Pritzker Society Field Day
Pritzker Society Field Day: A Meeting of the Minds…and Muscles
David Beckmann
By David Beckmann, MS 4
It was a warm, clear September afternoon when Pritzker students from all four classes converged on the Midway for the inaugural Pritzker Field Day. Members of the Huggins, De Lee, Phemister, and Coggeshall Advising Societies gathered for some friendly competition in four classic outdoor events: volleyball, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, and the elementary school favorite…kickball! For four hours, clinical responsibilities were put on hold, orientation events had to wait, and fourth-years momentarily forgot about their pending applications to residency. This was about pride and bragging rights. Which really is the best Society?
Team Huggins on the big day
Led by Dr. Shalini Reddy, Associate Professor of Medicine, members of the Huggins Society gathered and began to think up cheers and develop strategies as they prepared for their first event. Dr. Reddy, never one to shy away from competition, pulled me aside and stated simply, “We need to win,” marking the importance of this day and clearly demonstrating this was more than just friendly competition.
From across the Midway a man came marching over, dressed head to toe in a referee’s uniform. As he got closer, Phemister’s fearless leader, Dr. David Howes, Professor of Medicine, made his presence known by blasting on his whistle. Phemister members laughed and cheered while other society members wondered if his refereeing would alter the outcome of the games.
De Lee, absent their faculty leader, relied on the sound leadership and experience of seasoned fourth-years. Calling upon their previous intramural experiences and wisdom of their sagacious MS 4s, De Lee assembled a powerful team that exuded confidence as marked by proclamations like, “You might as well give us that trophy now.”
Pritzker Field Day in action
Coggeshall was also without a faculty member or senior leadership and instead had to rely on the organization and leadership of primarily first-years. Intensity was the name of the game for Coggeshall, as team members played every point like it was their last and challenged points that were denied. As the competition wore on, Huggins began to falter. A victory in volleyball was short-lived as they fell in soccer and ultimate Frisbee. Phemister, too, was unable to capitalize on the distinct advantage of having an official on their side and squared off against Huggins in the consolation bracket where Huggins took home 3rd place.
The quiet confidence of De Lee and young leadership of Coggeshall set the stage for a final game of kickball to determine the champion. With multiple lead changes, cheering, and disputed points, it came down to one final inning to determine the champion. What appeared to be the game-tying run ended up being negated as a baserunning gaffe ended the game, but not without controversy. In the end, De Lee came out on top with Coggeshall left to wonder what could have been. As De Lee hoisted the muscle-man trophy overhead, Coggeshall, Huggins, and Phemister applauded politely. One couldn’t help but wonder about next year. Will De Lee retain the trophy or will a new champion be crowned?
