More than 400 students from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine gathered Feb. 8 at the University of South Florida’s outdoor basketball courts to represent their collegias in the first Collegia Olympics.

The goal of the collegias is to promote peer and professional mentoring to medical students to help them navigate the world of medicine more efficiently and effectively throughout medical school and beyond.

The nine collegia chairs hold smoke bombs representing the colors of their collegia crests to launch the first Collegia Olympics.

The nine collegia teams participated in a variety of lively, team-oriented games to acquire points. Games included soccer darts, bubble soccer, twister, and three-way tug of war for which teams had to beat the strength of two additional teams to win. However, the goal of the day wasn’t to rank collegia performance; it was a way to bring as many first through fourth-year medical students together to get to know each other while fostering some friendly competitive spirit, said James Mayer, MD, event coordinator and MCOM assistant dean of Clinical Curriculum and Career Advising.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to get students across all four years together for an afternoon of fun,” Dr. Mayer said.  “This event will hopefully kick start something bigger as we get closer to the new building opening and all the collegia have their own space to meet. I am excited about our turnout for today and hope it’ll only get bigger next year.”

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health senior vice president and MCOM dean, with the nine collegia chairs and hosts of the Collegia Olympics.

The collegia Paracelsus, wearing green T-shirts representing the color of their crest, took home top honors, 52-51, as they just squeaked past Farmer, wearing light blue T-shirts.  The collegias Koch (pink T-shirts), and Hippocrates, wearing black T-shirts representing their crest, tied for third with 50 points.

Tyler Palbicke, first-year medical student and the event’s master of ceremonies, conducts an interview with second-year medical student and orange collegia chair Sean Rosensweig.

Fourth-year medical student Luke O’Neil (left) and Patrick Mullen race up the rock wall during the Collegia Olympics.

Soccer darts was one of the events for which the collegia teams could earn points.

First-year medical student Michelle Yeagley waits inside the inflatable bubble as her team prepares for bubble soccer.

Paracelsus took home top honors for the first MCOM Collegia Olympics.

-Photos by Fredrick J. Coleman, USF Health Communications and Marketing