On Friday, Sept. 21, students of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville refused to let a little rain ruin their good time by moving Circle Palooza indoors.

The new event sponsored by Campus Programming and Relations consisted of four different intermural sports tournaments: volleyball, dodgeball, ladder golf and bean bags. All UW-Platteville students were welcome to attend and create teams for each sporting event. Refreshments and music were also provided.

“Circle Palooza is an event meant to promote staying on campus and enjoying the residence hall living experience,” said Brandon Koziol, Senior Assistant of Hugunin Hall. “We are hoping for a big turn out.”

This was the first year that campus played host the event. CPR staff hoped that participants would all enjoy Circle Palooza had to offer.

“We put a lot of time and work into this event,” said Tony Schiffman, junior business administration major. “I hope everyone has a good time.”

Though Circle Palooza and its round-robin tournaments were new to campus, the event made an impression on those who attended.

“I saw the posters for Circle Palooza around campus,” says Brynn Lamb, freshman criminal justice major. “It looked like a lot of fun. Coming out to Circle Palooza with my friends was definitely better than just sitting around on a rainy day.”

Attendees were enthusiastic about playing games and meeting new people. They were even more excited about creating and naming their teams. Some teams went with traditional titles like, “Team Melcher,” while others went with a more creative spin such as, “Channel 5 News Team.”

Once the tournaments started for volleyball and dodgeball, participants were completely immersed in the competition.

“My team, the Southwest Goonies, is going to win,” said Alex Gooding, senior electrical engineering major. “Winning is all I think about.”

The winning prize was just an extra incentive. Event planners kept the winning prize under wraps, which only made the competition more intense.

The prize was unveiled to be the UW-Platteville Girls’ Basketball trophy, donated by Melcher Hall. A team hailing from Brockert Hall took the trophy home. The unconventional approach to a secret winning prize made for an interesting awards ceremony.

The night concluded with a cookout-inspired meal, complete with a root beer keg, held at Glenview Commons and provided by Mark Redfearn and Steve LeMire of dining services.

“This event was so creative, I would definitely go again next year,” Lamb said.