Meredith Recreation Association’s (MRA) STUNT, an annual tradition and class competition, will be held on Friday, March 31. Check-in begins at 2 p.m., and the activities begin at 3:35 p.m. in the courtyard between Johnson Hall and Belk Dining Hall. During STUNT, students from each class participate in an array of activities to earn their class points. The class with the most points at the end of the event wins. The theme this year is “Candyland: How Sweet It Is to Be at MC!”
STUNT this year features seven separate activities: a theme-specific activity, pass the candy, bat spin, a three-legged race, a relay race, tug of war and Lip Sync. This year’s theme-specific activity is a blindfolded egg scavenger hunt, where one student will be blindfolded in the courtyard as another classmate gives them directions to find the eggs from the sidewalk. Students can participate in any of these activities by contacting their class’ STUNT Co-Chairs.
The timeline of STUNT begins with check-in for students participating in activities from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Any student who wants to participate in an event must check in and receive a participant wristband. Students who want to observe are welcome, no wristband required!
Alyshena Case, ‘24, an MRA STUNT Co-Chair, is excited about the efforts that MRA has been making to improve STUNT’s accessibility. “We have been working so hard to make at least two events that are fully accessible so that any student can compete in them,” Case said. Case explained that Kacey Reynolds Schedler, the Assistant Director of SLS and MRA advisor, attended an accessibility training led by Molly Hull, Accessibility Coordinator at the NCMA and Accessibility Consultant, and coordinated by Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator Liliana Madrid. Emma Anderson, Class of 2024 STUNT Co-Chair, said that all STUNT Co-Chairs have been working hard to “[bring] the tradition up to date to support our students.” In addition to improving accessibility, there will be designated “quiet zones'' that students can go to if they become overstimulated. There will also be booths with other activities and entertainment for students who are not participating in judged activities.
While Case has been excited about the changes to STUNT, she said that the work can become “draining.” Case said, “The process has been fun but slightly draining . . . because there are a lot of commitments and meetings that Consepcion [Cruz, another MRA STUNT Co-Chair] ] and I have to attend behind the scenes.” Overall, Case is excited about STUNT 2023 and hopes that students will attend and have fun, too. Cruz shared that “It definitely has been a long but rewarding process.” Cruz encourages students to participate in the theme: “Feel free to wear anything related to the theme.”
STUNT Co-Chairs for the Class of 2025, Aniston Sennett and Natalie Mikaels, also encourage any students who are interested in attending to come, saying the event “is a lot more fun with more people!” They also said, “We also want everyone interested to know that STUNT isn’t as much of a time commitment as Corn[huskin’], and the choreography for Lip Sync also isn’t as intense as the Corn[huskin’] dances!” Sennett and Mikaels are most excited about the theme-specific event, the egg scavenger hunt, and the Lip Sync. “We love our other STUNT chair members and are excited to continue prepping for the big event!”
Anderson also urges students to come: “If you have never participated in STUNT before or are new to Meredith, this is the event to be at!” She is most excited about “dancing in the Courtyard and completing challenges with the Class of 2024!” Her co-chair, Catherine Moorman, ‘24, is also excited for the “silliness, laughter, team building, and overall great memories” that STUNT brings to Meredith students.
The rain date for STUNT is April 1, and students can access STUNT rules and further information in the MRA Stunt Rulebook emailed to them by their class presidents. For further inquiries, contact your class’s STUNT co-chairs or the MRA STUNT Co-Chairs, Alyshena Case and Consepcion Cruz. Follow MRA’s Instagram, @mra_atmc, for updates.
By Cady Stanley, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Correction: in the original article, Alyshena Case, '24, told The Herald that STUNT planners had taken steps to make the event more accessible and had met with Liliana Madrid, DEI Coordinator, to get more input. After publication, The Herald was informed that this interaction took place at an accessibility training coordinated by Madrid. The training was led by Molly Hull, Accessibility Coordinator at the NCMA and Accessibility Consultant, and attended by Kacey Reynolds Schedler, the Assistant Director of SLS and MRA advisor.