Rivalries

For me it was Lenoir City.

Let me step back a moment. I'm from Loudon, Tennessee. You might have heard of it--it's not far from here.  

Growing up, our biggest rival was in that too similar town about 6 miles away from us called Lenoir City.

No...that's not quite adequate.  It was more than rivalry.  Kids (and I suppose adults too) grew up simply disliking anybody from the other town.  It was sort of automatic.

Heck, many from Loudon didn't really like Halloween because of all the orange and black (Lenoir City High's colors) associated with that holiday.

In my 35 years in Maryville, I've come to recognize what a great rivalry exists between Maryville and Alcoa.  The two cities, which share a border, are each other's favorite team to beat.,

I know for certain that there are folks from Maryville that really, really want Alcoa High to go 14-1 in football every year and folks in Alcoa that feel the same way about Maryville.  It's more like we are siblings around here. I want to beat you in H-O-R-S-E but will pull for you to beat the kid down the street every single time.

William Blount and Heritage-great schools with great people-just don't seem to have the same kind of rivalries.  I suppose that in the years before I got here, there were some other great rivalries.  Maybe Friendsville and Lanier.  I'm sure Townsend and Walland were great rivals. 

But Loudon/Lenoir City was something different altogether.   It was almost hate.   You didn't have friends from the other city.  You surely wouldn't date somebody from the other city. 

Lenoir City didn't like the fact that Loudon was the capitol of the county (and it was called Loudon County).  

Loudon didn't like the fact that the only public pool until the 70's was in Lenoir City. 

On and off the field, contests were often marred by rock throwing and fights behind the stands.  

It really shouldn't be that way.  We should never hate someone because of the school they attend or the city where they live just like we should never hate someone because of the clothes they wear or the color of their skin.

Or the music they listen to or the way they talk.  We should never hate someone because of where they are from and God knows we should never hate someone because of the church they attend.

I've given up a lot of hate through the years.

Maybe not so much hate but misplaced dislike.

I encountered a fellow from my past recently.  It had been years since I had heard from him.  I didn't ever hate him but I really didn't like him.  Didn't like the way he did his job.  Didn't like the way he did things.

You know what?  He's got a grandkid now and has faced some struggles in life that some might not even call fair and that once upon a time I might have considered poetic justice.

But now, I find that I feel a kindness for him and even remorse for past feelings.  I bet that if I'd just let myself, I would have probably liked him.  We might have even been friends.

Don't ever let hate get in the way.  Keep it out of your heart.  As I've heard all my life, hate the sin, not the sinner.

On our playing fields, pull for your team with all your heart.  Off the field, be friends.  It's so much healthier that way.

But I still don't like orange and black.