By Eric Andrews | Echo
Horses, coffins and Noah's Ark are not exactly commonplace when it comes to entering chapel . . . unless, of course, you are a man of Third West Wengatz during the week of Melon and Gourd.
Today marks the 23rd year of one of Taylor's most famous annual traditions. Originally started by two freshmen in 1993, the game has now taken on a life of its own on Third West.
"The hype is real. It's almost too much to handle. Your heart is racing," said freshman Sam Martinez. "It controls your life. You can't think about anything else."
Melon and Gourd, at its core, is a glorified game of tag. What distinguishes Melon and Gourd from a normal game of tag is the awkwardly large melon and gourd carried by the Third Westers that are "it."
The rules for the game are straightforward. The instant a Third Wester steps outside or takes his hand off of a door handle, he is fair game to be tagged. Get tagged . . . you're it! The unlucky man now has the privilege of hauling around a hefty piece of produce. The two men unfortunate enough to be stuck with the melon and gourd at 10 a.m. on Friday are required to take a bite of the war-battered produce at Oktoberfest, Third West's most prestigious pick-a-date, a week after Melon and Gourd concludes.
The game kicked off on Monday morning with the Midnight Run where freshmen and "manly" upperclassmen run to the Sammy statues and back, all while avoiding the PAs and the nightmare-inducing melon and gourd carriers. The game continues day and night throughout the week until the precarious moments leading up to chapel on Friday morning. In the history of Melon and Gourd, there has been just one man-Josh Chapman ('14)-who managed to avoid the melon and never get tagged, four years straight.
Nothing can inhibit a Third Wester's drive for freedom during Melon and Gourd week. Junior Robbie Brandkamp was rushed to a Blackford Hospital in Hartford City Monday evening after jumping off a high ledge in an effort to escape the gourd, breaking his elbow as a result. An instance like this, though unfortunate, are one of the many ways Third Westers bond throughout the week.
"It's crazy how a simple game of tag can unite a ton of guys," said senior Parker O'Leary. "As stressful as it is, everybody is going through it together."
Success on Friday is the end goal. Nothing is off limits for the grand finale-the Friday entrances. If you get through that door you have earned your freedom. Today, we saw everything from the subtle sneak-in to a ninja flashmob.
"We don't just keep this tradition going every year because we find it fun or because it is a campus favorite," senior PA David Wright said. "We keep it going because Melon and Gourd strengthens us Third Westers as a community. We desire to live 'for the glory of God and the joy of Third West.' Melon and Gourd helps us do just that."
It's a less-hungry Hunger Games, but an equally brutal fight to the death. So Third West, may the odds be ever in your favor.
