Willy Week Around Campus
Check out how each residential college celebrates Beer Bike!
Martel
Martel College Beer Bike coordinator Chris Johnson said Martel is planning on having plenty of "vengeance, justice, fire and blood" this Willy Week.
"Some colleges put time into balloons," Johnson said. "Some colleges put a lot of effort into training for the races. Others just party hard. Martel does all of these, but we're unique in that we construct the single largest build on campus."
Build captains freshmen Errol Jordheim and Gigi Rill led the construction of a castle and throne on Martel's sundeck.
"We're proud to have pulled off another fantastic build," Johnson said. "Get excited."
Rill and Jordheim put in approximately 15 to 20 hours of building time per person per week since the beginning of the spring semester.
"The build is always a crowd favorite," Beer Bike coordinator Christina Petlowany said. "Our build captains have done an amazing job and so many other Martelians have joined in. We're really excited to see the results."
McMurtry
McMurtry College's Beer Bike celebrations continue to have changing traditions, according to Beer Bike coordinator Jessica Kelly.
"Because McMurtry is a relatively new college, we have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on what traditions are established and are possibly carried out with McMurtry Willy Weeks to come," Kelly, a senior, said.
This year, McMurtry is continuing many of the traditions from the past years, including a large build and an exorbitant number of bananas.
"Our predecessors started a beautiful tradition of filling our commons and quad with an absurd number of bananas for consumption and general fun," Kelly said. "There's nothing more satisfying than walking down to the quad at 7 a.m. and seeing a mob of McMurtry students clad in banana suits interacting with their fruit counterparts."
But Kelly also offered a word of warning to other Rice students.
"We welcome all members of our other colleges to join, but don't you dare touch our bananas!"
Sid Rich
Sid Rich is representing their "Red, White, and Brew" by competitively fielding men's and women's bike teams.
"In the past, the men's team has often disqualified [itself] on purpose, but this year, our bike teams intend to give Will Rice a run for their money," Beer Bike coordinator Adam Jordahl said.
Sidizens will continue to share their love for America by distributing USA paraphernalia during the Orc Raid. In this major Sid tradition, Sidizens paint themselves and run across campus "raiding" other colleges.
"We plan to celebrate America's global power by planting little American flags around all the colleges during the raid," Jordahl, a sophomore, said.
Sidizens can also look forward to laser tag in Sid's basement, the morning wake-up party on Sid seventh [floor] and the Mr. Sid competition.
"We hope to bring lots of people out in support of our college in the parade and on the tracks," Jordahl said. "I think we have an action-packed, tightly themed Willy Week in store."
Hanszen
"We probably value our Willy Week as much as we do our actual Beer Bike," Hanszen Beer Bike coordinators said. "We really try and establish the kind of atmosphere during the week where everyone comes out and hangs around, eats, drinks, plays games, etc. in the quad."
The coordinators said Hanszen's Beer Bike traditions have evolved, starting with the addition of a color powder 'war' last year and a glow-in-the-dark capture the flag game this year.
"Color Powder War [is] welcome to the whole campus," the coordinators said. "It offers people an incentive to come south which is cool, but at the same time it goes by pretty fast, and is just an excuse to get all dirty before the balloon fight."
The coordinators said their theme, "The Beerlin Crawl: Mr. Gorbachev, Chug Down This Beer" was broad enough to allow for flexibility.
"[We will host] a "Woodstock"-esque concert where we have the Maggie Brown Band playing a bunch of '60s music, as well as some Hanszenites playing '60s and other tunes," the coordinators said.
Brown
"Brown is most known for the number of water balloons we fill," Brown Beer Bike coordinators said. "We produced over 90 trashcans last year, almost too many [because] it results in other colleges trying to steal ours when they run out."
According to the coordinators, Brown tower's floor culture results in high-yield water balloon filling.
"We use [floor culture] to fuel a water balloon filling competition in our quad," the coordinators said. "There are lots of mini water balloon fights during filling, which results in a fun competitive environment."
Brown will also host "Charity Bike" on the Friday before Beer Bike in honor of Samuel Waters, a member of Brown who passed away this semester. 50 percent of proceeds of this event, featuring sponsored bikers, will be donated to M.D. Anderson in Waters' name.
"There will be a biker on the track at all times during the event and we hope to get people from all around campus to come out and cheer or bike," the coordinators said.
Jones
Jones will continue to celebrate Night Ride, a tradition where Jonesians pile into dozens of cars and ride around the inner loop.
"Music blasts through the car windows as the bike team shows off their skills, biking alongside the cars and catching the occasional high five from their fellow student fans," the Jones Beer Bike coordinators said. "Everyone sings along, honking and cheering for the bikers, before we all end up at the track for Mock."
