UWO crowns Homecoming royalty

Mattie Beck, Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

The tradition of HomecomingCourt at UWO continued again this year, with new royalty being crowned at the football game this past Saturday.
All the contestants were gathered onto the football field at halftime, and two were crowned royalty.

Josh Woolwine / Advance-Titan
Jaylen Grant and Hannah Osborne were named 2021 royalty.

Though it looks easy, there’s a lot more that goes on than just standing on the field waiting to be crowned. It’s a process, and you have to be prepared for it.

Andrea Colantonio, a senior, ran for Homecoming Court and said it was more than just signing your name on a sheet of paper to run.

“The ‘scariest’ part was the interview, but once I got there it was so lighthearted and really just more of a conversation,” said Colantonio, “We were expected to attend Homecoming events and wear our sashes to represent the court.”

All week long, candidates wore their sashes around campus to represent that they were on the court and campaigned for themselves as well.
They also campaigned by putting up posters around campus, handing out buttons for people to wear and even writing in chalk in front of buildings all week long.
Homecoming week is a very big event here on campus, which is what prompted Colantonio to run for court, especially with her position as Spirit and Events Chairman in her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha.
“I decided to run for court because it’s my last year at UWO, and Homecoming has always been a huge part of my journey here because of my position in Zeta Tau Alpha,” said Colantonio.
Many of the candidates that ran were a part of various organizations just like Colantonio, like sororities, hall councils, the Honors College and sports.
They all play a big part in campus events in their own ways, and by running for Homecoming Court they tie in their experiences with their possible royalty.
Hannah Osborne, who was also on the court, was excited to run for the court to see Homecoming through a new perspective.
“I have seen it through Greek Life competing and through Reeve Union Board working the events but never as the court,” said Osborne.
Osborne enjoyed her time running, and also enjoyed being with the other candidates throughout the week.
“Despite the eight of us running against each other, we were still able to support one another,” said Osborne.
When it came time for crowning on Saturday, Osborne and candidate Jaylen Grant were crowned as Homecoming royalty.
Osborne was very happy to be crowned, even if being on court put her out of her comfort zone.
“I’m not a fan of big crowds or situations where all eyes are on me, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone,” said Osborne. “However, I would not have been crowned Homecoming royalty if I had stayed in my comfort zone.”
Even though not all candidates could be crowned, they all did a wonderful job of representing Oshkosh on Homecoming Court.