The Mount Vernon Campus will begin hosting its own annual version of Harry Potter’s House Cup this spring – without the flying on broomsticks – in order to foster a better sense of community and create competition among residents.
The Vern Cup, which is being hosted by the Sports and Recreation Committee of the Mount Vernon Programming Council, will begin April 18 and consist of 10 days of competitions, including a cooking contest, a decorating competition and an eating contest. Points will be awarded to the several different teams based on different tasks, and they will accumulate until the winning team is announced April 29.
“Hogwarts has nothing on the Vern Cup,” said Claire Carpenter, Sports and Recreation Committee co-chair, referring to the school for magicians in the Harry Potter book series.
The event will kick off at the Mount Vernon Pub, and although it is geared to those living on the campus for logistical reasons, any interested GW student is welcome to participate, Carpenter said.
She said it is not necessary for participants to come with a team in mind because they will be formed by the students who sign up for the event on the first day of the competition. The spots for each team will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, with captains selected on a volunteer basis.
“There is a lot of excitement that will come with the choosing of the teams because rivalries have been forming since the first semester,” said freshman Puataunofo Tulafono, a resident of Somers Hall.
Several students on the Mount Vernon Campus who have heard about the event said they were enthusiastic about participating.
“I’ve seen lots of advertisements and it looks awesome,” freshman Catherine Wrisley of Somers Hall said.
Others, however, said that the event may not be as big as the committee hopes. Freshman Spencer Barnes, a resident of Merriweather Hall, said he was skeptical at the first mention of the Cup but thinks it could develop into a fun annual activity on the campus.
“It definitely has potential, and though I don’t know if it will be as exciting as the committee expects, it really could be a great time,” he said.
