The GSP Olympics: Friendly Competition Brings Scholars Together
By Maya Johnston
Even though there is “no competition at the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP)”, the GSP Olympics, which involves a series of physical and mental challenges, took place this past Sunday. On June 29th, spirit-filled scholars gathered with their Leadership Seminar class outside of Franklin Hall, ready to participate in the annual GSP Olympics. Scholars were seen decked out in vibrant colors and accessories that matched the theme their class had chosen. There were various themes, including red out, tropical, cameras on, aliens, and Smurfs. While waiting in anticipation for the games to begin, the flashes of digital cameras were seen throughout the lot, evidence of scholars capturing memories with new friends. Once the clock struck seven, the teams hit the ground running, excited to get to the Intramural Fields (IM Fields) to finally start the GSP Olympics.
When the teams reached the IM fields, they were assigned to a station for their first challenge. The stations held activities such as dizzy bat, ships and sailors, human knot, soccer, riff off, “GSMachines”, and “Taylor Swift or Shakespeare?”. Some stations required teams to go head-to-head, while others required teammates to work together. One station was very popular among scholars: Riff Off. At this station, teams were tasked with singing a song that matched the given topic. Teams would bounce off each other’s songs, and whoever sang last won the point, just like the actual Riff Offs in Pitch Perfect. Looking back on the night, one scholar noted that the reason she loved this station was because she “had fun while collaborating with her teammates”. Another scholar’s favorite game was “GSMachines”, a creative station where teams were tasked with mimicking a machine. One scholar enjoyed being the vacuum cleaner for her group. Her teammates lifted her into a wheelbarrow position in order to carry her over the “trash”, acting like a vacuum. It’s safe to say that there was a game for everyone!
The GSP Olympics were an event that continued to foster community and connections among scholars around campus. The activities were fun and challenged scholars to work together, like attempting to untangle during the human knot. After the Olympics, many scholars said that they began to feel closer to their classmates. This night was a fantastic way to kick off week two of the Murray GSP!