As the chimes from Shafer Tower echoed down McKinley Avenue, two brave teams lined up to take part in a 2,600 year-old tradition — a chariot race.
The chariots in Roman days were made of wood and metal, where as these Greek fraternity and sorority chariots were made of PVC pipe, two-by-fours, and a handful of screws. The most advanced chariot, which looked like an ATV, was constructed by Phi Mu Alpha, while the simplest chariot, courtesy of the Chi Omega, was a trash can with a stick.
Justin Friend, a senior PR major who set up the Red Bull Chariot Races, explained how the chariots were constructed.
“The chariot has to have three people, one has to ride it and the other two people pull or push it,” Friend explained. “It can only have two wheels, no sharp edges, and can be made out of any material.”
Unfortunately for Phi Mu Alpha and their ATV, they were disqualified due to having four wheels.
“We still wanted them to race,” Friend said, “It was really awesome, but they still did not win.”
The course was straightforward enough. Both teams were to race their chariots down a straight away, make a hairpin turn around a pile of hay bales, and make it back with the rider on the chariot before the other team. Many teams met their fate at the hay bales.
Braden Schlegelmilch of Delta Tau Delta elaborated on a crash his team had.
“We went around the hay bale and crashed into the curb,” Schlegelmilch explained, “TJ (his teammate) fell and scraped up his knee.”
The final round added one last obstacle to the race. The top two teams were required to make three total turns around two sets of hay bales before racing back towards the finish line. The Delta Thunder of Delta Tau Delta won the men’s bracket, while the Pink Ladies of Phi Mu won the women’s bracket.
“The fact that we got to be on top of the podium was awesome,” Schlegelmilch said, “I was just happy that we beat Alpha Tau Omega.”
And for all of their hard work, the champions of the Red Bull Chariot Races were rewarded.
“We got a cool trophy and tickets to a concert,” Schlegelmilch said, “It’s really cool.”
