page_title: Trumbull College
section_title: Past Traditions
hierarchical_section_title: Trumbull College / Past Traditions
caption_attribution_description: English: Potty Court of Trumbull College, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
context_page_description: Trumbull College is one of fourteen undergraduate residential colleges of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The college is named for Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut from 1769 to 1784 and advisor and friend to General George Washington. A Harvard College graduate, Trumbull was the only colonial governor to support the American Revolution.
  Opened in September 1933, Trumbull College is one of the eight Yale colleges designed by James Gamble Rogers and the only one funded by John W. Sterling. Its Collegiate Gothic buildings form the Sterling Quadrangle, which Rogers planned to harmonize with his adjacent Sterling Memorial Library.
context_section_description: Potty Court Frisbee was a game popular in the 1970s and 1980s played in the Potty Court by two teams of two players each. The general idea was to stand on the low stone wall next to the wrought iron arch at one end of the courtyard and throw a frisbee through the twin arch at the other end, while the other team's two players tried to stop it. Defenders could stand on and lean out from the low stone wall, and could hang from the arch, but could not touch the walkway under the arch. The throws alternated between the teams.
  A throw that went through the arch above the level of the stone wall scored one point. A throw that went through one of the two narrow gaps at the top of the arch's ironwork was a "grundl" and scored two points. To discourage defenders from committing to defense of the arch before the opponent threw, the thrower could also score a point for a shot that hit the wrought iron fencing next to the arch, but a "fence shot" had to hit the fence on the fly or off a wall, while a shot through the arch was allowed to bounce off the ground. The first team to get seven points won. Other than the frisbee, no equipment was required, although some players wore leather gloves to protect their hands from the wrought iron.
  The Beer and Bicycle Race was a team biathlon event from the 1950s and '60s, briefly revived in the '70s. The first race, in 1952, staged by the Trumbull Beer and Bike Society, was an over 70-mile relay from Trumbull to Vassar College. Riders had to consume a quart of beer before passing the baton to the next member of their team (although some sources suggest the beer had to be consumed before riding). Prizes were awarded for fastest times and best rider costumes. The annual April event became the center of press attention, partying, and celebration, and grew to the point that authorities at Vassar banned it in 1957. It continued for a while with a new destination, Connecticut College. In 1964, Trumbull ran it on a 45-mile course through nearby towns, ending back at the Yale Bowl. It seems to have faded away after that, although Trumbull re-staged it for a few years in the 1970s as a double round-trip race between Trumbull and Sleeping Giant State Park.
  The Trumbull Crier, during the 1990s, was a student who made announcements during dinner from the balcony of the college dining hall. The Crier would begin the announcements with, "Moo-ye, Moo-ye, it's six o'clock in Trumbull College, and all is well!" The first Trumbull Crier was Jeremy Monthy (Class of 1995), who came up with the concept. He made and wore a tricorn hat fitted with bull horns.
caption: Potty Court of Trumbull College, Yale University
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