The University of Wisconsin's Homecoming 2005 "W Marks the Spot" kicked off Friday on Library Mall with a variety of competitions aimed at inspiring students into a festive mood.

Several competitions, one between electronic football teams and the others between mock pirates, helped students gear up for numerous events leading up to this Saturday's homecoming game against Purdue.

At the kickoff, students competed in the 15-campus NCAA Football Video Game Challenge for a chance to travel to the finals in New York City and take home $10,000.

University of Wisconsin freshman Sam Arnold said he had played Xbox only "once or twice before," yet this inexperience did not inhibit him from leaving the EA Sports NCAA Football Video Game Challenge as the victor.

As a result of his win, Arnold will be taking a free trip to New York City to attend the Heisman Trophy dinner and ceremony and will square off against 15 other competitors from across the country. The winner of the New York tournament will receive $10,000 in prize money.

The University of Wisconsin was the 10th school visited by what EA called "the ultimate college video game tournament."

In the tournament's championship game, Arnold beat UW junior Peter Komassa, who had even less experience than Arnold, as he said Friday was his first experience with Xbox.

During the football challenge, competitors were able to use any team in the game, yet according to EA Sports production manager Jay Kennedy, few chose the Badgers.
"Hometown loyalties go out the window when $10,000 are on the line," Kennedy said. UW sophomore William Wardle, however, nearly took the Badgers to the tournament's championship.

"I wouldn't change [teams] for $10,000 — it's all about Calhoun," Wardle said of the Badgers' star tailback.

Wardle took the Badgers to two more victories before eventually succumbing to Komassa, who chose to play with the No. 1-ranked University of Southern California Trojans.

Meanwhile, for a chance to lead the Homecoming parade alongside Bucky Badger Oct. 21, students donned pirate attire in "Bucky's First Mate Dress Like a Pirate Contest" in front of Memorial Library.

"In judging, we were looking for creativity and originality," Homecoming Committee member Melissa Malant said.

After inspecting the contestants, the judges decided all eight would be invited to participate in Friday's parade, but Anthony Vanderscheuren and Julie Beroukas were named the "First Mates."

"They were full-on pirate," Malant said. "It wasn't just their costumes, but their attitudes as well."

Malant was referring to the pirate accents and lexicon that Vanderscheuren and Beroukas adopted for the competition. Vanderscheuren said the majority of his costume was homemade.

"I got the jacket at a rummage sale, but the pants are just some old pants that I cut up," he said.