At Mock Beer Bike, Jones prepares for the real deal with dumplings, nicknames and speeches from alumni on Jones' first victories in 1975 for the women and 1988 for the men.
"Jones pride from this event can only be matched on Beer Bike morning," the coordinators said.
Baker
Baker coordinators said their college's Willy Week would include lots of collaboration with other colleges.
"We've been working with coordinators at other south colleges to put on events like capture-the-flag and a south block party the morning of Beer Bike," Sophie Schnietz, a Baker Beer Bike coordinator, said.
Schnietz, a sophomore, said there would also be a Baker-Duncan dodgeball game. She said tailgates are another important part of the Baker Willy Week experience.
"Our tailgates are always really fun with great food and music; for three hours each day of Willy Week, we fill water balloons and work on the Baker Hell Car," Schnietz said. "During the week, we have a lot of fun night events too."
According to Schnietz, Baker students can also look forward to beer debates, a Mr. Baker contest and a game of sardines, which is a Baker O-Week tradition that matches the college's theme: Finding Pinot.
Lovett
At Lovett, Willy Week traditions include an inflatable mascot, competitive water balloon filling, wake-up calls and a mud fight post-water balloon fight.
"We have a 20-foot tall inflatable gorilla that we stand up in our quad on Friday during our huge alumni tailgate event and [we] start water balloon filling more than a week in advance to ensure we have the most water balloons for the fight," the Lovett Beer Bike coordinators said. " On Beer Bike morning, we do wake-up calls around the college at 4 a.m. and the music starts playing on second floor at 4 a.m. We party as the sun rises."
The water balloon fight is only preparation for the messy chaos of the mud fight that follows.
"After the water balloon fight when the parade is beginning, Lovetteers partake in a huge mud fight [and] mud wrestling event as the other colleges look at us like we are crazy," the coordinators said.
Will Rice
Will Ricers are taking their theme to heart ("Slammed I Am, by Dr. Booze") by ramping up the after-party.
"It's been hard in the past because people fall asleep in the afternoon, so Beer Bike is over for most people after the races," Will Rice Beer Bike coordinator Helen Wei said.
Wei, a sophomore, said the after-party will hopefully rally Will Ricers, although it is open to all other Rice students. In addition, Wei said she expects a huge showing on the morning of Beer Bike for Will Rice's dance parties.
"I think we're known for dancing on tables a lot," Wei said.
Wei said the Night Before Beer Bike is one of Will Rice's best traditions, year after year.
"Unfortunately, we can't disclose much about the Night Before Beer Bike, because it's a secret thing that just Will Rice does in preparation for the day ahead," Wei said. "The freshmen don't know what to expect, and I think it adds to the magic of it all."
Wiess
Wiess's Beer Bike coordinators are taking advantage of their "Acabowl" quad and outdoor halls to host a variety of events, old and new.
"One crowd favorite is our annual foam party," Wiess Beer Bike coordinator Kunal Shah said. "We are renting a giant foam pit and placing it in the middle of the Acabowl."
Also in the Acabowl, Wiessman should expect inflatables, a puppy study break and a hair cutting event.
"Unlike a lot of other colleges, Wiess doesn't have floor culture," Shah, a Wiess senior, said. "So, we've decided to launch a new concept: column culture."
Wiess has three columns of dorms, and in addition, there will be a "column" for OC Wiessmen.
"This Thursday is #tbt Thursday and will be featuring COLUMN WARS, where each column will compete in a series of 10 outdoor events for a chance to be crowned the best column," Shah said. "The event will run much like an elementary school field day."
GSA
According to graduate student Nick Trenton, Rice should anticipate GSA dominating the races.
"We have a good shot at first [place] in all categories," Trenton said. "Grad school can be tough and people get busy, but Beer Bike is one of the few times we can all relax and enjoy a great day of races and picnics."
Graduate student Jesse Choe said he recognizes not all students share the same enthusiasm for beer and sports, so the coordinators have introduced different activities.
"Our biggest change is introducing alternative events," Choe said. "Throughout Willy Week, we will host events from yoga, to poker, to board games, to a craft-ernoon."
Beer will still feature in GSA's celebrations. According to Trenton, GSA usually gets 15 to 20 kegs of craft beer donated to them for Willy Week.
"[We] chug beer and wake up at 9 a.m.," Trenton said. "What undergrads do at 5 a.m., we do after the races outside Valhalla at 2 p.m."
Duncan
Duncan said it will make the most of its quad and DuncTank.
"Duncan usually has a strong quad culture that involves music, sports, snacks and beverages," Duncan coordinators said. "However, during Willy Week, our quad culture kicks off to another level.
There will be inflatables in the quad, including a two-story water-slide on Friday, sponsored food all week and Duncan will continue to enjoy the Houston weather with their toes in the DuncTank.
