Soaking up Fling - take two?

Just like many students, the temperatures are likely to fall down this weekend.

Weather is always a concern for the outdoor Spring Fling, and this year is no different: There is a 30 percent chance of rain on Saturday and temperatures ranging in the low 50s all weekend, according to Weather.com.

And Fling directors, remembering last year's wet Fling, are taking proactive steps to prepare for the weather.

Spring Fling co-director and Engineering junior Lindsay Motlin said the committee has ordered 600 ponchos as well as hay and wood chips to lay on the ground in case of mud.

For the cold, Motlin recommended wearing layers.

Last year's Fling was a rainy one, which presented challenges for the organizers that ranged from soggy fields to flooded stages.

Performances in the upper level Quadrangle had to be cancelled or moved because the rain caused the stage's canopy to collapse, recalled 2006 College alumnus and then-Spring Fling co-director Jake Chanin.

This year, however, the directors are working to get stages with canopies strong enough to endure hard rain.

"I think they're doing an excellent job," Chanin said. "I haven't seen a more prepared Spring Fling yet."

The biggest challenges will most likely happen today, when much of the setup for Fling must happen despite the 90 percent chance of rain.

Many of the food vendors set up their carts today, and the stages in the Quad and Wynn Commons will be erected.

Once Fling begins, poor weather can bring other problems, like mud in the Quadrangle hallways and lower attendance.

To deal with the mud, the directors always pay for extra housekeeping services in the Quad, Chanin said.

"That's hard on the food vendors," Chanin added about the lower attendance.

But, in the end, it will be up to the individual student to decide how badly they want to get their fling on.

Last year, College junior Samantha Thompson "went downtown to see a movie because [she] was so fed up with the weather."

College sophomore Brooke Boyarsky, however, had a different reaction.

"The rain certainly did not ruin my experience last year with Fling, although it would have definitely been more enjoyable without it," she said.

College freshman Becca Greenfield added, "I am really excited for Fling - playing in the rain is really fun."

"Regardless of [the weather], Fling has always been a success," Wharton senior and SPEC director Catey Mark said.

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