WEIC Up, Reims! A Throwback to a Winning Weekend.

Photo Credit: meije

By Sara Miyake-Singer, Campus Life Editor.

On Saturday, November 9, 214 Rémois arrived in Nancy with one goal in mind: winning the WeekEnd Inter-Campus (WEIC). In the end, their efforts came to fruition as the EURAM delegation placed first out of the eight teams.

The WEIC brings together undergraduate students from all seven Sciences Po campuses to compete in sports including basketball, football, volleyball, and rugby. New sports such as ping-pong and handball were also added this year. The EURAM delegation won four categories and placed second in many others.

Although the event only took place over three days (November 9–11), it took two months to plan. For the first time, the Association Sportive (AS) extensively collaborated with the other campuses’ sports committees as well as with Afrobeats (AB) and Ultraviolets (UV). According to AS Co-Secretary Aadya Gupta, this allowed for a smoother event.

“The ambiance from the beginning was great,” Gupta said. “Everyone was there at 6AM, and from the bus there until the end of the WEIC, everyone was super energetic. Having AB and UV hyped us up. I definitely think we should have won the prize for best student section.”

Unlike last year where the Rémois delegation was booed by the other campuses, Gupta and AS Co-President Teamo Maradin believe that this year’s atmosphere was better since the event went much smoother. Part of the reason for this sentiment can, perhaps, be attributed to a series of dominant performances by Rémois teams.

EURAM girls soccer, for instance, won all of their games without conceding a single goal. Their highest-scoring performance came against Nancy where they won 5-0.

“We went in with high expectations and with hunger for a win,” team co-captain Jana Malachovska said. “I was very happy, very satisfied with how our team played. I was especially [happy with] the very intense last game against Le Havre which we won 3-0. We demolished them.”

What Malachovska, who played both as a left winger and as a goalkeeper, was most happy about was the team’s style and cohesion. She described the team as having played “real, proper football.”

“You could see our quality with the passes. The balls were going exactly where we wanted, and it was very satisfying. We were very calm,” Malachovska said. “I think what helped was that we had a really good bench so we were all very well rested. We practiced a lot, too, so it really came together.”

The other winning performances came from EURAM Men’s Rugby, their Men’s Basketball, and their Cheer teams. The Rugby team accumulated five wins, twenty-six points scored, and one broken nose courtesy of their captain. EURAM Men’s basketball, who beat the second-placed EURAF team on their way to victory, cited player Richard Yoon and his height as a reason for their success. As for cheer, the twenty-nine-member squad performed a five-minute routine set to the music of artists such as Taylor Swift, Meghan Thee Stallion, Britney Spears, and Chappell Roan.

“Both the routine and our practices were super long. We practiced week after week for over ten hours. We really worked on our stunts and baskets, and also our sass and attitude,” Cheer Co-Captain Loïse Hamann said. “I think the energy we gave is really what made us win.”

The routine ended with “Freedom” by Beyonce. This was in honor of the American presidential elections which took place just a few days before the WEIC.

“We always love to have somewhat of a political message in our routines, especially because [“Freedom”] holds so much power,” Hanneman said. “We picked it before we had the results of the election. We hoped, obviously, for Kamala to win. But sadly, this is not what happened, which I think gave even more resonance to the message. It’s not because she didn’t get elected that the fight for freedom stops. I think it’s a message that we should still [keep in mind], no matter [what] position we are in.”

Despite the bittersweet end to the routine, the tournament itself had a joyous ending. Reflecting the title of another one of the songs they danced to—“Euphoria” by Kendrick Lamar—the cheerleaders were euphoric upon learning of their victory.

“Cheer was the last sport whose results were announced. They announced the third place for Nancy, which is a wonderful, really incredible team with great technique. We were already shocked by that and kind of scared we didn’t place [in the top three]. But then, when they announced us as first, the whole team started to stand up and scream. We really celebrated because Cheer is a very demanding sport, even though it might not seem like it. To see our work and all the energy and all the time being rewarded was a wonderful moment, it was just incredible,” Hanneman said.

Malachovska corroborates the energetic sentiment the Rémois delegation exuded throughout the tournament.

“When we won the football tournament, everyone stormed the field. [There were] like 100 students jumping around and screaming ‘we won!’ It was very intense, very happy, and everyone was enjoying it with us because it was the big win of the day,” Malachovska said. “The supporters were really great and all of the other campuses were watching us as we all celebrated. Despite the bad weather, [the WEIC] was a beautiful tournament. [Our win] was pure joy.”

Footage and coverage of the 2024 WEIC can be found on the @sciencespotv.reims Instagram page.