On the night of my freshman Homecoming, decked out in my Dartmouth '09 shirt and matching green face-paint, I waited anxiously outside as the massive crowd of other '09s approached my dorm. I could hear and feel the energy in the cold before we even left the Choates. I remember thinking that this was our time, the time that we would truly become part of the Dartmouth community. That it was our time to participate in a tradition that every class before and since has and will be a part of. And '12s, this is your time to participate.
112 laps, 112 opportunities for you to show your Dartmouth pride.
Homecoming makes you feel like a part of Dartmouth like no other experience will. DOC trips may have welcomed you here, and I am sure that you have enjoyed your classes (unless they are 9Ls), but ultimately it is Homecoming that will make you feel completely connected to Dartmouth.
When you explain your Dartmouth experience to your friends or even your grandchildren, you will inevitably talk about how unique the Big Green is. There's no place like Dartmouth. So much makes our college unique. There's no other place with its own unique language of Blitz, and self-call and FoCo. There's no other place where walking around in neon spandex and an '80s prom dress or a Teletubbie suit seems normal. There's no other place that provides so many opportunities to be yourself, and there's definitely no place where anything remotely resembling our Homecoming would be legal (thanks, H-Po and S&S!). While you may not relay some of the quirky aspects of our community, you will certainly tell others about Homecoming.
What makes Dartmouth unique, more than anything, are its traditions. Tradition is what brings a community together, and if there's anything that Dartmouth prides itself on, it's the connections that we make here through these traditions when we all gather together.
Three years have passed and two more classes have run around the fire, but Homecoming always reminds me of how special Dartmouth is to me. Last fall, I found myself sitting outside the bonfire, roasting EBAs slices, singing the Alma Mater and reminiscing with my '09 friends about how our individual paths may differ, but how Dartmouth and our class year would always keep us connected. How at our Homecoming, we spent hours preparing -- buying just the right green socks, and just the right green (non-alcoholic, of course) drinks. How we went to a dozen different places the night of the bonfire, but we all still got together at the beginning and the end of our nights. How the pictures of us running around the fire stayed up in our rooms for weeks after the event and how we already looked forward to the next year's Homecoming.
Running around the bonfire was one of the most exhilarating, yet terrifying, moments of my Dartmouth career. As we were led to the Green, I grabbed my 4'11" and 6'1'' roommates' shoulders in excitement, and suddenly we burst into the fire circle. We started to run. We didn't know why, we didn't know what to do, but we ran. It was pandemonium. I made the mistake of running on the outside, only to have upperclassmen yelling "worst class ever" and "touch the fire!" at me as they pushed us towards the center. Maybe they were successful because moments later, I felt like my face was on fire. It may seem like upperclassmen really think you are the worst class ever. But, as a friend of mine once said, "we're only doing this because we love you." Time flies by here surprisingly fast, and we only wish we could be back in your shoes running around the bonfire again.
After I only ran an astounding 10 laps (nine plus one for luck!), I decided to step out and watched my fellow freshmen run. At the time I thought they were crazy, but looking back I sometimes wish that I had endured the marathon 109 laps around the bonfire with my class. So I urge you to be more daring than me and run all 112 laps (and touch the fire, freshies). Regardless of how many laps you run, it will still be a memorable time with memorable people. Ultimately, you'll look back at Homecoming with a sense of pride and think about your connection to Dartmouth, to your class, and to your friends. While you all celebrate being together, remember your connection to all members of the Dartmouth community and look out for one another. So be safe, have fun, and live the tradition! Happy Homecoming! Welcome home, Class of 2012!
