Oxford, MS– The annual ‘Running of the Chairs’ is on Wednesday, February 12th starting at 9am.
Running of the Chairs is an event where students line up as early as 5 in the morning with their lawn chairs in order to secure a spot in right field of Swayze stadium for the upcoming baseball season.
Hundreds of students gather at this event every year and take part in a chaotic 20 minutes of action. Each student is required to bring their own chair where then link up with their friends to lock down a section for the rest of the year.
Students line up at the tennis courts directly behind the student section and form a line down the hill to the entrance of right field.
A horn will go off and then students run straight for right field in hopes of getting a good seat. Fights and scuffles have been known to break out from time to time as some students care deeply about their position in the outfield.
Janice Rubbert, assistant director of marketing and fan experience at the University said, “Our annual right field setup is a testament to our incredible fan base. The fans, and particularly the students, make the atmosphere at Swayze truly unique, and this events shows the intense passion and love for the Ole Miss Baseball program. Several departments within our athletic department work together to make this event happen and run smoothly. We work with our facilities department, as well as University Police to ensure safety is a top priority for this event. It’s something we look forward to every year.”
This has been a tradition for many years in Oxford and students look forward to their chance to get as close as possible to the back fence.
Ellis Abdo is a junior on campus and this will be his third year involved in the running of the chairs. “This is by far the most hectic day of the year for me for many reasons. I bought about 30 chairs that me and 2 of my friends will be running out to the outfield on Wednesday morning. We are going to get there at about 8 in the morning so we can beat most of the people there and I will stand out there in line for 6 hours,” said Abdo.
Security guards are stationed around the field in order to mediate the chaos that might ensue. Clifton Red has been working for UPD for quite some time and said that the running of the chairs is always a big challenge for them. “This day is a lot for me man. There are so many students flying around with chairs wanting to get a seat so bad. I have to keep my eye out for anyone trying to hurt somebody.”
Running of the chairs is taken very seriously by everyone involved and for good reason. Everyone wants a good seat for a baseball game. “I get out there so early because to me it is so worth it. One day of suffering is worth a good seat for the season,” said Abdo.
“This is my second year doing running of the chairs and I am a little nervous because last year I was just there to watch but this year I am bringing my own chair,” said Jack Owen. “There were so many people there last year and it was overwhelming to me. I am going to be getting there right when it starts at 9 so I get a good spot in line. Wish me luck!”
The running of the chairs has become a highlight for students and they will look to put themselves in a great position this coming season.
Zach Blaine 