Kevin Saxe
@ksaxe98
For a school so deeply rooted in traditions like NSO, freshmen beanies, not walking on the grass, as well as being a premiere Division III athletic school, it is no surprise that one of the longest standing traditions at Springfield College combines all of those aspects.
Homeshow, an exhibition put on by the Springfield College men’s and women’s gymnastics teams every year, will be put on for the 109th year this weekend as part of the college’s Homecoming Weekend.
As the head coach of men’s gymnastics, as well as an alum and former grad assistant under former coach Steve Posner, Matthew Davis has spent a lot of time in different roles during Homeshow. Having been part of multiple shows, Davis knows how special the show is not just to him but to the alumni, the gymnastics program and the school
“It’s one of those events that brings a lot of alumni back, and they look forward to it every year. It’s something that’s special to me, special to the alumni, and to the school,” said Davis. “Carrying on that tradition is something that’s exciting and also something that is very special to the program and to the school.”
How do you keep an event that’s been around for so long entertaining to people who come back year after year for it? Every year there is a different theme that the show follows. After last year where the theme was, “Celebrating the Tradition of Excellence,” paying tribute to past coaches of the men’s and women’s gymnastics programs, this year’s theme is Flipping through Channels. The show aims to be a fun look at many different tv show according to junior men’s gymnast Luke Wilcox.
“This year’s theme is tv shows. We’re doing something a little different than normal. We have a little bit more of video and audio along with a little more acting and talking,” said Wilcox.
On what to expect in terms of what shows will be featured in routines Wilcox gave a little preview.
“We’re doing an Office scene, SpongeBob, Phineas and Ferb, the Price is Right, so just a bunch of different things to get through the generations. We have a little dance scene where we try to get a few in there like Fairly Oddparents and Scooby Doo to try to get some newer cartoons and older cartoons for the older generation because the alumni are such a big part of who comes and support Homeshow.”
In terms of Homeshow, while some may think it is only gymnasts, Davis and women’s gymnastics coach Jenn Najuch are working hard to get different teams and groups involved in Homeshow to make it “a campus wide event.” The goal of getting different groups involved seems to be working as explained by Davis. The acapella group will be part of the show.
“We try to incorporate as many different groups as we can to show off what Springfield College is about and get them involved in the show. This year we have the SC dancers again. We also have the acapella group and they’ll be doing a Glee number.”
As a gymnast here at Springfield College, being part of the show helps carry on the tradition of Homeshow. It’s a tradition that excites gymnasts like Wilcox, whose attitude has changed since his freshman year.
“So, freshmen year I was not excited. I just wanted to train. I wanted to compete. Sophomore year, I was not really looking forward to it, but I was ready. This year I was so looking forward to it. It’s one of the best parts of the year.”
When asked about what makes Homeshow a must-see event campus, both Wilcox and Davis talked about the uniqueness of the show and how it differs from any gymnastics event. However, Davis may have summed it up best on what makes Homeshow the event that it is.
“It’s a show that once you see it a lot of people want to see it again next year and they keep coming back. It’s that long-standing tradition of 109 years we’ve been doing the show,” he said. “It’s more than just a gymnastics show, it’s about Springfield College, it’s about that ‘Tradition of Excellence’.”
Homeshow will take place Friday October 12th and Saturday October 13th in Blake Arena at 7:30. For those who haven’t bought tickets yet don’t fear, there are limited tickets that will be sold on the steps of Blake Arena at starting at 5:30 on Friday and Saturday. For students, admission is five dollars and can be paid in cash or Pride Dollars.