Gallery • 6 Photos

The Kadets go krazy for the 2013 Boys' Soccer State Championship.

The rivalry between Air Academy and Cheyenne Mountain HS dates back to the 1950’s and is ingrained in both of the schools’ histories and traditions. The rivalry started because both schools fielded the best teams in the area, constantly battling for various titles. Every season and every sport brings a new opportunity to face off. Constantly pitted against each other, Air Academy and Cheyenne Mountain have developed horrid chants, taken part in violent fights, and even made this rivalry viral.

Both high schools have experienced their fair share of scandals – scandals that both would prefer to put behind them. However, with every match, the schools are reminded of these scandals when they hear insulting chants. For example, a common Cheyenne Mountain chant is “Mr. Mertz!”. Mr. Mertz was an Air Academy teacher involved in an inappropriate relationship with a student. Cheyenne Mountain is not alone in using these tactics; Air Academy also chants, “We want Moore!”. Moore was an instructor at Cheyenne Mountain who was also fired because of an inappropriate relationship with a student. Both high schools make remarks about the others past drug use and scandals, including the multiple heroin busts at Cheyenne Mountain. The chants go further than just past scandals – students hurl expletives at the opposition and use demeaning personal attacks. A common Air Academy cheer is “Pork chop! Pork chop! Greasy! Greasy! Cheyenne girls are easy! Easy!” Administration has tried in vain to stop the use of these cheers, but have been largely unsuccessful. These chants expose and exacerbate the blemishes on each school’s past and show that neither school is willing to let the other forget their mistakes.

The attacks are not just verbal; many have escalated into physical violence. The most famous of these incidents was the 1999 State Championship Hockey Brawl. The fight broke out when an Air Academy player shot the puck into the Cheyenne Mountain bench (whether it was intentionally or not is unknown). Immediately, both teams’ benches cleared as players brawled on the ice. The fight was so intense that a clip of it made its way onto ESPN.

The most recent fight is not quite as infamous. After the 2013 Boys’ Soccer State Championship Game, Cheyenne Mountain taunted Air Academy with their first place trophy. The fight escalated when Air Academy students retaliated, and soon verbal insults were not enough to stifle the anger of both high schools and students began throwing rocks at each other.

The rivalry has exploded into social media as well. A Cheyenne Mountain student created a Facebook page titled “Rivalry Game Air Academy vs Cheyenne Mountain.” This page was created to slander the Air Academy Kadets in the weeks leading up to the 2013 Boys’ Soccer State Championship game. Cheyenne Mountain students have also popularized the epithet “gaydets” an attempt at trying to insult the Air Academy Kadets.

The Air Academy Girls’ Basketball team has created a very unique tradition of dressing as cowgirls on game days against Cheyenne Mountain. This tradition is based on the fact that the Cheyenne Mountain mascot is an Indian, therefore the Air Academy Kadets will be wrangling up the Cheyenne Mountain Indians.

Though the rivalry dates back to the 1950’s, the more recent years have been the most heated. However, as negative as the rivalry sounds, it does spawn some positives. Game attendance is at its highest whenever Cheyenne Mountain and Air Academy play each other, which not only raises money for the athletic programs, but also breathes energy into the competing sports teams. The acrimonious rivalry drives athletes to a whole new level of competition. So even though it has its downfalls, the rivalry brings out the best in the performance of the athletes, and undeniably the emotionally charged atmosphere makes for the most entertaining games.

Although sometimes we get caught up in the moment, these can be truly hurtful and this heckling should be toned down immediately.