Team 7 Has Their Chili and Eats it, Too

What’s in a name? More than luck for the 2015 12th Annual Chili Bowl flag football champions, Team 7.

On Saturday, November 14, Regent University’s Office of Alumni Relations hosted flag football and chili cook-off on Robertson field; the Virginia Beach campus sprawled with food trucks, bouncy houses, athletes clad in grey and white, and the spectators who love them – alumni, current students and visiting parents, alike.

“The Chili Bowl is a wonderful connection point for alumni and students. As the years go by our student teams become alumni teams, and it’s great to see them interact together through intramural sports,” said Melissa Fuquay, director of Regent’s Office of Alumni Relations. “The alumni office has thoroughly enjoyed hosting the annual Chili Bowl the past 12 years in hopes to bridge a greater relationship between our alumni and students.”

This was Regent School of Law alumnus Brandon Wrobleski’s (’15) first time participating in the Chili Bowl competition on the Team 7. And though he hadn’t been a part of the rivalry between the two teams, he said the tension was palpable.

“I was a little nervous, because I wanted to help the team get the monkey of their back,” said Wrobleski.

The “monkey” was the weight of the opposing team, Cottage Cheese, and their four-year reign as Chili Bowl champions. Wrobleski said that this was his favorite part of the day, savoring the 14-6 win and posing for a team photo.

“It was the perfect day for football and a perfect day for victory,” said Wrobleski. It was also a perfect day for visiting parents and alumni. Darren and Erica Spivey, parents of Stacy Spivey ’19 (College of Arts & Sciences), ventured to Regent from their home in Raleigh, North Carolina, to learn more about the university while spending time with their freshman student.

Nostalgia was the name of the game for recent graduate Melissa Seaman ’15 (School of Divinity). Though she crossed the student to alumni threshold just a few months prior, she said the number one thing she missed about being a student is interacting with the community on a regular basis.

“In some ways it feels like I never left, and it’s very natural to be here,” said Seaman. “But in other ways, it’s a little different – there are a lot of new faces. When you walk on this campus you suddenly realize you’re home.”