By Eric Andrews | Echo
It's the end of an era. Following chapel each Friday for the last three years, the Taylor community has witnessed the loud echoes of a Third West Wengatz member asking senior Robbie Brandkamp about his attire. "Hey, Robbie! Why you wearing that shirt?!" Brandkamp then proudly answers, "'Cuz it's Friday!" This exchange is synonymous with the beginning of the long-awaited weekend at Taylor.
Though current seniors may remember when Jeff Yoder ('14) donned the famed Friday shirt their freshman year, the majority of Taylor's community has only Brandkamp's characteristic yell ingrained in their memory. However, with Brandkamp set to graduate in a few weeks, he has yelled his last and is prepared to pass along the honor to one of Third West's freshmen. Let's take a look at the responses of the nine prospects who are vying for the coveted title of "Friday shirt guy."
Isaac Bowser
Major: EngineeringChances of getting the Friday shirt: Four percent. My voice cracks a lot when I yell. There are better candidates.
What makes you a good candidate: I am frequently at chapel.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Noah Jurgensen
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Put the shirt on-if it's Friday. If it's not, I put it in the closet and wait until Friday.
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? The puppies. They're puppies. What can I do?
Justin Chapman
Major: JournalismChances of getting the Friday shirt: 60 percent
What makes you a good candidate: My brother is a (Third West) legend (for being untouchable in Melon and Gourd). There's something in my family that is legendary.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Brad Timmerman
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Yell "I'm the new Friday guy."
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? The Friday shirt. You have to keep the legacy going.
Christian Collins
Major: Film and Media ProductionChances of getting the Friday shirt: 60 percent, but I don't know if I can compete with Joe Pfeifer.
What makes you a good candidate: I have a good Friday yell and a wonderful smile.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Me
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Take a picture and call my mom.
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? I would get my lungs ready to yell, "Because it's Friday!" I'd run into that fire and I'd grab that shirt.
Tucker Germain
Major: Music CompositionChances of getting the Friday shirt: 40 or 50 percent
What makes you a good candidate: I'm always at chapel.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Justin Chapman or Joe Pfeifer
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Go to DisneyLand
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? The Friday shirt. There are millions of other puppies.
Grant Gosden
Major: FinanceChances of getting the Friday shirt: 50 or 60 percent. There are a lot of other freshmen equally as awesome as me.
What makes you a good candidate: I can be loud when I want to be, so people would hear me. I love God. I love people. That's huge for being the Friday guy.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Me
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Keep it as safe as possible. I would make sure no jealous freshmen try to take it.
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? God would want me to pursue the puppies.
Noah Jurgensen
Major: MarketingChances of getting the Friday shirt: 1 out of 9
What makes you a good candidate: My name is pretty short. I was born on a Friday, so it would be like coming home.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Manny Rodriguez
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Put the shirt on upside down, with my legs first. It's probably never been done before.
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? The Friday shirt. There are always more puppies. There's only one shirt.
Joe Pfeifer
Major: MarketingChances of getting the Friday shirt: 65.7 percent. I didn't do too well on my (marketing) test because I was too busy crunching the numbers for the Friday shirt.
What makes you a good candidate: As Robbie knows, our high school is pretty well known for producing Friday guys.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Noah Jurgensen. He's my roommate; sometimes we're sleeping and I'll hear a murmur. All of the sudden, he wakes up screaming, "Because it's Friday!"
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Go to Disney World and ride Space Mountain. I could yell as loud as I want and repeatedly yell, "Because it's Friday."
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? I'd save the puppies and tell them to shake off the water on the forest fire, thus putting out the fire, saving the puppies and the Friday shirt.
Manny Rodriguez
Major: Psychology, but will be changing to PPE.Chances of getting the Friday shirt: 1 out of 46. When we talk about chapel persistency, I'm not really there.
What makes you a good candidate: I bring a lot of energy. Half of the guys on my wing have nicknames clearly created by me. I'm one-of-a-kind, really.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Noah Jurgensen
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: Brag about it. What else really is there to do? Everyone has to know. You can't keep it a secret; you can't keep a low profile.
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? Jesus died and rose on the third day, so if he did, so can the Friday shirt. So, I'm going with the puppies.
Brad Timmerman
Major: Business ManagementChances of getting the Friday shirt: 1 out of 8, because Isaac won't get it.
What makes you a good candidate: Friday was my first word as a child. Orange and purple are my power colors, and that shirt just looks good on me.
Who will get the Friday shirt: Christian Collins
First thing you do if you get the Friday shirt: I wear the shirt and go to Disney World.
The Friday shirt is on fire and puppies are drowning. Which would you save? The puppies. I have a heart.