Peer-To-Peer Conversations Key To Renewing Trophy Concept

Creating a rivalry trophy to be showcased by the winner of the annual Farmington versus Prairie Grove varsity football game was originally negotiated between booster clubs.

Public discussions began during the Sept. 6, 2011 meeting of the Farmington Booster Club, held at the high school commons. Topics on the agenda were “Paint the town Red” and a proposed Prairie Grove Rivalry Week/trophy.

In an email Farmington booster club member Matt Hutcherson stated the trophy idea originated the previous year (2010). In his email Hutcherson outlined his vision for the concept, saying he wanted the trophy to be like the “boot” for Arkansas/ LSU game.

At the time Hutcherson admitted there were a number of issues to be ironed out, including where during the game the trophy will be displayed on the field and [how] at the end of the game the trophy will be presented to the winner for them to take photos and proclaim their bragging rights.

Hutcherson’s idea was the trophy will stay with the winning school, where it will be displayed in the trophy case or the common area for the entire year until the next “Battle of ’62.”

The Farmington Booster Club agreed to his proposal and approached the Prairie Grove Booster Club informally regarding the concept. The Prairie Grove Booster Club was interested and hashed out aspects of the proposal.

Eventually neither Booster Club could agree on which school’s name would appear first, specifically on the left side of the trophy. Farmington Booster Club members argued that since “F” precedes “P” following alphabetical order should place Farmington on the left side of an inscription to appear on the trophy.

Prairie Grove Booster Club advocated that since Prairie Grove always appears to the left of Farmington on a map (when facing north) that Prairie Grove should appear first or on the left side of an inscription to be engraved on the trophy.

Prairie Grove football historian and member of Prairie Grove High School Hall of Pride, Lynn Gregson, “voice of the Tigers” on PGTelco football webcasts, thinks that can be resolved by omitting school names and instead utilizing an inscription, “Battle of ’62,” on the trophy. School names can be listed with the score indicating which team wins year-by-year in an ongoing annual engraving after each game.

Farmington Booster Club 2011 spearheaded a major initiative to streamline the process in an effort to get the concept approved and a glass trophy fabricated in a short time frame.

A Prairie Grove Booster Club member recalled a Farmington Booster Club member pulling up in his driveway and pitching the proposal on the spot. He wanted to take the idea and run with it, yet felt it was imperative that Prairie Grove get proper input into developing the concept.

With the game fast approaching five weeks into the season on Sept. 30, 2011 there wasn’t sufficient time to iron out the differences; and another issue materialized, establishing protocol for peer-to-peer conversations as in superintendent-to-superintendent; athletic director-to-athletic director; and principal-to-principal dialogue regarding rivalry trophy development.

When enthusiastic supporters of the concept took conversations outside of those parameters, discussions were shut down.

For discussions to be renewed between Farmington and Prairie Grove with the idea of collaborating to establish a “Battle of ’62” football trophy to be traded back-and-forth with the winning high school taking the trophy home to display for a year until the next game in the rivalry series, protocol must be established to conduct peer-to-peer conversations.