All of a sudden, out of nowhere, John was hit from behind by Mark. Armed with a laser gun, Mark had been crouching behind an open locker door, waiting for his target.
Friday night scenes like this — students sprinting through the Dillon Gym locker rooms late at night aiming laser guns at each other — aren't uncommon now that the Colosseum Club has opened for the new school year.
Steve Slovenski '09 started the club last winter as an alternative to the Street. He found that after freshman orientation week, there was a lack of options for students on weekends.
"We founded the club because we knew that with all of Princeton's resources, we could create an alternative to going to the Street every weekend," Slovenski said in an email. " Basically, we wanted to get together with friends and do awesome stuff on weekends."
Though not opposed to the Street or to alcohol, Slovenski and fellow Colosseum officers Mark Stefanski '09 and Zoe Hoster '09 explained that that Prospect Avenue scene didn't appeal to them. Having experienced the Street and what it has to offer, they found activities such as laser tag and dodgeball to be more rewarding — and more fun.
"We are not philosophical about the mission of our club," said Stefanski, a founder of the club and a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian. "We just wanted to have fun and have our own club to do things we like to do."
So far this year, the Colosseum Club has hosted four events — including a water fight, two dodgeball tournaments and a nerf fight in Frist — attracting a total of 170 students. Despite its growing popularity — the group has 300 people on its email list — the organization still aspires to the feel of a group of friends, rather than a formal activity or club.
"It is still homegrown, casual and informal," Stefanski said.
Slovenski described the club as "spontaneous."
"We vary our events from week to week depending on what space we can get to play in," he said. "Then it's basically word of mouth and the email" to publicize the event.
Though the club has attracted many students who avoid the Street, its participants include students who participate in eating club activities, Hoster said.
Aware that the University administration was enthusiastic about student-run organizations and alternatives to drinking, Slovenski quickly reached out to administrators for support.
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Tom Dunne and David Leach, the University's recreational director, both expressed enthusiasm for his proposal and helped fund the Club's activities through the Trustees' Alcohol Initiative.
"I have met with Mark and Steve and am impressed with their enthusiasm," Leach said. "Their ideas are worthy of our attention as administrators, as they can provide students with some great activities."
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