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.
![Meekma](https://royalpurplenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Headshot-copyWEB.jpg)
“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.