Residents of Owen and Tucker Residence Halls, the halls where participants of the First Year College program reside, got to bond over competition this month, with the annual Battle for the Beach.
The competition is an opportunity for the residents of Tucker and Owen to meet new people and engage in some friendly competition. According to Tucker Residence Hall residence director Kristen Marley, there were numerous competitions during Battle of the Beach.
“There was a volleyball tournament, cornhole tournament, quiz bowl, pudding race and tug-of-war competition,” Marley said.
“The people in the dorms care about the competition because it allows everyone to come together and be united,” Lauren Kennedy, a freshman in First Year College, who lives in Owen Hall, said.
The competition had various events, including a volleyball tournament. Students who live in Tucker and Owen are eligible to compete, but all students on campus are welcome to watch the events. Students in Tucker and Owen take the competition seriously.
“I feel like a lot of people were interested in the competition because it is one of N.C. State’s traditions and was a really fun event,” Kennedy said.
Despite the fierce competition, many students at the University do not seem to be aware of the competition. Although Owen was the winner this year, some students still say Tucker Beach out of habit.
“All of my friends live in Tucker, so I just always thought it was only Tucker Beach,” Austin Teague, a freshman in biomedical engineering who lives in Metcalf Residence Hall, said.
Despite this misconception, students take part in the competition every year. It typically happens on a Saturday afternoon. This year, the event took place on Oct. 2. Students had a full day of competition before the winner was announced.
“People call it Tucker Beach out of habit. The competition is a good idea because it allows the residents to get together and get to know each other,” Kennedy said.
Owen Hall was the winner of the competition this year. This means that, technically, Owen gets to call the beach area theirs for the duration of the 2010/2011 academic school year.
“Owen Hall won the Battle and therefore the Beach is “Owen Beach” for the 2010-2011 academic year,” Marley said.
Some students are hoping that this year, more people will recognize the name change in Owen Hall’s favor.
“It’s really not fair to Owen Hall residents if people ignore that they were the winner,” Michelle Ebersole, a sophomore in general engineering who lived in Tucker Hall last semester, said.
More than the name of the beach, the competition is about bringing First Year College students together. Similar to other social events that all residence halls hold throughout the year, the competition is an opportunity for residents to meet new people and make friends.
“I participated and it was really fun. I got to meet other people in Owen and made new friends,” Kennedy said.
According to Marley, students enjoyed the day.
“Lots of residents attended the program and it was a very fun day for everyone,” Marley said.