challenge them academically. Sixteen players will have various letters attached to them and there will be four spellers.”
Santa Clara came out strong, using its time wisely and spelling long words, like “Cupertino,” and short words, like “ace.” Wilcox also tried to maximize its point total, spelling “column” and “salmon” within the allotted time. However, in the midst of all the excitement, the YAC fire alarm was pulled, causing an evacuation of the gym and forcing the cancellation of the following game – a tricycle race called “Tour de YAC.”
Wilcox continued to shine throughout the competition, sweeping the tug-of-war and finding itself four points ahead (11-7) of its rival before “Autocorrect” and the opening dance challenge, “Five Minutes of Fame” points were tallied. Santa Clara picked up two points for winning “Autocorrect,” putting the school within two. Winning “Five Minutes of Fame” would have created a tie, but Wilcox’s opener was unanimously chosen by the judges, which included Miss Santa Clara 2015, Jessa Carmack, and Miss Silicon Valley, Melissa Bowling.
“We decided a long time ago,” said WHS ASB President Ashley Wong, “that if we were going to win this we needed to start early … These students came during their lunches. They came from three to seven all week. They came during their spring break. They worked so hard for this and it obviously paid off … They wanted to unplug the Chargers but we beat the Bears.”
With this year possibly being the last BBO, it’s fitting for it to end with one school on a winning streak, but that doesn’t mean the battle of the schools won’t continue. “I’ve been coming up with some creative ideas that we can do next,” said Casem. “I might do Black and Blue Kickball. Seeing the energy and excitement of both schools is great.”