Battle of the Bos has become a long standing and exciting tradition for many at Rocky Mountain High School. Coming together to not only celebrate the seniors nominated but to raise money for our community and celebrate our school is something that the students at RMHS have come to look forward to. However, as it may seem, Battle of the Bo’s is actually a fairly new tradition at Rocky with a fairly tumultuous and unknown history. Going through many different forms and iterations and even disappearing entirely for a period of time, Battle of the Bo’s was once unrecognizable to its current form.
Mr. Rocky
This tradition begins in the spring semester of the spring semester of 1989. This original form of the competition and tradition looked a lot more like a pageant than a talent show that it is today. The contestants competed against each other as a “Mr. ___”, representing a part of the school. There was Mr. Football, Mr. Tennis, Mr. Wrestling, Mr. DECA, etc. In 1994, Matt McCray won the Mr. Rocky crown as Mr. Choir, winning with a song tribute to RMHS, not dissimilar to Battle of the Bos today. In this period of Rocky’s competition, it was competed in by entirely men and with multiple grade levels, not just against seniors. It was not until 1994, when Shelly Greathouse was the first woman to compete in the Mr. Rocky competition, though not without controversy. Mr. Rocky also had an emphasis on fundraising, with the funds going towards student council, allowing for future events. While Mr. Rocky was a rudimentary and simple version of RMHS’ signature talent show, it did not come without some issues. Since its year in existence, Mr. Rocky had been under fire. Many of the participants had “behaved inappropriately” according to Betty Grant, Rocky’s assistant principal of the time. Many at the time even believed that Mr. Rocky had “no purpose” in RMHS. After undergoing reforms in 1995, Mr. Rocky struggled for two more years before finally dissolving.
Mr. RHMS
In 2013, the tradition and pageantry was revived in the form of Mr. RMHS. Mr. RMHS was almost middle ground between Mr. Rocky and Battle of the Bos that we know today. Mr. RMHS contestants competed as a “Mr. ___”. Some examples include Mr. Big Heart, Mr. Heart Throb, and Mr. Daddy. Mr. RMHS was still an entirely male competition but it followed a very similar format to the modern Battle of the Bos. Each candidate had an interview, talent, and ironic swimsuit modeling along with the group dance. Additionally, the shift towards charity and fundraising was more important than ever with candidates now choosing their own causes and raising money in their chosen area. The winner in the talent portion was declared Mr. RMHS and the runner up Mr. Give Next, raising the most money for their chosen charity. In 2019. Mr. RMHS went viral on TikTok and Instagram when a video of three seniors performing to Old Town Road by Lil Nas X had gotten over one million likes across both platforms. The competition was healthy until 2020 when it was shut down due to COVID-19.
Battle of the Bos
After Mr. RMHS was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it reemerged as what we now know as Battle of the Bos in 2022. In the new form, senior students and teachers now team up to perform a talent along with fundraising for a charity or organization of their choice. The competition consists of a group dance, interview, and student-teacher talent. The competition is now co-ed and participants are voted on by the senior class officers who aren’t competing themselves. The tradition is now going strong and is loved by the student body. While in the past, there has been plenty of issues surrounding this storied tradition, Battle of the Bos seems to be a sustainable format for many year to come.
How do you feel about the Battle of the Bos? Should there be changes back towards the history of the event? Leave a comment below!
