By Julia Barth, Features Editor
With students being back on campus and the spring semester starting, one way students can get involved in the campus community is by attending our very own sporting events. C-Block, the club on campus that organizes pre-games, tailgates and trips to see and cheer on the athletic teams, is looking ahead to a semester filled with events and giveaways.
The club’s first two events of the semester were last weekend, including a tailgate on Friday night for the men’s basketball game versus Rider and a tailgate on Saturday night for the hockey game versus Bentley (both of which Canisius won).
Both of the events, also presented by the Canisius Student Programming Board and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, had food, games and giveaways before heading over to the games. Friday night had pizza and chicken fingers with a basketball shootout game, an escape room and free rally towels and sunglasses. Saturday night brought the Cheesy Chick food truck to campus and also included custom street signs, game sign making and free Canisius beanies. C-Block also provided transportation downtown for the game.
When asked about expected events for the semester, C-Block President Sydney Carlo said she has many ideas, including sending a bus to Niagara University for the hockey game on Feb. 12, Diversity Day with the ALANA Center on March 5 and sending a bus to the MAAC tournament in March to cheer on men’s basketball.
At both the basketball and hockey games last week, a bunch of students showed up to support the teams, and Carlo hopes that even more will attend as the semester goes on. Though students really couldn’t attend games last year due to the pandemic, she finds that they are back and louder than ever in cheering on their school and their classmates. But if you are on the fence about attending some of the school’s most exciting sporting events, C-Block will be offering lots of food and lots of giveaways throughout the year. Carlo mentioned bandanas, bench cushions and shirts, as well as an incentive program in which students can win jerseys, speakers and professional sports tickets.
Other events C-Block is planning to hold throughout the semester include a cookout for softball and baseball, as well as a food truck on giving day (April 6) for women’s lacrosse. Some events will even have cash bars for students over 21. If you would like more information on how to join in the fun, follow C-Block on Instagram @unofficialcblock or join them as a member on CanisiusLife (the link is in their Instagram bio). Additionally, all of their events are advertised in the emails from Student Life as well as on flyers all around campus.
Finally, C-Block is looking for e-board members for the 2022-23 school year. Applications are opening on Feb. 1 for president, vice president, secretary and treasurer and will close on March 8. All of the information will be found on their Instagram. As for what Carlo hopes to achieve this semester as the president of C-Block, she says, “I want to create a fun, high-energy atmosphere for students watching the games!”