What is Spring Weekend?
Students compete in Spring Weekend 2016. Photo by Abi Schroeder.
by April Bayer
Teams of students will use the theme “Mission Concordia” to come up with a story that is told through various performances and activities throughout Concordia’s annual Spring Weekend competition from April 21-23.
Spring Weekend is a contest that was created in 1974. The event takes place the weekend before dead week and is hosted by the Student Activities Council. Students form teams of 10-14 men or women, along with an additional member of the opposite gender who serves as the team’s mascot.
“I would definitely recommend participating. You don’t have to know everyone on the team to have a good time,” said junior Kelly Snader, a participant in last year’s Spring Weekend. “As you work together, you start to form friendships and get close with each other, and it’s really fun.”
The teams spend the weekend competing in events such as a lip-sync with choreographed dance routines, a synchronized swimming competition in kiddie pools, a media portion where teams make films that tell their stories, an eating contest, an art competition and a scavenger hunt.
“The whole premise of Spring Weekend is that it’s completely outrageous and totally different from what you’d normally do over a weekend, so why not live a little?” Snader said.
Each year’s events change slightly to fit the theme. This year’s scavenger hunt will be more focused on solving clues and puzzles than years past. Teams will also be challenged to work together on a mission that begins the Tuesday before Spring Weekend officially begins.
Past Spring Weekends have included a variety of challenges, including an activity called “Buck Buck,” where one member of a team stood against a tree trunk and other team members would attempt to leap onto his or her back. The goal was to create a human tower with as many people as possible. “Buck Buck” was eventually outlawed due to safety concerns.
“What I love about Spring Weekend is that there are many parts of it that haven’t changed,” Director of Student Development Rehema Kavugha said. “Whenever I post stuff from Spring Weekend, a lot of my old classmates will comment that (they) remember doing something like that. The games obviously have changed, but the essence of what Spring Weekend is hasn’t changed.”
Last year’s Spring Weekend also included events that were open to all students including a dance on opening night and a waterslide that was covered in glitter.
An additional source of entertainment during the weekend comes from an unofficial group of students known as “Team Team.” Team Team generally finds a creative, unexpected way to participate in each event after all the other teams have finished. Last year’s members threw water balloons filled with glitter at spectators, stumbled through the obstacle course and performed a lip sync routine in lawn chairs.
Previous Spring Weekend themes have included “#CUThrowback,” “CU on a Roadtrip,” and “I Do at CU.”
With this year’s theme in mind, teams can now start to form and plan their stories. There will be an informational meeting about specifics of the weekend on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in Weller following Praise.
