As the Winter Olympics open this week, Asian Alliance is using cultural games and lighthearted competition to bring students together early in the spring semester.
The student organization hosted its annual “Asian Winter Olympics” on Wednesday, Feb. 4, drawing students to the Haus at 623 S. Wabash Ave. for an evening of traditional Asian games inspired by the upcoming Olympic Games, which begin Friday in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Inspired from the upcoming Winter Olympics and a past event called Asian Olympics, Asian Alliance brings their own spin to the event, bringing traditional Asian snacks and games, including a variant of the chopstick challenge, and a traditional spelling bee.
“Last year we did an ‘Asian Olympics’ where we did a scavenger hunt around Chinatown,” said Nicole Perez, a junior animation and computer graphics major and treasurer of Asian Alliance. “The Winter Olympics are coming up and we’re like, ‘Oh, we could totally recreate the Olympics like in the Haus, and just play random games.’”
One of the games at the event was “tumbang preso,” a traditional Filipino game where players grab an empty bottle and knock it over with their shoes.
Cadence Uzarraga, a senior graphic design major and graphic design creator for Asian Alliance, said they wanted the activities to represent the cultural diversity of the student group.
“We are Filipino and Korean on the E-board,” says Uzarraga, adding, “We could definitely keep this event going and introduce more games from different cultures.”
Another game featured at the event was “ddakji,” a traditional South Korean children’s game, which involves throwing a square paper tile against the other player’s tile. A player receives a point if they’re able to flip their opponent’s tile.
Alexis De Ocampo, senior advertising major and vice president of Asian Alliance, said that they wanted the event to coincide with the beginning of the semester before too many obligations stack up.
Some of the activities also leaned into shared Asian student experiences, including a challenge involving multiplication tables.
“We sit around Asian American experiences, like being in school [with] multiplication tables,” De Ocampo said. “A lot of Asian Americans did that.”
John Reyes, a senior ASL English-interpretation major and Asian Alliance member, said he was happy to participate.
“Last semester, I wasn’t really able to come because the club always met during one of my classes — but this semester, I have classes that end before this starts, so I’m able to walk around the corner and show up,” Reyes said.
Copy edited by Venus Tapang