"We are focusing on increasing our number of water balloons because the lack of water balloons was something that we had noticed (and probably was obvious to many other colleges) during the water balloon fight in Founder's Court," the coordinators said.
Martel
Martel College Beer Bike coordinator Chris Johnson said Martel is planning on having plenty of "vengeance, justice, fire and blood" this Willy Week. "Some colleges put time into balloons," Johnson said. "Some colleges put a lot of effort into training for the races. Others just party hard. Martel does all of these, but we're unique in that we construct the single largest build on campus." Build captains freshmen Errol Jordheim and Gigi Rill led the construction of a castle and throne on Martel's sundeck. "We're proud to have pulled off another fantastic build," Johnson said. "Get excited." Rill and Jordheim put in approximately 15 to 20 hours of building time per person per week since the beginning of the spring semester. "The build is always a crowd favorite," Beer Bike coordinator Christina Petlowany said. "Our build captains have done an amazing job and so many other Martelians have joined in. We're really excited to see the results."
McMurtry
McMurtry College's Beer Bike celebrations continue to have changing traditions, according to Beer Bike coordinator Jessica Kelly. "Because McMurtry is a relatively new college, we have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on what traditions are established and are possibly carried out with McMurtry Willy Weeks to come," Kelly, a senior, said. This year, McMurtry is continuing many of the traditions from the past years, including a large build and an exorbitant number of bananas. "Our predecessors started a beautiful tradition of filling our commons and quad with an absurd number of bananas for consumption and general fun," Kelly said. "There's nothing more satisfying than walking down to the quad at 7 a.m. and seeing a mob of McMurtry students clad in banana suits interacting with their fruit counterparts." But Kelly also offered a word of warning to other Rice students. "We welcome all members of our other colleges to join, but don't you dare touch our bananas!"
Sid Rich
Sid Rich is representing their "Red, White, and Brew" by competitively fielding men's and women's bike teams. "In the past, the men's team has often disqualified [itself] on purpose, but this year, our bike teams intend to give Will Rice a run for their money," Beer Bike coordinator Adam Jordahl said. Sidizens will continue to share their love for America by distributing USA paraphernalia during the Orc Raid. In this major Sid tradition, Sidizens paint themselves and run across campus "raiding" other colleges. "We plan to celebrate America's global power by planting little American flags around all the colleges during the raid," Jordahl, a sophomore, said. Sidizens can also look forward to laser tag in Sid's basement, the morning wake-up party on Sid seventh [floor] and the Mr. Sid competition. "We hope to bring lots of people out in support of our college in the parade and on the tracks," Jordahl said. "I think we have an action-packed, tightly themed Willy Week in store."
Hanszen
"We probably value our Willy Week as much as we do our actual Beer Bike," Hanszen Beer Bike coordinators said. "We really try and establish the kind of atmosphere during the week where everyone comes out and hangs around, eats, drinks, plays games, etc. in the quad." The coordinators said Hanszen's Beer Bike traditions have evolved, starting with the addition of a color powder 'war' last year and a glow-in-the-dark capture the flag game this year. "Color Powder War [is] welcome to the whole campus," the coordinators said. "It offers people an incentive to come south which is cool, but at the same time it goes by pretty fast, and is just an excuse to get all dirty before the balloon fight." The coordinators said their theme, "The Beerlin Crawl: Mr. Gorbachev, Chug Down This Beer" was broad enough to allow for flexibility. "[We will host] a "Woodstock"-esque concert where we have the Maggie Brown Band playing a bunch of '60s music, as well as some Hanszenites playing '60s and other tunes," the coordinators said.
Brown
"Brown is most known for the number of water balloons we fill," Brown Beer Bike coordinators said. "We produced over 90 trashcans last year, almost too many [because] it results in other colleges trying to steal ours when they run out." According to the coordinators, Brown tower's floor culture results in high-yield water balloon filling. "We use [floor culture] to fuel a water balloon filling competition in our quad," the coordinators said. "There are lots of mini water balloon fights during filling, which results in a fun competitive environment." Brown will also host "Charity Bike" on the Friday before Beer Bike in honor of Samuel Waters, a member of Brown who passed away this semester. 50 percent of proceeds of this event, featuring sponsored bikers, will be donated to M.D. Anderson in Waters' name. "There will be a biker on the track at all times during the event and we hope to get people from all around campus to come out and cheer or bike," the coordinators said.
Jones
Jones will continue to celebrate Night Ride, a tradition where Jonesians pile into dozens of cars and ride around the inner loop. "Music blasts through the car windows as the bike team shows off their skills, biking alongside the cars and catching the occasional high five from their fellow student fans," the Jones Beer Bike coordinators said. "Everyone sings along, honking and cheering for the bikers, before we all end up at the track for Mock." At Mock Beer Bike, Jones prepares for the real deal with dumplings, nicknames and speeches from alumni on Jones' first victories in 1975 for the women and 1988 for the men. "Jones pride from this event can only be matched on Beer Bike morning," the coordinators said.
