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April 16, 2008
By Luke Runyon
Staff Writer
Springfest 2008 has come and gone. The week long competition brought team spirit, unity and some fierce competition. Participating students, faculty, staff and alumni spent this dreary week of April testing their physical and mental abilities as well as their ingenuity and creativity.
A part of UIS history for years now, Springfest has become that oasis in the desert known as central Illinois. Complete with a night for trivia, flag and chant, scavenger hunt, and a whole day given to sports, Springfest is welcomed every year by students as way to compete and de-stress.
Each year Springfest is given a theme and this year events were transported to the Old West, with the week being coined as ‘Wild Wild Fest’. Teams seemed to take a liking to the theme giving themselves names such as ‘Boots with the Spurs’, ‘Desperados in Assless Chaps’ and ‘Cowboys and One Indian’.
The week began with a Scavenger Hunt which tested teams knowledge of campus locations as well as their ability to hoard pointless items. Using a digital camera, teams were tasked with taking their picture with a variety of campus landmarks including The Red Ribbon Garden, the lime green grill by HRB and the cricket pad.
Tuesday’s event was the Trivia competition. Springfest seems to require a team be both brainy and brawny to claim top prize. Categories tested the teams’ knowledge of UIS, Illinois and of course, the Wild West.
In addition to Springfest being organized by Student Activities Committee, the week long competition fell on the same week as Disability Awareness Week. Springfest staff gave points to teams based on how many Disability Awareness events they attended. Matt Glowacki, a speaker concerned with ableism, the discrimination of disabled individuals, spoke on the issue of diversity in popular television shows.
The flag and chant competition, usually held on the quad, was moved inside Thursday in anticipation of a thunderstorm. Undeterred teams showed off their hard work and creativity in this contest.
A highlight of the flag and chant was an entertaining chant created by the team Top Gun which included a twist on the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling”.
Another staple, the Springfest dance let players shake off some of the stress from the competition and just let loose. Going along with the Wild West theme, the Student Life gym was decorated with a covered wagon and a blazing sunset.
The true climax of the week is the mud Tug of War. Teams who have been competing with each other all week are pitted against each in a tug of war tournament, with brute strength and determination being the main qualities needed to win this event.
During Sports Day 2007 many teams suffered sunburn and chugged bottles of cold water after games. This year the story was different. The temperatures this year topped out at 42 degrees and rained periodically over the afternoon. Wind and rain certainly put a damper on the activities, but did not stop teams from coming out and enjoying one of the few longstanding traditions of UIS. Mary Umbarger, Student Activities Committee Traditions Chair, echoed these sentiments saying, “The major issues of the week was just the bad weather, but I think every one still had a good time.”
This was Umbarger’s first time as the Springfest Chair but she says she cannot take all the credit. “Springfest takes a lot of work and dedication from a lot of different people, including the team members and University staff and faculty, not just the committee. I am so happy and thankful to everyone that helped out. [I] already have big plans and hopes for next year!”
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