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Freshman Caden Selander of Glenwood and freshman Cayli Penner of Blair, NE, peel out at the start of a “Mario Kart” race last Saturday, Sept. 17, at Northwestern College in Orange City. The event was part of the school’s yearlong four-team student competition.
Carting trio Ailee Moquist of Edina, MN, Aleah Rees of North Liberty and Raema Doty of Chambers, NE, get drenched running past a water balloon battalion last Saturday, Sept. 17, at Northwestern College in Orange City. The race was designed as a live version of the “Mario Kart” video game.
“If this thing falls over, I’ve got no good way to get out,” remarks Drake Davenport of Adair while his nervous teammates Clara Bader of Marshall, MN, and Elyssa Tang of Orange City prepare for a “Mario Kart” race Sept. 17 at Northwestern College in Orange City.
A triumphant Mary Walnofer of Chambers, NE, hoists the golden mushroom last Saturday at Northwestern College in Orange City. The trophy went to her team for winning the live “Mario Kart” event, part of the school’s yearlong team competition.
Freshman Caden Selander of Glenwood and freshman Cayli Penner of Blair, NE, peel out at the start of a “Mario Kart” race last Saturday, Sept. 17, at Northwestern College in Orange City. The event was part of the school’s yearlong four-team student competition.
ORANGE CITY—There weren’t any banana peels or blue shells, but the “Mario Kart” spirit was plugged into the Northwestern College campus in Orange City last Saturday, Sept. 17.
“For the curves, I thought we were going to crash, but then it was fine. It was great by the end,” Logan Thooft said.
A freshman social work major from Woodstock, MN, Thooft was one of the riders.
Girded with borrowed Red Raider football helmets and pads, riders climbed into their team’s color-coded shopping carts. Teammates did the true steering and pushing around the courses set up in the parking lot between the college’s library and chapel.
The already-wild ride was elevated by various power-ups and obstacles just like the Nintendo racing video games.
One race featured inflatable weapons for drivers to wield against their rivals. Another weighed carts down with 50-pound salt bags on the final lap. Spectators bombarded racers with water balloons and squirt guns throughout the afternoon.
Carting trio Ailee Moquist of Edina, MN, Aleah Rees of North Liberty and Raema Doty of Chambers, NE, get drenched running past a water balloon battalion last Saturday, Sept. 17, at Northwestern College in Orange City. The race was designed as a live version of the “Mario Kart” video game.
Raema Doty of Parnell welcomed the cool-downs on what was a sticky 83-degree day with a cloudless sky.
“It felt good, and it’s just water so it’ll dry,” Doty said. “I signed up yesterday, and I had no idea what to expect.”
Doty, a student in Northwestern’s two-year NEXT program, pushed in one of the races. She and Thooft are on Yetivoth, the winning “Mario Kart” team.
Yetivoth is atop the four-team leader board in the ongoing on-campus competition. The others have similarly animalistic monikers: Crocodon, Otterdor and Toucandin.
The Hogwestern Year point totals at Northwestern College in Orange City as of Friday, Sept. 23:
The new one-year contest is inspired by the Hogwarts School house points system from the “Harry Potter” franchise. Northwestern student programs director Lucas Heiberger put it together and dubbed it the Hogwestern Year.
“It’s gone pretty darn well. Some students are really involved in it, and others are like ‘OK, this is an interesting twist on student activities.’ There’s something for everybody. If you really want to lean into the Hogwestern Year, go for it. If you just prefer to show up for ‘Mario Kart,’ it’s there for you,” Heiberger said.
A 2018 Northwestern graduate, Heiberger said the primary goal is to create a cohesive campus atmosphere. Teams are coed, have members from all years and include the multiple student housing facilities on campus.
“If this thing falls over, I’ve got no good way to get out,” remarks Drake Davenport of Adair while his nervous teammates Clara Bader of Marshall, MN, and Elyssa Tang of Orange City prepare for a “Mario Kart” race Sept. 17 at Northwestern College in Orange City.
The contest incorporates games throughout the 2022-23 calendar such as the weekend’s “Mario Kart” clash plus less athletic pursuits such as attendance to noncompetitive student life events and even just showing up to class.
“This idea has exploded across campus, outside the student activities realm,” Heiberger said. “We even have a lot of professors on campus, about 20-30 of them. In class, if someone does a really good job on an assignment or ask a thought-provoking question, they send me the name of the student and that goes into their house points total. It’s grown into so much more.”
A triumphant Mary Walnofer of Chambers, NE, hoists the golden mushroom last Saturday at Northwestern College in Orange City. The trophy went to her team for winning the live “Mario Kart” event, part of the school’s yearlong team competition.
The director’s affinity for “Harry Potter” does not stop at the Hogwestern Year structure. His department will start a quadball league in late October. Based on Quidditch, the fictional sport, quadball resembles a cross of handball, dodgeball and tag, all while players run “flying” on broomsticks.
With an eye toward community-building, Heiberger hopes to extend his Wizarding World to other nearby colleges such as Dordt University in Sioux Center and Briar Cliff University in Sioux City.
“Either way, it’ll work out fine for us. Of course, it would be way more fun if we can compete with local schools. Let’s encourage that rivalry,” he said.
For now, the magic remains on Northwestern’s campus. Thooft was excited for what comes next after he got his hands on the golden mushroom, a Mario-themed trophy for his team’s carting glory.
“It’s just insane we keep winning,” Thooft said. “Us Yetis, we have such a positive competitive spirit that works really well.”
ORANGE CITY—Kingdoms of the ancient and modern merged to create Medieval Madness, an expansion of a tradition at Northwestern College.
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