Warrior Word

by Sanvisree Vishnum

Stadium Jam is an annual event where the varsity football teams of longtime rivals Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale high schools play against each other. During halftime, the cheerleaders perform elaborate routines on the field, and students engage in a battle to see who’s more hype. After this battle, the losing school’s ASB president would get pied in the face as a consequence.

I went to Stadium Jam on September 26th, just last week. First of all, the weather was quite pleasant, somewhat windy, with a mix of sun. Normally, 5 pm games like this one are considered a nuisance by many students due to the sun setting right across the stands. It was just cloudy enough not to have a bright light glaring into my eyes, which was nice, especially since we would get hot because of our blackout theme. Meadowdale contrasted us with a white-out theme. I got in around 5:10, so I didn’t get good seats, sitting with the sophomores and freshmen. It worked out, though, because I was going to wander around with my friends and talk to people anyway. If you want close seats to the front, make sure to show up early! It was a home game, and our musicians killed it! Good thing I quit clarinet early on, otherwise no one would be complimenting the band. When it got to halftime for the actual Stadium Jam competitions, the decibel monitor said that Meadowdale was louder than us. I can’t be the only one who definitely felt that we were louder. Our ASB President, Kailani, got pied in the face as a result, and everyone cheered, “We love Lani!” She really was the main character.

I forgot I was writing an article on the game until the end of the last quarter, so that’s when I started interviewing people. I tapped the shoulder of the kid in front of me and asked, “Who do you think is gonna win?” He replied, “Woodway”. There you have it.

I told some freshmen girls that I was looking for some quotes for an article, so one of them replied, “Wanting nothing gives you everything.” Two of the other freshmen actually got the memo, saying, “I think we’re gonna win ‘cause Meadowdale sucks,” and the other declared, “They’re fanning so hard because they know they’re gonna lose.”

To get more perspectives, I hopped down a few rows and interrogated some upperclassmen. “We’re gonna win, just ‘cause,” said a senior, and a junior declared confidently, “We’re gonna kick Meadowdale’s butts!” Yes, Kjella, confidence is key!

To be honest, I was not paying attention to the score or the actual game towards the end. All I know is that with 40 seconds left on the clock, Woodway’s score was 31 and Meadowdale’s was 27. One player had a punt return touchdown, which had everyone in the stands going crazy. Meadowdale did end up winning, though, with a last-minute clutch up.

After the game was over, I spoke with plenty more people. When asked about the half-time stadium jam festivities, the activities coordinator from Meadowdale, Ms. Paddy, said, “..was a solid win, so proud of our team. They were amazing, and I can’t wait to do it again next year. It was amazing, so good. Both sides showed up and made it amazing, so keep doing it!”

We found a boy wearing a football jersey walking around after the game, so I assumed he was a Meadowdale player. Turns out, he was an 8th grader at Alderwood Middle School! Nonetheless, we interviewed him. “What do you think of the game today at the end?” I asked about the quick gain Meadowdale had at the end of the game. “I thought it was cool, the catch at the end was really cool,” he responded. Agreed.

I also asked a girl from Meadowdale how she felt about the Stadium Jam and the game itself. “It was very hype and super fun to beat the knights.” If someone can tell me what knights she’s talking about, that would be helpful, because we are actually the Edmonds-Woodway WARRIORS GRAHH!

To end the night, I spoke with the Meadowdale Varsity Football coach, Antwoine Gamble. First, I asked what he thought of the game itself. “I thought it was hard-fought by both teams. We worked all week by saying ‘Beat Woodway’, right? That’s literally our motto, ‘Beat Woodway’.”

He credits the win to the whole team when talking about what it’s like for the boys after they come out. “After we come out, our song is “We”, so- We, we beat Woodway, it was WE.”

What a powerful message! When asked about the hype, he stated, “The hype was great from both sides. I’ll be real honest, like lowkey I was..watching, I was watching y’all, then I was watching us [Meadowdale students in the stands]…But I was watching, I loved how both communities were hype and getting in and after it, because that’s what it’s about, the spirit of the game. Way to rise and way to step up to that to you guys,” he ended, complimenting the Woodway community.

In the end, Stadium Jam was a success and lots of fun! I personally feel that our side could’ve used some more hype, but overall, our football boys did well in the game, and the community was very supportive. All of the Meadowdale members I talked to were very kind as well. Much respect to both teams and both schools.