31st Ward gets handed the ‘thumb’
- posted: 16 Oct. 2007
- scrollsports@byui.edu
Anyone wandering by the Hart stadium anytime after 4:30 Wednesday afternoon might have noticed some students in yellow setting up their spot in the middle of the bleacher seats.
Those who came later to the rally might have heard, underneath the roar of the crowd, the drum corps of the 31st Ward — a line of sunshine-clad students delightedly banging away on garbage cans attached to their necks, like snare drums in a marching band.
“This one’s for the thumb,” said Jack Schwieder, a member of the 31st Ward bishopric, as several members of the ward popped out their thumbs as he said the phrase.
The expression refers to the fact that the ward has won the relay four semesters in a row, and this relay was for the fifth.
Winning of this kind doesn’t come without a challenge to that title. Signs such as, “27 is greater than 31” were seen throughout Hart Stadium, and rumors abounded that the 31st Ward recruits, a rumor it denies.
“A lot of the wards try to outdo us, but we just come to have fun and participate in the spirit,” said Laura Green, a senior studying political science.
Schwieder attributed their success to good leaders and people in the ward.
“The leaders love everybody into coming out,” he said. “It’s become a tradition.”
Although many showed up, some wards still felt the strain of trying to get people to come out and compete, or even just cheer their runners on. Nathan Reagan, a junior studying communication, had an interesting reason for attending the relay.
“We knew we couldn’t win, so we knew we needed a reason to show up,” he said of their yellow–and–black bee costumes, complete with antennae and stingers.
The ward that was confident in its ability to win was right and got to add the thumb to their hand of wins that night. The 31st Ward came in first place again for the 50-lap relay, at a record time of 61 minutes.
Even after the first-place winners crossed the finish line, Rec Sports volunteers and staff continued to hold the finish line ribbon in place for anyone who attempted to finish.
“We’re trying to hold it up for every team this semester,” said Clara Ellsworth, a junior studying recreational leadership and a member of the Rec Sports staff. “It’s all about the spirit.” 
