Field Day is one of the rare instances where athleticism meets Community High. At a school where the closest thing to varsity sports is the ultimate frisbee team, it’s unexpected that forums should gear up in matching shirts and war paint, ready for the day’s events and hungry for competition. Nevertheless, that was the atmosphere when the procession of big, yellow school buses dumped the CHS student body at Delhi Park on Friday, May 24.

This annual event at Community embodies the school’s dedication to uniqueness, creativity, and school unity. Students bond with their forums and come together with an amazing show of enthusiasm, support, and togetherness. Freshman Hannah Tschirhart commented on her very first field day, “It made me really, really, really love Community because no other high schools do this and it’s a really special place.”

Forums compete as a team in most of the day’s events, the most prestigious being the tug-of-war tournament. Teams compete in a knockout bracket, going head-to-head until two forums compete in the finals. This year the Kulka and Stapleton forums were the last ones standing. They battled for the trophy but were more than anything fighting for honor.

As some of the more serious tuggers, both teams warmed up on the sidelines. Members from each side sported cleats and gloves to increase grip, hoping to gain any advantage they could.

Neither forum was a rookie on the field. Both teams have won the title of tug-of-war champion in the past, even playing in the finals against each other in recent years. The Stapleton forum boasted their winning track record, expecting a simple win this year. They modeled their shirt design after the Staples logo, using their slogan “that was easy.” The Kulka forum stepped up to the line and was backed by the support of many classmates who have lost to the the Stapleton forum in the past. “Kulka” was chanted to the beat of pumping fists and clapping hands, almost the entire school rooting for the ‘underdog’. “It was a great feeling,” said Karl Gage, a sophomore in the Kulka forum.

A long, brutal tug decided the winner. Cleats dug into the dirt, faces twisted into expressions of pain and determination, but eventually the Kulka forum pulled home the win. The crowd erupted into a roaring cheer. The school went crazy as they celebrated the exciting win. “Our seniors beat Stapleton their freshman year so they got to beat them again in the finals,” said Gage. The makeshift bowling-turned-tug-of-war trophy was ceremoniously passed from last year’s winners, the Landrum forum, to this year’s champions. The Stapleton forum, not one to be disregarded, reminds everyone of their slightly less notable win in this year’s other team event, the 8-person relay.

Off the field, students were able to hang out, chat, and eat in a more relaxed atmosphere. Students and teachers huddled around grills, sharing food and blankets to ward off the cold. Forums intermingled in soccer and volleyball games.

CHS teacher Courtney Kiley has the annual honor of facilitating Field Day. “My job is just to help run the tug of war and set up the cones and plan out the relay race and just keep kids engaged in sports and fun,” said Kiley. She considered this year’s field day a success. “If you got out in the sun and started moving around it was fun. And the kids all looked like they were having a good time,” said Kiley. “It was really fun…It’s just eating good food and being with all the people that I get to work with… and then I get to play soccer and act like a kid.”

Marie Jacobson, an optimistic member of the Mcgraw forum, said after her first tug-of-war competition, “It made me excited for next year’s field day, when I will be more prepared for the tug-of-war. We’ll crush ‘em next year!” This silly and competitive attitude is what Kiley values most about field day. She commented, “It’s fun to see kids bonding with their forums and running around and acting goofy like kids.