By all measures the Cricket Campus Railjam was a success. The 20 foot-high scaffolding was striking to say the least and the music could be heard all across campus. DJ Gristified kept solid tunes spinning throughout the competition while the participants and crowd vibed on. A few dance moves may have been busted here and there too.
The sponsors were out in full force and Cricket had a text-to-win sweepstakes. Some major gear — like snowboards, boots, phones and swag — was given away. Some of the booths also offered free samples, which is pretty standard procedure for events like these, but they were appreciated none the less.
As the event got underway lots of crashes went down, but as with just about every sporting event these drew the largest cheers. Thankfully no one was hurt and there were definitely just as many steezy moves thrown down, while friends and family shouted with approval.
“I’ve been to a few other jams in Utah this year, like the Fat Flake thing downtown,” said Tim George, a sophomore in electrical engineering. “It’s sick to have one right here on campus though”.
It was hard to estimate how many people stopped by for a look, but the spectators kept the Free Speech Area near the Union packed all afternoon. Many students swung by for a few minutes in between classes, holding math or physics books in their arms. This is not a very frequent sight at a standard rail jam, and that is exactly what this event is about.
Although the majority of the spectators were associated with skiing or boarding there were individuals from all walks of life. The preppy girls stood on the soggy grass right along with the skaters, frat boys and geeks. The overall feeling was that everyone felt welcome and happy.
This tour accomplished exactly what was anticipated. It brought sliding rails to the masses.
“I had never been to anything like this before,” said Stacie Taylor, a freshman in exercise and sports science. “I heard about it from a friend whose boyfriend was competing. It’s all really cool — the music, the snow — it makes me want to buy a floppy beanie and date a skier!”
And who can argue with that?
Lennie MahlerKristie Giles grinds the railing during a railjam hosted by the Union Programming Council yesterday in the Union Free Speech Area.