Go! Fight! Win!

My daughter plays high school basketball.

And as part of her personal fan club, I've experienced every gymnasium in Northwest Washington —

where invariably every high school paints their Fight Song on the wall…

to show the world their passion….

their pride….

and their obvious lack of an English Department.

Believe me, I have witnessed more heartbreaking meter and cringe-worthy rhyme than I care to mention.

But last Friday night took the proverbial Fight Song cake.

The fact that this particular song only rhymed “fame” and “game” over and over and over again was bad enough.

I could only hang my head and bemoan all of those missed word opportunities.

But then, line #2 hit me right between the eyes —

“Always cheering, never fearing that we’ll win this game.”

My head was immediately filled with the voice of Inigo Montoya of The Princess Bride —

“I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Then I considered that perhaps they were battling a school-wide epidemic of that New Age psychological affliction known as “fear of success.”

You can bet I wanted to hunt down a can of spray paint and do a little editorial graffiti —

“Always Cheering! Never fearing! We will win this game!”

But alas, they did win.

So I thought that “Always sneering, it’s appearing that this song is lame!” might be a better option.

Writers…

You can dress them up, but you can’t take them anywhere.

PROMPT: Your local high school likely needs an intervention, so get out to their gym today! Together we can save the country from this largely unrecognized celebration of mediocrity. Or you can simply write your own personal Fight Song — everybody needs one, you know.

GO! WRITE! WIN!