Let’s be real—the second Red & Gold Kickoff ends, we all enter a competitive, feverish haze with every waking moment dedicated to achieving Red & Gold victory. In such a dedicated environment, students are bound to trauma-bond with their teammates, creating unexpected and lasting friendships that make the experience even more meaningful. With a few of my closest friendships being formed in this magical way, I was interested to hear from some of my fellow Royals about their Red & Gold bonds.

First, I looked into the oddly functional friendship of seniors Anna Jordan and Morgan Brkich, forged in the heat of fixing posters and moving props during Red & Gold. Anna shared with me the natural progression of their friendship: “After I was done writing the script, I didn’t have much to do at Flex, so I started helping Pub with poster upkeep. I would just walk around adjusting posters and talking with Morgan everyday, until she asked if I also wanted to help with props when the shows came around. After I saw her sick dance moves backstage, I knew I had to stay friends with her.”

Next, senior Emma Silva gave me a rundown of her and fellow senior Bridgette Sanders‘s Red & Gold partnership, which blossomed into close friendship: “I knew Bridgette before Red & Gold, but our sophomore year, we worked a lot together as script and drama captains. We had so much fun working together, and we were lucky enough to get paired up again the year after that. I still consider Bridgette to be one of my best friends, and I’m so grateful that the fun, stress, and teamwork of Red & Gold brought us together.”

Before moving on to the next friendship, I couldn’t help but getting a quote from senior Kendall Clarida about the iron-clad, bizarrely close connection we formed during last year’s Red & Gold: “Last year, I was terrified about Red and Gold. I had no friends on dance, but then…I saw an angel fall from the sky and her name is Charlotte Jordan. Without her, I would not have made it through Red and Gold.

She was there for me when I had too much caffeine, hyped me up before every show, and was there to make sure the pounds of hairspray in my hair was keeping my hairstyle in tact. This year is our year, and I’m confident in saying we are going to slay so hard. I can confidently say she is one of my best friends and it’s all thanks to Red and Gold.”

Right back at you, Kendall!

Lastly, I turned to junior Mallory Mojica-Ye, whose time in Red & Gold has made her beloved among a solid chunk of the senior class: “Throughout Red & Gold, I have made friends with people I never thought I would. I became friends with Kendall Clarida, who I had spoken to before, but had thought she despised me for my lame jokes. Because she was in my dance, I got to talk to her more, and I found out that wasn’t true!”

Red & Gold is truly the best time of the school year, and I’m sure that all of us that are lucky enough to participate will cherish the friends we’ve made for years to come!