Polson, Ronan launch Battle for the Paddle rivalry prize
The Polson/Ronan paddle is a new element of a longstanding rivalry. (Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader)
The Pirates-Chiefs sports rivalry has a new element with the announcement of the Battle of the Paddle during Friday night’s football game in Polson.
The paddle is about the length of a standard oar. It has both teams’ logos on one side and the phrase Battle for the Paddle on the other. It also has about 25 notches on the handle that will be painted either Ronan Orange or Polson Purple, one notch per school year.
Ethan Bucarey, vice principal and athletic director at Polson, said each year’s winner will be determined by a cumulative points system that includes meetings in all sports between the two schools throughout the year. The school with the most points in the spring gets to paint a notch and hold onto the paddle until the next notch is determined.