By the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Editorial Board
Bow down to Washington.
That was the theme of the 111th Apple Cup game between the UW Huskies and WSU Cougars — in more ways than one.
Yes, the Huskies won the game Nov. 23 to dash the Cougs’ hope of playing for a national championship (two words never used before this year when writing about the Cougs), but also in reference to the Husky fight song the Cougar band played on the field as a gesture of goodwill.
As you might recall, one of the three buses transporting the Husky band Thursday on the trip from Seattle to Pullman flipped near George. Forty-seven of the 56 band members on that bus were taken to the hospital. None of the injuries were life threatening, but all on the bus — as well as those on the other two buses — were certainly traumatized. As a result, the Husky band returned to Seattle.
“The Huskies are missing their band, and that’s an important part of the game day experience. We want to honor the camaraderie and their dedication and show our sportsmanship,” Washington State band director Troy Bennefield said on Friday before kickoff.
“Yesterday, when we heard there was an accident and there was a possibility they might not come, it was, ‘what can we do? How can we show our support?’ It was ‘let’s play the (UW fight song “Bow Down to Washington”)’. Since they are not here, we thought it would be the easiest and most impactful way to show our solidarity with them.”
It certainly was a wonderful gesture. And, in the end, it helped to ease some of the pain the Cougar fans felt in the wake of the loss to the Huskies in (alas) another Apple Cup. This game was far more important than most because the Cougars were on the cusp of earning a slot in the national playoffs, a conference championship and/or a trip to the Rose Bowl.
When the Huskies prevailed for the fifth year in a row on the snow-covered field at Martin Stadium it was an emotional blow to long-suffering (but eternally optimistic) Cougar fans. The trash-talking on social media hurt a bit more than usual.
Yet, the Cougar band’s gesture of sportsmanship sent the right message. Winning is important, but not more important than lending a hand to a rival in a situation in which nerves were frayed and lives could have easily been lost.
Fight, fight, fight for Washington State!
The above editorial appeared in Tuesday’s Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.
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