Since the inception of team sports, rivalries have been a part of the deal. Whether it’s the Jackets hating the Bulldogs for their dominance in Georgia, or the Red Sox hating the Yankees because they represent an “Evil Empire,” rivalries have become part of the landscape in American sports. Unfortunately, these highly charged and emotional times often end in brawls or hospital visits, leaving the thrill of competition as a back-page story.
Luckily, pure sports fans can once again turn to high school athletics to find a story filled with plenty of emotion. Since 1999, the girls from either Westminster or Marist have stood atop the podium as swimming champions. Their competitions are fierce in the water, but out of it, the two have shown a great respect for one another.
“We all get along fabulously; we work together outside of the high school season,” said Marist head swim coach Terry Blish. “It’s been bitter because we hope we’ve somewhat approached the tradition they’ve had over there [at Westminster] for over 40 years. We’re really proud of the rivalry and friendship.”
Blish’s girls have taken the past two state championships (Classes 4A-1A), using the strong performances of Olympic-caliber swimmers to edge out their opponents from Westminster. And to think the program was almost eliminated just as Blish arrived on campus.
“The Marist swimming in the 60s was actually quite dominant, they won three state titles, and then in the 70s things kind of fell off a little. In fact I had to plead with the administration to allow swimming to continue when I got here,” Blish said. “For whatever reason, I was the lucky one who was in the right place at the right time. I was able to help them get back to the prominence they enjoyed back then.”
But it couldn’t have been as easy as Blish so modestly describes it. In fact, the administration that once almost eliminated his program helped him tremendously when it built an on-campus swimming facility.
“We built our own facility here, seven years go … I think that’s helped where we’ve had our own pool,” Blish said. “There are so few schools who have their own pools. A lot of schools have tradition and great swimmers but I think it helps when you’re in your own place.”
THE RIVALS
One of those schools with the same great swimmers and traditions as Marist is Blish’s biggest rival, Pete Higgins’s Westminster program. The Wildcats have had their run of dominance as well, winning the girls state championship every year from 2001-2006. The key to success for Higgins has been his ability to keep things fresh for his swimmers while continuing to build a sense of team.
“We move our people around probably more than all the rest of the schools in the state put together … to find out how they perform in this environment, in this situation,” Higgins said. “That way, when you come down to the end of the line, you hope you have people placed properly.”
Although Marist has taken the last two state championships, Higgins isn’t too upset with his kids taking a backseat for a few years. Higgins was even able to joke about his losses saying “I kind of got into Terry Blish’s face and I said ‘I’m glad to see we’re reestablishing our rivalry here Terry, because my concept of a rivalry … is it goes back and forth. And 6-0 is not much of a rivalry.’”
AT STAKE
These quotes are common to hear from the mouths of these two opponents, who have the utmost respect for one another and their respective programs. No words, however, can describe the reverence with which these two schools battle for the Madeleine Brown Cup. The Cup is awarded to the school with the highest combined score of the boys and girls meet. It is named in an honor of former Marist student Madeleine Brown, who drowned in 2006 while practicing at Emory University’s pool, passing out due to a seizure.
“We do have that serious, somber aspect to [the rivalry]. Part of the pre-meet ceremony we mention Madeleine and what she stood for, and read her favorite poem,” Blish says, before joking, “Then the gloves are off. We fight it out, and then everybody leaves as friends.”
This Thursday, that friendship and respect for one another will be on display when these teams face off, as the two schools demonstrate their true rivalry once again.
Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
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