By Lucia Sacerdoti
TAMPA, Fla. — Student Productions is hosting a Spartan Olympics on Sunday, March 2, from 2-4 p.m. in Pepin Stadium.
The event, organized by Kyle Gianni, community engagement chair for Student Productions, aims to entertain by blending sports and entertainment while promoting student involvement.
“This event is bringing together a whole bunch of different clubs, and they’ll hopefully be competing against each other,” said Gianni. “Ultimately, it’s also a way for organizations to table and boost their own organizations.”
Gianni hopes this will be an annual event that Student Productions hosts with Campus Recreation, as both have similar goals, and this would be the perfect event to hold every year for students to get to know each other as well.
Games and Competitions
Students can expect a variety of team games such as cup stacking, test of the mind, relay, and dodgeball. These games are quick and require a lot of teamwork to see who the best team is.
In cup stacking, each team will be tasked with creating a perfect pyramid with 45 cups. Every member will be tasked with doing one row. If the cups get knocked over accidentally, they must keep going until they have used all 45 cups. There will be a referee navigating the teams at a time.
Test of the mind is a break from physical activity, offering a mental challenge.
“We’re going to have a huge crossword puzzle on different Tampa Bay and UT history,” said Gianni. “The top two chains out of those three activities will face off in a dodgeball match to determine the grand trophy winner.”
Gianni also encourages having spectators at the event to cheer on the teams, as they will need that while they are playing. Students are welcome to watch the students play and represent their team.
The competition will conclude with a dodgeball match, where the two final teams will battle for the Spartan Olympic championship. Gianni said this will be an event where he encourages students to have fun and make this a friendly competition.
Open Participation of School Spirit
“Although clubs are being specifically invited to come out and table and compete, anybody can come to this event,” said Gianni. “That’s a big thing I can emphasize. The games are designed to be fair to all different teams, not just sports clubs.”
Gianni hopes to make this event a tradition for students every year to increase the Spartan spirit in the university.
“A few years ago, there was a lack of school spirit, but it’s slowly coming back,” said Gianni. “We’re embracing the colors of the school and mascot in different events.”
He also said that this event is a good way to promote the different sports that UTampa provides on campus. Students can sign up to get involved and get to know them since there will be a lot of them tabling at the event. Students can gain knowledge and also participate in these games.
Upcoming Events
In addition to the Spartan Olympics, Gianni is planning several upcoming events, such as Spartan Speakeasy, a collaboration with the Center for Public Speaking on April 4 in the Rathskeller. Dress to Impress is an event in partnership with the volunteering organization Peace and is scheduled for April 10.
Gianni said he enjoys working with different organizations on campus to align with Student Productions’ goals of fostering partnerships, maintaining relationships, and bringing entertainment to campus.
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Photo courtesy of Student Productions.