- By Teressa Berton, Cornhuskin' Correspondant -
Now that fall has finally fallen, and freshman elections have occurred, Cornhuskin’ season has officially begun. Just as practices have started, so have the many rumors that surround Cornhuskin’.
Even before the official start of the Corn season, rumors of who has what theme began to circulate, despite the fact that this information is supposed to be kept secret until the reveal of themes at the Big Sis/Lil’ Sis Bonfire on the night of Cornhuskin’, either by announcement or by scavenger hunt. Despite the guise of secrecy surrounding Cornhuskin’, it seems that everyone who wants to know, knows everything.
Despite the best efforts of many, I know all of the Cornhuskin’ themes as well as various details, and so do many others. Why is it that the secrecy surrounding Cornhuskin’ is not a secret at all? To begin to uncover the truth about the secrecy surrounding Cornhuskin’ you must first turn to the history of the event. In its earliest form, Cornhuskin’ was a much smaller event, lacking themes and having only friendly competition. It is only in the past 50 or so years that competitions, skits, dances, and of course themes have come to play larger and larger roles. As the scale of the competition has escalated, so has the perception of the stakes. Many of the Meredith students in my acquaintance are willing to lay it all down, whether it be cutting back to pay for a Corn package or losing sleep, and spending the whole year discussing the happenings of Cornhuskin’s past. This ongoing discussion of an eight week period in the fall dominates dining hall dinners, quiet conversations in classrooms, and hushed hallway chatter — no wonder no one can keep a Corny secret.
As the focus of Corn has shifted from secrecy and competitiveness to unity, so has the discussion around it. Instead of sneaking and spying, women from all classes spend there time bonding and talking about their favorite tradition, sharing what they know about other classes in between parking lot practices, talking about learning new choreography, and reminding freshmen that they really do have to just experience it to understand. While gossip surrounding Cornhuskin’ may seem to be spilling the beans, or creaming the corn if you will, it is really part of what brings us all together and truly makes us unified as one big Corny sisterhood.
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