Friendly competition inaugurates the new school year during “Alpha Week”

The third annual edition of Alpha Week brought a new level of action and excitement to CIU’s campus. Alpha Week is the first major collection of competitions between the houses (named for Latin virtues), or dorms on campus, culminating with a with a house winner at the end of the school year. Featuring balloon battles, crowd surfing, and a giant volleyball, each weeknight offered a different competition that allowed each team to show their incredible teamwork and creativity.

The competition started with Monday night’s Alpha Week kickoff, where houses clashed against each other in fast-paced mini-games on The Quad. The atmosphere was electrifying as each team was eager to take advantage of the first opportunity to earn house points. While each game was met with enthusiasm and effort, the game that attracted the most buzz was “Balloon Stomp,” where two students from each team tied a balloon to their ankles and set out to pop the balloons of the opposing players. The game lasted almost 30 minutes and threw the crowd of spectators into a frenzy, chanting and rooting for their respective houses.

The next night brought more excitement to The Quad in the form of “Big Ball Volleyball.” The games pitted four houses against each other at once, working together to down the giant beach ball in one of the other teams’ zones. The tournament culminated in a victory for The House of Virtus in the championship game. 

“It was really fun to be able to compete in the competition and to be out there with our guys,” said Sophomore Carter Pace who was on the winning team. “I think we played with a lot of teamwork and passion, those were the keys for us winning tonight.”

Alpha Week then made its way to Moore Fitness Center, which hosted a cross-town varsity women’s volleyball matchup between the CIU Rams and Columbia College. The white-out crowd was treated to a halftime mini-game between the houses. 

The participants of each team lay in a line flat on the gym floor while lifting up one member of the team, who was sitting on top of a folded-up chair. The player was passed down the line until they made it to half-court and back to the starting line. The game became extremely fast-paced and energetic, with Aequitas eventually crossing the finish line first. 

“It felt amazing to win this competition,” said Aequitas member Avery Blevins. “We had a great team and a winning mentality. Hopefully we can use this momentum to get back on top!”

As for the volleyball match, the Rams extended their all-time volleyball win streak verses Columbia College to 15-0 with a 3-0 win over the Koalas. 

The eventful week ended on a more restful note with a gathering behind the Prayer Towers. With the glow from the pondside firepit shining on each face, students shared marshmallows and chocolate, sandwiched between graham crackers. The only competition was who could eat the most s’mores. 

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