By Kristin Longley
Special to The State News
An MSU rivalry was renewed on Sunday when the university's two residential learning programs competed in their second annual Olympic Showdown.
Lyman Briggs School and James Madison College students and faculty braved the cold weather at the rock on Farm Lane in an effort to win the coveted green-and-white, Stanley Cup-esque trophy. James Madison emerged victorious.
The rivalry between James Madison College and Lyman Briggs School emerged when they were both established in 1967. They are the only two residential learning programs on campus.
Traditionally, school members would battle it out in a canoe race, but the river's water quality has made the competition unsafe in the past couple of years. The schools devised the Olympic Showdown as a safe and easy alternative.
"What we really want is for the canoe race to come back, but there's really no way to do it unless we have our own canoes," said Jim Smith, a Lyman Briggs associate professor of biology.
The teams competed in four events, ranging from a three-legged relay, to fishing candy worms out of pistachio cream pies. About 30 students from each school participated.
The first event was the three-legged relay, which was the tie-breaker event at last year's showdown, which Lyman Briggs won. The teams were even at the start, but Lyman Briggs competitors were laying in a heap when James Madison crossed the finish line.
The James Madison spectators erupted in cheers, but there were complaints of a false start among the Lyman Briggs participants.
"They are lawyers, so they're going to find easy ways to do things, whether or not they're right," said Colin Seguin, a no-preference Lyman Briggs freshman, who competed in the three-legged relay.
Things became serious when Lyman Briggs human biology senior Keegan Jackson threw off her jacket, despite the cold, and rolled up her sleeves in preparation for the tug-of-war. After about 10 seconds, James Madison tugged the Lyman Briggs team over the line.
"That was a good effort, Briggs," said Emily Lewis, James Madison political theory and constitutional democracy senior.
Good-natured insults were hurled between the two teams when tempers became heated before the greased-pumpkin toss started.
"Did anyone think to bring Wet Naps?" a competitor asked as the lubricated pumpkins were tossed from hand to hand.
Lyman Briggs won the toss, bringing them their first victory in the showdown.
The fourth event, and final by default, was the pie contest. Competitors used their mouths to search through half-frozen pies for candy worms while kneeling. Eight students competed, but James Madison won the event.
"It was a disappointing loss, but it was still fun, and I like pistachio pie - that's why I competed," Jackson said.
On the other side of the field, James Madison students sang "We Are The Champions" as they received the 3-foot trophy topped with a Greco-Roman warrior.
