It’s a bit rare that I get to write about a topic that transcends personal interest and crosses into fanaticism, but when I found out that Ryerson decided to challenge the “World’s Largest Air Guitar Gathering” record, my ears perked up a bit. I’m a big enthusiast of air instruments of all makes and models, and rocking out to a good song is a favoured pastime of mine.
Last year’s attempt at breaking the record for the World’s Largest Sword fight turned out to be a great success, and I was curious to see if Ryerson could replicate that success another time; standing in a throng of eager Orientation revelers and the people who just happened to wander in from campus gave me a little insight into school spirit at Ryerson as a whole. In the place of plastic swords from the previous year, we were given sunglasses that enhanced the “cool factor” of attendees tenfold; if I brought nothing else away from that day, those glasses at least gave me a good start on a Blues Brothers costume for Halloween.
The crowd of easily a couple hundred played their air instruments for a full two minutes to the tune of “Let it Rock” by Kevin Rudolf. While there was some dissatisfaction overheard in the crowd towards the song choice, I don’t believe it lead them to have any less fun. Ultimately, I think that’s what the Orientation Crew were planning; I talked to Nicole Witkowski, a first year student, who was a bit overwhelmed by the day’s events. “”It’s my first day here, and I wouldn’t change anything about it. Lots of people, lots of fun, lots of energy to welcome students to Ryerson.”
Really, if that doesn’t sound like a successful event, I don’t know what does.
