It’s the last day of regular classes for the spring semester at the University of Texas. And as it happens every last day of class on UT campus, some students are celebrating with Foam Sword Friday, helping students relieve stress before finals.
The campus tradition used to consist of students charging at one another from either side of Guadalupe Street in front of the University Co-Op. That is, until one student was hit by a bus last spring.
Though Nick Engmann was okay – and went on to talk about his experience on Good Morning America – the group that had organized the foam sword fight, the Undergraduate Architecture Student Council, canceled it indefinitely.
But other students have stepped up to save the tradition, including Mr. Engmann himself.
"My incident was a real trauma to the University,” Engmann says. “I can understand they would rethink having Foam Sword Friday, but the cancelation of the event in its entirety because of one mishap was a really big blow to myself."
"I really like this event,” Engmann says. “I know hundreds of other students really like this event, so I just really wanted just to show everyone that all because of crisis doesn’t mean you have to give up."
Instead of being held on the Drag, the foam sword fight was held on the Littlefield Quad today.
UT freshman Jared Stowers says he’s happy the fight didn't end.
"I have friends who've graduated and they've been telling me about it year after year – and it's something I kind of associate with UT as a whole," Stowers says.
Engmann says the event is all about destressing and having a good time.
When asked if he thinks the Foam Sword Friday tradition will continue despite – or because – of last year’s notoriety, Engmann says, "I do like to think that Foam Sword Friday would in fact go on forever … not because of what happened to me, but simply because I know people love the event and would like to come out to it."
Engmann says he’s planning on having the event in conjunction with the Student Events Center starting next semester.
In case you missed it, here's Engmann's encounter with a Capital Metro bus last year: