Last week, Alpha Sigma Alpha, sorority (ASA) held their inaugural Alpha Olympics.  The Alpha Olympics was comprised of games from the Special Olympics, but with a twist, to appeal to the campus community. The purpose of the event was to raise money for the Special Olympics, an organization that gives people with cognitive disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports training and competitions year-round. Funds were raised through donations made online through the donor drive, with an inital goal of raising $500.

“We’ve started the planning a year ago,” said Service and Giving Chairman of ASA, Leann Forte. “The idea was a collaborative effort of all of ASA, the Service and Giving Committee planned and executed the event.”

The event lasted four days, with games running Monday through Wednesday and a closing awards ceremony on Thursday.

Three teams of five participated from two campus fraternities: “Scrubdaddies” and “He Was #1” from Sigma Alpha Epsilon and “Smittywerberjagermanjensen” from Sigma Chi.

The games were ran tournament style, with contestants competing in multiple rounds of each game to earn a ranking and points towards their total.

Scores were recorded after each tournament to accumulate over the event and eventually decide the winner of the Olympics. Teams also had an additional opportunity to win points throughout the day at ASA’s event table. Members could answer questions about the Special Olympics, with a correct answer earning them a chance to draw a number from a bowl, which would dictate the points awarded for their correct answer.

Giant Inflatable Bowling kicked off the tournament, as teams gathered in the Bixler/Gerber Quad in a battle to knock down the most pins.   

“It was harder than we thought because the wind would blow the ball away whenever we tried to roll it,” said Jeremy Bellman, member of “He was #1.”

The Triathlon followed on Tuesday and included running, riding a “butt-scooter,” and army crawling. Rhythmic Gymnastics ended the tournaments and gave each team an opportunity to perform a choreographed dance routine for a panel of judges.

“Helping a group of self-professed macho men perform songs like ‘Closer,’ ‘Be a Man,’ and ‘Africa’ with ribbons in hand was extremely entertaining and heartwarming, considering the cause,” said Standards Chairman for ASA, Stephanie Pratt.

The closing ceremonies took place on Thursday where pizza and cake was provided and prizes were awarded. Medals were presented to all three teams for their respective medals, with bronze medals going to “Scrub Daddies”, silver medals to“Smittywerberjagermanjensen” and gold medals to “He was #1.”  

All participants from the winning team received a ten-dollar Target gift card, with an additional ten-dollar Target gift card going to Rolland Galvez from “He was #1,” for raising the most money.

“I feel great knowing that I did my part to help a great organization that helped a great cause,” said Galvez.

The event ended with ASA raising $1,862 for the Special Olympics, shattering their fundraising goal of $500.

“My hope is that this will become an annual event, and that I’ll be able to come back in ten years and see it happening,” said Forte.