At 11:07 p.m. on Sunday, Biola students and visiting high school students rushed into Chase Gymnasium with pounding music and cheerleaders welcoming them for the annual Midnight Madness event.

Energy level was high with music blaring, bass pumping and students cheering. The emcee introduced athletic teams including soccer, tennis, water polo, swimming, cross country, track, baseball and basketball. Cheerleaders entertained students with a routine full of flips and school spirit.

The cheer team also taught the crowd how to do the “Biola stomp,” a choreographed dance for the basketball games of the new season. A skit followed, in which the Biola mascot eagle, Moses, came and defeated many of the school’s top rivals by having the “Red Sea” drown them. The XOPOC dance team finished out the night.

Upper campus gains dorm points from event

The night was broken up with contests, including a three-pointer battle of the sexes between the men’s and the women’s basketball teams and a drawing for an iPad. Each contest gave the winners dorm points, with upper campus winning overall. The night rounded off with confetti falling on students as they practiced storming the court in preparation for the upcoming basketball season.

Response from students

“I thought it was really fun,” freshman Courtney Deathriage said. “I loved the whole excitement, the crowd, and the intensity. I really liked the Biola stomp and XOPOC; they are my favorite to watch.”

“Too legit to quit,” Graciela Bartel said, noting that the event was her first real pep rally with spirit.

The event had an equally positive effect on University Day students.

“It was absolutely insane, but it was really awesome,” high school student Danielle Tisdale said. “The skits and the dance were pretty cool.”

Gallery • 17 Photos

Photographer: Mike Villa

Biola kicked off the basketball season with Midnight Madness on Sunday November 7, 2010. Photo by MIKE VILLA/The Chimes.