Why children are getting and what UB is - University at Buffalo

alumninews
Oozfest turns 25
Still muddy after
all these years
Mark your calendar for
Saturday, April 25, 2009,
and plan on coming out to
play or to watch the action
from the sidelines. Either
way, join in the celebration of
Oozfest’s 25th anniversary.
Team check-in is at 8 a.m.;
the tournament runs from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Team and
volunteer registration forms
are available at www.alumni.
buffalo.edu/usab.
Craig Caplan, BA ’92 (front row, third
from left) with his team in 2007.
During the last 25 years,
literally tons of mud have been
generated, competed in and
hosed off thousands of participants
in Oozfest, the mud volleyball
tournament sponsored
by the University Student Alumni Board (USAB).
Held in the Mud Pit on St. Rita’s Lane on the
North Campus, Oozfest attracts more than 100
teams with thousands of participants and volunteers
each year. From one-time adventurers to
teams with nearly 20 years of experience, Oozfest
has become one of the most beloved traditions
on campus. Each year, the tournament gets bigger
and better, the team names more clever, the
costumes increasingly elaborate. “It’s just so much
fun. You really have to see it to believe it,” says
Patty Starr, assistant director for student and
reunion programs and
USAB adviser. “Though
it is a tournament and
there’s definitely competition,
it’s always
friendly, and at the end
of the day it’s all about
the mud!”
Back in 1985, a small
but hardy group of
UB students decided
it needed an activity
that would help blow
off some steam during
exam time. The
idea came from the
University of Connecticut, which had launched its
own version of mud volleyball the year before.
Several teams have made return appearances.
In fact, Poached Trout in White Wine Sauce will
celebrate its 20th consecutive appearance in
2009. We asked original Poached Trout team
member Craig Caplan, BA ’92, about his favorite
Oozfest memories.
Where did your team name come from?
It’s taken from a Monty Python sketch.
Considering your team members are now established
alumni, where does everyone travel from
to play at Oozfest?
A few are still in the Western New York area,
but others come from Virginia, Maryland,
Pennsylvania and California. Overall, 21 people
have played on our team during our 20-year
history.
What’s your win-loss record?
We’ve never won the competition itself. Our best
finish has been tied for seventh place (in the
96-team format). However, we often won the
“best costume” contest. Our costumes have run
the gamut from 1970s leisure suits and Santa outfits
to astronauts, mad scientists and killer bees.
My own favorites include wet suits (which kept
us warm and dry), old-time golfers (the vintage
gear and clothes we found looked great) and chefs
(we brought an actual trout—amusing at first, but
unpleasant as the day wore on).
What keeps you coming back year after year?
For many years, the weekend of Oozfest served as
a mini-reunion of good friends from college. By
about our 10th year, participating started to take
on additional meaning—we’d been doing it for
so long, it had become a tradition. As students,
we joked about how we’d play until our children
could join in (or form their own team). Little did
we realize at the time that we’d still be playing 20
years later. The “junior team” of our kids is still
a few years out. In the meantime, it’s a pleasure
to get together each year with other long-running
teams, like the fabulous Sheepherders (who have
actually won the competition several times).
42 UBTODAY Winter 2009 www.alumni.buffalo.edu