To raise money for their track team, the Unified track team hosted a Rock Paper Scissors Tournament on April 26 that consisted of participants purchasing lanyards and playing Rock Paper Scissors to earn more lanyards.
For the first time ever, the Unified program decided to start the Rock Paper Scissors Tournament to raise money for supplies and other equipment that the Unified track team needs. Students were able to purchase lanyards during lunches prior to the event and during Red Zone on the day of the event for varying prices.
The tournament started at the beginning of the school day on April 26 and consisted of students and faculty playing games of Rock Paper Scissors to win each other’s lanyards. At 2 p.m. any student or member of the faculty that still had a lanyard could come down to the student center to compete in The Gauntlet, the tournament’s final round, to become the official Rock Paper Scissors champion.
In the final match, choir director Jon Timmons beat his opponent, sophomore Jake Allen, and was crowned the Rock Paper Scissors champion.
“It was fun and honestly a little nerve wracking because everyone was watching,” Timmons said, “and I typically don’t win stuff, so it was really cool.”
According to the tournament coordinator Bryan Fagan, the event was a success because around 100 members of the faculty and student body participated in the tournament throughout the day, exceeding his goal of 80 participants.
Sophomore Matt Gerhart also believed that the event was a success because of the atmosphere he witnessed during The Gauntlet. “I think it was a huge success,” Gerhart said. “When I was there at the Student Center, everyone was cheering and getting hyped.”
Freshman Mohammed Elsayed said that he observed a similar environment.
“A lot of people were there and we all had a good time,” Elsayed said. “We were all joking and I talked to some people I’d never talked to before.”
According to security guard Elijah White, the tournament was successful because anyone could play. “Everybody can participate. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, it doesn’t matter what kind of extracurricular activities you do, or what kind of fun things you do,” White said. “Everybody knows how to play Rock Paper Scissors.”
Band director Adam Tucker agreed.
“Something that brings the whole school together like that is always really cool,” Tucker said.