By Hilary Igl

Mario drifts off Yoshi to gain the lead, but that wasn’t enough to carry him to the finish line. Mario gets hit by a blue shell and spins out seconds before the finish line. Yoshi takes the win.

Part of this year’s Warhawk Alley tournament line-up is a Mario Kart tournament which will take place Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. For $5, students will be able to participate in the tournament and have a chance to win prizes. Prizes will be given out to first and second place.

Kevin Hefferan, journalism major and a front desk worker at Warhawk Alley, said he

enjoys working the different tournaments they offer.

“I like that it brings a lot of different people to the Alley, and they all have a similar interest,” Hefferan said. “It’s not competitive in a bad way. They’re all just here to have a good time.”

Students can enter ahead of time to guarantee their spot in the tournament. Graduate Assistant and tournament planner, Matt Meekma, explained that they “don’t usually put a cap on the tournaments,” but if people reserve their spots it makes it easier to determine what prizes will be awarded.

“We just want   people to come down here and enjoy the experience,” Meekma  said. “We want people to have fun.”

If this fall’s Mario Kart tournament is a success, Warhawk Alley will add another Mario Kart tournament to their schedule in the spring. Warhawk Alley puts on a few gaming tournaments per year. Some other games being played include Madden and Super Smash Bros.

“We had a Super Smash Bros Tournament last fall, which had 18 people,” Meekma said. “We had another one this past spring, which had 9 people.”

If you can’t make this tournament, check out Warhawk Alley’s Specials and Tournaments page where they list upcoming events and specials, such as Nine Pin Tap bowling and Madden 15 tournaments: http://www.uww.edu/uc/things-to-do/warhawk-alley/specials-and-tournaments.

Warhawk Alley also offers a variety of other activities for students. They have a large collection of video games students can play for free and a bowling alley and billiard tables that are open to all UW-W students,    faculty, staff, their families, the community and guests of UW-W for reasonable prices.