Laughter. Excited chatting. Melodious tones. Voices singing in unison.
In front of Cro, a group is visible through the shadows of the early morning hours. From a distance, it appears as if a small acoustic sing-along party is taking place. Look closer, and you’ll see a group of spectators encircling a ring of champions who each have one hand touching a tree. Move closer yet, and you’ll realize that these champions are tired, cold, and hungry, but never prouder.
Who are they? They are the survivors of the Longest Event.
The Longest Event is undoubtedly the most physically and mentally challenging event of Conn’s annual Camelympics.
A representative from each dorm must keep at least one hand on the tree outside Cro at all times for the duration of the event. The point? To be one of the last ones standing when time is called.
This year’s contestants had to stand outside from 6:30 PM all the way until 3:00 AM. As if standing like that for eight and a half hours wasn’t enough, the contestants also could not leave to go to the bathroom, be fed by their friends, or be brought warmer clothes once it grew chilly.
So how did these competitors pass the time during this very long night? Games like “Never-Have-I-Ever” were played while funny dorm stories were swapped and the singing of a rousing rendition of “99 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall” could probably be heard all the way across campus. Also, spectators were always around to give moral support and cheer them on.
But after a few hours of this, some contestants became very antsy and were unable to continue on. Those who persevered were getting nervous about their abilities to endure until the end.
When the weather suddenly turned frigid and damp around 11pm, things got even more intense, and many contestants began to wish they had dressed warmer. This called for more ways for the contestants to distract themselves. But between bonding with their fellow contestants and chatting with the supporters around them, amazingly most did not quit.
The crucial part of the night, according to all of the surviving contestants, occurred at midnight. At this time, a very talented vocalist and guitarist – Alexander Zarecki, a sophomore from Knowlton – began to entertain the contestants with great renditions of popular songs. Playing for at least three hours, Alexander endured the contest along with the contestants and some of the most dedicated supporters until the very end of the Longest Event.
I, too, endured the contest for a good three hours, until the very end, and I had the opportunity to interview some of the contestants while we waited for 3 AM to come.
According to Ellen Nadel, one of the remaining 9 survivors, “The first two hours consisted of, ‘Wow – is this actually happening?’ or ‘Did I pick a good spot on the tree?’ But once we saw four people lose, we hit the point where we all wanted each other to make it until 3:00.”
Another survivor, Vincent Fichera, said, “Alexander’s music and everyone’s support made it possible. Without them, I don’t know what we would’ve done.”
Brittany Shinn, another of the very few remaining, said, “This has been a great bonding experience, and a great opportunity to meet people from other dorms that I might not have ordinarily gotten a chance to meet.”
During the last few hours, while I was there, I watched as everyone both on and around the tree all joined in to the sing-along with Alex. Two spectators even left to come back with a didgeridoo and a drum, and a small acoustic jam insinuated. It was a truly fantastic and fun time for everyone involved. The sense of community we felt was tangible.
“5..4..3..2..1..YEAH!!” was probably audible all the way down South Campus, when everyone participating in or attending the Longest Event counted down to 3 AM. The survivors felt extremely victorious, and all on-lookers cheered them on and felt so in awe of the fact that they had endured the event for all eight and a half hours.
After the competition ended, the musician Alex Zarecki said, “I thought it was beautiful. A good friend of mine was doing the event, and I was going to keep her company with some songs. But then I ended up staying and playing some more. It was fun.”
He continued, “I played every song I knew, and then some I didn’t. This girl Liz, who was on the tree, was shouting out chords and I learned some songs that way.”
Alex brought up something else quite interesting: “There turned out to be some inconsistencies with the rules and judging. Some of the judges said that the contestants could be fed by their friends and brought sweatshirts and things to keep warm, but then the ‘main’ judge came out later and yelled at everyone for having acquired these things during the contest. Some of the contestants tried explaining to him that ’90 percent of the other judges were apparently misinformed about the rules.’
“The ‘main’ judge was a little upset about this, and made the contestants take off the articles of clothing they didn’t initially come with. Luckily he didn’t eliminate anyone on account of this. This incident made other spectators and me angry, and even more willing to stick it out with the remaining contestants. I wanted to entertain them with music to help them get through until the end.”
Sure enough, Alex’s music was a very good distraction, and I can say this first-hand, as I barely noticed I was standing outside in the frigid night air for a good three hours myself! For those who bravely competed, and for those who watched in amazement, the Camelympics’ Longest Event was surely a bonding experience to be remembered.
