The homecoming court was unreal and felt like a fever dream that genuinely never happened. I am Santiago’s 2023 Homecoming Queen, and winning wasn’t even the best part; the whole experience, from running to being on the court to the actual homecoming court activities, was the best part.
On the first day, the homecoming pairs had to do a tug-of-war activity, and then we had fun and did all girls against one guy. I thought I would dread having to stay on campus for the entire week just to participate in “lame” homecoming court activities but being on the court with some of my friends made it all better. The tug of war was incredibly humbling as I wasn’t as strong as my partner, so I fell down both rounds, but I still got up with a smile because I had my great friend, Jared Alano, who helped me make jokes about it.
We had the skateboard relay on the second day with our partners and friends. It was the hardest thing to do if we wanted to go again because one person had to sit down while the other pulled you on a rope in zigzag lines. When you meet at the finish line with your partner, you have to soak up water in a sponge and then release that water into another bucket until there is no longer any water left in the original bucket. Being in the hot sun wasn’t so fun for two hours, but running around like we were all little kids again brought a different kind of nostalgia.
On the third day, we had to answer a bunch of questions about our partner, and if we answered them wrong, we got pied in the face. This was probably my least favorite court activity because my face felt sticky and utterly disgusting for that day. Pro tip: if they still do that activity next year, bring an extra change of clothes because everything will be covered in whipped cream for the rest of the day.
The second to last day was probably the most delicious because we had a donut limbo. This was fun because everyone got to eat two donuts except for Finn because he has a gluten allergy, so he ate two chocolate bars instead, which, in my opinion, is just as sickening as eating donuts quickly. This was a more laid-back day for everyone to relax–which was clearly needed because we all found out the results the next day.
On the last day, homecoming court partners had to choreograph a dance and perform in front of some of Santiago’s very own administrators. I got rated very poorly and actually got called the “amnesia duo” because we forgot half of our choreography; it was a funny joke shortly afterward because no one took it too seriously.
Reading about these homecoming court activities may seem boring, but it was the best experience and even better than winning. I got to connect with my friends on a deeper level, and I was given the opportunity to talk to people I had never met or even talked to before. I believe that everyone should run for homecoming court because you honestly never know!
