i dare you!

so, the past week is what's known as dead week, which is the last week before finals. one of the traditions here is what is known as the secret snowflake.

no, it's not a hidden snowflake that we must find. this is something completely different. it's an in-dorm thing where people anonymously send someone a set of three dares which the student must perform, one on consecutive nights from wednesday to friday. most students accept and perform the dares, laugh and move on with life. the only rule is that there are no rules to each dare -- anything goes.

i was the recipient of a set of dares.

1. flag football with a twist

my dormmate and i were each sent three dares, one of them being one to perform together. we were challenged to a game of football against two girls from the floor below us. the game was set as a two-on-two, and the first team to score two touchdowns, wins. oh, and one more thing: all four of us players' uniforms were to consist of lingerie.

Julie and i were "dressed" in black and our opponents in white as we took the field. each team had a coach and there was one referee.

the third floor girls had the ball first and scored.

Julie and i, who comprised the fourth floor team, completed a couple passes then our coach came out and talked about some plays. he mentioned that he had a play to the right, a double screen option as he called it. the only catch is that we needed a left-handed pass. he was a bit surprised when i told him to draw up the play for us. see, i'm left-handed! we lined up, started the play and Julie tossed me the ball. i started to run a little forward and to the right. both defenders came at me. i threw behind me and on the run to my dormmate who caught it and sprinted for the touchdown. there were cheers from the sideline.

our opponents had the ball next. they completed one pass and threw two incompletions. taking two completions to make a first down, they went for it on fourth. i counted aloud ... one cardinal, two cardinal, three cardinal ... and rushed the quarterback. she threw the ball, but it was short and right into Julie's arms. she stopped for a second. i heard our spectators yell, "RUN!" and Julie sprinted down the field and into the end zone for our second touchdown!

we won!

sure, there were a lot of guys watching, but instead of leering at us in our "uniforms," they lined up with hands up. the four of us slapped their hands as we were congratulated on a good game from each of them. we even hung around for a few minutes with a group and chatted for a bit.

2. a little minor fund-raising

on the second night, i was given a dare in which i might make a little money. my objective was to knock on each dormroom door on my floor and ask each person i encountered for a penny.

this seemed a little corny, but kind of cute. so, at about 11 p.m., i proceeded to go from door to door.

i got a lot of laughs ... and i also got 38 cents!

3. a little dip

on the third and final night, 18 of the girls in the dorm were dared the same thing. this dare was a tad more intense and personally challenging. it had nothing to do with any major physical or mental exertion. it was something i had to dig deep to accept. as it turns out, i was one of only four who accepted this dare.

there are fountains all over campus, and one near my dorm. on this night i was to skinny dip into this fountain for exactly 60 seconds. only two caveats were applied to this: the group would shield the fountain in a circle preventing viewing from the outside, and the RA's would police the area to prevent anyone from using their phones to take pictures.

as it turned out, i was the third of the four to go. i came down in my robe with Julie and our RA, Gary, flanking me. i felt like a boxer going into a championship bout!

i watched two other girls take their turns, get out and shiver. my name was then called. i took a deep breath, gave my robe to Julie and entered the fountain. i walked around, splashed a few people (and, i supposed, flashed as well!), and dipped my head under the spout to soak my hair and shoulders. after what seemed like a chilly eternity, the timekeeper called time.

i made my way out of the fountain where Julie wrapped me in my robe and Gary put the towel on my head. ever the sportsman, i stayed as the last girl went her turn (the first two girls had gone inside).

pride

yes, they were some strange dares and i've even heard a couple people criticize the first and third as being immoral and/or inappropriate, but you know something: i'm proud to have participated in this. while there were the aforementioned criticisms, there were many who have commended me (and others) who completed all three dares.

i have made it a point to immerse myself in this culture. i very much don't want to look back and say i wish i'd done that. i can proudly say "hey, it was no big deal, and i'm glad i did it!"

~ Kassandra