The Chinese Student Association (CSA) and the Korean Student Association (KSA) competed in the annual Rice Bowl on Friday, Nov. 9. The Rice Bowl is a tackle football game held between the two organizations that has been going on for over 10 years. The game was held at night on the practice field by the rec center. In the end, the KSA won, defeating the CSA 35 to 14.
Both teams reported that they had practiced since the beginning of the year in preparation for the game.
For spectator John Jiao, a senior Molecular and Cellular Biology major, this year marks his fourth year attending the Rice Bowl.
“There is a lot of rivalry in this game,” Jiao said. “It is high intensity.”
Jiao is also an active member of Hopkins Emergency Response Organization (HERO), an organization very familiar with this event.
“We usually get at least one call a year for this, which is not very surprising since they choose not to wear helmets,” Jiao said.
The Rice-Bowl has a history of spawning injuries, and this year was no exception. First, there was an ankle injury dealt to the quarterback of the Korean team. Then came a hard hit to the CSA team’s quarterback.
Upon being tackled, the quarterback of the CSA team lost consciousness. HERO was called immediately. Although the player regained consciousness after a few seconds, he was reported to be immobile. The fire department was called to the scene to transport the injured player to the hospital. He was released from the hospital the next morning.
“I’ve watched this game for four years, but this is the worst injury I’ve seen,” senior Byungjoo Park said.
The injury paused the game for approximately 40 minutes. Ryan Zaybekin, a freshmen playing defensive line and special teams on the CSA team, reported the effects of the injury on his team as difficult but motivational.
“That did rattle us up a bit,” Zaybekin said. “But we all rallied around him, saying we were going to play for him.”
Taking advantage of three large coverage mismatches that resulted in touchdowns, the KSA team garnered a large lead. KSA held onto this lead until the very finish, resulting in their victory.
The KSA Team has a history of dominance in the Rice Bowl. For the past three years, they have come out with a win. Three years ago, that win was by more than fifty points.
After the game, the hard-feelings of the rivalry were left behind.
“On the field it was real intense, we all want to win,” Zaybekin said. “But once the game ended, [there were] no real hard feelings between us,”
“Tomorrow these guys will be playing basketball together on the same team,” Jiao said. “But today its Chinese versus Koreans.”
The Rice Bowl is not the only football competition among East Asian student organizations. In the Spring, the Chinese Student Association competes against the Japanese Student Association in what is referred to as the Noodle Bowl.
Besides the injuries, the Rice Bowl is largely viewed as a positive event for both student organizations.
“The Korean Student Association and the Chinese Student Association don’t have very many opportunities to come together and see each other,” Junior Sierra Jeong, a spectator, said. “So the Rice-Bowl is a chance to integrate amongst ourselves and get to know each other better even if it is a competition.”
For senior Michael Wu, cornerback and defensive coach for the CSA team, this year marks his third Rice Bowl. And although his team was dealt a loss, he still was proud of his team’s performance.
“It was a pleasure to play with the great guys on the team,” Wu wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “We’d like to thank the fans who came out in the cold to watch us play.”
