July 10, 2018

Stars and Stripes Weekend at the CIA

Stars and Stripes Weekend at the CIA cover image

Celebrating the Stars and Stripes—All Weekend!

Every year, CIA students celebrate Independence Day with a weekend full of fun, fitness, and (of course), food! This year’s Stars and Stripes Weekend kicked off with Friday night’s Stars and Stripes Dance on Anton Plaza. The dance party featured ice cream, music, and fireworks. More than 400 students and members of the community came out to watch the amazing fireworks light up the sky over the Hudson River.

Stars and Stripes Weekend at the CIA fireworks image

On Saturday, there was not a cloud in the sky for the Summer Fun Run and Walk 5K! With temperatures well over 90 degrees, we still had 30 runners and walkers compete in the event. Participants enjoyed pasta after the race for some post-run refueling! Our top three winners for the race in the men’s division were: 1. Chris Sowger (21:16), 2. Anthony Gretina (22:35), and 3. Ivan Minuet (24:22). The top three female winners were: 1. Samantha Baker (28:30), 2. Costanza Santorelli (29:03), and 3. Grace Kim (34:05). Congratulations!

Stars and Stripes Weekend at the CIA og image

Stars and Stripes Weekend at the CIA Winners image

Temperatures were even hotter on Sunday for the third annual Blended Burger Bash on the athletic fields. Fourteen student teams competed to create the best tasting burger and the best blended burger. More than 700 students and community members came out to the burger cook-off to sample different burger blends. And the winners are:

  • First place: I Heart POKO with “The POKO Burger”
  • Second place: Experiment 626 with “The Ohana Burger”
  • Third place: Team Char with “Smoke and Spice”
  • Best Blended Patty: Team Char
  • Showmanship Award: NotYourBrothersBurger.com
  • People’s Choice: Burger Bucks
  • Professionalism: Team Ohana

Nice job, everyone! Remember, it’s not too soon to start working on your blended burger recipe for next year’s cookoff.

By Sarah DeGeorge