A Xavier boy’s view of the Freshmen Frolic

Two years ago, when I was a Freshman, I heard about something called the Freshman Frolic. I had heard that it was pretty cool, but also somewhat awkward. My class was told that it was a dance where we would go to Mercy High School to hang out for a few hours and meet girls and vice-versa. I was nervous at first, but I was told that it was going to be fun, so I conceded and went to the mixer.

I had my speculations about what the dance was going to be like, and for the most part, I was correct. Upon arrival, we were ushered into the gym .Once inside, we formed into three groups. The boys’ clump was in one corner, the girls’ group in the opposite corner, and a small clump of boys and girls who were dancing in the middle of the room due to the fact that they knew each other before hand. I joined the boys clump. We were all nervous, not sure if we should mingle with the girls or continue to awkwardly stand in the corner. Around an hour or so into the dance, the girls’ clump slowly worked its way over and absorbed the boys’ clump. The two clumps finally converged into one large super awkward clump of people. Like two magnets, they became attracted to each other, and once together, they did not repel, no matter how hard they tried to. After that, the dance became more social. I did get to meet a few new girls, so I considered the dance worthwhile. (Even though I did not keep in contact with any of them.) I think that the other boys and girls felt the same way.

The Frolic is unique when compared to other mixers, for only Freshman are invited. This is obvious due to the name of the mixer, but without any other grade level there, we were on our own. Usually, freshman copy what older teenagers are doing. But in this case, they had no one other than themselves to emulate.

In my opinion, it was an uneasy time for a little while, but when people started talking to one another, things got going. I had a good t time, and I think others did too. Being a Freshmen is all about being exposed to new things, and this was one of them. We learned that in order to make connections with others outside our own school, someone must first initiate a conversation and see what happens. All in all, the Freshman Frolic was a worthwhile experience.

A Mercy girl’s view of the Freshman Frolic

Expectation-

Cute boys, a fun time, and great music were among the few things that I had expected for my freshman frolic experience. I thought that the infamous Xavier boys would be charming and friendly. Maybe I would even get closer to some of my fellow classmates; most of which I had just met a few short weeks ago. Who knew, I could possibly leave this one school dance with friends that would last a life time. I had visions of dancing with everyone and just having a memorable night. I thought I would look really pretty and do my hair really nicely too. Everyone was to be getting along and just socializing even if they weren’t dancing. I remember there was a football game right after the dance, and a lot of people that I had talked to were planning on going. I thought that we might possibly get a group together to go to the game after the dance and just enjoy the beginning of our high school experience as a class. There was a thought that had crossed my mind that everyone would get along and that our freshman frolic would mark the beginning of a strong bond between our class and schools.

Reality-

I could not have been more wrong. Let’s just start with my appearance. I distinctly remember getting up earlier than normal to get ready. I took the time to curl up my hair, and apparently I thought the tighter the curls the better (envision a poodle). I then encircled my eyes with as much eyeliner as possible, and caked on that foundation – the trick is to make sure you look nothing like yourself. I then got into my bright pink long sleeve, jeans, and brown UGG boots and was ready to roll. Before the dance I got together with a couple of my new friends to find a bathroom and “freshen up”. For those of you that have not experienced a freshman frolic, this is code for “put on as much perfume as humanly possible”. Heck, just use up the whole bottle! The next step was waiting for the boys to arrive. I remember they got off of the buses from Xavier in hoards…it was terrifying. The intoxicating mixture of cologne and perfume filled the foyer as they started to come into the building. Eventually everyone made their way into the multi-purpose room, I think with the intention to dance. As one can imagine, this did not happen. The girls retreated to one side of the gym and the boys to the other, neither talking to anyone of the opposite gender. After the DJ blared some cliché group dances (the Cupid Shuffle, the Cotton Eyed Joe, etc.) which I think was a painful experience for all of us. Once the enforced dancing was concluded, pizza was served. The food acted as more of an ice breaker than any dancing could have, and I even met a few new people. The dance concluded shortly after and everyone scattered into the various cars that had arrived for pick up, and I never talked to most of the people that I had met ever again.

What I would change –

I wouldn’t change much of my freshman frolic experience. Everyone was really immature and uncomfortable with meeting new people, so I think that played a lot into everyone’s experience. The dance itself was a little intimidating, but it turned out to be a fun memory. It’s something that I can laugh about with my friends now and a memory that I’ll have forever. Although it wasn’t the most pleasant experience of a lifetime, I can say I’m happy that I participated.