Grease Pole

The Grease Pole; one of Queen's most celebrated traditions. This event, hosted by the Engineering Society, is probably the best frosh week event of any faculty. It combines sweat, ingenuity, wisdom, a mud pit, waist deep water, a thirty foot pole and A LOT of lanolin.

The basic premise of this even is that the first year engineers are asked to climb the 30 foot pole and pluck a Tam (traditional sottish hat) off of the top of the pole. Seems like a pretty interesting game, although nothing out of the ordinary. There are, however, many little quirks that make this event truly unique and fun.

Holding On.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 80mm. 1/40s. f 11. ISO 125

To understand the basis of what makes this game fun, you must first realize how engineering frosh works. It is a system just like any other faculty, except that the frosh leaders (called Frecs) are trained to treat their frosh with feigned cruelty and trickery. This is meant to convey the image that engineers are tough and rough. The engineering frosh are taught their year song, which is usually pretty angry music (I wonder if every Rage Against the Machine song has been used yet...), and the various cheers that end in "nibble gobble chew!"

With this in mind, the engineering frosh are loaded into cheese wagons (yellow school buses) and taken to a secret field located outside Kingston (its actually just north on Gardiners street...), forced to hide their heads under blankets with all of the windows closed on the bus (read: hot and humid) and the heaters blasting- all the while being shouted at by the Frecs. This is known as The Bus ride from Hell.

Out of the frying Pan and into the Pit.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 85mm. 1/160s. f 5.6. ISO 200

Once extricated from the bus ride from hell, the frosh are rushed into The Pit. Traditionally, the pit was a waist deep mud pool, filled with disgusting things such as animal entrails and feces. However, as the years progressed, and frosh week became more politically correct, the vileness of the pit was watered down, and now is nothing more than a muddy wading pool. This doesn't mean that the engineers don't find a way to have fun though!

"Drown Frosh Drown."
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 30mm. 1/160s. f 5.6. ISO 200

Steel Eyes.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 135mm. 1/60s. f 6.3. ISO 200

Once the Engineers have rushed into The Pit, they are greeted by the pole and a few hundred upper year engineering students and alumni that are yelling all of the things that the Frecs were not allowed to. Signs like "Drown Frosh Drown" are quite common, and the upper years dress in flamboyant costumes. However, due to the constant berating by the Frecs all week, the engineer frosh brush the jeers from the crowd aside and set to work trying to climb their pole.

I Want YOU.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 135mm. 1/160s. f 5.6. ISO 200

Peace amid Chaos.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 135mm. 1/125s. f 5.6. ISO 160

The climb to the top of the pole is timed, each years frosh trying to make it up there the fastest. The crowd of unruly engineers, however, want anything but a speedy climb as after the first hour alumni get to enter the pit and join the fray. The following hour, the entire crowd of upper years are allowed to enter as well.

Teamwork.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 28mm. 1/125s. f 5. ISO 160

This year, the alumni and upper years were allowed to enter the pit. The climb took forever. In fact, the climb took so long that the Environmental Security (sent from the university) attempted to shut down the pole, in fear of serious hypothermia. After two and a half hours, the organizers of the event (the Frec Committee) decided that they would have to move to an assisted climb. This means that control is taken from the crowd, and given to the organizers on scaffolding, which direct the sea of engineers in the pit as to how to form the layers of the human ladder.

Reaching for the top.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 28mm. 1/125s. f 9. ISO 100

Success.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 28mm. 1/125s. f 9. ISO 100

Triumph.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 120mm. 1/160s. f 5.6. ISO 100

Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, on their last attempt before they would need to stop for environmental reasons, they made it to the top. It may have taken the longest recorded time (in recent memory), but the explosion of celebration was deafening. All of the engineers in the pit reveled in triumph, and the Sci' 12 were officially welcomed to the engineering faculty.

Elation.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 135mm. 1/60s. f 5.6. ISO 100

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Environmental Concerns.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 112mm. 1/125s. f 9. ISO 400

Untitled.
Canon 30D. 28-135 @ 105mm. 1/60s. f 5.6. ISO 160