Manticore, Leviathan, Culebre, and Opinicus, all front and centre. This week in Monash was a reminder of sportsmanship and exhilaration. I sat under the umbrellas waiting for the event to start and I slowly noticed the concourse area along with the entirety of the cafeteria and the balconies at the upper levels of building 6 and 9 start filling up. It was the sheer magnitude of people waiting for the performances to start when I realised the dedication of Monashians at supporting local athletes in advancing their sporting endeavours. 

The Monash Cup closing ceremony was accompanied by a three day bazaar equipped with snacks, drinks, and adorable little trinkets up for sale around the Monash campus. Bazaars are in no way foreign to Monash but this bazaar specifically caught the attention of many Monashians. The entire campus was packed with students on all three days, acting merely as a prelude to the main event. 

The closing ceremony consisted of several events producing a cohesive line up, filling our schedule with exciting finals and performances. First up was the cheerleading finals that were conducted at the badminton court. I’ll say this not once but perhaps more times than you can count but you have moxie! 

Cheerleading has always been that one sport that you never truly know if it’s genuinely a sport. Watch as literal human beings are tossed up into the air and caught effortlessly by their peers steady on the ground and you’ll realise that it very much is a sport and this mere thought is so outlandish and so ridiculous. The amount of upper body strength and flexibility these athletes have in order to navigate the increasingly difficult routines is astonishing. Every team did absolutely incredible! The music, the cheering, the grunts of exhaustion from the athletes, the badminton court was effectively transformed into this microcosm of commitment and zeal. 

Once the cheerleading finals were completed, there was a short intermission and students began congregating by the concourse area, excited for dance finals and the inter house music performances. MUSA opened the closing ceremony of Monash Cup with a short speech thanking everyone for their commitment and dedication towards Monash Cup. This was then followed by a short speech by a Kotex representative. Kotex was one of the sponsors for the Monash Cup and their generosity kept the event afloat and possible! To end their speech segment, Kotex tossed out free menstrual pads to the audience. Definitely an attention grabbing headline! 

With all of the speeches over, it was time for the dance finals. First up, Manticore! They dazzled us with their synchronised rhythm and insane formations. We had their characteristic red and black colour tones, creating a fantastic resemblance to the Manticore team colours. Next up we had Opinicus, who were actually in the lead by a very close margin with Culebre. This dance ensemble carried the crowd with their flexible moves and their incredible attention to detail. At this point, I’ve moved to one of the balconies to have a clearer view and this was probably the best decision I made. From the top, I was able to effectively notice the amount of attention they’ve added to position and placement. Everyone was where they were supposed to be to construct a formation that is palatable to the eye. 

Third in line was Leviathan! This dance team came out with all black costumes and they were fully glammed up, almost on the way to have a fancy dinner in the heart of KL. Once again, these dancers have an incredible eye to movement and synchronisation. It was surprising to me how these dancers were just normal ordinary students who go to the exact same classes I go to, and do the exact same assignments I do. I felt as though I was looking at a televised TV show. Last up, Culebre took the stage with, in my opinion, the most experimental dance sequence out of the four! There was one instance where one dancer was dragged across the stage by another dancer and this sequence blew up to form an incredible piece of choreography, I simply will never forget this. 

The dance portion of this night ended with a short performance by the judges who without a doubt blew us all away with their perfect choreography! The night then shifted towards the inter house music performances. There was an incredible line up from all four teams. First one up would be Manticore A who served us with their rendition of rock music! The synths from the electric guitar, the singing, everything about this performance screams Green Day. Culebre B took the stage and performed an interesting rendition of Bruno Mars’ Finesse. Joseph from the Culebre team surprised the audience with a fantastic beatboxing segment. Definitely one of the highlights as it’s completely different from anything that has been done! The Leviathan team made Paramore look like absolute knock-offs with their cover of Still Into You! It was a delightful surprise seeing young novice singers taking their passion and effectively transforming it into talent. The performances served as a fantastic postlude to this event! 

We’re now finally at the awards ceremony and all contestants were lined up and nervous, awaiting the announcement of the results. The event hosts started announcing winners one by one based on each respective sports category from volleyball to chess. Finally, the moment of announcing the overall house winner has arrived. The winner of Monash Cup 2024 was Opinicus!! 

A loud scream emerged from the audience. A scream of not frustration, not anger, but of triumph. All houses came together for one final picture. This is what Monash stands for. Amidst competition and contention, comes the rallying of forces towards championing the one most important virtue, sportsmanship. 

Article by Yashven Jayabalan

Photos by Ezriq, Thong Chen, Bong & Youshau