On Jan. 25, in a galaxy far, far away, the university’s “Star Wars” Club joined forces with the Campus Activities Board (CAB) to form a truly out-of-this-world collaboration: a journey to “Star Wars” Takeover Night at Nationwide Arena as the Columbus Blue Jackets played the Los Angeles (LA) Kings.
Like many CAB events off-campus, especially sports-related ones as with previous collaborations with Fútbol Fanatics and SOLA to Columbus Crew games, the event was sold out in a matter of days.
Sophia Wilson, advisor to CAB, said the reason the sporting events are so popular is because “students love to get off campus, hang out and meet new people,” along with the added advantage of the tickets being “relatively inexpensive,” Wilson said.
The tickets for the game sold for $25 each for this event.
The game itself was close and exciting. The Jackets won 3-2 in the third minute of overtime thanks to right wing Kirill Marchenko.
The LA Kings had last defeated the Blue Jackets in November with a score of 2-5, and Columbus was out for revenge.
The “Star Wars” aspects of the game included laser shows accompanied by “Star Wars” soundtrack disco remixes, free balloon lightsabers and appearances from the 501st Legion, an international “Star Wars” cosplay organization.
Special themed jerseys were also free perks, either blue with the sign of the Rebels of “Star Wars,” or, in the case of CAB and “Star Wars” Club, white with the emblem of the Empire. The slogan “the fifth line strikes back” appeared on the jerseys as a reference to the CBJ fans being referred to as the “fifth line,” as well as the fifth episode of the “Star Wars” franchise.
The event was filled with kids and adults alike in costumes and helmets, making for a motley crowd that looked straight out of Mos Eisley.
“Star Wars” Club got invited to the game specially by an employee of the Blue Jackets, with CAB agreeing to handle the ticket sales.
“Star Wars” Club Treasurer Shannon O’Donnell said she “had a great time” experiencing her first hockey game thanks to the collab. “I had never been to a hockey game before, and it was a lot of fun,” she said.
“It’s great when student organizations get to come together and do something really great that a lot of people attend,” said O’Donnell. “Student involvement and attendance in org activities and events can be difficult.”
Stella Cherwinski, who attended the event with O’Donnell, said she had a “wonderful time.”
“Sporting events are not normally my thing, but I had so much fun with my friends and classmates,” Cherwinski said, “collaborations like this really help people open up to things they may not have been into before.”
Though community and campus engagement can sometimes be difficult, the results of the collaboration between CAB and “Star Wars” Club, as well as past success of off-campus CAB events, can only be a sign of developing interest in campus activities.
As Ahsoka said in “The Mandalorian,” “I like firsts. Good or bad, they’re always memorable.” While this experience included firsts for both hockey fans and “Star Wars” fans alike on campus, coming together made the experience all the more memorable.
