The Defend the Den event on May 16th was considered a success by its organizers as well as the Blake Boys baseball team. Not only did Blake beat Breck in a nail-biter that ended with a score of 8-7, but teachers and students from all grades showed up to support the team and enjoy the spring sunshine. Apart from the baseball game, which was the main focal point of the event, Apart from athletics there were also concessions, a bear wear booth, and games during each inning of the baseball game. 

The Defend the Den event was the culmination of Sophomore Forum representative Sam Hardy’s ‘24 effort to bolster school spirit in the Blake community. Hardy’s goal for this year was “just to get a start, get the idea of this day out there and get people engaged.” Hardy continues, “School spirit has been really down since COVID so [its] kind of getting everyone here to celebrate Blake and this rivalry that we have with Breck.” In terms of the origins of the event, Hardy cites his East coast roots as inspiration stating, “All the East coast prep schools do this kind of rivalry day, they all have this whole day centered around sports and bringing people together through games. It’s always been something I’ve wanted to bring back to Minnesota.” Hardy and his fellow Forum reps have “high hopes for what this is going to bring.” Hardy hopes to plan a full day of sport events that “embody school spirit.” Currently he already has plans for next year, aiming to have a “boys lacrosse game, girls lacrosse game, softball game and baseball game all on the same Friday afternoon.”

Defend the Den was not only a new experiment for Forum but for the Boys Baseball team as well. Varsity shortstop on the Baseball Team Nick Emptage ‘23 shares his thoughts on the event, speaking to the presence of fans that the games usually lack. He says, “It was fun, we had good energy, it was the first time we ever really had fans.” Emptage adds that the more crowded atmosphere “added some pressure” as did “knowing your classmates are there and they’ve never seen you play.” In the larger scheme of school sporting events in general, Emptage still thinks “there’s more school spirit at football and hockey games” but agrees that these games are not only more fun to watch but easier to cheer for because of their faster pace. Despite not having as much fanfare as other sporting events, overall Defend the Den seemed like a win-win, as the bears beat the mustangs (AKA the horsies) and a decent portion of the student body showed up to enjoy the game and sunny afternoon.