Written by Rebekah Dothager. Media added by Sean McFarland.
[divide]
As the kick-off to basketball season and Homecoming Week, Midnight Madness is a celebratory event the recognizes school spirit, friendly competition, and some of our athletes. This pep rally took place in the H.J. Long Gym on October 14th. The cheerleaders gave a warm welcome to the student audience with their cheers and stunts. After the cheerleaders’ performance, members of the audience volunteered to play a Minute-to-Win-It game that required them to place a cookie on their forehead, and using only their facial muscles, work the cookie to their mouth! After this game, more student volunteers came to the gym floor to participate in another Minute-to-Win-It. This game required participants to tie a tissue box filled with ping pong balls to their lower back and shake until all their box was empty! This task was difficult for some of the contestants, but they enjoyed it as much as the audience loved cheering them on.
After the individual competitions were completed, the dance team performed an excellent routine to which they devoted a considerable amount of hard work. The next event called teams of volunteers came to the floor to participate in a relay. This required them to dress up in silly clothes, run across the gym, spin around with their forehead on a baseball bat ten times, and then shoot a basket! Not only was this relay enjoyable to watch, the participants loved cheering on their teammates. This game transitioned into the annual Knock-Out tournament, where most of the audience came down to participate in two friendly games happening simultaneously. Even though these games take a considerable amount of time, it is an crowd-pleasing activity that inspires competition, community, and athletic sportsmanship between its contestants.
Photo by Greenville College
The second-to-last event of the night gave the basketball team some time to showcase their abilities in a dunk contest! After they warmed up a little, various members of the team took turns in attempting to dunk a basketball. The definite highlight of this contest was when 5’ 5” senior Alex Mumphard made his first dunk ever! The team, as well as the entire audience, celebrated this monumental experience, and it showed me that it is moments like this that showcase the community here at Greenville. We support and encourage each other and celebrate when our peers excel. This trait is rare, and we are lucky to attend a college in which that is the norm. After the men’s and women’s basketball teams scrimmaged, I reflected on the night and realized that moments of support, celebration, and community are the essential foundations of Homecoming, and more importantly, Greenville College.
[divide]
