By Melissa McCutchan

CIU Student Writer

I was in the middle of chaos, covered in blue paint and green powder, some of which had crept into my mouth. That was Saturday. Three days later, I’m still finding paint in my hair. 

This can only mean one thing: the annual Sadie Hawkins Throwdown, a unique and high-energy competition hosted by the CIU Student Union.

The zany and energetic event begins with a pair of female students asking a pair of male students to join them as a team. These groups of four don silly costumes, white T-shirts, and head to the recreation field for a series of diverse and creative games.

One of my friends called it a colorful Hunger Games.  

This year’s games were fun and competitive, and included jousting with paint-covered pool noodles, an enormous game of Jenga, and a surprisingly competitive game of musical chairs. At the end of each station, the leaders of the station threw colored powder on the competitors, which quickly turned both the field and the competitors into a colorful mess. 

Still, I found myself running and laughing as I competed alongside three good friends. None of us were very competitive, but we managed to pop a few balloons, cover our opponents in paint, and take home third place in an intense round of tug of war.

When the time came for the championship round, only four groups remained. (Not too surprisingly, my group was eliminated.) The championship game was a wacky combination of Dodge ball and 52-Card Pickup, in which competitors ran back and forth collecting as many playing cards as they could, while throwing paint-covered sponge balls at the other side in an attempt to send one of their opponents back to the starting line.

Students bonded over the fun and messiness of the Sadie Hawkins Throwdown. The paint still in our hair and on our clothes, are reminders of a fun and messy evening at CIU.  

Check out Melissa McCutchan's Sadie Hawkins photos at CIU's Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ciuimpact/sets/