Not all jousting strategies are created equal.
Students had the opportunity to test their athletic skills Thursday, Feb. 13 at the student Ulympic Games, held in the Union Ballroom.
The Ulympics featured several events, including ping-pong, curling and jousting.
Some of the events featured at the Ulympics were modified versions of actual events in the 2014 Winter Olympics, while others were completely new inventions of the Union Programming Council.
Molly Briscoe, a sophomore in marketing, said she enjoyed the jousting event the most. In this event, students faced off inside an inflatable arena and tried to knock opponents over using padded jousting sticks.
“I tried to go for [my opponent’s] legs,” Briscoe said. “It didn’t work.”
When not competing, students had the opportunity to watch live Olympic coverage and enjoy free pizza.
The Freshman Ambassador Board — a subset of the Union Programming Council composed of 21 first-year students — planned and hosted the event.
Caroline Daley, a freshman in accounting and marketing, is an active member of the Freshman Ambassador Board and volunteered at the event. Daley said the Board has been a good opportunity for freshmen to get involved in planning and promoting student activities.
“Our main mission is just to get everyone involved,” Daley said. “I know a lot of students after class tend to just go home. We try to create events where people can come in [after class] and have fun.”
While the Freshman Ambassador Board planned and carried out the event, other members of the UPC were also involved.
Bridger Harris, a senior in marketing and the director of the Freshman Ambassador Board, said he hopes events like these will give students the chance to unite with fellow classmates.
“The UPC is always trying to offer students at the U opportunities to come together,” Harris said. “Our mission is to create a community at the U, and we do that through the different programming events that we hold here.”
Harris said the Freshman Ambassador Board is typically involved in hosting and planning events with the UPC during Fall Semester. During Spring Semester, these students may then utilize these skills by planning events, such as the Ulympics, on their own.
“There are 21 freshmen, [who] split themselves up and work together to take on different responsibilities,” Harris said. “It’s been really successful.”
The UPC has hosted several events during the year, including Crimson Nights, speed dating and zombie tag, among others. Students can stay up-to-date with events throughout the year by checking the UPC’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Chris Adjei, a graduate student in engineering, said he enjoyed the event and hoped many would attend. Adjei said he most enjoyed testing his skills at ping-pong.
“It was fun,” Adjei said. “I think it was a really good idea.”
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