Classical Entertainment Society is hosting its first annual chariot races this Sunday at 2 p.m. on the quads as a part of FOTA 2005. The races will begin at Harper Quad and will end under Hull Gate near Botany Pond. Chariots will loop around the circle on the main quad. Seven teams, including one from AEPi, University Theater, and several houses are slated to participate.
The team to finish first will win $50 in cash and laurel wreaths. Second- and third-place teams receive $30 and $10 as well as laurel wreaths. Those who earn Judging Awards for the most creative chariot, the most historically realistic/authentic chariot, and the most spirited team—determined by how many people, who are not part of the actual team, come to the event in togas or other “authentic” Roman garb to cheer on a given team—win three Roman coins.
“The chariot races are a way for U of C students to have fun in the way the Greeks and Romans did,” said second-year Elliot Goodman, the founder of Classical Entertainment Society and primary organizer of the event.
