by: Sloanne Petersen and Xypher Pino

The Student Government Association (SGA) at GC hosted the Greensboro College Winter Olympics on February 24, 2025 at the Reynolds Center. Featuring games such as bobsledding and a snowball fight, the event brought out the fun and competitive spirit among its participants, bringing in a similar energy as the real Olympics Games would. 

Former student body president Alex Trepper first started this tradition. Last spring, inspired by the coming Summer Olympics, he decided to create and organize a similar event to our campus, creating the GC Olympics. The event turned out to be a massive success, drawing one of the largest crowds ever seen at a GC event. Unlike the traditional Olympic Games, the GC Olympics put a fun and creative spin on the competition by featuring some non-traditional events, playing games such as red-light green-light and rock-paper-scissors. Introducing these lighthearted activities brought students together, allowing them to bond over friendly competition. 

Last year’s SGA group actively sought ways to connect the campus community together, ensuring that the enthusiasm generated by the event transplants into long-term engagement within the student body. Seeing the success that the previous SGA regime had with the GC Olympics, this year’s SGA decided to bring the event back this year, but this time with a slight twist. Instead of summer-themed games and hosting the event later in the semester, SGA created the Winter Olympics instead, featuring classic winter sports such as bobsledding and hockey. Of course, you had your unconventional events as well with the snowball fight, the pin the carrot on the snowman competition, hoop toss and shadow boxing. 

Participants had a blast playing these winter-themed games, even though most of the games were a play on what they would be like if played in the actual Olympics. Due to weather and location limitations, SGA had to be creative. For example, for the hockey game, though there were real pucks and sticks, scooters were also used to mimic the limitation of movement. Participants still enjoyed the games, and the event still created that friendly yet competitive atmosphere. 

The snowball fight was the first game of the Olympics, which was just a traditional dodgeball fight. It was a semi-free-for-all competition until there were six people left. From there, everyone watched as one-on-one’s were held. After an intense competition, junior Lily Herr came up on top and won the first gold medal of the night. When asked how it feels to be an Olympic Champion, Herr stated, “I do not know how I won, but it feels amazing to be a winner!” 

Another great game in these Olympics was the bobsledding race, featuring a track made using cones and scooters as sleds. This was a two-person game: whichever pair made it to the finish line as fast as possible was the winner of this competition. After many hilarious falls and close finishes from many participants, Ziere Ray finished the track in 15 seconds, earning gold convincingly. 

The most anticipated game of the GC Winter Olympics was unsurprisingly the shadow boxing match. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this game, it is a one-on-one game where the goal is not to look at the direction in which your opponent points. If your opponent catches you looking the same direction three times in a row, then you are defeated. Many students at GC claim to be the best shadow boxer on campus, and this was the time to determine the ultimate champion. After many intense matchups and close victories, freshman Chu Hemmingway came up on top with the gold medal. 

Some of the former Olympic champions from last year’s Olympics came by to claim more gold medals. Jarell Thomas, the gold medalist winner during last year’s red-light green-light competition, had this to say about this year’s Olympics, “The event was great, even though I did not get a medal. Sometimes you cannot win it all, and you just have to accept it. I came to compete and have fun, that is all I can ask for. Mark my words though, I will win next year.” 

Expect to see the GC Olympics as a yearly tradition now, with new sports added each year as participation continues to grow. If you missed the Winter Olympics, do not worry as SGA has already promised to host the Summer Olympics, set to take place this coming April. With an ever-expanding lineup of games and activities, the GC Olympics are on track to become one of the most anticipated annual events on campus. Furthermore, students will also be able to represent a country of their choosing and get a chance to show their culture. Whether you are competing, cheering on friends, or simply enjoying the energy of the event, there is a place for everyone at the Greensboro College Olympics.