Homecoming: keep the football tradition, or switch to soccer?
For more than 100 years the U.S. has hosted the football homecoming at universities and high schools across the states, but as DHS’ 2011 homecoming approaches today, students debate whether DHS should continue the football tradition or begin a new tradition of its own: a soccer homecoming. Coaches and players from each team and DHS students voice their opinions about both sides.
Soccer Homecoming
Senior Kaveh Toofan feels that “sometimes it’s not bad to break tradition. With a team that finished second in its section finals last year, a soccer homecoming game would be nothing but exciting,” he said.
Men’s varsity soccer coach Ashley Yudin feels that a soccer homecoming at DHS “is a novel idea” but that it is not in the hands of coaches. “ I do not think that it is bad to look at the issue, but it is up to the students and the administration,” Yudin said.
Toofan and DHS men’s varsity soccer player junior Connor Anderson believe that students are suggesting a soccer homecoming because of the popularity of the annual Davis vrs. Jesuit game.
“There must be a reason that so many people acquire so much happiness and enjoyment from such a simple game,” Toofan said. “People experience so much suspense, heart breaking, gratification, and ecstasy from soccer.”
Senior Michael Yen feels that a soccer homecoming game would bring more school spirit because the soccer team holds more successful game statistics in its past than the football team does.
Yen also feels that a soccer homecoming would identify Davis as the soccer-oriented town it is. “A tradition would be lost, but Davis would become more special because it went against the standard,” Yen said.
Toofan doesn’t suggest that DHS commit now to a soccer homecoming for the rest of its history, but take the chance to try a new tradition. “ I’ve never heard of another school hosting a soccer game for their homecoming, and I think that this approach would be a great chance for this school to try something completely new,” he said. “And worst case scenario, if this idea for some reason utterly fails, we’ve only wasted one year.”
For Anderson, DHS hosting a soccer homecoming would be a chance for him to “play [his] heart out in front of a stadium full of fans and represent DHS.”
Football Homecoming
Although senior, and 2011 DHS women’s varsity soccer player, Arianna Heyer’s favorite sport to watch is soccer, she believes that homecoming should be kept as a tradition for football. Heyer believes that football “is a sport that in the community at large is largely appreciated and in the spirit of American high school tradition is the sport to be focused on for homecoming festivities.”
DHS varsity football coach Steve Smyte feels that if DHS hosted a soccer homecoming instead of a football homecoming the school would be looked at as a
joke. “I respect what soccer players do and I applaud their success, however, football is king in America,” he said.
Senior linebacker Corey Nelson and junior linebacker Bray Harwood, both players for the DHS varsity football team, feel that DHS should keep homecoming for the football team because soccer already has many traditions and recognition in the Davis community. “Losing homecoming would wipe out any chances of making football bigger in Davis,” Harwood said.
Senior Kate Latsch, a 2011 DHS women’s varsity soccer player, feels that homecoming should be saved for the football team because the soccer team already has the annual Davis vrs. Jesuit game, and that football games are more social events than soccer games.
Heyer also agrees that the different atmospheres of soccer versus football games makes football games a better candidate for homecoming. “A football game takes 2-3 hours and there is much more time without action. A soccer game is shorter and more intense, especially if it were to be played on the grass soccer field,” she said.
Senior Harrison Castonon agrees with Heyer and Latsch that football games tie into the homecoming social aspects and that a soccer game would not work with the traditions of homecoming such as cheerleaders and the parade.
For Heyer, a football homecoming “would mean a typical event of American high school that allows for alot of social interaction with the entire student body.”
The Compromise
Senior Reta Gasser and men’s varsity soccer player senior Jacob Weiss propose the compromise that DHS keep all its football traditions but simply add another homecoming for soccer. “The more the better,” Weiss said. “Two homecomings would only add more school unity and spirit.”
Gasser feels that giving soocer its own official homecoming would recognize and give credit to the strong soccer community and high school team Davis possesses. “Two homecomings could be a way to show the diversity of sports at DHS and the progressiveness of Davis,” she said.
Toofan feels though that in the end, “no matter what sport is chosen for homecoming, DHS students will come out and support our school 110 percent,” he said.
