The fifth annual All For One Day was held this morning.
Named for the huddle breaking chant “All For One, One For All, Bearcats All The Way” Booneville teams have utilized for decades, the event gathers all participants in athletes from grades seven through 12 for a morning of athletic themed competitions.
Athletic director Josh Walker started the event in 2021 to foster bonding by athletes across sports and takes the opportunity to remind those who are athletes are held to a higher standard, to include in the classroom, and to adhere to the notion that best is the standard in preparing for a paper, a practice, or in game day preparation.
Which has led to the now traditional hashtag #bestisthestandard.
This year’s featured speaker was noted supporter D.J. George, who despite being 80 years young is still as well known to the Generation Z athletes as the all for one chant is.
George urged athletes to remember the Bearcat heartbeat is one of unison – all for one, one for all.
“When you do things, do them as a teammate, do them as a group, that’s who Booneville is,” said George. “We do them as a town.”
George also recounted a conversation with a fan of an opposing school who told George the across the board unity among the community is one of the most things opponents find unnerving, but one which is envied.
“I hate it when you guys come to down, you just take over. Your fans are loud, your kids play hard, the play for each other. I hate it when you come to our town,” said George.
This year marked the third year head football coach Doc Crowley’s contingent of the approximately 220 athletes were able to both reach the final competition and win it, doing so when Tayden Wasburn captured the opposing gray team’s flag in a combination dodge ball/capture the flag game.
The timed competition in the fieldhouse centered around football, while in the safe room volleyball was the focus, in the gym it was basketball and assorted other agilities, all with athletics staples like bear crawling, pushups, jump rope, army crawl, and some bleacher running thrown in.
A fifth station featured sports trivia that featured questions from categories that included each of the sports in which the Bearcats or Lady Bearcats participate, a few about specific Bearcats, and others regarding college and professional sports knowledge.
