When the teams ran out out of water balloon ammunition, the only way to win was to capture the flag of the opposing team.
On Oct. 1, Kappa Sigma hosted their single largest charity fundraiser yet. Splashdown brought together nearly 200 students and raised money to help veterans and their families.
The event, which originated at Arizona State University, took place behind the cafeteria in “The Bowl.”
At 8:00 AM, members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity started assembling 50 hay bales to create barricades and flag stands. The previous night, several Brothers had stayed up until almost 3:00 AM filling up more than 1,500 water balloons.
The event commenced at 11:00 AM and was a variation of Capture the Flag. Sororities formed several teams, and each had to pay an entrance fee of around $150 per team to play. Those who aren’t involved in Greek Life were still encouraged to attend but were charged $10 for entry in exchange for food.
The rules were simple, each team got 30 water balloons, and if a player got hit with a water balloon, they were out of the game. Two referees patrolled the outskirts of the field and called out those who were hit. Teams alternated playing in ladder-style matches until a winner was crowned.
Around 1 PM, the game paused so that the players and volunteers could chow down. McDonald’s donated $500 to the fraternity to use for catering. The lunch consisted of either BBQ pulled pork or chicken sandwiches with a side of cole slaw or baked beans. For beverages students could choose from sodas, tea, or water and, as an added treat, a snow cone machine was available for the duration of the event.
Half of the money raised went to Kappa Sigma’s organization of choice, the Military Heroes Campaign, which provides aid to military veterans and their families in times of need. The other half went into a fund to help make sure more events like this can happen in the future.
In the end, one of the Alpha Sigma Tau teams won and took home the trophy.
“I don’t know what the statistics are regarding fundraising on campus,” commented Austin Abbot, Kappa’s Sigma’s Grandmaster, “but this has to be among the biggest that this campus has ever seen.”
Between the three sororities that entered, the 30 Kappa Sigma brothers who helped run the event, and the numerous students who turned up to support the players, it’s easy to see that the Saint Leo student body holds the core value of community close to heart.
