Story by Leah Ash, Culture Editor

As everyone is intimately familiar with, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted a lot of normal life. This year, the long beloved Aquinas tradition of Saints Slam returned (with a vengeance) for students to enjoy. 

The event took place on Thursday, October 13 in the Sturrus Center. The student theme was “western,” so students arrived in fun, country gear — lots of flannels, as well as cowboy hats and boots. 

What is Saints Slam? This is a Midnight Madness style event that is meant to kick off the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball season. It emphasizes many Aquinas teams and groups with performances before introducing this year’s teams. 

The night started out with a brilliant performance from the AQ Drumline. At Saints Slam, they were able to stand out and engage with the crowd, not only playing music but getting the students involved. 

Between every performance and game, students had the chance to win exciting prizes provided from the event sponsors. These included gift cards to places like Jimmy John’s and Anna’s House, certificates for free donuts from Krispy Kreme and other prizes leading up to the grand finale at the end of the night: A $500 gift card to the Aquinas Bookstore. 

Other than being lucky with the prize wheel, students who participated in the games all won prizes. These games included a three-point shootout tournament, a relay race, musical chairs, a one on one trivia competition and a basketball skills contest on the court. 

AQ Drumline wasn’t the only team that got some spotlight during this event. Both the cheer and dance teams performed for the school, and AQ Cheer flipped their way across the floor and into the air, inciting plenty of cheers from the crowd. AQ Dance did a brilliant job of hyping up the crowd with their great skills and awesome choreography. 

Both teams did an amazing job of showcasing their sport while getting the crowd hyped up all night. 

The night finished off with introductions to this year’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, introducing each player one by one before reaching the seniors, who got a special introduction for their last season. 

Afterwards, both coaches and a senior from each team expressed their gratitude to everyone who came out, as well as their excitement for the upcoming season. Be sure to head out to a basketball game and support your fellow Saints!