The Pelican Games, a new tradition started this year in an effort to build community and foster fun competition, concluded May 2 with a day of challenges and games all across campus.

The Pelican Games is a competition between four teams on campus made up of students and faculty and staff. The four teams, Purple, Orange, Yellow, and Green, have spent the last two months competing against one another in order to gain points for their squad. Points are earned by winning competitions and taking part in on-campus events. The team with the most points at the end of the finale is then crowned the winner.

“We wanted to end the games with a campus-wide event that everyone could enjoy, and I think it is safe to say, based off of what I saw, everyone involved had a blast, including myself,” said Assistant Athletic Director Stephanie Bissett, who was the commissioner of the Pelican Games.

The final day of competition kicked off with a charity five-kilometer walk around the Loop Road to help support Smile Train, a nonprofit that provides children around the world with free surgery to correct cleft lips and palates, as well as free speech therapy and dental care. It wasn’t a race, but anyone who participated in the event earned points for their team.

After that, events took place at various locations on campus. Events included tug of war, dodgeball, chess, and the cardboard canoe race across the Cow Pond, which saw many student-designed cardboard boats make it only halfway across the pond.

At the end of the day, despite a late rally from the Green Team on the final day, the Orange Team was named victorious after earning the most points out of any of the four teams over the last two months.  

A trophy ceremony will take place Friday, May 14, at 7:45 p.m. during the campus pep rally on Pratt Field.