What happens when you combine a foosball table, a keg and a Saturday night? For Sean Murray '02, Kyle Fruh '02 and Doug Bishop '02, the answer was clear: booze and fooze. On a night when other people on campus were attending the usual keg parties, 48 students were competing for the much coveted title of Booze and Fooze champion.
The idea for the tournament came from Murray, whose family has "little tournaments" during reunions. "We were able to secure a table for our dorm this year, it just seemed natural for us to host our own," said Bishop.
The competitors were divided into 24 two-man teams. In the end, Garon Tyler-Tyree '02 and Matt Hummon '02 came out on top. The Spirit award, though, was granted to Jake Schulz '02 and Carlos Tilghtman-Osborne '02 for their "energy, passion, and skintight midriff Boston Red Sox t-shirts with matching biker shorts," said Bishop. Even those who had not witnessed the event earlier that evening took note of the interesting clothing choices later on at other parties and at TAP.
One participant, Paul Reschke '04, who had played dressed believably as a foosball player, met his fooze downfall at the hands of the booze. "I got ripped off because I was taking a bit of the booze when I should have been doing the fooze."
On a monotonous night on campus, Booze and Fooze was clearly a success for spectators and competitors alike. Bishop summed up the night with a profound thought: "there's a reason why it isn't fooze and booze."
High notes
Converse Hall, a place of course changes and registration, was full of music and humor on Sunday for the freshman a cappella show.
Students-and even a couple of parents, it seemed-were given their first taste of the year of Amherst's five a cappella groups: The Sabrinas, Zumbyes, Bluestockings, DQ and Route 9. Each was noticeably smaller than usual due to the loss of last year's seniors. Hoping that fresh voices will come out to audition this week, all groups gave roaring renditions of old favorites.
"The DQ has a wonderfully quirky, offbeat sense of humor that you just gotta love," said Dan Shore '02. He added, "The Zumbyes are a roller coaster thrill ride … I just like chillin' to the soothin' groovin' of the Sabrinas."
While this fan was clearly torn, others had more clearly defined loyalties, as the floor and balcony quickly overflowed with screaming groupies. For example, the recently formed all-male group Route 9 has developed quite a devout following. A desperate cry of "Take your shirt off!" could be heard from a mysterious woman in the balcony crowd during a break in their performance, which included the hit "Because I Got High," with added verses tailored to the Class of '05. These lines included: "I was gonna meet my squad at five, but then I got high. I was gonna play two truths and a lie, but then I got high. Now I hate my whole damn squad, and I know why ... but they don't get high, they don't get high, they don't get high."
While the concert was primarily geared towards freshmen, it became clear that loyal upperclassman fans were out in full force that night as well. "Being a sophomore, the show was more fun because I know many of the singers," said Alex Viehman '04. Jason Blynn '04, the Zumbyes' new director, said, "I love being on stage, and I loved seeing all the groups together. It sets a nice tone for the rest of the year."