James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

Page 24 text:

kJe all grew up ad L.egomaniacd. senior Josh Jones Enthusiastically wrapping his hands around the middle, a participant adjusts his Lego lower. All of the Legos used in Battle of the Builds were donated to local shelters and children ' s charities. Photo h ?e ee TvnHui en Sorting through his Lego allotment, a student thoughtfully selects the perfect piece. Freddie Mac, the company who sponsored the event, had financed more than 50 million homes since 1970. Photo by Revee TenHui en Students competed in Lego building on Godwin Field. M % m competition unlike any seen on campus r m m before. The first Battle of the Builds took W place March 28 on Godwin Field. The competition pitted 25 groups of students in a race to build the tnost awe-inspiring and innovative home designs out of Lego blocks. Teams had one hour to build their homes from the ground up. They ranged from two to si. members working together to win first prize. The top five teams won prizes such as folding chairs, umbrellas and gift cer- tificates to restaurants like Outback Steakhouse and Hams Restaurant. Battle of the Builds was meant to be a celebration of the new partner- ship between the university and Freddie Mac, the sponsor of the event and a corporation that helped homeowners find ways to pay for their homes. The Lego building concept was meant to loosely relate to Freddie Mac ' s mission of making home ownership possible for everyone, said Heidi Cuthbertson, the events organizer. The goal was to raise awareness of Freddie Mac and its mission on campus, which allowed the business to grow even more. A live band performed at the battle and free food and drinks 2.0 (featured

Page 23 text:

(J eatured Classes Organizations tHi Sports Closing

Page 25 text:

by Stephen Brown lully adding the next Ix ' go, d competitor prepares lo finish her school-spirited house named Dukes. students only had one hour to build their Lego creations and Aere required to use ail of the I lieces allotted lo ihem. Photo hy Revee TenHulsen were available. Throughout the day, the tent was abuzz with activity and energy as the band Moneypenny performed and competition raged. Everyone was welcomed to stop by and partake in the activi- ties, except tor the competition itself, which required that teams sign up in advance. By the time building began, the scene resembled a glorified kindergarten class, with 25 tables covered in Legos and ma- niacal students climbing over each other to get to the blocks. In the last live minutes, students hurried to put finishing touches on their models. The creations all varied in style and function. Some teams went with a more traditional home-building formula. The Alpha Kappa team, for instance, was inspired by the architectural design of Wilson Hall. Oth- ers built large, mansion-like buildings equipped with separate wings and guest houses. These designs seemed to attract the judges ' approval more, considering that the judging criteria focused on structural soundness, aesthetics, overall appearance and creativity. Still, some of the most interesting models were those that deviated, often radically, from conventional architectural sts ' les. Team Legolas, for example, decided to build up, rather than out, finishing with a six-story home built almost entirely with window panes. The cherry on top was the luscious green yard situated at the top of the tower instead of the front or back of it, as well as the trees sprouting along the home ' s facade. We ' re making a tree house, said junior Forrest Bassett, member of Team Legolas. And if you don ' t like it, there ' s a boathouse, he said as he pointed to a smaller structure at the foot of the tree house. Many other teams built traditional architectural norms, such as ba- sic four-wall homes. One creation resembled a condemned tower, with a yard floating precariously above a rootless living room with a single wall climbing higher into the sky. But the judges invariably favored the more traditional homes. The winner of the event, team Lego My Eggo, recieved an iPod shuffle for each member. Their creation sported four intact walls, plus a garden and a pool house adjoining the side of the main house. Of the top five finishers, only one team ' s creation deviated from tra- dition. The team was Builder Bob ' s, who created a beach house with an Olympic-sized swimming pool on the roof The idea came to senior Mike Hoffman in a dream. Senior losh lones said, We all grew up as Legomaniacs, and we just wanted to continue that dream. Baftle o f t je IBuiUd 21