Not every Varsity team will perform a skit in this year’s Winter Pep Rally, which will be held in the Den in lieu of the usual DiClemente Basketball Court. The change was made because not enough varsity teams had prepared skits for the new screening process. The Blue Key Heads made the decision this past Sunday morning with Cindy Efinger, Director of Student Activities, after hearing that many of the teams did not have skits planned, due to the increased strictness of the administration in regards to pep rally performances. This past fall, Paul Murphy, Dean of Students and Residential Life, implemented a screening process by which all teams must present their skits to the Blue Key Heads and Efinger before the pep rally for approval. These new restrictions have been implemented due to inappropriate team skits in previous years. The new event is intended to be a combination of the pep rally and the dance that takes place afterward in a casual setting for both the varsity teams and the students. “I think it is going to be very fun and relaxed,” said Nathalie Sun ’10, Blue Key Head. Sun is a former Arts Editor for The Phillipian. Sun said that this term, the teams were given short notice for their skits and many did not have their skits adequately prepared. “Five teams replied, two pulled out, and only one had an idea [for a skit],” said Sun. Michael Scognamiglio ’10, another Blue Key Head, said, “There were a lot less teams with skits, and some teams did not get [their skits] in on time.” According to Sun, the Blue Key Heads decided that a pep rally with only two or three team performances would not be as exciting as the pep rallies of previous terms. “We wanted more of a focus on the teams, instead of a pep rally [consisting] mostly of skits by the Blue Key Heads,” said Sun. Complications in securing a venue for the pep rally posed another problem. “Unlike in years past, we were not allowed to use the Basketball Court for our venue,” said Scognamiglio. Because the DiClemente Basketball Court has just undergone its final floor re-waxing, Court usage must be minimized. Scognamiglio said that the Blue Key Heads then planned to have the pep rally in the Smith Center, but that location also involved logistical difficulties. Teams who prepared skits can perform them at the event, while other teams are encouraged to simply introduce themselves and talk about their upcoming games. Alanna Waldman ’10, Captain of Girls Swimming, said that the change will not affect the team since they have already competed against Exeter, but might affect other teams. Waldman said that Girls Swimming did not plan on performing a skit due to conflicts with practice times, but said that “In an email to the captains, the Blue Key Heads said that we could go up on stage with our teams and announce the time of our event on Saturday. I’m sure that a few teams who have already organized a skit will hop on stage and perform.” Waldman thinks that the event will be low key in its new venue. “I still think it will be fun in the Den, but it will not have the same effect as the fall pep rally,” she said. Originally, many students thought that the pep rally had been cancelled this term. “It is not cancelled, there is just a different venue and a different form,” Sun said. The Blue Key Heads have high hopes for the new form of the pep rally. Depending on its success, the new event might continue past this term. Scognamiglio said, “If it takes off well, we will definitely think of doing something like it in the future.” “Faculty members have told me that if it goes well, we should make it a tradition to have a big pep rally in the fall, and smaller events, like this dance, in the winter,” said Sun.
