Rock Beats Paper in Frosh Tourney

Scissors beats paper, paper beats rock, rock beats scissors and all three break the ice. At least that was the hope behind Mortar Board Honor Society’s Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament, a freshman orientation event.

[1]A close match: Emily Mcallister '11 competes against Ben Reich '11 in a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament hosted by Mortar Board. Mcallister defeated Reich 3-2 in a crushing rock move in the end.“The tourney is a way for freshman to meet other freshmen outside of their dorm,” said Sonia Borker ’08, vice-president of Mortar Board.

The finals for the four-day-long tourney took place yesterday in Appel Commons. 50 people out of approximately 300 finessed their way to the finals, but 16 showed up to actually play, according to Scott Zuckerman ’08, membership selection chair of Mortar Board.

“Rock, Paper, Scissors is a game everyone knows and can play,” Zuckerman said. “You don’t have to be athletic or skillful.”

To make it to the finals, players had to beat an opponent at least three times in a row in a two out of three games.”

“I’m doing this to stay extreme,” said Josh Stansfield ’11, a participant in the tourney. Stanfield credits his success in Rock, Paper, Scissors matches to his “mind-reading ability.”

“Confidence and a passion for geology and office supplies” make a stellar rock-paper-scissor player, Stanfield said.

Ben Reich ’11, the runner-up of the tourney, was president of a Rock, Paper, Scissors club at Stuyvesant High School in New York City.

The final tourney was organized by a bracket in which players of the first two rounds had to win two out of three rock paper scissor games to proceed to the next round, which was played as three out of five games.

“That was sick right there,” said Mark Vigeant ’11 of the first matches of the rock paper scissor tourney. He went on to win one of the next matches, but did not make it to the final bracket.

Emily McAllister ’11 won the tourney. Her prize? $100. “I play rock first because it’s aggressive,” McAllister said.

Zuckerman noted that the Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament is the brainchild of Stephen DeGrow ’07, a Mortar Board alumnus.

Borker said that the members of Mortar Board are also working on a literacy project, one of the cornerstone projects of Mortar Board Honor Societies nationwide. To gain admission to Mortar Board, applicants must exhibit leadership qualities, participate in community service and also maintain a 3.0 GPA, said Zuckerman.