May Day 2016: Fun and Fraternity
When I first came to Conception, I hadn’t participated in a Field Day (a day typically dedicated to playing as many sports as possible for as long as possible) since I was in 8th grade. So when the end of the academic year rolled around and I had the opportunity to compete in my first May Day, I was pretty pumped. I’ve always loved sports, and May Day provided the opportunity to enjoy a variety of different games with my brothers to close out the year. It was great to rejoice in fellowship and leisure with the friends I had made throughout the year, and to glorify God through sport and fraternity. May Day will always hold a special place in my memories of Conception.
This year I had the privilege of serving as the Blue Team Captain during my third and final May Day. For me, the day began a couple weeks before the actual events because the captains draft the teams that will compete. Cruz Gallegos, my Co-Captain, and I were pitted against the captains of the white team, senior Jon Hynek and junior Andrew Gaffney. After the draft, all of us were pretty excited and confident leading up to May Day.
The first event of the day was the Omnibus Race, a relay race that involved the entire school. It took a while and there were a few bumps along the way (a couple of guys decided to walk instead of run), but the White Team came out with the victory. The first event, along with two other events that required the entire student body’s participation, were worth the most points, so the day was off to a rough start for the Blue Team. However, that was quick to change. There were a number of races that our team did very well in, along with a Knocker Ball Soccer Game, new this year, that we won by the skin of our teeth. I didn’t participate in any of the knocker ball events, but it sure looked like a lot of fun watching.
The soccer game, my personal favorite event of the day, started off really well for us, as we scored within 30 seconds. It was a lead we never gave up, headed to a 4-1 victory. The morning ended with a schoolwide Bat Race, in which students spun around 10 times and then tried to run back to the starting line to tag their next teammate to go. This was hilarious to watch, but again, the White Team won, making the overall scores very close going into lunch.
The second half of the day, however, went the Blue Team’s way for the most part. We won the softball game, came back to win the basketball game in an absolute thriller, and came from behind again to win the indoor hockey game. The dodgeball game went our way as well, and we would have pulled off the team event sweep but we lost Ultimate Frisbee towards the end of the day. Finally, the Blue Team capped off the great day by winning the final all-school event, the Tug of War. The score turned out pretty lopsided after our impressive afternoon.
Overall May Day was a big success and we all had a blast. It was an honor and a privilege to serve as Captain of the Blue Team this year. I’m glad to have had the opportunity and it is something I’ll never forget. Just as Field Days helped to end the year on a great note during my middle school and junior high days, May Day brought my senior year at Conception to a wonderful conclusion.
