All hands on the Bison: it's all about strategy
Chris Pepple |
| Winner Taylor Sample (right) with his MacBook Pro. |
Wednesday night, one of the most celebrated events for Lipscomb students took place on campus and through the nearby neighborhood. The Running of the Bison began the festivities counting down to the Battle of the Boulevard, the 123nd meeting between Lipscomb and Belmont.
Hundreds of students gathered in Bison Square to join in the annual moving pep rally dubbed the Running of the Bison. Students gathered in the Square and then set off to run around the neighborhood, cheering all the way. Costumes, body paint and break dancing were just a few of the novelties to be seen in the crowd making its way from Caldwell to Lealand Lane to Maplehurst and back to campus.
The Running of the Bison ended with a new tradition: a game called “King of the Herd.” Students who participated in Running of the Bison had a chance to be chosen to play to win a Mac Book Pro. Numbers were chosen to select 15 students to put their hands on painted handprints on the Bison with the game beginning at 11:50 p.m. Whoever holds out the longest wins. As of 10:30 a.m., three students still had a hand on the Bison: Taylor Sample, Tyler Cothron and Daniel Smith.
Participants have no breaks at all (though some chose to wear diapers). They must drink water throughout the event to stay hydrated. They cannot sleep or sit. Some early dropouts chose to accept $100 and $200 gift cards to various locations if they removed their hand. Others left due to exhaustion and sore arms. One dropped out during a no talking period when he forgot and blurted out something in his tiredness.
All students still standing agreed it has been fun and are glad they are trying it, declaring that it’s all about the strategy.
Twelve hours later, at 11:50 a.m., three students remained: Tyler, Daniel and Taylor. Friends surrounded the trio cheering them on and offering encouragement. President Lowry stopped by to offer a 32-inch digital TV to the first person willing to remove a hand. Daniel took him up on the offer. Thirty minutes later, Tyler gave into the pressure and headed for rest and a bathroom break as Taylor wearily (but glad to be the winner) walked away with the Mac Book Pro.