The screaming students, the sweaty gym and the sound of whistles from officials. The continuous chants between student sections. This is what Battle for the Paddle is all about. This annual event is arguably the biggest event of the year for Lakeland High School and Sandpoint High School.
Battle for the Paddle consists of girls’ Basketball, cheer, wrestling, dance, boys’ basketball and other numerous other small events.
On Jan. 19, the Lakeland Hawks were able to win the battle for the fifth year in a row. That means, for the class of 2024, they have won it every single year of high school.
This year, Lakeland High School was able to raise about $33,600 for these charities.
This event as a whole brings the community together, and I personally haven’t met anyone who does not enjoy it.
Winning at home my senior year was the best way to spend my last Battle for the Paddle. I got to experience leading the crowd in some cheers and even getting to be on one of the spirit boxes for a little bit.
There are different parts of Battle for the Paddle that are considered “the best” for everyone.
“I am going to miss the school cheering on the cheer team after our routine,” Charlie Dickerson, LHS cheerleader, said. “Battle for the Paddle is the one time we get to show the school our routines and all the work we put in for each routine. Being able to hear the crowd after we hit everything is an unforgettable feeling. Battle for the Paddle is such a positive high school experience.”
Varsity Basketball player Ben Ryan is happy yet sad that this was his final year to play in such a high-intensity game.
“I am definitely going to miss the feeling of playing in a basketball game and just striving to do my best to bring home the win for Lakeland in front of basically the whole school and parents. Getting to rush the floor after hearing our name as the winner of the paddle is a feeling I’m never going to forget,” Ryan said.
Even for underclassmen, this event can be one of the biggest highlights of their time in highschool. Seniors have a lot of advice to give to these underclassmen as we have just completed our last Battle for the Paddle.
“It feels great winning the paddle all four years,” Hailey Wear, LHS student said. “My favorite year, though, was this year because I really liked the theme of rock and roll. My advice for the underclassmen would be to have the most school spirit that you can have, join the lip syncs, dress up for the spirit days no matter how stupid or dumb you think they are, and do anything you can because, at the end of the day, you only get to do it four times.”
Other students can agree with Wear that this particular event is very important to the high school experience.
Although many students are sad to have finished their final Battle for the Paddle, it is something students are extremely grateful to experience.
“If I were to pass some advice down to the underclassmen, it would be that they need to show up to all the events, not just Battle for the Paddle,” Kevin Slover said. “But since we are on this topic, show up and show out. Give it your all no matter if you are in the stands or on the court because you eventually will not have that moment anymore, so when you look back, make sure to have those core memories.”
Looking back on this year’s Battle for the Paddle, I am really happy with how it turned out, and I am going to miss it.
Sure, I can come back next year, but it would not be the same.
In future years, it will be up to the remaining students to carry out the legacy and make sure the paddle stays home.
“I would say that all underclassmen should keep trying to win the paddle and not take it for granted because it only happens once a year, and it is always so much fun,” Dickerson said.
The school did not have a Battle for the Paddle for the class of 2024’s freshman year. It was disappointing to have to miss out on the Battle for the Paddle experience.
I made a promise to myself that I would go every year after that so that I didn’t miss out on such a fun time with friends. Ben Ryan was also bummed by missing out on Battle for the Paddle freshman year. However, he has made sure to make up for it.
“Not getting to have Battle for the Paddle freshman year really sucked. It especially sucked because this would have been the only year where I would not have to leave the crowd early to go play in the basketball game,” Ryan said. “But getting the win the last three years that I have been in high school has definitely made up for missing out on it that year.”
I remember the exact moment when I was watching Hello Hawks in second period, which was Stagecraft with Mrs. Knoll at the time, and heard the announcement that it had gotten canceled because it was too much of a risk for so many people to be so close.
At this point, they would not even let fans into basketball games or wrestling matches; only certain family members were allowed to go. This made me upset and frustrated because I missed out on my first one. However, I did understand the circumstances, and I think it was smart, but I was still upset.
The spirit days were one of my favorite memories of high school. One of the days sophomore year was bring anything but a backpack. Some people brought bags, baskets and even one student had a shopping cart. I decided to bring a microwave, which received so many hilarious reactions.
The biggest part of the event, though, is fundraising. This can either win the paddle off the bat or make it way harder.
For the 2023 Battle for the Paddle, Lakeland won the whole event just in fundraising before the event started.
With me being a senior, I can attest that I look forward to this event every single year. However, My sophomore year, I do not remember a whole lot of the underclassmen going. But if students do not go, they do get to experience what it is like to be in such a fun, exciting and competitive environment against LHS’ rival school.
“It obviously feels great to have been able to hang on to the paddle all throughout high school. It is a feeling that never gets old, and what makes it even better is that it’s against our rival, Sandpoint,” Ryan said.
Another senior, Mia Marquez, feels the same.
“Winning Battle for the Paddle all four years has been exciting and rewarding,” Marquez said. “It’s also good to know that we are helping our community by raising money for the Lakeland Strong Account and The Rathdrum Lions Club.”
I have also been competing in cheer since my sophomore year, so since then, we have gotten to compete in one of our routines during halftime of the girls’ basketball game.
Being able to compete really shows off how much hard work and dedication the cheer team puts in for this event. Impressing our school is such a good feeling and makes all of the weeks of practice worth it to be recognized by our school.
My favorite year was undoubtedly this year. The theme was better than I expected, and the crowd was so energetic and super involved with every competition.
Overall, I am so happy with how this year went.
From the moment I walked through the doors to the moment Mr. Hoffman said, “Without further ado, your winner of the 2024 Battle for the Paddle, Lakeland High School,” there were memories created that will last a long time.
As I saw the confetti go throughout the gym and heard everyone chanting “Five-peat,” I thought to myself, I am going to miss this.