Those who ventured out of their basements were rewarded with a Saturday spectacle as Spudlympics made its Mines debut this weekend. The event, sponsored by ASCSM and Weekends at Mines (WAM), turned a typical Mines Saturday into an exciting, potato-filled event for spectators and participants alike. Spudlympics played on two weaknesses of college students – free food and explosives – to help draw in a pleasant Saturday crowd. A delicious baked potato bar and potato-cannon contest, as well as a variety of other events, set the stage for a day of potato-filled pleasure.
The potato-cannon firing contest featured a variety of cannons, ranging from air pressure based to the “Mines shower substitute” (AKA Old Spice) based. Each group had three chances to show their cannon’s worth, and awards were presented for longest distance and most precise. Joe Spaur, whose potato-cannon won the competition for longest distance, said that his invention took only “about a half an hour to build” and that he was “thoroughly impressed” by his cannon’s strong showing.
Artists also got their chance to shine in contests such as the french fry architecture competition, which featured creations built from waffle fries and toothpicks, and the potato carving competition. While some creations displayed the artistic ability of, or rather lack thereof, the average Mines student, others proved to be creative and unique. The winners were also awarded with prizes for their efforts.
The potato find, an event similar to bobbing for apples, tested the wills of those involved. Participants were tasked with digging through a potato with their mouth, retrieving 5 gumballs, and blowing a bubble with the gumballs. As the participants soon discovered, blowing a bubble with five pieces of gum in your mouth, in addition to potato residue, is significantly harder than it sounds. Other Spudlympic events included a potato sack race and a potato eating contest, which inadvertently ended up combining the game “hot potato” with ravenous eating.
Spudlympics managed to bring in a solid crowd, with ages young and old turning up to watch and participate. When asked how he felt about Spudlympics, Noah Langford, one of the masterminds behind the event, stated that we was “definitely happy” with the way the event turned out. As for future tater thrills, Langford was uncertain, but mentioned that “it might work well as an annual event.”
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