Hundreds of VT students rush drillfield in annual snowball fight

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - Virginia Tech’s Drillfield was a battlefield Friday as hundreds of students participated in the campus-wide snowball fight.

A united campus went head-to-head in a civil war as the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets faced off against what campus calls “civilian students.”

Corps of Cadets freshman Sophia Testa was confident her team could secure the win on their stomping grounds, and said “We got this, we got this, we got this. We’re gonna win.”

But Consu Moral, a senior at VT, said she was ready for a battle. “I want to hit as many cadets as I can, and hopefully not get obliterated by a snowball,” she said.

The winter war is organized by students every year when the first blanket of snow covers the Drillfield.

For Moral and fellow seniors Grace Kennedy and Danny Saume, it’s their first time taking part in the snowball slinging battle.

“[We’re here] or our first and final time,” said Kennedy. “Final opportunity,” added Moral.

Testa was also rushing the field for the first time with fellow cadet Nick Warren.

“I used to watch the YouTube videos and be like ‘that’s sick,’” said Testa. “All my friends would talk about it when they came here,” added Warren.

These students didn’t just come for the fun; they came to win. Shields of all sorts were used to dodge the snowballs as hundreds flew across the snowy landscape, and ahead of the friendly combat, Hayden Cariglio said the cadets came prepared.

“We have people making ammo all over the place, we got bins, we got snowballs, we’re ready,” said Cariglio.

The spectacle was hard to miss, with more students admitting they were skipping class than their professors would like to hear, but it’s one that no Hokie can miss.

“It’s so exciting. It’s like, everyone gets together for this one event and it’s super fun,” said Moral.

Although it’s not clear which side walked away as the winner this year, students said they’re just honored to take part in an annual tradition unique to Virginia Tech.