On Jan. 19-20, the annual Darlington event RUMPUS is coming up, where the dorms compete in different challenges around campus.
The atmosphere during the event is considered very special. Many members of the Darlington community participate.
“It is my second year experiencing RUMPUS,” Senior Elika Lamtar Mohammadi said. “I like the competitive spirit among the houses. Everyone gets together and competes for their own dorm.”
The first RUMPUS was celebrated in 2007, and it is one of the most unique community events during the school year, full of energy and team spirit.
“RUMPUS is the highlight of my entire year and my time here at Darlington,” senior Mary Covington said. “Once you get into RUMPUS, it is the most high-energy event you will ever experience. Cooper is very competitive … and RUMPUS as a whole lets everyone bond as a team and come together.”
Regester won the first point of this year’s RUMPUS season at Christmas karaoke on Dec. 14, right before the winter break. The official opening is game-day begins Friday, Jan. 19, at 2:45 p.m. in the Cove, followed by RUMPUS Relay on the football field at 3:20 p.m.
“Last year, on the Friday right after school, all students ran towards the library,” Lamtar Mohammadi said. “The different dorms bring their posters to hype each other up, and they do the relay where they run around campus.”
After the relay, all students get back to their dorms for a quick break before the girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball games from 6-9 p.m. in the Huffman. During halftime, prefects will compete in a Minute-to-Win-It mini-game, and dodgeball begins after the basketball games at 9:30 p.m.
“We get back to the dorms; we get hyped, we get dressed and do our hair super fun, and we go back to watch the basketball game that night,” Covington said. “Right after the game, we had dodgeball, and dodgeball was intense.”
Saturday begins with Trivia at 10 a.m. in Thatcher Commons, followed by Gauntlet, a track-and-field activity, at 1 p.m. on the football field, Fear Factor in the Cove at 3 p.m. and Lip Sync in the Van Es Arena at 8 p.m. to finish the competition. Houses have worked for months to prepare.
“RUMPUS definitely takes a mental toll on you. It’s a big big competition,” Covington said. “We prepare for rumpus normally before Thanksgiving. It is really a game after Christmas. We have to get all our teams together and see who in the dorm fits best for every activity.”