Mud will fly and sorority girls will joust at Walnut Park on Sunday when the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity holds its fourth annual Guts competition.

Guts is a philanthropic event held by Phi Psi challenging the sororities on campus to four different events: an obstacle course, jousting, a hula challenge and the mad mud flag frenzy, said Andrew Frisina, philanthropy chair for Phi Psi and a senior psychology major.

The competition kicks off at 11 a.m. with a brunch for all contestants. The events will start at about 1 p.m. and extend until 4 p.m., according to the Guts Facebook page. 

All proceeds from Guts will go to the Boys and Girls Club Central Village of Syracuse, said Phi Psi President Andrew Stikovac. The Boys and Girls Club of America is the national charity of the Phi Psi fraternity.

The obstacle course at Guts will consist of an egg toss, tire run, bobbing for apples and other relay-style events, Frisina said. The joust will have two contestants from each team on pedestals using inflatable jousting sticks to try to knock each other off. It will be a bracket-style tournament — best two out of three, with a best three out of five final round. 

The hula challenge replaces the tug-of-war this year. Frisina said there were some problems with the tug-of-war last year, so the hula challenge was agreed upon as a suitable replacement.

Finally, the mad mud flag frenzy will pit two teams of three against each other, with the objective of retrieving one of five flags that will be buried in a pool of mud. The girl who does not grab a flag is eliminated. The game keeps going until one team is eliminated.

‘It’s like musical chairs,’ Frisina said. ‘But with flags and mud instead of music and chairs.’

There are 16 teams in this year’s event, each with 10 members paying an individual $15 entry fee. Fifteen of the teams are from different sororities on campus, and one team is composed of Syracuse University cheerleaders, Frisina said.

Frisina said he has been involved with Guts since its inception four years ago, when he was a pledge at Phi Psi. Each year since 2008, Guts has raised more money than in the previous year. Guts raised $1,000 in 2008; $5,000 the next year; and $7,500 last year, Frisina said.

‘I hope that trend continues this year. Our goal is to raise $10,000,’ he said.

Even without money from the teams, Phi Psi has already raised $5,000 for this year’s event from sponsors like Jimmy John’s and Pita Pit, as well as private donations, Frisina said. Frisina believes $10,000 is an attainable goal, he said.

Frisina said he is very excited for Guts on Sunday, but does not want to lose sight of why Phi Psi is hosting the competition. 

‘Guts is not just for the fraternities and sororities to have fun, it’s meant to bring the community together,’ Frisina said. ‘It’s really a day for the kids.’

ndgallag@syr.edu

Published on April 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm