Perfectly in sync during Homecoming week
Thursday night brought the much beloved lip sync battle hosted by the Student Events Team as a part of Homecoming week at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Over the course of two hours, several campus organizations including Fraternity Sorority Life, the Maverick Machine and Mavsians, fought to win the trophy.
For most students, the annual lip sync battle is not an event to miss. For Business Manager of Student Activities and Judge Pam Guss, it was her first time attending. Guss was told to not miss the show as it brings energy for Homecoming week.
“[All the students] told me in my office that this is the best show on campus ever. I think everybody is very excited for homecoming. The whole week has been very fun all over campus,” Guss said.
Performances were judged on several criteria including originality, choreography and correlation to the theme of Mavericks go to Hollywood. Long hours and dedication were put into prepping for the battle. Junior Kendra Dowe participated with Alpha Sigma Alpha and Phi Kappa Psi in the lip sync battle. Dowe said that her group picked out several songs that went with the Hollywood theme.
“We have ‘When I Grow Up’ by The Pussycat Dolls, ‘Boyfriend’ by Big Time Rush and ‘Paparazzi’ by Lady Gaga. We were going for the Hollywood theme, but also some fun songs that people can cheer on and clap to,” Dowe said.
After a tough decision over all the performances, Mavsians came out as the triumphant winner of the lip sync battle. Senior Yuepheng Thao said that the Mavsians put in several hours of rehearsal to claim the title.
“At first, it was once every other day for two to three hours, but the last week and a half, it’s been every weekday for about four hours. It’s been a really rushed two and a half weeks,” Thao said.
After the Student Events Team announced the Mavsians won, Thao described the feeling as being on drugs.
“We all work so hard, sweat so much, [have] aching knees. We were all just huddled like a family and we were just hoping for the best. When you hear the name, [it’s like] ecstasy,” Thao said.
Thao explained the Mavsians try to do their best every year to come out on top.
“People always talk about Mavsians, so it definitely becomes an expectation. It’s always about them cheering and having fun,” Thao said.
Thao said homecoming is the essential event in bringing the university together in the spirit of Homecoming.
“There’s always the concert with a celebrity, but this is where the community gets to share an experience together. There’s no one outside of Mankato coming in and trying to give that to us,” Thao said. “It comes from within Mankato’s heart and it gives it to the students at MSU.”
The runners up in the lip sync battle were Alpha Chi Omega and Phi Delta Theta coming in second. Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Chi came in third.
The Mavsians beat out several other groups to claim the winning trophy at the annual Lip Sync Battle as a part of Homecoming week. (Dylan Long/The Reporter)
Write to Emma Johnson at emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu