Sex education and fun.
Most people do not associate the two, but if you can mix sex ed. with a little competition, then you have an event that stimulates everyone's interest.
The Community Activities Board of the Hadley Village Apartments did just that on Thursday, managing to educate others about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in an entertaining manner through the Condom Olympics.
"We basically just wanted to send out the message of protecting yourself," said Rajavi Parikh, a community assistant at Hadley Village "...I think that anytime that you're presenting something serious, it's a lot easier to present that information when you present that in a fun way."
This three-round event encouraged sex education through games, which challenged both the wits and physical abilities of its contestants.
The competition started with the trivial game of STI Jeopardy. Questions tested students' knowledge about the symptoms of Chlamydia and if there is a link between cold sores and genital herpes (there is).
"The main purpose of STI Jeopardy is just to make students aware of sexually transmitted infections, [and] make it fun and interactive," said Amanda Hibbard, a junior biomedical science and psychology major and a student counselor.
The game also allowed students the ability to debunk some common myths and correct inaccurate information that they believed to be true about these infections.
"A lot of times you find out that they [students] have information, but it might be the wrong information, and we just want people to be safe in their sex practices," Hibbard said.
After Jeopardy, students were given the opportunity to showcase their physical skills through the obstacle course. The objective of the game was to demonstrate the proper way to apply a condom on a male. To make it exciting, students were blindfolded, spun around in a chair and then dizzily attempted to mount the condom on a green rubber dildo.
The last round of the competition tested the students' sense of touch and smell as they attempted to name that lube. The individuals were again blindfolded and then handed a plate with either baby oil or K-Y jelly. After placing their hands in the dish, they had the task of rubbing down an inflated condom until the team with the wrong lube rubber popped (oil-based lubricant causes latex condoms to tear).
In the Condom Olympics, everyone who came out and learned something became was a winner. All participants received a handful of golden-wrapped Magnums and other condoms of their choice.
With a catchy name like Condom Olympics and the inherent importance of knowing how to be sexually responsible, some feel that similar events should be offered during freshmen and transfer orientations.
"A title like the Condom Olympics will definitely raise an eyebrow," Parikh said. "People come to college and think that it's a big party, but they don't realize the consequences of partying hard.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
