Tomorrow one of my favorite weekends at Ouachita will begin. Tiger Traks has produced some of my most cherished memories on campus. Here are 10 tips to help you make it through the weekend with flying colors.
- Have fun with your team. Whether you’re on a team with some of your best friends, or a completely random group of people, get out of your shell and just have fun. Sometimes the people who have the most fun are the ones on the random teams. Just make sure you know the goals of the team. Are y’all trying to win or just going to have fun with the weekend? Being competitive isn’t bad. This is for all my fellow competitive spirits out there. I love having fun, but winning is fun to me! If you are competitive, it’s ok to take things a little serious.
- Have lots of sunscreen. Trust me on this, please. It is April. We have all been indoors since December and that sun will kiss ya real hard if you don’t take the proper precautions. So, don’t forget the sunscreen. If you do, just slather mud all over you. It works as a natural sunscreen!
- Have a plan. If you are trying to win, you need to develop a strategy. I will not be disclosing my smartest tips and tricks right now, because I still want to win. But, just take a little bit of time as a team to plan out events. If you are a freshman and don’t completely know what you are getting into, that’s okay. Just learn and have fun!
- Make sure to have a good attitude. Don’t get too caught up in the competitive spirit. Remember to have fun! Traks or any competitive event is never worth losing friends over.
- Schedule in sonic breaks. Look at your team’s schedules every day. Sometimes you might have twenty minutes between events, and other times you might have two hours. During the longer breaks, run over to sonic for a drink, or a gas station for ICEEs. Those are some of the most fun memories you can make.
- Sleep. Get a little, at least. Traks is tiring! It is hard work. Hang out with friends and make some memories, but I do NOT suggest going to Waffle House at 3 a.m. on Friday night/Saturday morning.
- Stay hydrated. One of my friends freshman year always said “if ya ain’t peein’ ya ain’t drinkin’!” This is true. Drink water and repeat.
- Wear clothes you can ruin. Sometimes mud can stain. Sometimes it doesn’t, but just to be safe, wear something you would not get mad over ruining, just in case.
- Be mud-ready. This one is more for my girlies out there. Just like you need your mud clothes, just be aware that you will be covered from head to toe in mud. I would not suggest getting your nails or hair done anytime before, because it will be gross and possibly ruined.
- Have the right perspective. Traks is one of my favorite weekends at Ouachita. It is so easy to get caught up in the competition, the lack of sleep, the lack of time to do homework and laundry, and so many other things. Remember above everything else, that this weekend is students helping students. I am so thankful for OSF and the work that they do to help students be able to stay at Ouachita to finish their degree. What a cool opportunity we have to serve one another through having all this fun!
Go Traks!
By Katie Jo Henley, staff writer
