Students formed up in front of Sonner-Payne Hall after classes, anxiously awaiting the start of the first Randolph-Macon Academy field day of the 2018-19 school year. Events began in the gym at 3:00 pm with a dodgeball tournament between flights. Before the tournament even began, teams were shouting cheers at the top of their lungs, bursting with excitement for the next two hours of fun. In an intense final game against Foxtrot Flight, Alpha Flight pulled off a spectacular victory for not only for themselves, but for the entire First Squadron too. Cadets then made their way to the football field for nine different flight activities.
Every flight got to enjoy all of the events, but the water-based ones proved to be student favorites. When asked what was the most fun for him, C/1st Lt Gabriel Rivera ’19 put it quite simply by saying, “Being wet.” Cadet/AB Ali Bassett ’22 from the Alpha Flight said, “I liked dodgeball, hashtag Alpha!” There was even an extra surprise of one student dressed up in a dinosaur suit! C/Capt Joshua Cline ’19 said that his favorite part of the field day had been “watching the dinosaur chase Hotel Flight” during their game of sharks and minnows.
Overall, everyone seemed to have a wonderful time getting to know their classmates a little bit better. Students had to work as a team to succeed in some events, and were pitted against each other in friendly rivalry in others, both of which brought them all closer together. The first field day of the year was a smashing success, and even those who didn’t participate could have a great time watching everything that happened. The field day truly represented the school’s “one team, one fight” mindset. As C/1st Lt Emma Faust ’19 said, “We were a team and we fought together!”