ALEX AUSTIN ’16 AND CAITLIN McCLEERY ’17 GRILL hamburgers and hotdogs at the UPAC Field Day on the ’86 Field on Saturday. The event’s attendance exceeded the organizers’ expectations.On Saturday May 9, the Union Programs and Activities Committee put together one final field day for the RPI students to enjoy before the final week of classes. The ’86 Field found itself covered in laser tag obstacles, a volleyball net, corn hole frames and a nice blanket of smoke from the grill. The food included hamburgers and hotdogs along with pizza, ice cream, and drinks and was served at no charge to the students that decided to swing by.
One of the coolest parts of the event was definitely the laser tag. Although the area to play was a bit small to accommodate the groups of people passing a ball around or tossing frisbees and diablos, the game still turned out to be much more fun that I was expecting. Here’s how it worked without the glow-in-the-dark sets and bulky vests with glowing lights: The playing area was setup to have several tents for hideouts and cover from fire, and several inflatable walls were also setup to make cover for those trying to go from tent to tent. Players were given a single laser gun with an option between a larger weapon and an easier to hold one. The guns gave the carrier 10 lives and a limited number of clips of ammunition. Once you ran out of ammo you had to choose whether to give up or try and survive as long as you could. The laser tag was definitely a highlight of the event and the most fun since I didn’t really know whether I was hitting anyone else or just missing completely.
The event was definitely planned with a smaller turnout in mind as the grill ran out of hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza within an hour of the event start. The ice cream they served, with choices such as banana, chocolate, and vanilla, also ran out well before the event was planned to end. However, members of UPAC rushed to get more food for the crowd with a line for a hamburger leading quite a ways down one of the paths of the ’86 Field.
I thought that the event was an amazing way to encourage everyone on and off campus to head out of their rooms and take advantage of the lovely weather. UPAC Field Day was a blast. With its booming music and the friendly atmosphere, it’s no surprise that many of the attendees stayed well beyond the end time of 8 pm. As the event was brought to a close, it proved to be a reminder that sometimes we need to get out and do something, rather than sit inside and worry all day. I hope that in the future, UPAC will continue to put on this event so that students can relax, have fun, and spend a day out in the sun. I look forward to the next UPAC event that they decide to put on.