Patrick O’Grady
      Staff Writer

Anyone in the Student Recreation Center this past weekend may have noticed a sumo-wrestling contest happening on the basketball courts. The event ran from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Those running the event made sure that everyone who showed up got a turn in the sumo suits. This was an event put on by the Campus Activities Board, also known as CAB. There was free food, a DJ and sumo-wrestling fun to be had by all. The students that attended the event thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The event was setup up on the far left end basketball court in the Student Rec Center and was easily accessible with clear signs posted for those wishing to attend. “We book through a vendor who has the suits. Basically, how it works is the students get in the suits and they battle it out to see who can win the match,” said Cidney, a junior who works for the Campus Activities Board. Cidney also said that they were expecting perhaps 100 people at the event, with the possibility of even more students showing up as word of the event spread across campus.

Upon entering the gym, there was music playing courtesy of the DJ and free food along the side of the court. The food consisted of basic snack items like trail mix and chips. Drinks like water and lemonade were also provided for students attending the event. At the beginning of the event, there was a sizeable crowd gathering with more and more people signing up to participate by the minute. The setup included two sumo suits complete with a protective helmet, gloves and the sumo get-up itself, as well as a soft mat placed on the floor of the basketball court. There were two CAB employees supervising the matches.

Matches consisted of the two contestants charging at each other while wearing the sumo suits with the objective being to pin the opponent. The sumo suits themselves were cumbersome at approximately five feet across. Contestants could be seen waddling at one another attempting a takedown. There were two CAB employees keeping track of which contestants pinned whom, and the first contestant to rack up a certain number of points by getting their opponent on the ground would be declared the winner of that match.

“I’ve always wanted to be in a fat suit,” remarked Ellie, a freshman, with a laugh. Ellie showed up to the event with a group of friends who attended the event with the desire to wrestle each other. Ellie also said she attends a lot of other CAB events and said that these events are a great way to meet new people.

“CAB always has really fun events, and I came here today to wrestle my friend Ellie,” noted Shannon, who is also a freshman. Shannon said “the food is always pretty good and the events are almost always on campus.” She also said the events are usually free and she likes going to the movies that CAB hosts. These movies are free and are hosted in convenient locations around campus, mostly in the Elliot University Center, known to many students as the EUC.

The Campus Activities Board holds many of these fun events throughout the year. For example, this Friday, CAB will host a Madden 2016 video game tournament. Students will have the opportunity to play one another in the football-themed game. Tailgate food will be available, as will other fun events for those not playing, like sports trivia and charades. Also on Friday, CAB will be hosting a movie in the EUC Maple Room. The movie will be Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the movie will begin at 7:00. The event should wrap up around 10 p.m.

More information about events being hosted by the Campus Activities Board can be found on the Campus Activities and Programs website.