I may just be the only Big Green student to reach her junior year without having ever experienced the glorious event that is Homecoming -- the colossal bonfire on the Green and the innocent freshmen circling the fire to the whoops and hollers of upperclassmen, townies and looming Safety and Security officials posed next to their trusty bikes.
As a freshman, I was stuck in a hotel room in Colorado (long story). My sophomore year, I spent homecoming in Dick's House, being attended to by a male nurse while I slowly deteriorated from some mutant version of the avian flu. As if being bedridden wasn't bad enough, I could hear the jubilant crowd through my window. I awoke to yells each time Safety and Security brought back another drunken fool who thought touching the fire was a good idea. A note to freshmen: if you get sick over Homecoming, you're better off sleeping in the 1902 Room than Dick's House -- you may end up with a belligerent roommate who spends the night trying to convince Officer Willy that the handle of vodka he was carrying was really Keggy the Keg's.
I felt miserably sorry for myself as I lay on my cot in good old D's House that weekend, but my friends still tell me I didn't miss much. Sure enough, most upperclassmen I've spoken with about homecoming maintain that it is their least favorite of the "big weekends" and that the hype exceeds the fun. But I remain unconvinced.
Could it be that their blas attitude simply stems from creeping upper-class cynicism about celebrations in general? I decided to see what current freshmen had to say in anticipation of this annual Fall tradition. To my enjoyment, I found that the opinions of unenthused upper-classmen had failed to dampen the spirits of the '10's.
Adam Bledsoe '10, for one, has high expectations.
"I heard that Homecoming is supposed to be pretty crazy and I'm really looking forward to it. I guess I expect lots of Keystone, parties and people getting wild, and I want to get wild too! I hope it's as great as everyone says it is," Bledsoe said.
Considering what I have heard from upperclassmen, I am not sure everyone would agree with Adam. But he is excited for "Tens Gone Wild," and that's all that matters.
Akosua Osei-Bobie '10 is as confident as Adam that Homecoming will be quite the weekend.
"I'm really looking forward to buying a T-shirt, going to the football game and all the other events that come with it," she said.
Chief among the many events enticing to first-years is, of course, the bonfire. The potential risks and verbal abuse that come with this event don't seem to have a hold on the minds of freshmen.
"Running around the bonfire 110 times seems a little exhausting, but I'm still looking forward to it," Osei-Bobie said.
Lindley Gray '10, whose parents both went to Dartmouth, said she can't wait for the bonfire, despite what she has heard about upperclassmen purposely trying to get freshmen to run the wrong the way. Gray said she was looking forward to the bonfire even before being admitted to Dartmouth. Hearing students like Gray express such dedication to Dartmouth's traditions really makes me regret getting on that plane to Colorado. Hanover's mountains are prettier anyways. Screw the Rocky's.
Maria Vishnevskiy '10 also expressed her eagerness despite the obvious safety concerns.
"Basically, I'm pretty excited to run around the bonfire and try not to get trampled," she said.
These freshmen are fearless.
Though not a freshman, Alexandra Agius '09, a transfer student from NYU, is as pumped for homecoming as all the '10's are.
"I don't think that NYU has a homecoming, and if they do, it isn't a big deal, because I never heard anything about it" Agius said.
If Agius didn't hear about it, it was obviously nbd.
"Before coming to Dartmouth I never went to a school with a football team or any school spirit, I have no idea what to expect, but I heard that there will be a bonfire and a bunch of parties, which sounds like a lot of fun," Agius added.
I'm not sure our football team will be any more thrilling than not having a football team at all, but that's besides the point. (Low blow, I know. Everyone does it. I'm sorry.)
Anyhow, it was refreshing to find that the apathy of upperclassmen had not trickled down to the '10's. No freshman I interviewed seemed to have any inkling that their elder counterparts felt homecoming was "overrated" or borderline "blah".
And that's the way it should be.
Homecoming is a weekend that, at its essence, truly celebrates one particular class. It's about the bonfire and the freshmen running around it, while the rest of us nostalgically watch and remember. (Obviously I am not included in that group since I have no memories of homecoming to date, but I am most definitely an anomaly).
I think that we all wish we could be freshmen again. if not year-round, most certainly during Homecoming. So if you see me pretending I'm a '10 this Friday, join me. You know you want to.
