KICK OFF OF DEANS CUP😕💔
The kickoff for our Dean’s Cup was actually a moment today. We’ve been hyping faculty week all semester, and today was the day it finally started for real. The field at IMO State University was already full by like 8am. Teams warming up, students with faculty shirts, music playing from someone’s speaker. You could feel that “week has started” energy in the air. But the main thing everyone was waiting for was the Dean herself to come and officially kick it off.
And she showed up. The Dean of the Environmental Faculty walked onto the field and the whole place just shifted. First match was ESM vs FAA, so both departments were already lined up waiting. The moment she stepped in, students surrounded her. Not in a rush way, just everyone wanted to be close, take pictures, cheer. People were shouting “Dean! Dean!” and clapping. She was smiling the whole time, waving and greeting people like she actually knew half the faculty 😂 It made it feel less like some formal event and more like she was really there to enjoy it with us.
Then came the actual kickoff. They brought the ball to her right in the center circle. For a second it was quiet, everyone watching. She took the shot, and boom — first ball of the Dean’s Cup tournament was kicked by her. The crowd went wild. ESM and FAA players clapped, students were screaming, phones were out recording. It was simple but it meant a lot. Having her do it herself instead of just giving a speech made it feel real. Like the tournament was blessed or something.
After that the match proper started and it was actually a good game. Both sides came out strong because nobody wanted to lose the first game of the week. In the end ESM later won FAA 2:1. It was tight, but ESM just took their chances better. The crowd was into it the whole time, chanting and everything. Honestly it was a very good and pleasant way to start. For me as welfare director I was running around making sure water was set and everything was calm, but even I paused to watch. If day one started like that, I’m actually looking forward to how the rest of faculty week will go.
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