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TEXAN WINS 104th ANNUAL
HOOP-ROLLING CONTEST
WELLESLEY, Mass.--Summer Smith, a Spanish major
from San Antonio, Texas, is the winner of this morning's
104th annual hoop-rolling competition at Wellesley College.
Smith, 22, was met at the finish line by Wellesley College
President
Diana Chapman Walsh (herself the winner of the 1966
hoop-rolling contest), who presented Smith with a bouquet of
yellow flowers, the Class of 1999's color.
In keeping with tradition, Smith was promptly carried by
her classmates to the edge of Lake Waban and tossed into the
chilly water.
Traditionally, the winner of this contest, which first
began in 1895, was said to be the first in her class to
marry. These days, victory is seen as a sign that the
winner will be the first to achieve success, however she
defines it. After graduation later this month, Smith will
be working for Neiman Marcus in Dallas.
Nearly 200 Wellesley College seniors, most dressed in
academic caps and gowns, made this morning's 1/4 mile dash,
rolling old-fashioned wooden hoops in a race to the finish
line. In another Wellesley tradition, many of the racers
were assured prime spots at the starting line because their
"little sisters" from the sophomore class camped out
overnight to reserve spaces.
For more details and historic photos (including male
Harvard student who won the race while disguised as a
woman), visit:
www.wellesley.edu/Welcome/Traditions/hoopindex.html.
Wellesley College is a prominent
liberal arts college and has been a leader in the education
of women for more than 120 years. The College's 500-acre
campus near Boston is home to about 2,300 undergraduate
students. Wellesley's distinguished alumnae include First
Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine K.
Albright, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, and broadcast journalists
Cokie Roberts, Diane Sawyer, and Lynn Sherr.
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