Classes of '07, '08 carry on tradition

Everyone was exhausted. Even Tuesday evening's emcee could do little to fuel the crowd for cane wrestling — the marquee event at Cane Spree, a century and a half-old-annual tradition.

After the freshmen and sophomores went head-to-head in tennis, field hockey, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, volleyball and several other sports, the competitors were completely worn out.

But a few had saved themselves for the main event. Sophomore Rubin Pope was not going to miss his chance to enjoy something as "quintessential of Princeton" as cane wrestling.

"Cane Spree was something I really wanted to do," Pope said.

He challenged his friend, freshman Sean Mahon, to the brawl.

Pope and Mahon were playing their part in a tradition that, as Pope pointed out, is something of a rite of passage for freshmen and sophomores at Princeton.

Cane Spree has taken many forms over the years, from the mid-19th century when it consisted primarily of brawls between the two classes over the right to carry a cane on campus, to the much tamer ultimate Frisbeed version seen today. But the one constant that has remained is the largely lost art of cane wrestling.

The concept is simple: hold on to the cane longer than your opponent can. Otherwise, virtually everything else is legal. Rip, tug and twist. Bite when the ref can't see.

"You see everyone else getting up, and they're just exhausted, telling you that it's going to be intense," Pope said.

Mahon and Pope were able to accomplish what the emcee had been unable to only moments before. The crowd was roaring.

But how could anyone watch what was going on in front of them without getting a little excited? The match started off with Pope literally lifting the well-built Mahon off the ground — twice.

Pope acknowledged that those two early maneuvers may have cost him a lot of endurance later on. Winning does not require brute strength, he said; you just have to be a little clever.

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"You don't realize how much strategy is in it," he said.

Don't tell that to the crowd. The students watching, who hours earlier had been quietly sitting in class, had turned bloodthirsty. The mob behavior studied earlier in psychology class was being acted out full throttle in the middle of Poe Field. Gutteral cries of "Freshmen!" echoed from every direction, while sophomores proudly proclaimed "Oh-seven!"

Mahon quickly developed more advanced tactics.

"After you rolled around a bit, you got the hang of it," he said.

Mahon's strategy was to get his knee up on the cane to act as a pivot. Thus, he had three points of contact as opposed to only two. The strategy paid off. Mahon took the victory after a bout that extended slightly past the two-minute regulation.

"It was so tiring. My arms were dead," Mahon said.

At least he was able to show something for his efforts. Sophomore class president Jim Williamson and freshman class president Grant Gittlin remained locked even after the bell had rung.

"More! More! More!" the crowd chanted.

A 30-second bonus period could do no more to separate the two.

"It was amazing. The entire crowd was screaming. Everyone was watching," Williamson said. "I was excited. I thought I'd have 30 more seconds to try and win."

Though the overall win-loss tally from the wrestling may never be known, both classes will certainly claim victory. The freshmen did, however, earn a clear win in the very next event, the tug-o-war.

The event was at a stalemate for nearly 20 seconds. But suddenly, like a dam breaking, the freshmen gained the upper hand and pulled the rope through.

Watching the cane wrestling, with its primal simplicity and frenzied aggression, it was easy to imagine Princeton students taking part in the same ritual more than a hundred years ago. And for that, the Cane Spree was once again a huge success. Though some couldn't hold on to the cane, none let go of the tradition that joins them with classes past and future.