Straight Game Face, It's Game Day

Lauren Ritter
Phi Sigma Sigma

Two lines stand across from each other. Everyone knows what’s on the line, so both sides have their game faces on and are ready to go for the next 60 minutes. The ground starts to tremble as people start shouting a combination of chants and cheers. The doors fly open and so it begins. If you thought that this was the beginning of a football game, you’re wrong. This isn’t football — though like our manly counterparts we were wearing tights as well­. This is RUSH WEEK!

The scene above, while it might resemble opposing teams scattered on the sidelines before a game, actually refers to when sorority girls take up their posts in what we call a shimmy line before PNMs (potential new members) walk through the front door. I never experienced formal rush in all of its glory, so seeing all of my sisters singing, clapping and cheering so loud that the building shook was quite overwhelming. However, as startling as more than 100 rowdy sorority girls singing a Phi Sig remixed version of “Turn Me On” by David Guetta is, I couldn’t help but want to sing along at the top of my lungs too and shimmy like I’ve never shimmied before.

Rush is like the Super Bowl of Greek life. It’s arguably one of the most important times of the year for any house. Being the girl who can almost always find a sports metaphor or reference for just about every situation, let me break down sorority rush for my male counterparts. Because, guys unless you were wearing heels for 13 hours straight and screaming until you lost your voice, I doubt you can fully appreciate sorority formal rush. So, in honor of the upcoming Super Bowl, let me break it down for y’all.

The first two days of rush are Open Houses. This is a time for all of the PNMs to visit each house and talk to a few girls. This time is great for making first impressions and for getting a sense of what the sisters are like in each house. I’d like to think of this as being along the same lines of the preseason in football. This is a time when all of the PNMs are feeling a little nervous and are getting acquainted with the Greek system, much like when players join new teams for the first time. These guys have to jump right into training or game play and give it their best shot. The girls who do well during the first two days show great promise for how the rest of rush may play out for them. Be enthusiastic, engaged and energetic and there is a strong possibility that you will make it to the next round.

On the third day, the PNMs who are called back and haven’t elected to drop out have the opportunity to go back to houses who would like to get to know them more. During House Tours, sisters have the opportunity to talk to PNMs who they might have felt a connection with the day before and see what else they might have in common. This is very much like the regular season, when players are able to get to more acquainted with a team and see what the team's game style is. While first impressions have already been made in the first round, this is the time to showcase your best qualities (c’mon Tebow!). This is not the time to let the cat get your tongue or flash your RBF (resting bitch face, that is). The PNMs need to show the sisters that there is a strong possibility that they possess the right qualities and personality that would make them a great addition to the specific house they are visiting. So, ladies, give your best Tebow impersonation and fake it till you make it. This is all building up to the next round, the playoffs.

Day four is one of the most important days of rush, only second to Preference. Skit and Philanthropy Day, is like the wild card, divisional and conference championship rounds for the select number of PNMs who are called back to houses. Making it to this round demonstrates that these girls have great potential which could eventually lead them to the magical land of matching lettered totes, balloons and glitter — so much damn glitter. The numbers of PNMs in the running is starting to narrow and the competition to earn a spot on the final callback list is reaching an all new level. Every PNM needs to be on the top of her game. While Tebow might have been able to fumble through until this point, now that the pressure is on, the real Tom Bradys will start to shine. These PNMs have their acts together, never let the conversation lull and leave every sister who talked to her begging her sisters to initiate the girl on the spot.

After going through grueling rounds of playing the “Name, Hometown, and Major” game, the final day has arrived. Preference is like the Super Bowl of sorority rush. Not only is this the last time that sisters can convince PNMs that their house is the absolute best fit for them, it is the PNMs last chance to convince the sisters that they are in return the best fit for the house as well. While many football games are fraught with injuries, Pref round is no different. Every other sister has blisters from wearing heels 13 hours a day for the past 4 days. Someone burnt her mouth on her Starbucks latte because she was too exhausted from the previous few days that she forgot to let it cool off a bit. One person even popped her knee out of the socket during a party, but just popped it back in because that’s just what you do. No matter what happened the day before, it doesn’t matter because, all the hard work that you put in for the last few days and even the training days before that comes down to this last day. This day determines who gets the bid and sadly who doesn't

Rush is a very long, tiring process, but like I said before, none of that matters when you see your newest pledge class walk through the door. My sisters and I surrounded our new Sphinx babies and welcomed them into our pyramid on Bid Night. It didn’t matter that half of us lost our voices and couldn’t talk or that the other half probably won’t be able to wear real shoes for the next few weeks after all of the damage that our heels did. The only thing that matters is that we have an amazing group of girls who we’ll be able to call our sisters in just a few short weeks.