With hip-hop music blasting outside the Student Union Tuesday and the sight of students taking mid-semester fury out on a small Jeep, the Car Cruncher event kicked off Spirit Week with a bang.
Homecoming Weekend was right around the corner as hundreds of students signed up to hit the stationary car with a sledgehammer, leaving dents, shattered glass, and some personal frustration behind.
"People have been constantly showing up, there hasn't been a break all day," said Greg Baker, a senior international business major and event worker.
After all the strong blows and heavy hits, the car was hardly recognizable.
"It looks like something you would see in a junkyard. It barely even resembles a working vehicle," said Michael Farber, a sophomore media studies major.
Participants had several minutes to do their damage and while most had no single specific target to bash, some concentrated on one part of the automobile.
"I aimed for the door area, rather than for the whole car," said Jordan Greenberg, a junior communications major.
Whether you decided to wait in line to partake in the vehicle beat-down or watch from a distance, the area outside the Student Union was crowded.
"I'm five foot two if I'm lucky. I doubt that I would inflict too much harm, but it was a cool thing to watch," said Lauren Monaghan, a senior civil engineering major.
Inside the Union was students fighting each other, instead of a vehicle, in the Gladiator Joust Tournament.
With jousting sticks and head protection gear in hand, students fought to keep their balance as they hit each other and tried to push one another off of their mounts.
"It's hard to stay still and keep your center of gravity while you're trying to get good hits in," said Eric Vanderwalker, a junior electrical engineering major, who also contributed to the demise of the jeep in the Car Cruncher.
"If they made the standing ground larger, it would have been easier to stay on for longer," Vanderwalker added.
A high level of school spirit was evident in the participants as well as the onlookers of the day's events.
"It's hard not to like a place that not only lets you beat the hell out of a car, but lets you do it for free," Vanderwalker said.
With the big homecoming football game on Saturday, students were glad to join in on the weeklong festivities.
"I think it's important to support your school and show that support. You're here for at least four years, you might as well get involved and have fun," Monaghan said.
