Plachta Auditorium holds 18th annual Jock Rock
The men's track and field and cross-country teams claimed first place in the 2012 Jock Rock for the first time Sunday at Central Michigan University.
Senior thrower Kevin Mays said the victory was a long time coming for a team in its fifth year of competition.
"It's great to come out and see each other and we raise money for a good cause," the Flint native said. "There was great competition this year and I was really impressed with it."
The team's routine consisted of music from a multitude of artists, including The Temptations, Vanilla Ice, Rebecca Black and The Jackson 5.
Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium held the 18th annual Jock Rock, which raised money for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
The total amount raised wasn't available Sunday, although the event raised $1,400 in 2011.
"The event means a lot to us and there's always a lot of money raised," said sophomore distance runner Jackie McEnhill. "It gets everybody together for a good cause and we get to form a better connection with people on the other teams."
CMU women's track and field and cross-country teams finished second Sunday, ending its five-year winning streak.
"We're not going to be sore losers and we'll congratulate them," McEnhill said. "We didn't even lend them our clothing; they came up with all of that on their own. At least it was a track team who won."
The women's team experienced a technical difficulty during the opening of its routine, but recovered with a backup CD, performing to artists including Eminem, Black Eyed Peas and B.O.B.
"We had plenty of backup and we always win, so we thought it wouldn't be too big a deal," McEnhill said.
Preparation time varied for each team leading up to the event.
McEnhill said her team met on three separate days to organize its routine, while Mays said the men's team worked for six hours creating its dance.
The wrestling and women's basketball teams finished third and fourth place, respectively.
"Jock Rock is a good cause and really unifies people within the program," said sophomore wrestler Scott Mattingly. "All the teams were great and those guys used a lot of guys and deserved to win."
Other teams that competed in the Jock Rock include gymnastics, soccer, football, volleyball, field hockey and men's basketball.
The judges panel consisted of Katie Christensen, student-athlete services intern; Dan Heck, coordinator of marketing and community relations; Jamie Brown, towers academic advisor and Brad Griffin, a member of Big Brothers, Big Sisters program.
"The event shows that athletes are really diverse and do a lot of extra curriculars," McEnhill said. "We're not just athletes, and when we get together like this, we show we can work well to make some good dances. It's fun ... it's hilarious"
