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

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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

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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

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Break dancers from around the world came to showcase their talents. or Brittany Leblina ii t was JMU, but it was so eclectic, said se- nior Jessica Johnston, vice president of the Breakdance Club. On March 31, the Breakdance Club hosted Circles 8, one of the largest hip-hop charity events on the East Coast. Break dancers battled against each other to raise money. The com- petition raised about $14,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Mercy House and the Boys and Girls Club. In Godwin Gym, Circles 8 presented four vs. four crew battles, emcee (rapping) battles, Bonnie and Clyde {one girl and boy vs. another girl and boy) battles, live DJs and even a graffiti art expo. Contestants came from as far away as France, and the prize amounts were up to $3,000 for the winners of the four vs. four crew battles. There were also ciphers, non-competitive battles tor those who just came to dance and be a part of the scene. There was a lot of hype about Circles 8 according to Johnston. We had a lot of community involvement; not just from JMU, but from the Harrisonburg community overall. Golookon.com printed T-shirts for the competition and helped to pass the word around ttnvn. The Breakdance Club was formed by fosh Rosenthal in 1997 after the idea came to his friend Kevork Garmirian in a dream. JMU was a different school than it is now, said Rosenthal. There was a lot more of the Greek scene. I knew there were other people like me out there, but there was just no way to unity these people. The Circles charity competition began three years later and only drew about 100 people. In its eighth year, with over 1,500 in attendance, the Breakdance Club was well on the way to its goal to create a home hip-hop culture at JMU. 1 think they ' re getting better at it every year, actually ' said Rosenthal. People come from dl over the countr ' to get to this. Beat Whakz won the four vs. four crew battle and the $3,000 prize at Circles 8; Mellow Styles took the Bonnie and Clyde battle and $200. The emcee battle was won by 2.2. (featured