Following an over 140-year-old tradition, two students from the Classes of 2011 and 2012 fight to gain control of a cane during Cane Spree 2008.
The first "cane spree" is believed to have taken place in 1865, when sophomores decided that freshmen should not be allowed to carry walking canes and attempted to seize the canes when students from both classes were strolling on Nassau Street, resulting in a major brawl. From those spontaneous beginnings, the event has now become formalized as a friendly competition between freshmen and sophomores each fall, and has come to include other athletic bouts such as ultimate frisbee, field hockey, and tug-of-war, as well as the traditional battle for the canes.
