By Lisa Farese
While the “Battle of the Bridge” is a well-known showdown on the gridiron in our community, with the Ponte Vedra and Nease High School football teams going head to head, a lesser known eight-year tradition is one of camaraderie and collaboration. The dance teams of these two rival schools, the Ponte Vedra Splash and the Pantherettes, come together each year to perform at the halftime show. They practice together the week prior and perform as one on the field come game day.
In addition, this year, the 49 girls who joined forces from both teams launched a community project at Starling Assisted Living in Ponte Vedra, where they hosted an ice cream sundae bar and performed for the residents in honor of the ensuing matchup.
The teams enjoyed the joint venture so much that they plan to continue their service by offering a dance or exercise class once a month on Saturdays at one of the area Starling locations — making this matchup a tradition of community over competition.
