The Wisconsin Black Student Union and the Wisconsin Association for Black Men will host a weekend of competitive team sports in order to engage various student groups with the outdoors.
The event, called Wisco-lympics, will consist of two days of outdoor activities including basketball and volleyball tournaments. The games will take place at the Lakeshore basketball courts on April 20 and the Sellery courts on April 21.
Students will compete in four-person teams. UW faculty members are also encouraged to join.
Nalah McWhorter, a student at UW-Madison who is helping to organize the event said her primary goal is to reach students from a variety of groups on campus.
“The goal is to get people of color outside and engaging in activities, but also to intersect them with other student bodies that they're not normally around,” McWhorter said. “I want to emphasize that this is not just for minority groups on campus.”
This is the first time the Wisconsin Black Student Union and Wisconsin Association of Black Men have tried to collaborate on this type of spring event. WBSU has reached out to multiple other student organizations in hopes to get the word out to anyone who might want to participate.
“I think that sports are a very easy and relatable way to get people together. And it’s also very important when it comes to team-building,” McWhorter said.
Awards will be given out to competition winners on Sunday, following the events.