The newly churned dirt field on St. Rita's Lane lies quietly, awaiting firemen's hoses to transform the choppy ground into a mucky, soupy, swamp of a field. Messy, yes, but the perfect conditions for a mud volleyball tournament.
On Saturday, UB will host its 22nd Annual Oozfest, the largest collegiate mud volleyball event in the country. Contestants should expect to get down and dirty as they prepare to battle both the mud and opposing teams to attain the coveted champion title.
Organized by members of the University Student Alumni Board, this year's co-chairs are Stacy Stewart, a junior accounting major, and Ashley Jennings, a junior psychology major. Both took part in the event last year and decided to get involved in the planning, which begins as early as July.
"To put Oozfest together in its entirety is a lot of work," Stewart said, "but I think you get a lot out of it. It's a good life experience."
Traditionally held toward the end of the semester, Oozfest was created to give students an opportunity to relax and have a good time.
"It was more of a stress reliever before exams," Jennings said.
This year, 104 teams will play at least two 15-minute games. Broken down into eight brackets, there will be 32 referees officiating, and eight runners transferring the score to the scorekeeper.
This year, teams will travel from as far away as Geneseo and Canada to partake in Oozfest.
"The Sheep Herders, this is their 17th year playing," said Jennings.
Starting at around eight in the morning, it is an all-day event, with food, music, games, and prizes.
"We're having events such as root beer pong, a chicken wing eating contest, leap frog, tug of war," said Stewart. "The prizes have been donated by restaurants, like Applebee's and Fridays."
Entitled "Grab a Buddy and Let's Get Muddy," Oozfest encourages creativity.
"Last year, since it was it's 21st year, it was Absolut Mud," Christopher Drucker, a junior industrial and systems engineer and member of USAB, said. "Be creative. We had guys in dresses, people dressed up as old men, and cowboys."
Duct tape will be provided, but everyone is required to wear shoes and advised to dress in layers.
"Come prepared for the worst," Jennings said. "Bring stuff you don't mind throwing away, we will provide dumpsters."
While a $150 team fee may seem a bit stiff, within the cost, breakfast and lunch is included, along with a t-shirt, water bottle, and every team gets a bag with advertisements from sponsors.
"Once you experience it, it's not that much," Jennings said. "We don't get the funds, and its over $10,000 to put on a one-day event. The leftover money goes to the J. Scott Fleming Scholarship."
In addition, a campus group or company also sponsors each court. They include Campus Dining & Shops, University Village, Student Life, Santora's, URH&A and the College Store among others.
Although the fee to play still stands, anyone is welcome free of charge to help out and volunteer at the different events and still get covered in mud.
"We tell everyone 8 a.m.," Drucker said. "Volunteers get there earlier, and it's a 5 a.m. start team to set everything up."
When the day is over, there will be facilities provided to wash off in.
"There are going to be hot showers outside of Alumni," Drucker said. "You can't go in the residence halls and you can't jump in the lake."
For those who have never experienced Oozfest, it is worth going as a spectator or a volunteer.
"It gets better and better every year," Mike Dankiw, a history major and referee for the tournament, said. "Everyone should definitely come out."
Drucker agreed.
"It was a lot fun, no matter what the weather is," he said. "It's definitely an experience."
