Adam Baker/The Captain's Log
During halftime of the Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 22, the 10 candidates vying for the title of the 2011 Christopher Newport University Homecoming King and Queen stood in the center of the field at POMOCO Stadium as a crowd of 6,141 attendants looked on.
Each candidate represented a different organization on campus. As all of the candidates, adorned with sashes, slowly made their way toward the middle of the field with their respective escorts, they were waiting anxiously to hear which two names President Paul Trible would announce.
The audience, which broke every attendance record to date, quieted as the Trible’s joined the two announcers—2010 Homecoming Queen Katie Kramer and Ashley Lomicka, class council game day co-chair—at center field.
President Trible took his place at the microphone and first revealed the winner for Homecoming Queen—junior Arrenvy Bilinski, who was representing the Campus Activities Board.
As cheer erupted from the crowd of students, parents and alumni, Bilinski, with a shocked look covering her face the entire time, made her way to the Tribles, where she was crowned by Rosemary Trible and given a bouquet of roses.
Immediately following, President Trible named the winner for Homecoming King—senior Kevin Garcia, who was representing Sigma Phi Epsilon. Again, the stadium filled the stadium and the excitement was visible on Garcia’s face. He, too, was crowned by Rosemary Trible and handed a bouquet of roses as he joined Arrenvy in the center of the field.
The two represent the entire university as the 2011 Homecoming King and Queen. Both will still be at CNU for next year’s Homecoming—Bilinski as a senior, Garcia as a graduate student—to act as announcers, which will give them a chance to break out their sashes and crowns once again.
Q&A with Arrenvy Bilinski
On waiting for the announcement—“It was really interesting, actually. My brother was my escort and he and I were just kind of joking back and forth and making faces to the crowd.”
On hearing her own name—“When Paul Trible called my name I didn’t believe it at first. I was like, ‘Did he say my name? Is that right?’ And so, I kind of looked really confused and then I was like, ‘Oh! That’s me’ and I didn’t really know what to do after that, so I was kind of walking in slow motion and looking at everyone like, ‘What do I do now?’”
On representing the whole university—“It’s definitely a privilege because a lot of organizations are underrepresented, so it just feels like an honor to be representing the entire university, not just a Greek organization or just CAB, because it stands for everyone. It’s really an honor. I was floored.”
Q&A with Kevin Garcia
On waiting for the announcement—“As we walked out on the field, the crowd roared and I kind of got teary eyed. [It] was overwhelming, the amount of love the crowd had for the candidates.”
On hearing his own name—“Utter disbelief. All the candidates were all worthy, all well-known, all involved and all deserving. I was just blown away. I honestly didn’t know what to think beyond the disbelief, it just felt amazing. So many people, so much love, and my mom next to me freaking out. It was quite the night.”
On representing the whole university—“I truly feel honored by being named Homecoming King. It’s not the crown or the sash, or even all the hype, but after working so hard for the school, and with the community, with people—it is a truly awesome feeling that I am grateful for, and I want to continue to work to make the CNU community even better.”
