Posted by Elizabeth Hopkins
Community members coalesced Saturday at the Williamson Athletic Center in anticipation of the Big Green Scream. The event merged Skidmore athletics with a theme of sustainability, and attracted diverse attendance from young and old alike.
The women's game began at 2 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 p.m.
A table manned by Skidmore athletes greeted attendees as they entered the building. Students collected raffle tickets for a free 32-inch flat screen television to be given away during half time of the men's game.
At the same table, free green t-shirts and tote bags were promised to the first 250 people who attended the games.
As visitors proceeded down the hallway toward the gym, in which the games were held, a gentleman selling laminated action shots of Skidmore athletes displayed an array of photographs on a table. The women's field hockey team gave away free tattoos of a green and white horseshoe, in the spirit of Skidmore's mascot. The women's lacrosse team sold concessions, including pizza, candy and soda, with proceeds going to their team.
Skidmore's Sustainability Representatives sold popcorn next to a solar cart intended to heat the machine, although the cart did not generate enough power.
Nearby, children in attendance of the games learned how to plant seeds. S-Reps provided each child with an individual pot and the option of choosing what kind of plant they wished to grow. Basil, lettuce and parsley were among the kitchen herbs and vegetables available to take home as a living souvenir of the eco-friendly event.
Both games attracted large, enthusiastic crowds. The women's game finished with a victory of 50-37 against Union College, while the men's team suffered a loss of 75-82 to Union.
A volunteer read entertaining, environmentally themed trivia questions throughout the games, including questions like: "How many buildings on campus are heated by Geothermal [energy]?" The answer was eleven.
The men's game featured an entertaining half-time show organized by the S-Reps and the Office of Residential Life. A few representatives from each dorm competed in a brief relay race, in which the teams had to wheelbarrow a fellow student to the half-point line and successfully recycle one bottle, can and piece of paper before returning to the starting line. Participants then climbed on each other's backs and attempted to shoot a basketball into the hoop during the second half of the relay.
Overall, the Big Green Scream found great success within the community. Basketball fans, families, students, and faculty came out to support athletics, sustainability and creativity at Skidmore.
Rebecca Morofsky '15, commented, "I would like to see more events like this so that maybe the blue-side, red-side mentality [at Skidmore] would disappear."