In a round of Carlmont Cup games on Thursday, one team especially astonished the crowd in the quad by popping their balloon first. This allowed them to advance to the next round of the tournament, which is held by ASB every year.
The match was the tiebreaker between junior varsity cross country and swimming. The game required one member of each team to fill a balloon with air until it popped. Emily Kim, a junior, participated on behalf of the cross country team and was able to pop a balloon, giving her team the win.
“It was an interesting victory because my balloon was half the size of the other team’s, and it popped first. Not to mention I was shaking the entire time, and my teammates all told me I looked hysterical,” Kim said.
Carlmont’s ASB plans and puts on Carlmont Cup every year. According to Alice Godwin, a senior and co-supervisor of ASB’s Spirit Commission, teams made of clubs, sports teams, and groups of friends compete in a few rounds of different games, with the winners of each game moving forward on a bracket.
ASB advisor Jim Kelly says that the inspiration for Carlmont Cup came from an old game show called Minute To Win It, in which contestants had one minute to complete a challenge to win a prize.
“We should do those challenges and make it into a tournament and form teams […] You get two things at once. You get participation from the teams who are competing and from the crowd who’s watching,” Kelly said.
According to Kelly, the goal of Carlmont Cup is to find a lunchtime activity that people would want to compete in and watch. In its 12 year history, Kelly says, the games in Carlmont Cup have changed in order to get the audience more engaged.
“We realized that some of the minute to win it challenges are small in scope, and hard for the crowd to see. The biggest evolution of Carlmont Cup is that we wanted bigger activities in scope, so the crowd could see what’s happening,” Kelly said.
In one of Carlmont Cup’s more complex games, sky bowling, teams throw a ball from the steps in the quad to knock down cones.
“My favorite Carlmont Cup game is sky bowling because it engages the audience and the players,” Godwin said.
According to Godwin, the tournament is enjoyable and produces positive results, encouraging teams to bond and show their school spirit.
“Well, obviously for the players, it’s a fun thing […] It’s kind of fun to watch or just walk by and see,” Godwin said.
After winning their last Carlmont Cup match, junior varsity cross country will play another game soon. Kim says that she is excited to see if the team can advance further in the tournament.
“I think [Carlmont Cup] is a great way for all the teams to show school spirit and have a little bit of friendly competition,” Kim said.
