Inaugural “Bleed Blue” event

Ryan Morgera – Staff Writer

On October 26th from 5 to 7 p.m., the first annual “Bleed Blue” event took place on the Hagan Lawn. Students from all grades gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the athletic teams on campus, as well as show their “Hound Pride”.

When Assumption College junior Colin McQuillan brainstormed the possibility of a “Bleed Blue” event, he knew he needed to do whatever it took to set it up. McQuillan, who is Vice President for Student Affairs at Assumption, knew Homecoming Weekend needed a twist, a spice or a change.

“Assumption lacks a tradition that everyone can enjoy. This event supports all of athletics and allows non-athletes to have fun and show support at the same time” said McQuillan.

Having previously helped set up many events on campus, such as “Pup Cup” events in the Spring, McQuillan took action and created an event you’ll be circling on your calendars for years to come.

McQuillan had help from both the Student Government on campus, as well as the athletic department as a whole. “I had done a lot of the work on this event with the help of SGA and Athletics. My SGA team was such a huge help and support and I couldn’t have done it without them”.

Over 600 Assumption students attended the event, with 350 or more at the peak time around 6 p.m. Most people who joined in on the fun stayed for over an hour, showing their school spirit while enjoying some food, games and free t-shirts.

McQuillan thinks incorporating all the athletics, rather than the “Midnight Madness” in the past, which was for the men and women’s basketball teams, paid off huge.

“I think this event was successful because it gives everyone a stake in the event itself. All of athletics was included. It would shock me if you didn’t know someone on a sports team on campus. People came out to show support for friends and for school spirit in general” he added.

“My favorite part was seeing people from all parts of campus coming by and enjoying themselves. It was great to see non-athletes supporting athletics over the course of the event and people just enjoying themselves overall.”

Thinking to the future, McQuillan would love to see “Bleed Blue” grow into a yearly event for Hound Nation. “I would love for ‘Bleed Blue’ to continue. I think it’s an event everyone can enjoy and it gives our teams a chance to be recognized for their hard work.”

Next year, McQuillan has some changes he thinks will help attract more students to the event. “I want to make it earlier in the year when it’s warmer out. And maybe make it a barbecue.” This would give students a chance to celebrate the beginning of a new year after the summer, as well as kickoff the fall athletics seasons as well.

One thing is for sure, the Assumption Student body owes Colin McQuillan and the SGA a “Thank You” for their hard work and efforts with the “Bleed Blue” event. It was a huge success and will definitely be looked forward to for years to come.