‘Twas the night before Red and Gold Kick Off, and all through the Karcher, every captain was stirring–because they were too excited for Red and Gold Kick Off! Kick Off is a beloved tradition that many Royals look forward to year after year. But, aside from captains, not many people know what happens behind the scenes.
There’s a sort of ritual that goes into Kick Off that makes it memorable for so many. The night before Kick Off, captains from both teams come to the Karcher at around 6 p.m. and practice our Kick Off skits in front of each other. This is the glimpse we get into what the other team has been working on for the past 3 weeks, so, naturally, there’s a lot of tension in the air. After showing each other our skits, each team goes to one captain’s house and spends the whole night doing last minute touch-ups to posters and decorations for the following day.
When the clock strikes 5:30 a.m., our late-night DoorDashes are shoved aside, and our eyes are rubbed from the drowsiness and delirium of the night before. We pile into our cars with posters in hand and glitter plastered on our faces. We then arrive just in time to decorate the school before the rest of the student body arrives.
This year will be my second year as a captain participating in Red and Gold and also my second year as a script captain. Last year was a surreal experience that I’ll never forget. After spending the past three weeks obsessing over a script and helping my team make hundreds of posters, it was gratifying to see it all come together for Kick Off. With this year also being my last Red and Gold, this Kick Off will be especially bittersweet and a great chance for me to reflect on the hard work I and so many other captains, have put into the show.
Celine Asido ‘25 shares in my reflection as she told me about her experience being a choral captain for the past three years: “Being a captain has been an absolute blast and honor—I’m truly so blessed for all my years on choral and for the opportunity to help my Rosary sisters shine and share their beautiful gifts on stage through song! I’m truly grateful to all the people I’ve been with in choral for making every Red and Gold so special, and I’ve grown immensely as a person because of them. I am very sad that this will be my last one and I can’t believe Kick Off is so soon! With that being said, I am so excited to see both productions and all the hard work everyone’s put into it; I hope to make the most out of my last Red and Gold!”
Senior Jazzy Sandoval also shares with me the hectic, but rewarding, experience of being co-Producer and producer: “Being a co-producer last year was so much fun, but it was also very eye opening for me because I realized how much actually goes into to Kick Off. This year, I’m so excited for everyone to see what we’ve been working so hard on these past few weeks. I’m sad that it will be my last time racing through the gates and staying up all night with my other captains, but I know my team will make this Kick Off memorable.”
Whether it’s your first or last Red and Gold Kick Off, you’re a captain or an enthusiastic Red and Gold fan, or you’re just excited to have an early release next Friday, take the time to enjoy every moment of Kick Off. Even if you win or lose (I lost three times), Red and Gold is an extremely unique experience that all of us Royals will surely cherish for years to come.
