Amidst sunshine and song, first-year engineering students conquered the Grease Pole once again.
The tradition, first recorded in ’56, remains an annual feature of the Engineering Orientation Week, bringing together first-year students, upper-years, alumni, and staff to support one of Queen’s annual events. During the Grease Pole event, a tam waits atop a slick pole as students battle the mud to grab it.
On Sept. 7, at an off-campus site owned by Engineering Society (EngSoc), first-year engineering students successfully retrieved the tam from the top of the pole. The climb took 2 hours, 29 minutes, and 17 seconds. Rather than the traditional scaling of the pole, Sci ’29 chose to tip the pole, a strategy used in past years when conditions made vertical climbing challenging.
While some Queen’s students associate the Grease Pole with chaos and muddy water, in a statement to The Journal, the President of EngSoc, Jordan Belainsky, wrote that the event is shaped by careful planning, safety, and community spirit.
“Grease Pole is such a special event for Engineering at Queen’s,” Belainsky wrote. “It represents a core part of our identity. Engineering is all about teamwork, camaraderie, safety and every year, we take on the challenge of building this project for thousands of people while constantly striving to make it safer and more efficient.”
While to some it’s a loss, Belinsky explained that tipping the pole can be a valid and strategic way to complete the climb, which showcases the Engineering students’ teamwork.
“Engineering isn’t easy, but it’s always easier when we work together,” Belainsky said. “The pole has become a mascot of our Orientation Week, bringing together students from all Sci years to support the incoming class as they take on what seems impossible. It’s a powerful symbol of the supportive culture within our Engineering community: we’re all here for each other.”
According to Belainsky, clear weather and strong participation helped keep morale high. Supported by safety measures such as breaks and the Water Team. The event has physical demands, including heat, long hours, and muddy conditions, making the support systems essential. Having served as a FREC, Belainsky expressed that he understood these demands and the need for safety.
“The breaks from what I know of were due to someone nearly or actually passing out. Water Team was quick to act when these issues were brought to their attention, which ensured the safety of the climb participants.” Belainsky added.
“It’s difficult to anticipate the physical pressure until you’re actually there,” he said. “That’s why breaks are a normal and important part of the climb.”
The event marked the end of Sci ’29 Orientation Week, with the class joining the long-standing tradition of Queen’s engineers who have braved the grease-covered pole and surrounding mud to emerge on the other side.
Tags
EngSoc, Grease Pole, greasepole, orientation
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