MU students competed in a capture the flag tournament Saturday as part of Phi Sigma Pi’s Capture the Park.
The MU chapter of the national honor fraternity held the event at Columbia Cosmopolitan Recreation Area to raise money for its philanthropic organization, Teach for America.
“It’s basically a big capture the flag tournament,” Phi Sigma Pi Service chairman Jacob Schreiber said. “Teams sign up for $5 a person and all the proceeds go to Teach for America.”
Schreiber said the event saw a record number of participants this year.
“We probably had about 30 percent more teams this year than we have had in the past,” he said.
Phi Sigma Pi Vice President Katie Reynolds said the big turnout was due to updates to the day’s agenda.
“I thought this year was more successful because we had a barbecue included with teams’ registration,” she said.
Reynolds said most years the participants are Phi Sigma Pi members.
“There were a lot more people there that I didn’t recognize,” she said. “That was a good thing because that means they weren’t in our fraternity.”
Reynolds said Phi Sigma Pi always encourages other student organizations to get involved with Capture the Park.
“This is a fun event that we try to get other campus organizations to get involved with,” she said. “It’s always been successful. It’s tradition.”
This year, 12 teams of seven members participated in the capture the flag tournament.
Phi Sigma Pi member Adriana Saladrigas formed a team with her friends. Her team, the Ultimate Playas, made it to the semifinals.
Saladrigas said the day was a chance to “just hang out and enjoy the weather.”
The event ended early Saturday without playing the final capture the flag game, due to inclement weather. The Waffle Stompers and Texas Toast teams shared the first-place prize.