OLIVER KIMOKEO | online editor
The APU-Biola rivalry is not dead. The rivalry is still a blazing inferno, and it’s an inopportune time to declare the fire has died out when there is no single force strong enough to blow out the flames.
For students, supporters and community members alike of either university, there is no rivalry superior to the annual skirmish of Cougar claws and Eagle talons. The rivalry does not truly rest on records or results but lies within a competitive spirit in all of us.
Consistently, the APU-Biola basketball game has been the most-attended home contest for both universities in any sport. And take a moment to ponder the attendance figures for the last APU-Biola basketball game held on January 6 at Chase Gymnasium.
The men’s game drew 1,728 people, a season high for any Golden State Athletic Conference contest so far. While the attendance for this game may have been lower than usual, it’s an amazing testament to the rivalry when both universities were on their winter breaks. Students had the rivalry on their minds even without the usual promotion at their respective schools, especially since a good majority of students were off-campus.
Over 2,000 people are expected to attend next Tuesday’s battle at the Felix Event Center. Even though it is evident more APU supporters choose Biola over any other opponent, the rivalry is not based on following the status quo of going to the most popular game on the schedule.
For APU students, at least, it’s indeed about the spirit of being better than Biola, even though it’s obvious to us that we are. It’s the same scenario for Biola. The only difference is they pursue the dream of being better while we are actually living it.
The credentials do not lie. APU is the superior school. The Cougars have captured four consecutive Director’s Cup trophies with multiple GSAC crowns scattered throughout. The Eagles have not captured a GSAC crown since securing a baseball championship in 2005, and before that, women’s soccer in 2004, men’s soccer in 2002 and a men’s basketball championship for the 2001-02 season. But, make no mistake, this is no David versus Goliath battle. Biola is a worthy adversary.
Biola has held recent advantage over APU in two of their strongest sports: softball and volleyball. And as for other sports, the Eagles have pushed the Cougars to the edge through close results on most occasions. Let’s not forget, either, that from 1975 to 1993, Biola won 30 of 36 games over APU in men’s basketball, the rivalry’s flagship sport.
The best way to describe the rivalry in its true essence is to compare it to sibling relations, because when all is said and done, APU still loves its Biola brothers and sisters. Imagine APU as the older sibling and Biola as the younger sibling. As an older sibling, you do not want your younger sibling to defeat you at your own game. It’s downright embarrassing because it reminds you that you’re not as strong as you thought you once were.
But the threat of losing to your younger sibling is still there, looming in the shadows and ready to shock you when you let your guard down. Logic says that every Eagle will have its day no matter how hard a Cougar works to prevent such a travesty from happening. This threat fuels the rivalry. You don’t want to tell your future grandkids that you lost to Biola. They wouldn’t look at you the same way.
Tradition may state that the rivalry is contested on the courts but the true battle takes place in the grandstands. Year after year, the Blackout crew brings an assortment of clever phrases on signs in support of the Cougar cause. Year after year, Biola attempts to bring their own as we laugh in amusement over their feeble efforts to be witty.
For example, our sign would say “You wish you were a Cougar,” theirs would say “You wish you were a Christian.” Great comeback, Biola. Those Biola kids hit below the belt, but we’ll pray for them.
So, what is the difference between setting up an arch-rivalry with Biola as opposed to other superior GSAC teams like California Baptist, Fresno Pacific, Concordia, Point Loma Nazarene, Westmont and every other school not named Hope International or San Diego Christian? The fundamental reason is that none of those schools are woeful enough to be our Biola.
Tell any self-respecting APU student that you’re attending Biola and you most likely will elicit an “eww” response. An APU student can respect the decision of attending California Baptist (for a state-of-the-art campus) or Point Loma Nazarene (for the beach). But an APU student cannot comprehend why an individual would be so misguided to choose Biola over any Southern California school. Biola is where you go when no other options work out.
There is no other rivalry more tailored for us than Biola. Think about it. Do you want a rival stronger than us? No way. We do not want a rival who could rise above us.
What APU has with Biola is something special that other schools can’t claim as their own, a young rivalry still emerging to be passed down from generation to generation. APU has the best of all worlds: championships upon championships, a competitive conference to prepare us for national tournaments, and a developing rivalry for the ages.
This rivalry should not and cannot be destroyed.
