FRIENDSHIP GAMES A SUCCESS!
Mar 14, 2009 at 02:30 PM
If you weren’t at McNalley Field on Saturday afternoon, March 14, 2009 you missed out on a great time of food, fellowship, and fun! Maharlika, Biola’s Filipino Club, hosted its first ever “Friendship Games,” in which Biola’s ethnic clubs and members of the International Student Association were invited to come together for a time of friendly competition and bonding between student groups.
According to Maharlika Co-President, AmyEstelle Soldevilla, the purpose of the day’s activities was to encourage teamwork between club members within their respective clubs, in addition to creating friendships between the different clubs.
Encouraging fellowship it did, through a series of games that left participants wet, tired, and laughing.
The first game of the day honored a Filipino tradition, in which an eggplant tied to the waist was used to move balls across the field in a relay race. “Alpine Green” followed with students racing while tethered to a set of “skiis.” The skiis, long wooden slabs with straps, were tied to the feet of three team members, requiring a great deal of communication and coordination between players. Competitions continued throughout the afternoon, with teams exchanging players, water wars, and laughs.
Black Student Association (BSA) President, Cameron McClellan, said he appreciated the Friendship Games. “Activities like this are important for bridging the gap between ethnic clubs on campus and educating others about our cultural traditions.” McClellan, a Biola junior, is new to BSA leadership and has many goals for his club, including outreach with other clubs and motivating his members to take advantage of the “family” created through BSA.
Soldevilla’s Co-President, Ernest Cabrera, reiterated Maharlika’s intent to bring unity through such events, broadening student perspectives of different cultures. “It’s fun watching everyone interact in a new environment,” he commented. “This is a good thing.”
Maharlika’s Friendship Games offered a great lesson in fellowship for every Biola student: As a student body, we have many differences, backgrounds and cultural traditions to bring to the table. But at the end of the day, we’re brothers and sisters in Christ and this unity should be celebrated above all.
By: AS Club Chair, Jessica Hofer Wilkinson
Photos By: Ivan Chen.