Loading ...The pounding percussion signaled the start of the all-school rally today in the gym to kick-off tonight’s Quad Night, celebrating the Vikings showdown with Gunn.
Cut-off jerseys and sweatbands defined the students in the teacher-student basketball game and, surprisingly, the infamous history teacher Eric Bloom’s tackling was absent on the teachers’ side. Adorned in a stripped shirt, he, along with history teacher Steve Foug, stood as a referee. His usual tips and tricks of basketball, “speed, skill and the slide tackle,” were substituted with biased calls and a shrilling whistle.
“The game was fixed because of Foug and Bloom,” junior Alec Mille said.
“I thought Mr. Bloom was calling unfair fouls in the teachers’ favor,” senior Noa Kornbluh said.
Despite the many fouls, many baskets, and many examples of what not to do on the basketball court, including Evan Warner’s tumble into the band, and two seniors carrying English teacher James Hanmer off the court, the basketball game proved to be entertaining and thrilling down to the final whistle with a surprising 14-14 tie.
“I thought the rally was going to be just a really bad basketball game, but it was more exciting than I had expected it to be,” junior Davis Jeon said.
After each quarter, entertainment punctuated the game. Shows included the Paly Dance Company and a circus show including juggling clubs and a unicycle by sophomores Alex Nee and Alex Brown.
“The juggling was really impressive,” Kornbluh said.
After the 1st quarter, ASB students threw Palo Alto Basketball t-shirts into the crowd every time junior Dom Powell made a slam dunk.
“I thought the rally was really fun, but Mr. Foug and Mr. Bloom are the worst refs I’ve ever seen,” senior Alyson Seedman said.