It’s Muddy. It’s Mesmerizing. It’s “More” fun than some can handle. It’s May at BC…it’s MUDSTOCK!
Mudstock: A recent BC tradition where students, on the last day of classes, engage in a volleyball tournament in the mud for the envied title of “Mudstock Champions.” At a clean-cut school like BC, you may wonder how a recent staple to end the year came about. Well, I had the opportunity to interview UGBC’s Executive Director of Campus Entertainment to learn more about this fun event that teams go to desperate measures to become a part of.
Who started the Mudstock tradition and when?
Mudstock was the brainchild of Chris Denice, CSOM ’09, who was the UGBC President at the time.
Why was Mudstock started? Was it based off of another tradition?
Chris had heard from a friend about Oozeball at UConn, which is also a mud volleyball tournament, and it inspired him to bring a similar tradition to BC.
Volleyball in the mud…why?
Why not? It’s fun. The fact that BC is a pretty clean cut campus isn’t a new concept. Gotta get those J. Crew polos dirty every once in a while, no?
What are the “rules” of Mudstock? Can you compete more than once? Is it mostly juniors and seniors competing?
I could show you the 5 page Rules and Regulations sheet, but I doubt you’re interested in that. It’s a single-elimination mud volleyball tournament with 6 people on the court (3 guys an 3 girls) at all times. You can compete every year, but we reserve the first 32 slots for Seniors so that they have a fair chance of getting to compete at least once while at BC.
Why do you think competing in Mudstock is such a coveted experience for BC students? Why are so many willing to wait in line to submit their team? Do you know of anyone who has gone to desperate measures to play?
BC is a work hard, play hard campus. After all of the time spent in the library, I think students get really excited to let loose and have a good time, especially to celebrate the last day of classes and get in some last minute fun before finals take over. Last year, the first team arrived in Campanella around 3:30 am to register. I’d say that’s a pretty desperate measure.
Any interesting anecdotes about intense matches?
The later rounds always get intense. One time we had a dispute on the last serve and everyone was yelling and waiting for the ref to make a call, which never came. He just pointed to a team and said “they win.” The other team wasn’t happy, to say the least, but it led to a lot of laughs which is the point of the event anyway.
When is Mudstock this year? How many teams will compete? What is the prize for the winner?
Mudstock is the May 3rd, the last day of classes. 64 teams will compete. We’re still working on solidifying a prize. The first two years we did “Mudstock Champion” mugs and last year we did “Mudstock Champion” beach towels.
What is your favorite aspect of Mudstock?
Just watching people have a blast. It’s a stressful event to plan but when the first team gets out there and is playing in the mud and having a good time, it makes it all worth it.
Day of Mudstock…what is your role? How do you prepare?
Other than running around like a chicken with my head cut off? There’s a lot of preparation that goes into it, from making brackets to ensuring waivers are filled out to dealing with the 9,742 requests to switch game times or make roster changes. We prepare by just trying to be as organized as possible to deal with anything that’s thrown at us day off. Brian Lindo will be running the event this year, which I’m very excited about. He’s a stud…you should consider doing a Her Campus profile on him. Just sayin’.
Mike’s overall message to BC about Mudstock is simple enough, “It’s one of the most recent traditions to become a staple here at BC and I hope that everyone continues to get excited about it and enjoy it as much as possible.”
So recruit your times and get ready to get dirty because as our semester comes to a close, the hype for Mudstock is just beginning! Even if you aren’t playing it’s a sight to see, so make your way down to Edmonds lot on the last day of classes as you see your fellow clean-cut classmates turn in competitive barbarians!
For more information, check out the Facebook Event page here: http://www.facebook.com/events/225491804224080/.
Photo Sources
http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-ash2/71095_72438862304_7333229_n.jpg
http://bcgavel.com/2011/05/05/snapshots-of-mudstock/