With 116 years of history behind it, the annual Blair Academy-Peddie School fall athletic matchup was not about to be stopped by a pandemic. The 117th meeting of the New Jersey prep school rivals took place as scheduled on November 7—but the contests had a completely different look as both schools endeavor to keep community members healthy and well.
For starters, athletes were not the only Bucs and Falcons who went head-to-head this year. Throughout the week of November 2, students from both schools took part in virtual non-sporting events, including a spelling bee, and robotics and e-sports competitions.
On Saturday, all eyes were on Blair and Peddie athletes, who competed from their home fields on their respective campuses. Each team participated in a series of livestreamed contests designed to test athletes’ skills, strength and speed. The virtual contests showcased the friendly spirit of competition and the strong foundation of care, respect and sportsmanship that exists between the two schools.
At Blair, all Buccaneer athletic competitions took take place on the Hampshire Field turf. A fun and festive, blue-and-white atmosphere was guaranteed, as students and teachers (physically distanced and masked, of course) surrounded the turf to cheer on the Bucs and enjoy game-day refreshments from food trucks and fun faculty tailgates.
Although no outside visitors were be permitted on Blair’s campus during the athletic competitions, alumni and parents were able to watch the Bucs and Falcons compete via livestream on November 7. Anyone interested in how each team fared should visit www.blair.edu/scores or click the "Peddie Day scores" button in the main menu of Blair's app. The livestream concluded with closing remarks from Blair’s Head of School Chris Fortunato and Peddie’s Head of School Peter Quinn at day’s end.