At high schools across the country the final games of the fall season pit rival schools against each other. Many of these rivalries, like the Proctor/Holderness rivalry date back well over a century, evolving over time, but always keeping at their core a mutual respect and healthy competition for both schools.
Proctor and Holderness first competed in the early 1900s (maybe earlier, we’re not entirely sure), and throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the rivalry grew into an all-school event centered around the final football game of the season held during the second Saturday in November. Banner competitions, pranks against the other school, and well choreographed ploys to distract the opponent became commonplace.
In the late 1990s, Holderness Day was suspended for a year as our football team struggled to compete with Holderness and a mutual desire to press “pause” on the culminating game.
In 2017, the rivalry was reborn with a new scoring structure allowing all athletic teams to take part in the competition. A JV2 soccer win counts as much as a varsity field hockey win. Proctor won in 2017, however, Holderness took home back-to-back victories in 2018 and 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic, once again, paused the rivalry weekend, but it was rekindled in 2021 with Proctor winning the last four Holderness Days and keeping The Granite Trophy proudly displayed in the Athletic Office.
Rivalries are about so much more than just two teams competing on the athletic field. They are about community, support of each other, and cheering for a common cause. Our end of term art performances are intentionally wrapped into Holderness Day because these events bring us together in much the same way as athletic contests. They showcase the hard work, commitment, dedication, and vulnerability required of performance. They provide an opportunity to cheer, to acknowledge, to recognize others for that which they have committed their time and energy.
Proctor's culture is one that acknowledges each individual’s contribution to the community. It is a culture that brings adults and students together on a ride that only a school like Proctor can provide. We share the joys of victory, the heartbreak of defeat, and the pride of seeing each other simply step onto the stage in the first place. It is a culture that celebrates our imperfections within the journey of becoming something more. Our students’ ability to put themselves out there and be unconditionally supported by everyone else stands out on weekends like this where we join together to be our best selves.
This is what end of term art performances and Holderness Day are all about: boldly offering ourselves to the world, having those offerings received with open arms, and being affirmed in the process. In life, it is easy to stay on the sidelines, to avoid risking the emotional vulnerability that lives hand in hand with performing. But this is not where we grow. We grow when we put ourselves out there, and we can only do that when we have a worthy opponent, like Holderness, to compete against. We cannot wait to watch our students step onto the proverbial stage this weekend and see who gets to take home The Granite!
Holderness Weekend Schedule
Rock Climbing 1:00
JV Field Hockey 1:30
Boys' JV1 Soccer 2:00
Boy's JV2 Soccer 2:00
Girls' JV Soccer 2:00
Mountain Biking 2:00
Girls' Varsity Soccer 2:30
Varsity Field Hockey 3:00
Boys' Varsity Soccer 4:30
- Athletics
- Community and Relationships