Pembroke students run, jump and battle it out in Wolf Game

With $170 on the line, students brought their best to an elimination-style Wolf Game competition on Feb. 15, in hope of winning what is, to a student, a small fortune.

Fayth Ford, a second-year outdoor adventure student, arrived at the event without much hope. Three hours later she emerged as the champion.

“I am honestly very surprised, I didn’t think I was going to win, but here I am,” said Fayth Ford.

The competition was held in the gymnasium of the Pembroke campus on Feb. 15. The three-hour event was filled with various interactive inflatable games.

Based on the Netflix show Squid Game, students competed against each other in multiple minigames, the goal was to be the last person standing.

Bobby Ford, a fitness and lifestyle coordinator, was one of the organizers and the emcee of the event. (He is unrelated to the contest’s winner.)

“It’s a chance [for students] to win a cash prize,” he said. “Every student that shows up, five dollars gets added to the pot.”

With waivers signed and everyone numbered, 34 students were ready to compete.

Each student got three chances to stay in the game. The organizers would randomly draw a few numbers using a bingo wheel.

The first game was a mechanical rotating obstacle. Four students would enter the obstacle and attempt to either jump or duck when a beam swung at them, the last one standing once the timer went off, won the round.

“Everyone here is very cooperative and very friendly,” said Sayana Udayakumar, an environmental management and assessment student at the Pembroke campus.

Halfway through the first round, the inflatable machine had technical difficulties, forcing a move to round two.

The second game was human whack-a-mole. Four students entered the obstacle at a time and attempted to collect as many balls as they could without getting whacked by one of the coordinators. If they got whacked, they had return all the balls they collected and start again before the time ran out.

“It’s fun to see all the students have fun,” said Bobby Ford. “It’s a good way for students to relieve stress in tough times.”

The third game was an course where students raced through relay style. The teams were randomly selected in groups of three and whichever group was the fastest, advanced.

Tensions rose and the group of students shrunk, some were disappointed and frustrated while others were smiling from ear to ear.

The fourth and fifth games involved a jousting arena, where students played two different games.

Pinnie tag was played first. Four students entered the arena with a fourth of a nylon vest tucked into their pants. The goal is to grab the opponent’s pinnie before the 15-second timer runs out.

Followed by jousting, where students attempted to knock their opponents off the platform using an inflatable lance.

For the last game that determined the winner, the finalists competed against each other on the mechanical rotating obstacle.

It was a close competition as two outdoor adventure students were left. Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

Fayth Ford was the last person standing, the gym erupted into cheers as she won Wolf Game and got to claim her cash prize.

Although Ivin Saji, a practical nursing student and a contestant, did not win, he was pleased with his experience. He would participate in next year’s competition at the Pembroke campus.

“Everyone should come and enjoy the day,” Saji said.