When you come to Abilene, one way to help ease yourself into the local culture is to start watching some of the locally popular sports. Texas has a very rich athletic culture, and this is especially true in the Big Country area.Part of what drives local sports in and around Abilene are the local rivalries. Many of the local schools have world class coaches teaching at the high school level. This can make football, volleyball, and basketball matches at the high school level better and more fiercely contested matches than many professional games.To get a taste of this, you will want to make note of the teams at the two school districts in Abilene. With just two districts, the sports programs have naturally developed into a fierce rivalry. Annual matches between the schools go by names like “The Crosstown Showdown” and one of the more legendary games is known as “The Showdown at Shotwell.” (more…)