Shouts echoed through Delhi Metropark as the annual competition of tug-of-war finally came to an end after a fierce stand off between two of CHS’ forums: The Kiley Forum to the north and the Johnson Forum to the south. Anna Straka, a freshman and member of the Kiley Forum, had a memorable time on May 23., especially since she and her forum won the tug-of-war competition. This was the Kiley Forum’s first tug-of-war victory in three years, claimed Straka, and while they were hopeful for a victory, it still came as a surprise.
“I’d say the last round was definitely the hardest,’ Straka said “There was this one moment where we started to be pulled forward, and I was a little nervous because that was the first time I had ever felt a resistance from the other side, like a strong one. But we kept fighting, and eventually we got it.”
The Kiley Forum’s win was won amidst multiple major upsets: The Eldon and Yager forums, who traditionally perform well, did not advance past their opening round. However, the Hunscher-Young forum, the forum of CHS’ social studies teacher and CR monitor Joslyn Hunscher-Young, advanced to the second round after beating the McCormick Forum. For Hunscher-Young forum senior Sebestain Berenfeld, it was a major victory.
“Going in, I thought, dang, we’re gonna lose,” Berenfeld said. “Then I got wind of who our opponent was. It was the McCormick Forum. I didn’t get my hopes up, because it can end up in a disaster. But as I was actually lining up for tug-of-war, I thought, ‘We’re gonna win. No matter what, we’re gonna win.’”
Though before there can be a winner, every Field Day first starts off at CHS with forums assembling until they depart in 11 school buses at 9 a.m.; before that, students prepare for the day, waiting on CHS’ back lawn playing games, chatting or putting on eye black. Upon their arrival, all forums gathered and assembled their supplies, including food and beverages, until forums started to warm up for tug-of-war.
After the Kiley Forum posed with their new trophy, forums began eating their lunches. Smoke curled into the sky from the Eldon and Vial Forums’ grills, as they were grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, while other forums brought foods like chips, sandwiches and pizza, which remained available throughout the rest of Field Day. However, the break faded quickly with the next competition’s advent: the relay race. Orange cones were laid out and six students from each forum were prepared to represent their forums once again.
The relay race placed forums into four heats. Each heat would send a winner to the final round that would determine the final champion. Teams ran across the field around their prospective orange cone and raced back, handing a baton to the next racer. However, mishaps still happened: people fell, shoes flew off, batons were dropped.
In four opening heats, the Hunscher-Young Forum, Johnson Forum, Crabtree Forum and Silvester Forum advanced to the final heat. The Silvester Forum pulled ahead to win first place, followed by Johnson, Hunscher-Young and then Crabtree. The Silvester Forum held their title in the relay race, as they won the competition last year, too.
A different option for students to participate in the one mile run. Students completing a mile followed a concrete path that looped around a fraction of Delhi Metropark. Two laps were required to reach the full mile. Students and staff alike all ran the mile, and many others were cheering on their classmates and teachers from the sidelines. Many students also participated in capture the flag, a tradition which pits upperclassmen against lower classmen.
After all students safely returned to CHS and dispersed amongst the school or went home, a final circle on CHS’ back lawn could be found made up of students of all grades celebrating the seniors’ final moments at CHS. Students were signing each other’s yearbooks and began singing “Count On You” while resting their arms on each other’s shoulders.
