The St. Louis U. High School campus was a sea of blue last Friday night as the Running of the Bills kicked off the football team’s first home game. This cherished event, which serves as a rite of passage for incoming freshmen, was filled with energy, enthusiasm, and blue paint.

The evening began with a series of competitions between freshman advisories to help them bond and acclimate to the SLUH brotherhood. The fun started in the Field House and the Rec Room with a variety of games from ping-pong to bashball. Freshmen also participated in a trivia contest held in the Si Commons. This lively environment set the stage for the evening’s festivities.

As the evening went on, the freshmen and Senior Advisors gathered for a hearty dinner of burgers, chips, cookies, and soda provided by Food Service. This meal served not only as energy for the evening, but also as the calm before the storm. 

One of the highlights of the evening was the pep rally in the Field House led by StuCo and Blue Crew. Senior spirit leaders Steven Baudendistel and Alex Rose were instrumental in energizing the freshmen.

“The spirit guys prep pretty much the entire year for the Running of the Bills: cheers, what we need, assembling Blue Crew, etc.” said Baudendistel. 

“As a spirit leader, we were in charge of teaching and coordinating the cheers for the freshmen,” said Rose. “We had a very short window of time to teach them the ‘student section basics’. We wanted the pep rally to be calculated chaos, where we bring as much energy and calamity to the freshmen as possible.”

The actual Running of the Bills followed the pep rally, with freshmen dousing themselves, head-to-toe in blue paint.

“My favorite part was seeing everyone in blue, yelling and just being really happy and rowdy,” said freshman Guhan Anbukumar.

Seniors helped with the painting, dumping the gallons of paint onto the freshmen, while myriad of family, friends, and upperclassmen looked on.

“My senior advisor, John Powers, is really helpful,” said Anbukumar. “He was super happy, and he dumped paint in our hands. He really made it a good experience, a fun experience.”

The iconic run up Oakland, itself serves as a symbolic welcome to the SLUH community.

“I’ve been a part of every Running of the Bills that has existed while I've been in SLUH. I did it as a freshman, and then I did it as Stuco for the last three years,” said Student Body President Noah Butler. “And so what does that blue paint represent? It represents a continuation of tradition and brotherhood that has lasted here on Oakland Avenue for the last one hundred years, and as a school community for over two hundred years. Obviously, Running of the Bills didn't exist for the whole time. But it represents the fact that we're still doing this, and that this tradition is so special to SLUH and to who we are, so to get to share in that was something that's really special to me, and that was my highlight of the night.”

The experience of the Running is exhilarating. The mob of blue starts its run at the bottom of the turnaround, making its way up Oakland and stopping to fill the north side of the bleachers.

“The first five seconds of the actual running was something I’ll never forget. I was holding the massive SLUH flag which meant I was the first to run,” said Rose, “When Mr. Curdt gave me the thumbs up to go, I turned around and looked at the 300 people behind me, screamed, and started running. I definitely had a ‘God moment’ realizing that in those moments I had initiated an event that those kids will never forget.”

“I felt the brotherhood surging through my veins,” said freshman Ryan Safar. “Me and the boys, getting painted, screaming, it was just so much fun.”

The freshmen and Senior Advisors then joined the student section at the football game, creating the iconic image of the blue freshmen contrasting with the Senior Advisors, clad in orange.

“Keeping the energy high is always a challenge. Football is a long game, and it’s often hard to keep the energy the entire game. With that being said, us having a good football team and winning the game helped us immensely.” said Baudendistel.

The event’s smooth execution was a result of meticulous planning and coordination, which paid off in the overwhelming success of the event. 

“I thought the freshmen listened really well to the instructions,” said math teacher and Freshman Class Moderator Julie Moeser. “We were a little concerned at one point about some Hillsboro fans parking up the Circle Drive. We worried about potential accidents if (a blue freshman) ran into a car, but Mr. Curdt quickly updated his instructional slideshow and had some Senior Advisors stationed to prevent any issues. I didn’t see anyone trip or fall, which was a relief. Last year we had a couple of injuries, but this year went really smoothly.”

English Teacher Tim Curdt has been pivotal in organizing the Running of the Bills for 24 years.

“After all the details about the schedule for Fun Day are set, we focus on coordinating our work with SLUH administration, security, and other departments,” said Curdt, “It’s a total team effort to ensure everything runs smoothly.”

The event’s impact on the SLUH brotherhood is profound. It not only welcomes new students, but also fosters a strong sense of unity and school spirit.

“The Running of the Bills is amazing, because it very clearly lays out the idea of brotherhood at SLUH,” said Rose. “It shows us that everyone is in the same boat, regardless of personality, race, or where you live.”