ECU holds the annual King and Queen of the Halls event

On Thursday, residents of ECU's residence halls welcomed The 22nd Annual King and Queen of the Halls event. About 800 students, males and females from each campus residence hall, came out to take part in games and events in hopes of winning the title of King or Queen.

Students charged the field chanting and yelling, and a man with a microphone pumped each team up for the spirit part of the competition. Minutes before the games were set to begin, the clouds broke and rain poured down on the field, but the event continued as planned.

The teams participated in a wide array of events including the Flipper Race, Putt-Putt, Mini-Basketball, Hoop the Human, Three Cups of Tea, Slip and Slide, Football Throw, Sponge Relay, Cornhole, Duck Hunt, Dizzy Bat Relay, Plinko, Flag Grab, Sack Race, Search and Seizure, Rubber Band Relay, Cliff Hanger, Fitmania and the Fireman's Relay.

The competition is scored in three ways: the first is based on how much spirit the team has when they enter the field to check in, the second is the percentage of students from each hall who attend and the third is based on the number of credits each participant earns from the games for their residence hall. Each factor is considered to determine who will be King and Queen.

David Gaskins, associate director for programs and marketing with Campus Recreation, said that King and Queen of the Halls originally started as a kick-off event for the year for Campus Recreation, but has proved to be a great community-building event for residence halls. Senior Michelle Lorenzo, who worked some of the games last year and worked the t-shirt stand this year, agreed and said, "I remember participating in the games as a freshman so it is nice to see people enjoying themselves."

The competition also serves as a way to get students involved in community service. Volunteer students take positions in charge of different events and games, as well as cleanup and t-shirt stand duty. Sophomore Stephanie Peloquin, who worked the Putt-Putt event this year, said the event was a good opportunity for her to fulfill her community service hours. Many of the other students in charge of different events were there to fulfill community service hours for campus organizations. The competition serves multiple purposes and benefits not only students who live in residence halls, but students involved in organizations or who just want an opportunity to get more involved.

Toward the end of the event, the participants took part in a limbo event and a tug-of-war while points were tallied and the decision of winners was being made. Regardless of the rain and mud that covered the field, each team put forth an effort, but in the end, Garrett Hall emerged victorious, winning both King and Queen for men and women.

Coverage and photographs from the event can be seen at facebook.com/pages/ECU-Campus-Recreation-Wellness. The page also has videos from King and Queen of the Halls in past years and a section where upcoming campus recreation events are listed.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.