The Thresher staff is excited to see a return of past Beer Bike traditions in response to student feedback on last year's changes (see story, p. 1). The elimination of the second water balloon fight and the re-inclusion of the float parade aligns the upcoming Beer Bike with past Beer Bikes. The second balloon fight seemed an unnecessary extension to the first fight. Some colleges did not have enough balloons leftover from the first fight and thus shamefully withdrew from the fight. Some students also did not want to participate in the second balloon fight altogether in favor of food and rest.
The parade of floats will provide a more exciting move to the stadium and will hopefully encourage more students to make the trek out to the Beer Bike track. Students will be able to carry the enthusiasm from the first balloon fight through the parade as they process down the inner loop to the bike races. Floats will also give students another opportunity to show their college pride, and the parade hearkens back to the tradition of Beer Bikes of yesteryear. The Thresher hopes this parade will be formatted to avoid problems such as liability for injuries on the trucks or large financial expenses.
We hope these changes will be organized and planned well enough to create a lasting tradition, rather than subjecting Beer Bike to more logistical changes in the future.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece's author.
