For a few hours, Cavaliers in media publications had the chance to contend through various events covered in the colors of their school. On Feb. 23, at 12 p.m., Coral Gables Senior High School’s publications and Speech and Debate team competed on the field, in an attempt to prove who was the most spirited and deserving of the Field Day winner. Through a series of eight athletic games that required student collaboration, publications demonstrated their collective pride.
Following first lunch, publication members assembled in their adviser’s room to cover themselves in the hues of their school. Each publication dressed in their designated color: CavsConnect in red, Cavaleon and Catharsis in white, CavsTV and Highlights in black and Speech and Debate in green. As publications confidently marched to the field, students chanted energetically, showcasing their banners and signs as they promoted their literary outlets.
Once all six groups accumulated on the field, four Quill and Scroll board representatives welcomed the collection of students and introduced them to the competition schedule. They further elaborated on the rules and the awards to be won; one publication would be deemed the Most Spirited and another the Field Day winner for consolidating the most points during the games.
The contest began with a game of musical chairs containing two students per publication. As their team cheered them on, participating students circled about the row of chairs. Pairs of students were quickly eliminated as the game progressed, leaving the last two students from Catharsis and Highlights to circle around the final chair. Highlights won the first game, setting a competitive tone for the following events.
The hula-hoop and egg drop races both required 10 students to individually race with a limiting factor. The first was to balance a hula-hoop while racing and the second was to keep a ping-pong ball inside the small depression of a plastic spoon while racing. Students walked rapidly from their teams to a cone indicating reversal and back. Teams were awarded points based on the speed at which all 10 participants returned to the starting point.
“Every year I participate in the balancing games to support Catharsis. I’ve hula-hooped since I was a kid and its always come easy to me, so I just use my skills to out-pace my competitors. The fun at Field Day is competing with others and then beating them,” junior Caitlin Savage said.
Spirited and competitive fervor intensified as students lined up for the three-legged race. Students grouped in pairs and merged one of each of their legs with a velcro strap. Couples leaped across the field as they attempted to collectively run; some became disconnected from their partners as their velcro strap unfastened, forcing them to stop and re-tie. Cavaleon was deemed winner once their five duos returned to their starting line.
After a quick water break, students hurried back to their activities. Each publication attempted to acquire their 15 tallest students who would perform the best in the hurdle game. These students lined up and locked hands through each other’s legs to form a caterpillar. The students then raced across an area, before having to walk over a hurdle without letting go and then travel back.
With the next game also requiring students locking arms, the publications gathered 10 students. For this round, students passed the hula hoops down the row while holding on to each other’s hands, on a time crunch.
Following the two team-oriented games was the water ballon toss, where only two people from each publication could compete. They were sent to stand facing each other. After every toss, the teams would take a step backwards. The game came down to the wire as CavsConnect and CavsTV were the last two remaining. The last throw resulted in a splash for CavsConnect as CavsTV walked away with the victory.
“I think Field Day created an energizing and motivating environment where I could compete with my friends. I participated in all games involving hula-hoops and had lots of fun. I hope there is even more games next year,” freshman Maria Ardilla said.
An anticipated event then began to commence as the six teams were split into three separate races for the track race consisting of four people collectively working together, running 100 meters each. The teammates handed off a baton after completing their portion of the race in a hurry. Each team was allowed to choose two boys and two girls to run the race but could decide in what order to put them.
“I played a role in the set-up of Field Day and I was so happy to see it all come together. I participated in all the relay games and helped my team orchestrate a good ‘line up.’ More than anything, seeing CavsTV win Field Day was so exciting and rewarding considering the effort we put into the event,” freshman Vivian Pritchett said.
The first race consisted of Catharsis and Speech and Debate, who both chose the same line up of boys and girls. The race was tight all the way through with each person staying relatively close until the final section, where Speech & Debate earned the victory.
Much like the previous one, the second race consisted of CavsConnect and Highlights, who were crammed together the whole way through, until the final runners received the baton seconds apart. Both the boys were track athletes, but senior Juan Fajardo pulled off the victory for his publication.
The final race contained CavsTV and Cavaleon. Cavaleon started the race strong but in the final sprint, CavsTV pulled off the unpredictable comeback as they triumphed. This race had the fastest times of the day.
“For me, Cavaleon is more than just a club, it’s a group of close friends that changed my sophomore year and helped me establish new social connections. I was proud to represent Yearbook on the track in the four by one relay race, securing second overall. Achieving Most Spirited was really surprising and fulfilling after all the hard work Cavaleon has been doing this year,” sophomore Linus Boettcher said.
Throughout the event, the publications performed many chants and cheers personalized to their publication competing for the most spirited publication award. Once all the events were finalized, the announcement was made that CavsTV had taken home the field day victory including a trophy. Sharing the success, Cavaleon was declared the most spirited publication throughout the events. All teams that participated in Field Day were a part of Gables’ journalism community, split up for a friendly competition in an afternoon of rivalry.
