The Tournament of Participants hide-and-seek game held throughout the Baugher Student Center (BSC) from 11 a.m. to approximately 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 decided the student club who will name the Gaga ball pit located outside the new Bower’s Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being. First-year Socratis Rodas from the “For What We Stand” club was the Tournament of Participants winner.
At 11 a.m., a myriad of 100 students, faculty and staff in hot pink t-shirts scrambled to quickly hide throughout the BSC. From hiding spots in plain sight to tucked-away tight spaces, those in hot pink t-shirts ran to places like the Marketplace, the Birdcage and the plants located outside of the College Store. One student even hid underneath one of the couches in the Blue Bean Café.
“It was so much fun,” sophomore hider Lauren Moyer said. “It felt like I was in the Hunger Games. Seven people walked by me in a matter of a few minutes, and I became nervous and anxious. But, I would absolutely do it again.”
Once the hiders had an adequate time of five minutes to settle throughout the BSC, 15 students, faculty and staff members wearing dark blue t-shirts started to seek for those in hiding. To keep the seekers up-to-date on those who were found and those who were still in hiding, after each seeker found someone, they posted a photo into a group chat for Assistant to the Vice President for Student Life Amy Berra to view.
“After each seeker found someone, they posted a photo of the person to GroupMe with their names so Amy Berra could update the big screen with an X over the person’s picture,” Vice President for Student Life Dr. Celestino Limas said. “She even played a cannon sound in the Koons Activity Venue (KAV) like in the ‘Hunger Games.’”
Senior Quintin George was the MC in the KAV in charge of explaining the rules to the participants and announcing the seekers’ updates.
After approximately 30 minutes of searching, eight people remained hiding within the BSC. The entire event was set to end at 12:15 p.m.
“I think it is a cool idea to get clubs involved like this, and I know that lots of people were excited about this event,” junior Harley Yocca said. “It was funny watching people hide throughout the BSC. I wouldn’t have ever thought to hide in some of those spaces.”
“It was a blast,” Limas said.
For more information on the Tournament of Participants hide-and-seek game, please visit https://www.etown.edu/campus-life/hide-and-seek.aspx.
