The year was 1919. The first-years and sophomores had gathered on Whitnall Field for the annual Tug of War contest. If first-years won the competition, their reward was removing their mandatory first-year beanie hats, which were worn to distinguish their class year. The event would either occur on Whitnall Field or Taylor Lake. When it happened by the lake, students ran the risk of being pushed or thrown in by their opponents. Unfortunately, the event waned out by the late 1960s due to a lack of enthusiasm as traditions generally lost their appeal. Interclass rivalries have been abandoned on campus and it is time we bring them back.
Colgate University prides itself on having a strong school spirit with traditions like Homecoming weekend and Links welcoming new students by cheering and banging pots. This is already a strong start towards creating shared experiences that encourage a sense of belonging among all students, yet there is a lack of competition that students, especially first-years, could benefit from. There is something for everyone to pick up from a little friendly competition. What better way to inspire collaboration than by pitting people against each other?
The origins of the word “compete” stem from the Latin word competere, meaning “to seek together.” This idea of joint effort is something that the Colgate community needs to work towards building back.
In a remote area like our town of Hamilton, isolation comes without effort. Mirroring the rural setting in our social dynamics, we become less inclined to reach out to our peers, particularly those in different classes. It is as though we forget one major similarity between us: we all go to school together. I have noticed this particular divide between first-year students and the rest of the classes. Being a first-year at Colgate, you exist in a weird liminal space. You are perceived to still have the childish spirit of a freshly graduated high school student, while also having to adjust to the difficulties of slowly becoming an adult and having to make your own choices away from authority figures like your parents. Your first year is also treated as a threshold because of the perception that you cannot truly have fun socially until you are a sophomore. Thus, first-years seem to live in this separate bubble from the rest of the community.
I believe that the remedy is some interclass rivalry. Although the Commons Cup inspires some degree of competition amongst the different residential buildings, it simply is not competitive enough. An actual, lightly athletic competition between first-years and sophomores will bridge the gap between the two grades.
Competition is important because students comes from vastly different backgrounds, with their own stories and upbringings. Competition addresses these differences through teamwork and allow these differences to become assets and foster dialogue in allowing effective communication to achieve a common goal. Creating a low-stakes environment where we can foster our innate ambitious natures is also useful for a world away from Hamilton and Colgate. Competition allows us to move away from our comfort zone and strengthen confidence through collaboration.
It is time to establish a new tradition by recycling one from over a century ago. Bringing back an activity such as the Tug of War will prove helpful in boosting connections. Each grade has something to teach the other. First-years can serve as a reminder that, we should continue to remain spontaneous at times and remind ourselves to simply be silly, allowing us to return to our childhoods selves while we are still close enough to them. For first-years, something as lighthearted as a Tug of War contest will ease their transition and help them feel more welcome on campus.
I’m not saying we absolutely need to bring back the Tug of War contest specifically. If we’re being realistic, that might be too many people on Whitnall Field at once. However, the message is clear: school spirit is key to Colgate’s identity, and a neighborly feud between first-years and sophomores might just be the perfect addition to campus.
