About 200 fraternity members from 11 Greek houses competed Sunday in the InterFraternity Council Olympics, an alcohol-free afternoon of cross-fraternity competition.
IFC President Jonah Sonnenborn said the olympics were part of an effort to draw the houses together in a non-alcoholic sporting event.
Almost all active houses participated in at least one event, and the final round of events -- such as the championship arm wrestling match, hot dog eating contest and keg toss -- drew many curious non-Greek spectators.
"One of the greatest achievements of the event was that the friendly rivalry and competition between the houses stayed friendly," Sonnenborn said. "It was nice to see an environment that encouraged unity not only among brothers but among all of the houses."
"The activities today proved that Greek members do not just sit in their own basements every day refusing to interact with other houses," he said.
Gamma Delta Chi fraternity captured the IFC Olympics title, winning a $110 cash prize -- taken from the $10 donation from each house.
Alpha Delta fraternity took second place, and Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity placed third.
The 10 events -- a 4 x 400 relay race, arm wrestling competition, basketball match, canoe race, hot dog eating contest, keg toss, softball toss, tug of war, volleyball match and whiffleball match -- were held at Alpha Delta fraternity, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Ledyard Canoe Club, Memorial Field Track, Sachem Field and the West Gym.
While competing members may have focused their attention on winning their individual event, the overall goal of the olympics was to promote positive fraternity events, IFC members said.
"It's important that we could put on a successful event that gives some credibility to the Greek system," IFC Programming Chair Christopher Chang '99 said.
"With all of the negative press and scrutiny the system has received this year, we wanted to demonstrate that the Greek system is capable of organizing a fun well-attended non-alcoholic event that was free of the usual attitudes that accompany fraternity events," he added.
"I think the IFC did a great job in getting members of all the houses together and allowing them to interact in a less-organized, more fun forum," Seth Kelly '99, president of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity, said.
The only minor glitch that occurred during the events was a mix-up in the canoe race which resulted in all competing teams turning around early and disqualifying themselves.
As a result, Sigma Nu fraternity and Gamma Delt were the only two squads to successfully finish the race.
Grant Kernan '99 said the entire IFC "worked pretty hard and made sure things were organized."
"Plus, the individual houses, such as Kappa with the volleyball courts, were very helpful in helping out when we needed it," he said.
At the conclusion of the IFC Olympics, 200 fraternity members stood together in the rain on the Alpha Delta fraternity lawn watching their brothers toss a black keg through the air, then gathered inside AD for a hot dog eating contest, which was won by Brad Bingham '99.
"Winning the hot dog eating contest was a euphoric moment in my life that will not soon be forgotten," Bingham said, emphasizing the event's spirit of friendly competition.
Concluding the afternoon's events was a barbecue at Alpha Delta fraternity where over 150 hamburgers and 300 hot dogs were consumed by competitors and onlookers weary from the day's activities.
The olympics were the first of four planned programming events organized by the IFC for this summer, Sonnenborn said.
Future events may include a paintball tournament, a carwash for charity co-sponsored with the Panhellenic council, the governing body of the College's seven Panhellenic sororities, and a day of community service.
