School spirit and pride displayed during recreational rampage on Wednesday night at the Elam Center as freshmen competed in informal and formal recreational and spirit activities.

Newcomers to UTM enthusiastically paraded into the Elam Center to Recreational Rampage. Pep groups formed earlier this week coined a slogan which they proudly chanted during their march to the bleachers. Some groups were more creative than others. Group 14 adorned their body with blue and orange paint. “We decided to put our group number on our arms. All the guys wrote on themselves that they love Patti, their female pep leader, and the girls wrote that they love their male pep leader, Andrew,” says Lance Morgan, a member of Group 14. Other groups added UTM color and sound to the crowd with flags, posters, confetti and air horns.

After arriving to the gymnasium, students were exposed to many informal events. They had the opportunity to either eat a meal of barbecue, or participate in activities and games. The rock climbing wall, with the longest line of people, seemed to be the most popular activity. Other students curiously stared at people playing a game called gaga. Gina Warren, director of Campus Recreation, explained that the objective of gaga was to stay inside the circle of boards and not get hit by the red ball. Although students were unfamiliar with the game, most seemed to enjoy it when they played.

The formal events were kicked off when Warren welcomed everyone to the event. Following the welcome, the male and female pep leaders entertained the crowd with their portrayal of cheerleaders. Both groups assembled in a line and acted like dominoes to a motion or move made at the ends of the lines. Fran Spears, UTM cheerleading coach, later introduced her squad of cheerleaders who livened up the crowd with flips and lifts.

Competitions for the night were started by choosing the most spirited group in the crowd. This award went to Group 19, Secondary Education.

The recreational staff then drew group numbers from a box to invite a chosen number of members from each group down to the floor to compete in several events. Annie Naik, of Paris, says that the hula hoop relay was her favorite activity. “I enjoyed the hula hoop activity the best, because most of my group was able to participate. Our group almost won the first time around.”

The most anticipated competition of the night was the judging of the banners. Banners were made by each group earlier this week. Most banners were in some representation of their group's major. Banners with slogans such as “Vets Hauling Your Pets,” were made by the Pre-Vet majors. The business management group displayed, “Manage Your Money, or be Somebody's Honey.” The winning banner was made by Group 48, major undeclared.

Group 48, led by pep leaders Carrie and Laura, made their banner into a bust shot of a confused person wearing a T-shirt entitled, “Got Major? We don't.”

Group 48, was awarded a pizza party sometime during this semester. Second place for the banners was awarded to Groups 42 and 43. Their banner was a picture of a nurse eagerly holding a needle saying, “Baby, your butt is mine.”

Drawings were made throughout the night for prizes as well.

For one to have their name eligible for the drawing, they must have participated in one of the activities.

Prizes included free meals from McDonalds, movie passes from the Cine, accessories from the computer store and T-shirts from the UTM bookstore. Grand winners of the drawing were Jonathan Medina, who won a $50 gift certificate to the Ken-Tenn sports store, and Brad Walters who won a Schwinn mountain bike at a valued price of $250. Walters' thoughts on his win were, “This is awesome!”

Most realized the fun and excitement those two hours at Recreational Rampage had to offer. But to the staff at campus recreation, the fun and excitement began two weeks earlier.

Warren says that she and her staff started their work a few weeks earlier by soliciting prizes from the businesses.

“It is the donated prizes that make this night so much fun,”says Warren. The pep leaders also put a lot of time into making the events happen. They have spent several hours with their group working on banners, logos and chants. Leader of Group 47, Candace Tate, says that Recreational Rampage is worth the planning. “I think it's great fun. There are many opportunities for freshmen to see what happens throughout the year. It is an experience for all involved.”