A Wave of Spirit: Students compete in array of events for Maroon Cup points

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Finch Fieldhouse became an arena for champions of puzzling, dizzying and physically taxing challenges Thursday night.

Representative groups of each Homecoming team participated in the field events of Homecoming Field Games to further their standings toward winning the Maroon Cup.

White Lake senior Kevin Birkholz competed in the events for the first time and was excited to see the turn out.

“I like getting people together to come to these events,” Birkholz said. “It’s a great way to promote hall spirit and get involved.”

Students completed nine different events, including a 100-meter relay race, blindfold puzzle and tug of war. The ultimate goal was not to win the individual heat, but finish the task in the shortest amount of time overall.

One popular event was the bat and balloon race. Competitors had to spin around a bat 10 times and run to a chair where they had to pop a balloon by sitting on it. Grand Rapids freshman Haben Fitwi looked forward to competing.

St. Clair Shores sophomore Stephanie Cantin and Rockwood senior Dan Bennett compete in a tug-of-war along with other members of Kappa Kappa Psi during the Homecoming Field Games Thursday night at Finch Fieldhouse. Teams competed in a variety of games to earn Spirit Points to go toward winning the Maroon Cup. (Leah Sefton/Staff Photographer)

“It’s funny to watch and the idea of trying to pop a balloon while being so dizzy is appealing,” Fitwi said.

Team spirit and sportsmanship were evident as the activities carried on. Despite intense competition, students cheered on other teams to the finish line.

Most teams also chanted a cheer to make their presence known.

Barnes Hall made a point of sticking out. They added their own twist to the competition by making jerseys and welcoming cheer suggestions from other teams.

Barnes took first in the competition, with Fabiano, Emmons and Woldt and Larzelere halls tying for second.

“We’re excited to show off our jerseys and dominate the football toss and dizzy bat competitions,” said Rochester Hills sophomore Mike Morrison.

Saginaw senior and competition assistant LeAundre Jackson said the CMU Homecoming Committee was satisfied with the way the event turned out.

“It took a lot of organization and delegation to put this together,” Jackson said. “It’s flowing smoothly, though, and people seem to be enjoying themselves.”