RUMINATIONS ON A RIVALRY WITH FLAGLER

Oh it's sweet to win your rivalry game - especially on the road. I know that Bart just gave a tremendous speech on how Flagler really isn't our rival any more, and the News Journal approximated the same in this morning's paper, but it's still a big game and winning it is always sweet.

So in honor of Kanye West's new album dropping just like ERAU dropped Flagler we offer a little Heartbreak relief to the people in Red and Yellow.

College athletics are all about rivalries. And Flagler has been a gracious one. They hate us, we hate them. That's what makes a rivalry great. There has always been respect though. The Flagler fans get into the game, they get painted up, there gym may be a bread box in size, but the volume it packs (against ERAU) is awesome. There's energy. It makes you feel alive.

Unfortunately, the game might not be played any longer. From everything that Flagler coach Bo Clark has said, the now annual game may come to an end. Since the Saints left the (formerly) Florida Sun Conference a couple of years ago, the game hasn't lost it's intensity, but there is no longer anything on the line. It's a non-conference game. There are no championships to be won. No trophies to be hoisted.

The Mother Flocker doesn't want to see this game go away though. Why not make it like a college football game? The one's where you play for a trophy? No, it wouldn't be a conference championship (and real rivalries need to have a championship on the line - whether it be a national or conference 'ship), but it would be something that would keep the game important. Make it matter. Michigan and Minnesota always play for the Little Brown Jug. Minnesota and Wisconsin play for Paul Bunyan's Ax. LSU and Arkansa play for the Golden Boot. Why not ERAU and Flagler?

What if the two teams continued to play just one game a year? Alternate sites. One year St. Augustine the next Daytona Beach. Call it the Battle for Poseidon's Triton. Both schools are in beach towns. Have the triton be the trophy. Bring it to every game. The team that wins keeps it on their campus until the next year.

Don't let this game slip away. It's great for both schools. It means a lot to the kids on each campus. Playing for the Trident would keep the game relevant. These kinds of rivalries are so rare, it would be a shame for this one to vanish. Don't give every fan the heartbreak of losing this game - it's better off when it's just Flagler fans feeling defeated.