Elaborate posters hanging from every inch of railings, cardboard cutouts filling bathrooms, and Post-its completely covering doors can only mean one thing: the Red and Gold season is beginning.
Happening this Friday, Kickoff is the official start of Red and Gold. For those who don’t already know, FLEX will replace late start and 2:05 dismissal every day until performance weekend. If you’re experiencing your first Kickoff, don’t go into the Assembly Hall before school on Friday even though the doors are open; that’s the breakfast for captains and ASB. The captains earn their feast since they get to school before sunrise that day to decorate the entire campus overnight, and many of them are running on only a couple hours of sleep.
After the morning bell rings on Friday, members of White Team (the unbiased group of six students who oversee both teams) will distribute lists of teams and categories to every classroom. The teacher will read them all aloud, and choral captain Celine Asido ‘25 advises everyone to savor the anticipation before assignments are announced: “I wish I knew how fast it was all going to happen and to cherish the moment you find out what team you’re on.”
After everyone learns their teams and categories, the whole school heads to the Karcher Center to watch the team skits: ASB and White Team do the first skit to reveal the overall theme, and Red and Gold each put together hilarious performances to announce their respective mascots.
Afterward, everyone gets dismissed to separate team meetings where captains give a general overview of the show’s plot, dances and drills, and choral songs. Everyone then splits off into their categories to start learning their parts in the show.
The entire day can be overwhelming for freshmen and transfers, so sophomore Kailey La puts any fears to rest: “I did not anticipate the amount of fun and energy dedicated toward the tradition. After seeing the school covered with red and gold decorations, I finally understood how exciting the next few weeks would be. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to experience after Kickoff, but the surprise made everything ten times better!” Cheer as loudly as you can for your team, and be excited even if you don’t get your first choice category—you’ll enjoy Red and Gold no matter what.
Sofia Velasco ’26 offered her perspective on Kickoff as a first-time choral captain: “I was really excited when I found out that I was a captain because my sister, Memphis ’22, had been a drill captain, and it felt nice to follow in her footsteps. I’m really excited for the captain sleepover, and I think my favorite part of it will be doing our skit and decorating the school at 5 a.m. Being one of the only sophomore choral captains is such a fun experience because I get to be mentored by the seniors.”
Producer Izzy Walker ‘24 commented, “I’m really nervous, but I always get super nervous before Kickoff. It’s a good kind of nervous because I’m so overjoyed and excited for Red and Gold. Freshmen and new students, embrace it, take a leap of faith, step out of your comfort zone, live in the moment, and just have so much fun because your four years go by so fast.”
Stay tuned for more articles and Royal Ramble podcast episodes with captain interviews and other coverage of Red and Gold 2024!
