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Kicking off Big Game Week 2003 with a new annual tradition, the Big Disk, Stanford Residential Computing beat Cal Residential Computing 20-3 in ultimate frisbee Sunday, November 16, on Roble Field. For their efforts, Stanford ResComp was named the "Big Hard Disk" (leaving Cal of course as the "Big Floppy Disk") and was awarded possession of the Big Disk Array, the techie equivalent of The Axe.
By the first half of the game, it was very clear that Stanford had secured its victory with the halftime score of 11-2. Justy Burdick (RCC at Freshman Sophomore College), Jason Payne (RCC at Cedro), Javier Marquez (RCC at Muwekma), and Nick Cheng (Cluster Tech) were among the many stars in the lopsided victory for the Cardinal. Even RCC Manager Jen Ly got in the action by scoring a goal. On the Cal side, two of the three goals were scored by professional staff members -- former manager of Residential Computing Dedra Chamberlin and current manager Brad Andrews. Stanford ResComp staff observed that Andrews is a Stanford graduate and former software developer for ResComp on the Farm. Cal staff countered that Jen Ly is a Berkeley grad and former staffer for Berkeley ResComp.
In this inaugural year, a number of traditions were established. Stanford hosted the event and the gala dinner celebration following for all participants. Cal ResComp's marketing team provided teeshirts for both teams (cardinal and blue) and Cody Smith, student lead System Administrator of Cal fabricated the Big Disk Array, a collection of hard disk platters riveted together that will be mounted on a wood frame and inscribed with each year's winner. There is no word yet on what security measures will be in place for the valuable trophy, nor whether the platters contain any confidential data from across the Bay.
Big Disk historians of the future will be interested to know that the event emerged from last year's ResNet Symposium, an annual international conference for residential computing organizations at educational institutions, held in 2002 at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Staffs from Stanford and Berkeley took a field trip together to brave the rapids of the Muskeegan River on inner tubes, navigate a dune buggy through the treacherous dunes on Silver Lake, and quaff brewskies in an antler-studded bar deep in the Michigan woods. It was probably the latter venue that inspired the Big Disk planning, though the event's precise origins are destined to remain shrouded in secrecy or lack of memory.
Special thanks to Justy Burdick, Justin Flatt, Jen Ly, Brad Andrews (Cal), Cody Smith (Cal), Alex Shen (Cal), and the Rescomp marketing team from Cal for making this event possible.
For more pictures, click here!