As we approach the 65th year of Redwood’s most dedicated tradition, the one and only great Cowhide, it is important to remember our past. The culture that surrounds this tradition is something no other school has. Its’ legacy is what makes Redwood what it is today.
Redwood’s very own attendance secretary, Dena Gonzalez, attended Redwood from 1984-1988. From the start of her freshman year, she remembers the electric energy she felt the moment she stepped onto campus during Cowhide week. She says, “Everyone was so jazzed up,” from dressing up for spirit days to decorating the entire campus with cow prints, Gonzalez remembers the time as if it were yesterday.
Yet, it was not until her sophomore year that Mrs. Gonzalez was able to experience the game for herself. When asked about the first Cowhide game she attended, the Redwood staff member is taken back to the day. With a grin bright enough to light up the stadium she recalls, “We were so compacted into the cheering section– it was standing room only– everyone was screaming,” and at that moment Gonzalez realized, “This is what high school is about. This is what the Cowhide is about.” To Gonzalez, and just about every student at Redwood, Cowhide was more than a football game. It was the week where everyone united as a school. Where the culture thrived and no matter who you were on campus — whether it be a player on the field or a fan in the stand– you felt the impact of knowing you were a Redwood student.
All throughout her time at Redwood she remembered hearing, “All the stories behind the game, all the traditions,” that made Redwood so unique, so great. Gonzalez has worked at Redwood for over 22 years; she has seen all the wins and losses, been through all the ups and downs. Even through all these years, still when she walks onto campus this week she is reminded of how amazing Redwood is and she is taken back to her days where she once chanted, “The Hide, The Hide, THE GREAT COWHIDE.“
