It’s 4:15 on Friday, March 2nd, most students have headed home after finishing up a day full of cheering, posing for pictures, and competing in Olympic events. However, the great majority of one class had stayed past all the others and stuck through to the end to deliver its victory song. That class was none other than… the freshman? That’s right, the winners of the 39th annual school Olympics were the Fresh-men of Bel Air! With the senior class leading the whole way through, it seemed like another Olympics as usual. But the freshmen kept the score tight, tailing closely behind the seniors until they overcame the deficit and won by a score of 407.5 to 397. They achieved what no other freshman class has done in the history of the Olympics and claimed the title of school champions.

But how did this happen? Isn’t it rigged so that the seniors always win? Did they lose because the freshman took all the fat bubba sandwiches? There were several factors that played a key role in the freshman miracle of 2018. One was the constantly updating scoreboard displayed on screens throughout the school. Although there have been scoreboards in the past, this year they were improved and more spread out, allowing all the students to be aware of the score. This motivated the freshman to keep going to their scheduled events and to attend new open events, knowing they were not that far behind. More importantly, however, was the numbers game. Walking down the hall, it was rare to see lots of yellow, blue, or green. But the bloodthirsty red freshman seemed to be everywhere, traveling in large groups, and taking over the school. This freshman class was very motivated to win, unlike most freshman classes in recent history who, when they first experience Olympics are confused or just learning the ropes. It was a strange anomaly that may not happen for another 38 years.

Speaking of strange, the Senior Things were experiencing the upside down on Friday. It left many of them emotional, frustrated, and just plain sad. It is rare for a class to not win a single Olympic title in their careers at the school, and has only happened five times before. During the first three Olympics as a student, the mindset is, at least we’ll win senior year, but now there is no more chances for this year’s class, leaving it with time to reflect.

This shocking turn of events experienced during the Olympics will turn out to be a good thing for everyone. It may not seem like a good thing for the senior class at first, but after sleeping on it, doing some yoga, meditation, and deliberating, the seniors will find lessons in this loss and remember all the fun times the Olympics has given them. “More important than winning, is the great memories that I’ve made with great people over these four Olympics,” said class officer Sydney Lerner (’18).

As for the next four classes competing next year, it’s anyone’s game. Since the freshman won it this year, they will have even more motivation to keep their streak going next year as sophomores. “I think we can keep on rolling and win the Olympics all four years,” said Will Mangaser (’21). Next year’s freshman will also have this added confidence and try to be the second freshman class in a row to win. And since the seniors finally lost, it puts the pressure on next year’s senior class to not follow the trend. Most importantly, it gives all grades hope that their time can come sooner rather than later and they don’t have to wait until senior year to win. This historic Olympics will go down in the record books as well as provide a more competitive atmosphere for future school olympians.