We broke the record!
Emerson Csorba - Fri Feb 03, 2012Good try, Irvine.
Way back in September, we circled February 3 on our calendar. UC Irvine had broken the world record for the largest dodgeball game, and we decided that they could enjoy it for a few months. But as the clock ticked down to noon on February 3, their time as the world record holders was coming to an end.
Thanks to the non-stop, sleep-deprived efforts of the SU Programming Department, Vice-President (Student Life) Colten Yamagishi and dozens of volunteers, we now hold the dodgeball world record, at 4,979. Some students patiently stood in line for a couple hours only to be eliminated from the game within the first few minutes. They might be questioning their strategy, but certainly not the wait. Very seldom do we get to experience such spirited, energizing events. It takes a lot of work to make something of this magnitude happen, but in the end, we did it.
The SU’s Programming Department puts in countless hours to make this happen. Colten did four class talks every hour, ever day of the week, and showed little sign of slowing down as we approached game time. The same goes for David McBean and the several other students going full tilt on the talks.
Thankfully, a few brilliant U of A students (each with an excellent sense of humour) released a bunch of U of A memes on Facebook this week. I have been crying in laughter in my office as I look at the new ones. With a lot of built-up excitement, tension and anxiety in SUB 2-900 over today’s dodgeball game – and the continued planning for CRAM 2012 on my end – the memes are a welcome addition to our day.
On behalf of the SU, thank you to the U of A meme creators.
It’s hard to believe February is here already. Next week does not feature a record-breaking event, but the momentum is not letting up. On February 9, the provincial budget comes out. On February 9 and 10, I’ll be leading the Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials, a national conference bringing together leaders in the textbook and digital books industry. The planning for that is almost good to go.
This weekend, I hope that Colten, the Programming staff and the many SU volunteers catch up on some much-needed sleep. And next time, rather than dream about 5000, let’s double that.
If you have any questions about the Students’ Union or about your academic experiences (why do deferred exam fees exist, what does the U of A do to ensure quality teaching, why are my classes curved), don’t hesitate to give me a shout at 780.492.4236 or send off an e-mail at vp.academic@su.ualberta.ca.
-Emerson
