Springfest 2005 - A Huge Success

By Melanie Cain

This past Saturday Springfest 2005, one of the most fun-filled and exciting weeks on the UIS campus, came to a close. Each year, Springfest is a time full of great activities and competitions involving people from all over campus. The theme for this year was “Brought to You Since ’92” and, as always, the event was a huge success.

The week started off with a thrilling basketball game between the Blue Crew and FAST, a team made up of faculty and staff members, including Chancellor Ringeisen. The Blue Crew won by a score of 76-53 and after the game the Springfest Kick-Off BBQ in the student life plaza provided plenty of free food.

Monday was the first day of competition for the 14 Springfest teams. The opening event, Whose Line Duo, gave all the team members a chance to show off their creativity and improvisation skills. Many of the evening’s performances were hilarious and included some truly funny imitations of UIS personalities.

The next night gave the teams a chance to put their knowledge of television music to the test with a rousing game of Name That Tune. Different program theme songs were played, and it was up to the teams to determine which show matched the song. The game ended with the final two teams facing off in a very entertaining theme song “sing off.”

On Wednesday afternoon, students could attend an after-school special, 1 in 4 No More, a program focusing on the dangers of rape. Later that night one of the most anticipated Springfest events, the Flag and Chant Competition, was held. Every year, teams spend hours designing their flags and writing clever songs in hopes of impressing the judges and winning first place, and this year was no exception. The resulting flags and chants revealed some great talents in both design and composition.

If you were on campus Thursday night, you probably saw hundreds of students running around taking random pictures and looking for some very odd items. The Springfest Scavenger Hunt is always a popular event, and this year’s list-makers sent teams on a mad dash to locate a four leaf clover, a peso, a sombrero, and lots of other things you don’t see every day.

On Friday, the teams were again tested on their television knowledge in a Trivia Game Show, and then everyone had a great time dancing the night away at the annual Springfest Dance, which featured a tropical beach theme.

Saturday was the big day for team competition, and each team was determined to make one final push for the championship. The day’s events included flag football, ultimate Frisbee, kickball, sand volleyball, and -- the final Springfest event -- mud tug-of-war. All the teams put forth a great effort, and it came down to the very last event before the champions could be determined. In the end, team PXII was victorious by just three points, the Old Skool Cappie Crew took second place, and the Best Buds rounded out the top three.

Springfest 2005 was a great success, thanks to the hard work put in by all the volunteers and to everyone who participated in one way or another. For a list of final team standings or to see pictures from all the events, be sure to check out www.Springfest2005.com.