Hit the Bricks

In this Issue: today we talk about Hit the Bricks, one of our most beloved campus traditions

I am at an all-day meeting today, so this is a pre-post

For families of a certain age, you might remember the film Brian’s Song. That movie told the story of Brian Piccolo, football player extraordinaire. Did you know he was also a Wake Forest alumnus???

Hit the Bricks is one of many campus efforts that honor the memory of Brian Piccolo and brings attention and resources to the fight against cancer. From the Hit the Bricks website:

“Brian Piccolo, a 1965 graduate of Wake Forest, was a football star for both the WFU Demon Deacons as well as the Chicago Bears. In 1969, while playing for the Bears, he was diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma and lost his battle with the cancer in 1970. Ten years later, students began the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund benefiting patients and their loved ones at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In 2003 students held the first annual Hit the Bricks relay race, raising $3,000. In its twenty year history, participants have run over 342,195 laps and just surpassed the $1,000,000 mark. Over $4 million total has been raised for the fund since 1980.”

So how does Hit the Bricks work?

This year, Hit the Bricks will be held on Thursday, October 5th. Students form teams and take turns walking or running laps around the Quad, and if it runs this year like it has in the past, runners get a baton with a barcode that you scan at a tent once every lap. If you run with a weighted backpack (provided by the Hit the Bricks team), you get credit for 2 laps each time you scan in. (I tried doing the backpack once – my old lady back couldn’t take it).

There is lots of friendly competition among teams, and lots of support for the students who are running and walking. Students bring lawn chairs, tailgate tents, etc. onto the Quad and watch the fun, or have places where their team members can cool off and relax when it is not their turn to be running. There’s music, speeches, a leaderboard, and some extra fun sections of the day, like a lap where you have to run in costume (I once did that in my wedding dress, which still fit!), one lap where you can’t let your feet touch the ground (some creative ways teammates get their person around the Quad), and more. At the end of the day, there is a silent lap to honor those who have had cancer, and some remarks. It’s a fun day and a really moving experience.

If you are a P’24-’26, your students likely know the drill on how to get started – but if they’ve never formed a Hit the Bricks team, encourage them to make one this year and grab some friends to walk/run with. For P’27s, encourage your first-year Deacs to mine their social network: residential community, classes, their study groups, etc. to form a team. They can form a team as a hall, or a group of friends. All levels of walking and running are welcome. It’s so much fun, one of the happiest days on campus.

And if you really want to see something fun, here’s James Caan, from Brian’s Song, singing the Wake Forest fight song.

Some pics below of past Hit the Bricks for good measure.