Baker
Baker coordinators said their college's Willy Week would include lots of collaboration with other colleges. "We've been working with coordinators at other south colleges to put on events like capture-the-flag and a south block party the morning of Beer Bike," Sophie Schnietz, a Baker Beer Bike coordinator, said. Schnietz, a sophomore, said there would also be a Baker-Duncan dodgeball game. She said tailgates are another important part of the Baker Willy Week experience. "Our tailgates are always really fun with great food and music; for three hours each day of Willy Week, we fill water balloons and work on the Baker Hell Car," Schnietz said. "During the week, we have a lot of fun night events too." According to Schnietz, Baker students can also look forward to beer debates, a Mr. Baker contest and a game of sardines, which is a Baker O-Week tradition that matches the college's theme: Finding Pinot.
Lovett
At Lovett, Willy Week traditions include an inflatable mascot, competitive water balloon filling, wake-up calls and a mud fight post-water balloon fight. "We have a 20-foot tall inflatable gorilla that we stand up in our quad on Friday during our huge alumni tailgate event and [we] start water balloon filling more than a week in advance to ensure we have the most water balloons for the fight," the Lovett Beer Bike coordinators said. " On Beer Bike morning, we do wake-up calls around the college at 4 a.m. and the music starts playing on second floor at 4 a.m. We party as the sun rises." The water balloon fight is only preparation for the messy chaos of the mud fight that follows. "After the water balloon fight when the parade is beginning, Lovetteers partake in a huge mud fight [and] mud wrestling event as the other colleges look at us like we are crazy," the coordinators said.
Will Rice
Will Ricers are taking their theme to heart ("Slammed I Am, by Dr. Booze") by ramping up the after-party. "It's been hard in the past because people fall asleep in the afternoon, so Beer Bike is over for most people after the races," Will Rice Beer Bike coordinator Helen Wei said. Wei, a sophomore, said the after-party will hopefully rally Will Ricers, although it is open to all other Rice students. In addition, Wei said she expects a huge showing on the morning of Beer Bike for Will Rice's dance parties. "I think we're known for dancing on tables a lot," Wei said. Wei said the Night Before Beer Bike is one of Will Rice's best traditions, year after year. "Unfortunately, we can't disclose much about the Night Before Beer Bike, because it's a secret thing that just Will Rice does in preparation for the day ahead," Wei said. "The freshmen don't know what to expect, and I think it adds to the magic of it all."
Wiess
Wiess's Beer Bike coordinators are taking advantage of their "Acabowl" quad and outdoor halls to host a variety of events, old and new. "One crowd favorite is our annual foam party," Wiess Beer Bike coordinator Kunal Shah said. "We are renting a giant foam pit and placing it in the middle of the Acabowl." Also in the Acabowl, Wiessman should expect inflatables, a puppy study break and a hair cutting event. "Unlike a lot of other colleges, Wiess doesn't have floor culture," Shah, a Wiess senior, said. "So, we've decided to launch a new concept: column culture." Wiess has three columns of dorms, and in addition, there will be a "column" for OC Wiessmen. "This Thursday is #tbt Thursday and will be featuring COLUMN WARS, where each column will compete in a series of 10 outdoor events for a chance to be crowned the best column," Shah said. "The event will run much like an elementary school field day."
GSA
According to graduate student Nick Trenton, Rice should anticipate GSA dominating the races. "We have a good shot at first [place] in all categories," Trenton said. "Grad school can be tough and people get busy, but Beer Bike is one of the few times we can all relax and enjoy a great day of races and picnics." Graduate student Jesse Choe said he recognizes not all students share the same enthusiasm for beer and sports, so the coordinators have introduced different activities. "Our biggest change is introducing alternative events," Choe said. "Throughout Willy Week, we will host events from yoga, to poker, to board games, to a craft-ernoon." Beer will still feature in GSA's celebrations. According to Trenton, GSA usually gets 15 to 20 kegs of craft beer donated to them for Willy Week. "[We] chug beer and wake up at 9 a.m.," Trenton said. "What undergrads do at 5 a.m., we do after the races outside Valhalla at 2 p.m."
Duncan
Duncan said it will make the most of its quad and DuncTank. "Duncan usually has a strong quad culture that involves music, sports, snacks and beverages," Duncan coordinators said. "However, during Willy Week, our quad culture kicks off to another level. There will be inflatables in the quad, including a two-story water-slide on Friday, sponsored food all week and Duncan will continue to enjoy the Houston weather with their toes in the DuncTank. "We are focusing on increasing our number of water balloons because the lack of water balloons was something that we had noticed (and probably was obvious to many other colleges) during the water balloon fight in Founder's Court," the coordinators said.
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