The annual Kappa Lip-Sync fundraiser hosted by sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma took place on Sunday, October 27. After an extensive two hour showcase with groups from almost every sports team on campus as well as a few club teams, the sororities and the fraternities, the winners were finally decided: Baseball Group 2.
Suspiciously, the primary athletic trainer for the men’s baseball team was present on the judges panel. The group that came in second place was Women’s Lacrosse, whose primary athletic trainer was also a judge. Biases about this win can certainly be debated, especially when groups such as the Squash team, the Syrens/Octals and the Swim team were equally good if not better than both of the Baseball groups. Women’s Lacrosse certainly pulled out all the stops; they had a large group, paired with iconic matching outfits and well-executed choreography which made them more enjoyable to watch than the overall winners of the night.
Not to say that Baseball Group 2 didn’t do well. Their overalls and entertaining choreography certainly put them high on the list of groups, but it could be argued that, compared to others, it wasn’t first place-worthy. More importantly, however, is the organization that Kappa supported. The money raised, which came out to be a little over $3,000 by the end of the night, was in support of NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association).
Strangely, one of the “jokes” made by the MCs that night introduced the cross country team by saying that they nearly missed them and couldn’t even see them, almost as if to poke fun at the group’s bodily appearance which is a bit ironic given the organization they donated to. Regardless, the whole night brings to attention the prevalence of eating disorders and, hopefully, makes people more aware of how detrimental they are to individuals and their communities. The NEDA website notes that of psychiatric illnesses, eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate. The website provides information about the rise in eating disorders from 2000 to 2018 as well as additional statistics about types of eating disorders, how eating disorders affect BIPOC communities, and more.
At the Lip-Sync, most of the performances were by athletes. It is important to note that athletes are more likely to have eating disorders than non-athletes. With competitive mentalities as well as high expectations for appearance and performance, it is no wonder that such is the case. It makes one question what kind of pressures athletes are put under by their peers, coaches, and families that leads to eating disorders and how schools, like Dickinson, can provide support for their student athletes.
Hopefully, Kappa’s charitability will expose more people to the organization NEDA and encourage them to educate themselves and others about the dangers of eating disorders. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, there are fantastic resources on the NEDA website to seek help and education about the disease.
