Courtesy of Madylen Dombal ’26
On October 20, 2023, the Connecticut College Athlete of Color Coalition (AOCC) hosted the second ever Camel Madness event. Occuring in the recently renovated Luce Fieldhouse, the bleachers were filled with athletes from nearly every team, who cheered on many of their teammates participating in competitions ranging from knockout to oreo eating.
Founded in the fall of 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the AOCC has sought to create a safe space for student-athletes of color. “AOCC’s primary goal is to provide a safe space for student-athletes of color,” said AOCC President and Track and Field athlete Jazmyn Gillespie ‘24. “We want to be a community where our coalition members can openly talk about their experience as a minority on their team without feeling singled out or judged.”
Jayson Firmin ’25, who is a member of the Track and Field team and the Campus Outreach head for AOCC echoed Gillespie’s sentiment. “AOCC’s goals are to unify the community of athletes of color and create an inclusive environment,” said Firmin. “We want to support all student athletes, especially those of color.” He continued to elaborate on goals for the upcoming year. “This year we hope to continue having events that bring our community together and spread the goals of our coalition,” said Firmin. “We have already been planning our next event!”
Likewise, the Camel Madness event sought to unify the athletics community at Conn. “The primary goals of Camel Madness were to bring school spirit around athletics through a pep rally,” said Firmin. “Also, to show how student athletes need a specific outlet to be proud of all the work we put in and to celebrate that pride in a fun way.”
The night kicked off with a large knockout game, which was won by Charlie Bresnahan ‘24 of the Sailing Team. The event featured competitions that varied from relay races, to basketball musical chairs, and even two games of tug of war. The games of tug of war were between the women’s basketball and volleyball teams, and the men’s lacrosse and ice hockey teams. A highlight for everyone was the end, when athletes had the opportunity to pie some of their coaches and peers in the face. This included a heart-warming moment when Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tim Sweeney was pied in the face by his son.
When asked how she thought this year’s edition of Camel Madness went, Gillespie said it was successful. “I think the event was a success! The bleachers were packed, coaches were pied, we got the chance to raise money for ourselves, and Camel Madness is starting to get traction as an annual event,” said Gillespie. “I already knew Camel Madness was going to be a hit when I heard my teammates and other friends in Athletics talking on the street, in class, or in Harris about what games they were going to play a week before.”
Though similar to last year’s event, Camel Madness featured some new events this year. One of these was a two person balloon popping competition. With many creative methods of balloon popping, this event seemed to be an instant hit and drew many laughs from the audience. “My favorite part of Camel Madness was the balloon popping without using your hands,” said Firmin. “There was some creativity and some wipeouts which made it riveting to watch.”
Looking to the future, the AOCC hopes to host many more events during the school year. “During Camel Madness this year we were not able to have the student vs. faculty basketball game and want to do it as a separate event in the next few months,” said Firmin.
While the organization would love to host another large event similar to Camel Madness, they understand that it may be hard to do so. “In an ideal world, we want to host Camel Madness in the winter and to host another large event to celebrate the start of the Spring season,” said Gillespie. “With the e-board being student-athletes, we understand that our time is spread thin…with that said, we are brainstorming what similar event we want to host in the Spring so no team feels excluded.”
Firmin and Gillespie both emphasized that any students looking to get involved with the AOCC should reach out to them. “Anyone interested in getting involved with AOCC can join our deputy program,” said Firmin. “You could also ask any of the members who are highlighted on our Instagram page: @conncoll.aocc, another way is to email the AOCC.” Gillespie added “If you are an underclassman, want your voice to be heard, and are interested in planning events with us, sign up to be a deputy to shadow our current e-board members by using our Deputy Interest Form!” With exciting events planned, the future looks bright for the AOCC.
