Megan Orth
It was a cold and snowy morning on Saturday March 16. Most people were likely snuggled in their beds avoiding the weather at all costs, but not the 430 people who were outside at the starting line of the Shamrock 5k race – no snow or winter weather was going to stop them.
Sparty doing some stretching with other runners at the starting line before the start of the 5k!
Tower Guard hosted the thirteenth annual Shamrock 5k race as a way to raise money for RCPD and to spread the Tower Guard and RCPD mission to other students. According to Tower Guard sophomores Tommy Halewicz and Emily Grof, chairs of the 5k committee, one of the main goals of the race was to “bring awareness of both groups to campus and the East Lansing community” so that people can learn the great work that they are doing.
Tower Guard is MSU’s oldest student organization and is comprised of sophomores who stand out for leadership and academic excellence. Halewicz and Grof have both loved being a part of the organization and all that they have done throughout the year in addition to the 5k.
Grof says that having meetings inside of Beaumont Tower and seeing all of the pictures from when Tower Guard started in the 1930s compared to the picture of their class now has been a really cool experience. Learning about RCPD and all of the services that they provide to students has been an eye opening experience for Halewicz for he says he doesn’t know if he would have known about RCPD without Tower Guard and he is grateful to have worked with them.
The Shamrock 5k was originally started thirteen years ago by two Tower Guard members, Steve Migliore and Carl Oliver, and the race has grown in attendance and popularity ever since. The great thing about the 5k is that absolutely anyone can sign up for it – you can run the whole thing, walk parts or all of it, you can skip, jog, or roll your way to the finish line!
And they're off! Participants brave the snow to do the 5k! On the right, RCPD Director Michael Hudson and his son begin the race together!
Despite the frigid temperature, people showed up to Conrad Hall on campus ready to run, walk, or roll. While normally the festivities commence outside, Tower Guard moved registration and the DJ inside of the Conrad lecture hall so that people could warm up before the run. Afterwards there were awards given out and names drawn for raffle prizes, and everyone deserved an accolade for running through the snow to support Tower Guard and RCPD.
Halewicz said it was extremely exciting to see so many people registering, especially the week before the race, and “even though the weather was poor, people were deciding to come out and be supportive.” Grof appreciated the enthusiasm of everyone at the race – some people donned green Mohawks and one group of guys refrained from wearing shirts despite freezing temperatures. Halewicz and Grof, along with the general membership of Tower Guard, had been preparing for this event for months so it was great to see such a supportive and passionate group of people attend.
Grof and Halewicz hand out some awards at the end of the 5k in Conrad Hall!
Halewicz and Grof say that the race could not have happened without their generous sponsors including campus hall governments (Shaw Hall, Hubbard Hall, Akers Hall, Holmes Hall, Case Hall, and Wonders Hall), Absopure, MSU Bakers, Big Apple Bagels, Princess Riverboat, Maxwell Medals, Meijer, Moosejaw, MSUFCU, Playmakers, and Grof North Slope Inc.
Along with the support of Tower Guard members and RCPD staff, they say that “having support around campus was huge throughout the year.” With $7,000 raised from the race, it is clear that their hard work has made a huge difference for many students at MSU and RCPD. Specialist Shani Feyen attended the race and had nothing but positive things to say: "this year’s Tower Guard crew impressed me with their commitment to creating a fun, lively, and meaningful event despite the challenge of wintry weather. The Shamrock Run, Walk, and Roll had great turnout and RCPD truly values the tradition of support and enthusiasm offered by this fabulous organization!"
Thank you to Tower Guard Historian Christine Scales for the images featured in this article!