Written by Samantha Holschbach
Freshmen unlock endless possibilities upon entering college, causing some to retreat to their room’s safety. To reduce the unfamiliar,Harding University’s Student Associationhas erected HUD Cup, tournaments designed to kindle friendship and physical activity.
“The goal of HUD Cup is to get students, mainly freshmen, to interact with other students before the whole [club] pledging process really kicks into gear,” said senior Bo Bailey, the director of HUD Cup. “A lot of freshmen spend half the time in their room because they don’t know anyone or have anything to do. HUD Cup allows them to interact with guys and girls who they might not otherwise see.”
Tournaments spread throughout the fall semester will offer a variety of sports. Three-on-three basketball games are scheduled from Sept. 20 to 26. Due to club activities, HUD Cup will not be offered in October. It will resume in November with ultimate Frisbee (Nov. 2-6) and water polo (Nov. 16-19). These events are subject to change but will be current on the Student Association calendar in the Student Center. General details will be available at www.harding.edu/sa.
To participate, students form teams within their dorms and sign up through their Resident Assistant. Competition between dorm teams is strictly for fun, but there is an incentive for winning the most tournaments: a golden HUD Cup trophy, emblazoned with past winning dorms.
HUD Cup will only exist in fall because of scheduling conflicts in spring, ranging from Spring Sing, clubs and service organizations.
“We want to keep numbers up, and I think doing this in the fall semester is the best way for that to happen,” said senior Bryan Clifton, Student Association president.
HUD Cup originated in the 2004-2005 school year and lasted for three years. HUD Cup slowly dissolved as its organizational structure collapsed, so Clifton has given the Office of Student Life more tournament duties because of its stability. Clifton said having the Student Association solely spearhead HUD Cup would not be ideal, as the Student Association’s representatives change each year, bringing in new priorities that could exclude the tournaments.
“We decided to bring it [HUD Cup] back because it’s a good program that died off and needed to be resurrected,” Clifton said.
Geared towards incoming freshman, HUD Cup is hoped to be a catalyst for forming friendships that last throughout college, if not lifetimes.
“I hope the participants in HUD Cup walk away with a few friendships or use it at least as an ice breaker to allow them the potential to make friendships,” Bailey said.
