Field Day: A Fitting Finale to Yale SOM Orientation 2023
Johnny Wu ’24 on the competitive spirit, team-building, and bonding on display at this year’s Field Day.
Photos by Harold Shapiro
Yale SOM recently welcomed 500+ new students from around the world to campus during a weeklong orientation. Students across five MBA cohorts and four, one-year master’s degree programs engaged with their classmates as well as faculty, staff, and the administration in a variety of events, culminating in a beloved SOM tradition: Field Day.
Field Day is a celebration of cohort spirit and pride after bonding through a busy orientation. This year, the event took place on a bright, sunny Sunday afternoon in East Rock Park and saw the five MBA cohorts (Blue, Green, Red, Gold, Silver) as well as the Asset Management, Global Business & Society, Systemic Risk, and Advanced Management degree programs (combined as the White cohort) engage in fierce but friendly competition over the span of three rounds across traditional field day games and activities.
The first activity was kickball. Above is an action shot from an intense game between the Silver and White cohorts!
The second activity was dodgeball. Following the advice of the late, great (fictional) coach Patches O’Houlihan, students executed the brilliant strategy of Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge! Especially impressive was the focus and determination of the Gold Cohort.
The third activity was split into two separate relay races, the first of which involved completing Connect 4 as a team. Above is the winning moment for the Red Cohort!
The second relay race involved completing a few exercises in sequence. Pictured above is the Blue Cohort’s game-winning &Society jump, which pays homage to the core mission of Yale SOM: to educate leaders for business and society.
Last but not least were the puzzles and board games! Students competed fiercely over chess and ultimate tic-tac-toe in between other activities. It was all fun and games, though—we’re still smiling (the ice cream truck certainly helped)!
Beyond the main activities and games, cohorts also earned bonus points for demonstrating great spirit and sportsmanship across four different categories. The Red Cohort wore the most spirited outfits, the Green Cohort came up with the best coordinated team cheers, and the Blue Cohort won the overall best sportsmanship award. Finally, the Silver Cohort had the best decorated/most well-dressed pet with their beautiful cheerleader poodle (pictured above)!
After three hours of competition, cheering, and fun, the final results were tallied. Thanks to a ferocious chess performance by one of its members—winning four games in a row as the clock expired—the Red Cohort emerged victorious in first place! Following closely behind, the Silver Cohort finished in second place. Finally, the Green Cohort placed third. What an amazing day filled with celebration of SOM spirit and pride!
Special thanks to a group of 10+ second-year MBA student volunteers who helped coordinate and officiate the games. Truly the most exciting, fun way to finish Orientation!
As the activities winded down that afternoon, I couldn’t help but feel grateful—grateful for the new friends I’d made, the laughs we shared, and the memories we’ll cherish as we embark on our next adventure. Congratulations to all the new SOMers and welcome to Yale!