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St. Cloud State University
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One time, one night
Caffeinated teens play hard at lock-in
By Derek Sullivan
Published:
Monday, April 26, 2004
As the clock ticked toward 11 p.m., several hundred local teens arrived at Halenbeck Hall for "Spring Fling" '04.
The event started deliciously; students snacked on chips, dip, candy bars, pizza and caffeine-rich pop.
Then the students - from St. Cloud Tech high school and St. Cloud South middle school - played basketball. The two teams, with six or seven players each, competed until one team scored eleven points. Between games, they launched long jumpers. While most students misfired miserably, Nate Reedin, 14, found the bottom of the net.
The egg toss was a popular event. Teens surround two competitors and watched as the students tossed the egg 15 feet in the air, hoping their friends would not drop it. John Otte, 14, and Josh Peterson, 13, competed for 10 minutes without dropping the egg.
"We won," Otte said. "No one dropped (the egg). We made it to the end."
Three card tables full of vintage clothes provided attire for a fashion show. A dozen girls walked down the paper runway in oversize clothes while those watching cheered. Lindsey Wilson, 14, said the time limit made the fashion show more fun.
"We had 30 seconds to throw clothes on and get to the runway," Wilson said.
Local bands provided music. A dozen students watch Sufakington perform. The teen band played cover songs. The crowd danced and sang along to a cover of Fountains of Wayne's hit song "Stacy's Mom."
Additional events also went on in the small rooms around the fieldhouse. In one room, teen girls played tennis with giant colored kick balls.
Kids not interested in physical activity watched movies in the make-shift movie house. Last summer's hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" began at 11:30 p.m.
Several students tried to maintain balance after spinning a bat on their heads for 20 seconds. Few made it far. Sydni Bragelmann, 13, said an obstacle made the event impossible.
"The bat spin was not the problem," Bragelmann said. "You had to put cans on your feet; you can't get far because of the cans."
A dunk tank was set up and teens tried to dunk an event volunteer. Peterson threw dozens of balls.
"I thought I hit (the target) once," Peterson said, "but he did not fall."
Other activities available throughout the night included broomball, fortune telling, twister, archery, frisbee golf and a speech and poetry contest.
More than 40 SCSU students volunteered to help out with faculty coordinator Elizabeth Scheel.
As midnight approached, few teens seemed to tire. Wilson said she would have no problem making it to 7 a.m.
"We have had too much caffeine," Wilson said. "The pop is free."
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