Collegiate Field Tournament Cup at the Rose Bowl Saturday

Pasadena is known worldwide for its annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game, but did you know it’s also a renowned college town?

Student teams from Caltech, Art Center College of Design, Fuller Theological Seminary, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Pacific Oaks College and Pasadena City College will vie for top honors in the first Collegiate Field Tournament Cup on Saturday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

Will it be the scientists? The chefs? The artists? The teachers? The faithful? The undeclared? Admission is free and everyone is invited to root for their favorite teams.

Creative challenges including monster croquet, Frisbee toss, cheeseburger challenge, meteor catch, blind faith challenge and giant puzzle race will round out a day that will be as much about bonding among Pasadena’s world-renowned colleges as it is about competition.

Cheeseburger Challenge – This challenge pays homage to the fact that the cheeseburger was invented in Pasadena; it’s also a nod to the aspiring chefs of the Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts who may invent the next gastronomic superstar that will become a staple of American life. Game officials will provide each team with two pounds of ground beef and a small grill that the team must assemble. Each team will add their own special ingredients to prepare a cheeseburger and serve it to the judges for evaluation.

Frisbee Toss – This challenge is a tribute to the fact that Frisbee golf was invented in Pasadena and the first Frisbee disc course was constructed at Oak Grove Park near JPL. Each team will have three opportunities to throw Frisbees into the end zones while team members attempt to catch them. The team with the most point wins the challenge.

Meteor Catch – This contest acknowledges the difficult scientific challenges Caltech students and researchers undertake on a daily basis. Each team will attempt to save the world from destruction as meteor balls are launched toward them. Each team must catch the meteor balls in a device they quickly construct from materials provided to them. The team that catches the most meteors wins.

Blind Faith Challenge – This is a nod to the thousands of students who have graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary over the years. A number of colored flag pendants for each team will be placed across the stadium field. A blindfolded team member who is not aware of the placement of the flags will be directed by fellow team members to each pendant. The team that retrieves all of their flags and runs them to the end zone first wins.

Monster Croquet – This highlights the fact that Pasadena City College is one of the largest community colleges in the nation. Each team member will use a mallet to push an oversized beach ball through a series of giant balloon arches. The team that succeeds in getting their beach ball through all the wickets the fastest wins.

Giant Puzzle Race – Educators who graduate from Pacific Oaks College teach their students to solve problems. Each team will retrieve the pieces to a jigsaw puzzle from throughout the stadium and rush them to the field for construction. The team that finishes putting their puzzle together first wins.

Uniform Judging – There’s absolutely nothing uniform about Pasadena’s superior institutions of higher learning, but uniforms for each team will have been designed expressly for this competition by the schools they represent. A panel of judges will select the best team uniform based on attractiveness, originality and thematic connection to the school’s learning focus.

Parking is free in Lots K and F. Entry to the stadium will be accessible through the south gate only.

The Pasadena Collegiate Field Tournament is sponsored by the city of Pasadena, idealab! and Honda Design Center.

For more information call (626) 744-4660.