The Washington times., 1923-02-09
''FRESH|ES' WIN
SNOWF|GH
At NJ. j.
$50 Students Take Part in
Annual BattIe-Sophomores
Outnumbered.

Featured by numerous individ-
ual skirmishes, several smashing
assaults en- masse, and various
Exhibitions of strategy, University
of Maryland sophomores met
their Waterloo yesterday when
they clashed with the freshies on
the football field in the annual
snow battle.
Outnumbered four to one, the
older class made a valiant fight
to hold the recruits, and at one
time in the early stage of the
battle succeeded in driving them
back in places along the line a
hundred feet or more.
A Desperate Battle.
But the advantage was only
temporary. Superiority of numbers
and the ability to lay down a
smothering barrage of snowballs
had the second year men stopped
before they could make good their
gains. Then the tide of battle
turned and under an avalanche of
icy snowballs shot over with I'M
erring aim the latter was gradu-
ally driven back to their line which
they fought desperately to hold.
With the sophomores' rush stopped
the freshies massed for a returning
drive. Once more they sent across
a series of volleys Of swatting,
mushy .snowbalIs and then en- masBe
rushed the sophomore line.
4 npVfP1o v1lHo@ nif
by a mass of SNOWFALL pitchers
that came on loaded for bear, the
line crumpled up and a minute
later sopohomores and freshies be-
came lost in O. crowd of snowfight.
ers that slowly but surely nego.
tfated the distance between the
sophomore line and the edge Of
the field. .-
Take Their Medicine.
After that there was nothing for
the ''sophs'' to do but take their
medicine and many Of them took
1t in liberal doses. In all approx.
mately $50 students took part in
the snow fight.
Just why was not learnable, but
for some reason the sophomores
seemed inclined to shy at the
contest. The opening of the battle
was delayed nearly half an hour
while the representatives of the
latter waited on their line for the
achievements that never came.
Impatient at the protracted delay
the freshmen began to pepper the
handful Of sophomores long before
the actual battle commenced.
AT one time, a corps of goods
crested the hill above the field.
Their appearance was hailed with
joy by the sophomores who mis-
took them for the long expected
division that was supposed to be
underway to aid their classmen
and greeted them with on outburst
Of wild cheering. When the mis-.
take was discovered the freshmen
improved the opportunity to urge
their antagonists to enlist the co.
eds in their ranks.
They volunteered to provide a
guard of honor and guarantee safe
passage until the fair fighters were
within the sophomore lines. The
invitation was declined by the
latter. This brought a volley of
snowbals which may be said to
have been the opening gun Of the
battle.
Goods Form Gallery.
Scores of goods made up a laugh
ing. giggling, bantering gallery,
that followed the varying fortunes
lof the contestants as they swayed
back and forth across the field.
Finally unable longer to resist the
fascinating temptation of doing a
little snowballing themselves they
soon had a half dozen impromptu
snow battles going, participated in
by dozens of their number. 1t ap-
peared to be the conviction Of the
goods that once one had washed
another's face with a mass of
mushy snow nothing more remained
to be done but look for the next
victim, and it seemingly made little
difference who she was, just 80 a
surprise attack could be sprung,
Here and there among the goods
one possessed of the ability to pitch
a ball went into action. This al
ways started something among the
male element of the gallery which
invariably proved to be the target
plug by the fair Shipper" who.
shooting at close range invariably
had the satisfaction of watching at
least one victim excavating a lib
eral quantity of snow from down
his back before succumbing in turn
to the general assault drawn by her
activities.
The snow battle, now an annual
vent at the Park College division
'of the University of Maryland, Is
considered one of the picturesque
stunts Of the university year.
Seniors and juniors never mix with
1.-THE contestants. Many of them
watch the battle from the sidelines,
however, and join in the roofing,
which is impartially bestowed on
the contestants.
Owing to the failure of the
sophomores to rally at the time set
for the opening of the battle, the
latter did not get under way until
4;3O o'clock, half an hour behind
schedule. A battery Of moving pic
ture cameras recorded the incidents
of the contest which lasted for
nearly an hour.