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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1990)
Page lAB Teasips hex Ags annually BySEANFRERKING “Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire bum and cauldron bubble. Light a candle and make A&M fumble. ” This strange chant could be uttered by some University of Texas students during an annual hex-pep rally before every Texas A&M vs. UT football game. Phil Trietsch, co-chairman of UT’s traditions committee, says that while A&M has its traditions which predict a win for the Aggies, UT has a way of its own to “guarantee” a victory for the ’Homs. “We sell these red candles before the pep rally, ” the senior psychology major says. “Then at the beginning of it, we light all the candles, starting from the first ‘hexed’ candle. ” He says the tradition started in the ’40s when an Austin fortune teller suggested she place a hex on opposing teams to help the Longhorns win more games. “This lady, Madame Hippie, started the whole thing, ” Trietsch says. “Originally, they had a rally like this before every big game.” He says the tradition eventually died but some UT students revived it in 1987. “We don’t actually put a real hex on the candle anymore,” Trietsch says. “But we do use the red candles to make it traditional. ” Kim Horak, a member of traditions organization Spooks, says she likes the “hex” rally and hopes it will help UT’s football team this year. “I think this tradition is neat, ” says Horak, a junior advertising major from Freeport. “Some students even go down to College Station with their red candles to make the Aggies lose. ” She says most spirit-oriented student organizations on UT’s campus participate. Horak says she believes the candle ceremony helps fans get involved. “Now that the A&M game is so big, having that ‘hex’ rally helps get fan support, ” Horak says. Trietsch says this year’s “hex” rally will be Thursday, Nov. 30. The rally is at night. He says that although UT has lost six games in a row to A&M, the unusual event has helped school spirit “Obviously, the scores of the past several games haven’t reflected that the hex has worked, ” Trietsch says. “However, it has helped get more students involved and helps motivate the football team. “Hey, you never know what a little magic can do,” he continues. “Maybe the fourth time will be the charm. ” Corps squadron runs game ball for charities By ELIZABETH TISCH After bonfire is ignited, members of the Corps of Cadets’ Squadron 7 will run the game ball to Austin for the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football game. John McDonald, public relations sergeant, says no one knows when Squadron 7 began making the 162- mile run for local charities, but it has been long enough to become a tradition. Though Squadron 7 does not specifically train for the long and cold expedition, McDonald says the cadets are in great shape and ready for the run. “This run is one of the big highlights for Squadron 7, ” he says. “Everybody is ready. ” The U.S. Air Force ROTC outfit, named Challenger 7 in memory of the space shuttle crew, plans to complete the mn in 14 hours. McDonald says the journey will begin when A&M head football coach R.C. Slocum gives the squadron the original game ball 10 minutes after bonfire is lighted. The outfit will jog around bonfire, then to FM 2818 to Highway 21. A different cadet will be positioned every half mile to take over as runner. “The ball will constantly be in motion as it is passed from one to another every half mile, ” he says. “But everyone will mn two-and-a-half miles a piece. ” Squadron 7 will mn through the UT campus before cadets hand the ball to Slocum before the game.