This past Friday, Sept. 21, Virginia Wesleyan held its annual Mud Games on Rose Lawn. This event was hosted by the Wesleyan Activities Council (WAC).
Mud Games is a Virginia Wesleyan tradition in which students, faculty and staff gather into teams of 4-8, and compete in various competitions while in the mud. The games include physical challenges such as the three leg race, dizzy bat, caterpillar walk and an egg race. This year, 14 teams competed for the $250 prize.
The yearly tradition, run by students, has been on campus since the mid-seventies. Event Supervisor Nick Frampton said, “It feels good to be a part of this tradition. I look forward to working the Mud games every year.” Frampton is also a member of the Men’s Lacrosse team here at VWU, and when asked how the Mud Games affect the campus community, he said, “I think that it is a great way to bring students and staff together. It’s pretty cool to think that you could compete in a relay with one of your professors.”
“I knew this was mud games, but I didn’t know I’d actually be rolling around in real mud,” freshman Greyson Railey said. The WAC purchases pre-sifted dirt in order to remove debris such as rocks and twigs. The dirt is then spread out into a thirty by twenty yard square shaped mound and continuously sprayed to create soft, slippery mud. Railey also said, “It’s a good chance for my teammates and I to get in a different environment and have some fun off the field.” Railey and five of his teammates competed together in white t-shirts and American flag shorts.
When asked about his overall experience, senior Nathan Hahn said, “To be honest, I only did this because my friends asked me and I was actually kind of dreading it.” Hahn was on a team with his friends in which there were four girls and two guys. When Mud Games was over he was asked how he felt about the games after participating. Hahn said, “I have to say, that was a lot of fun. I should have done this every year.”
Robert Mazingo
rmazingo@vwu.edu
