By Sarah Shim

On the 28th of November, two bitter rivals, Richview Collegiate Institute (RCI) and Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, finally faced off in the long-awaited Red and Green Day event. This fierce competition, known as Red and Green Day, brought together 36 students from each school – 9 representatives from each grade – to compete against each other. Divided into junior and senior teams, the participants prepared to face off in a series of events. Individual event wins were tallied up at the end to determine the ultimate winner.

First up was Chicken Coop – a high-energy event where the players had to work in coordination to get their teammates at the opposite bench to catch the balls thrown by the remaining throwers. With every catch, the thrower would move to the bench, and the first team to get all their players to the bench won. A well-coordinated effort saw the ECI junior team take an early lead by winning the first round. However, with determination, the RCI senior team brought it back to parity on points with a decisive performance in the second round. The final mixed-age round was neck and neck, with RCI taking a hard-fought victory to record an overall win of 2–1. 

Next up was Spike Ball, a blood-pumping event requiring quick reflexes and teamwork. A trampoline at the center of the action saw participants bouncing the ball to keep it in play. This game turned out to be challenging for RCI, as ECI won this event. As one participant said, although he did not win the competition, he “had no doubt in [his] teammate and trusted him fully,”. 

The Chess Relay presented a more intellectual challenge: players from both schools lined up to take turns making moves on a single chessboard. The matches, organized by grades, saw ECI claim victory in the Grade 9 and 11 rounds, while RCI dominated the Grade 10 and 12 rounds. The deciding moment came in a tense 2 vs 2 overtime relay, where RCI’s top two players delivered a clutch performance to secure the win. 

The Beep Test subsequently tested participants’ endurance and willpower, sprinting across the gym at increasingly shorter intervals dictated by a beeping sound. ECI juniors narrowly won their round, while in the seniors’ segment, RCI came out on top with remarkable stamina. 

In the Puzzles event, teams raced against the clock to solve complex riddles and brainteasers within a tight 20-30 minute time frame. Reflecting on the experience, one participant shared, “[The puzzles] were difficult at first, but with others to talk to, it just felt easier.” RCI’s tight-knit student community shone through, as students collaborated to take victory, solving five more puzzles than ECI.

The Flip Cup event featured players flipping cups onto their rims; matches were organized by grade and gender, and were later narrowed down to coed junior and senior matchups. The winner of this hard-fought competition was RCI, beating ECI in a close match. 

The seventh event, Trivia, was a battle of wits and knowledge that had participants answering tricky general knowledge questions displayed on a giant slideshow. Richview students showed exceptional camaraderie throughout this event. One student reflected that while they, among others, “barely knew any of the answers,” they nonetheless “tried to help and participate, and [other teammates] would listen.” Another student said, “It just felt like a team effort, even though I was wrong most of the time.” In the nail-biting finish, ECI took the lead over RCI with 33 correct answers to 32.

Tug of War required both strength and teamwork, featuring many tense matchups across its multiple rounds. ECI got an early lead, dominating all the junior rounds, but RCI didn’t give up and rallied with exceptional resilience in the senior matches. With pure determination and grit, the RCI seniors swept the later rounds, securing them the crucial point in their favour.

In the Spelling Bee, RCI secured a definitive win, although the event’s organizers recognized ECI’s efforts, saying, “[although RCI] won this game, I have to say, ECI did really well, too.” 

The day concluded with an exciting match of European handball. RCI came out of the gate strongly, establishing an early lead of 8-5, although ECI put on a great comeback to make it 16-16. A penalty shootout was required to decide the ultimate winner. The top players from each school went up to the field for the final and most important round.

The atmosphere of the gym was hectic, with people cheering for their school’s penalty shooters, while others stood their restless and motionless, nervously waiting for the result. Ultimately, the shootout came down to a final throw from Richview’s Sidney Tran. He scored, winning the handball event, and securing 2024’s Red and Green day as a triumphant win for Richview.