Language and culture clubs participated in the annual Golden Squirrel World Cup tournament, hosted by the German Club. The event, in its 15th year, took place on Burson Field at SC on Oct. 8. 

The teams that competed were: American Sign Language (ASL) Club, French Club, German Club, Greek Club that combined with Asian Culture Club, Latin Club, Latinos Juntos, Model UN, Polish Club, Serbian Club, Spanish Club, and Ukrainian Club. Each team had six players on the pitch for nine-minute games. Substitutions were made at halftime, ensuring that everyone participated and represented their club. 

“I think the sense of community is very special about this event,” German Club member Brooke Prickett ‘27 said. “Everyone is involved, everyone is engaged, everyone is having fun. People are here with their clubs, making friends and cheering on their team.”

For some LT students, it was their first time playing in the cup. Before the games, ASL Club members were excited to be a part of the tradition again after taking a hiatus.  

“This is the first one I’m participating in, so I’m excited just to be a part of it,” ASL Club member Avery Forst ‘27 said. “I [was] sure our competition [would] be good. Our goal [was] to go out there and have fun. It’s really cool that the language clubs get to participate in something like this.”

As the 12 teams took to the field on a sunny fall afternoon, only one could come out on top. The French Club, defending champions, was looking to win the cup for the third year in a row. They secured this goal with a 3-1 victory over Spanish Club in the final.

“I’m very proud of them, especially of the good sportsmanship that they showed this year,”

French Club sponsor Michelle Silkaitis said. “The Greek and Asian Club [were] really tough to play, as well as [the] Spanish club.”

While some games were intense, students were laughing and having fun. All teams shook hands after the games and congratulated each other on a match well played. 

“My favorite part of the World Cup every year is seeing how much effort and care the students put into the tournament,” German club sponsor Shannon Murray said.  “Watching so many students with so many different cultural celebrations in one place, playing together and connecting, brings me so much joy.”

This sense of joy was echoed by many players from different clubs. 

“We bring our best in every game, and everyone’s so excited to play,” Greek club member Nikolas Vujosevic ‘27 said. “No matter if we win or lose, everyone’s excited.”