The blue green rivalry moved beyond traditional athletics last weekend as Cal Poly and UCSB went head to head in an intense beer die tournament April 21 in Goleta, Calif.
Cal Poly fell to UCSB with one win and 11 losses at the inaugural competition between the two schools on the Gauchos’s home turf.
The event was organized by the well-followed Instagram account Dye is Life and was held at the UCSB Kappa Sigma fraternity house in Isla Vista. Kappa Sigma Social Chair and UCSB communication freshman Andre Kar worked with Dye is Life to plan the tournament.
The arena consisted of a sand court filled with five tables, according to the Dye is Life Instagram account, which kept followers updated with all the live action. According to Kar, the tournament drew more than 20 teams and involved several UCSB fraternity chapters, although it was not a sponsored fraternity event.
“The event was a huge success in my opinion,” Kar said. “The crowd seemed engaged and excited, and we also had other UCSB Greek chapters participating.”
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Cal Poly environmental management and protection junior Chris Klier played in the tournament to represent the Mustangs.
“Cal Poly has been No. 1 in the Dye is Life ranking for a while now, but this tournament on Easter in Santa Barbara might shake that up,” Klier said. “UCSB should come play on our turf on a day when people can actually play so they can see what’s really up.”
According to the Facebook event, each team paid a $50 entry fee. First place won a $700 grand prize, and second place won a $200 prize. The tournament rules were laid out in advance on the Facebook page for both schools reference.
In the audience cheering on his friends was UCSB sophomore Connor Norton.
“It would have been hard for the Cal Poly team to gain any momentum because our crowd was calling their tosses low and screaming every time we scored a point,” Norton said. “It was a great time, very friendly. I didn’t feel like [anyone] was taking themselves too seriously.”
“It would have been hard for the Cal Poly team to gain any momentum because our crowd was calling their tosses low and screaming every time we scored a point”
To play beer dye, competitors need one long wood table, four pint glasses, two dice and an unlimited flow of beer. Players determine a height the die must reach when tossed in the air and try to bounce it on any part of the opposing team’s side of the table to score a point. Teams can prevent a point from being scored by catching the die with one hand.