My Fabulous Freshman Year- Find the Prize

As part of the blogging committee, I have been assigned to share my experiences as a freshman at Coe every week.  Today I sat thinking about what I should write about. I mean I could talk about tests, classes or orientation.  There have been so many amazing things that have happened in the month I have been at Coe that the list can go on and on, but I instantly thought of the event that has consumed my life for the past 24 hours, causing me to procrastinate on everything, and basically get nothing accomplished.  So I thought, what better way to make something useful out of all the time spent on this activity than by blogging about it?

For anyone that's on campus at Coe, you have probably heard about the Oohlala app, which basically connects you to everything that is happening on campus.  On Tuesday, a new aspect of the app was released, an event, or game rather, called Find the Prize.  The rules are simple, using your app you search around campus for the "prize",  and you tap a button to take it from another person's smartphone when you are within 100 feet of each other.  You can't leave campus or you drop the prize, and if you are lucky enough to hold it for the longest amount of time over the three-day period or have it on your phone Thursday at 5:00 pm, you win $200.  Not a bad deal for a free smartphone app. 

The problem is the game is addicting.  It's basically electronic capture the flag.  I initially laughed when I saw the poster advertising the game, with students chasing each other across a campus.  I mean why would people be running for some stupid game?  Well, I was one of those people running yesterday as my two writing center teammates and I chased down the prize for over three hours, including a late-night search which ended with us determining our sleep might be worth more than $200. 

We've spent time formulating well thought plans and trying develop the perfect strategy to win the prize money, and in the process have left only a small amount of time to get our homework done. We learned that the fence that goes around the football field is much larger than you might think, and that the Writing Center, although sometimes hidden from the public, is not hidden from people after the beloved prize.  We also learned never to underestimate the lengths people will go to to capture the prize back from you, people are obsessed with this game (us included).

Win or lose tomorrow, I will gladly say that Find the Prize has been one of my favorite campus events so far.  Were it not for my ever-growing mound of homework and my short-lived cell phone battery, my team and I would be out at all hours in search of that coveted prize.  I can't wait to have more fun on campus this year!

- Alexandria, Class of  '18