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Rice Memories: Evan Karakolis
7/13/2020 11:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Blog
Most of my fondest memories at Rice University were made with my best friends. Hodson Harding, Harry Sagel, and Justin Gross were my Track & Field teammates and roommates. Although we all now live in different cities in different countries, we remain close friends more than four years after graduation.
I still remember meeting them all. I met Hodson first; he was my roommate my freshman year. We were both in Baker College and upon meeting, we immediately bonded over track and field, being from Canada, and playing video games. Hailing from the UK and sporting a British accent, Hodson stole the show as Canada's top 400m runner in his age group.
Next I met Harry during our academic and track orientation events. Harry was Spain's top 800m runner and came to Rice to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering – a majority of our classes and labs were spent together. Like Hodson, Harry rocked an accent mixing both his Spanish and British heritage.
Just when I thought I was out-cooled by my new friends' accents, we met the next addition to our group. Justin came from Baltimore, Maryland and was one of the country's best decathletes and long jumpers. We met during the first week of classes at track practice, and as a junior on the track team, Justin took Hodson, Harry, and I under his wing. He taught us the ins and outs of the track team, academics, and social life at Rice.
From that first week onwards, the four of us were inseparable. In 2015, during my junior year, we had all moved into an apartment at the IMT Residential complex across from NRG Stadium. Some of my fondest memories with these guys were going to dinners in Rice Village at Hungry's (everyone got the avocado bacon burger); training and competing together on the track and playing video games (specifically FIFA).
One of the funniest memories happened while playing FIFA in our apartment. Hodson was the best at FIFA, and Harry and Justin were always trying to beat him. I knew I had no chance, so I rarely tried. We also added higher stakes by creating penalties for losing by more than five goals. This is a common practice called "FIFA Apologies". The rules differ from person to person, but ours were as follows: Lose by five goals and you have to send out an apology on social media praising the winner and stating your regret for bringing dishonor to FIFA; lose by seven goals and you must refer to the winner by a chosen title and bring them snacks/drinks of their choosing for a week!
During a game, Hodson beat Justin by seven goals and made Justin refer to him as "My Lord". Every time Hodson needed a drink, including in the serveries, Hodson would say, "Justin, please bring me an orange juice…at…my request", and Justin would begrudgingly respond, "Yes, My Lord", who then proceeded to do it. Justin was annoyed for two weeks because of that, but myself and Harry couldn't get enough of the hilarity.
My time at Rice wouldn't have been as incredible without these guys. The student-athletes at Rice were, and are, some of the brightest and most dedicated individuals I've yet to meet. Myself, Justin, Hodson, and Harry could all relate to the pressure, drive, and competitiveness that came with sports and academics, and I think that was truly a unique experience gifted to us from the university. I'll always remember my time at Rice as being full of incredible experiences and fond memories because of the people I met and the friends we became.
-RiceOwls.com-
I still remember meeting them all. I met Hodson first; he was my roommate my freshman year. We were both in Baker College and upon meeting, we immediately bonded over track and field, being from Canada, and playing video games. Hailing from the UK and sporting a British accent, Hodson stole the show as Canada's top 400m runner in his age group.
Next I met Harry during our academic and track orientation events. Harry was Spain's top 800m runner and came to Rice to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering – a majority of our classes and labs were spent together. Like Hodson, Harry rocked an accent mixing both his Spanish and British heritage.
Just when I thought I was out-cooled by my new friends' accents, we met the next addition to our group. Justin came from Baltimore, Maryland and was one of the country's best decathletes and long jumpers. We met during the first week of classes at track practice, and as a junior on the track team, Justin took Hodson, Harry, and I under his wing. He taught us the ins and outs of the track team, academics, and social life at Rice.
From that first week onwards, the four of us were inseparable. In 2015, during my junior year, we had all moved into an apartment at the IMT Residential complex across from NRG Stadium. Some of my fondest memories with these guys were going to dinners in Rice Village at Hungry's (everyone got the avocado bacon burger); training and competing together on the track and playing video games (specifically FIFA).
One of the funniest memories happened while playing FIFA in our apartment. Hodson was the best at FIFA, and Harry and Justin were always trying to beat him. I knew I had no chance, so I rarely tried. We also added higher stakes by creating penalties for losing by more than five goals. This is a common practice called "FIFA Apologies". The rules differ from person to person, but ours were as follows: Lose by five goals and you have to send out an apology on social media praising the winner and stating your regret for bringing dishonor to FIFA; lose by seven goals and you must refer to the winner by a chosen title and bring them snacks/drinks of their choosing for a week!
During a game, Hodson beat Justin by seven goals and made Justin refer to him as "My Lord". Every time Hodson needed a drink, including in the serveries, Hodson would say, "Justin, please bring me an orange juice…at…my request", and Justin would begrudgingly respond, "Yes, My Lord", who then proceeded to do it. Justin was annoyed for two weeks because of that, but myself and Harry couldn't get enough of the hilarity.
My time at Rice wouldn't have been as incredible without these guys. The student-athletes at Rice were, and are, some of the brightest and most dedicated individuals I've yet to meet. Myself, Justin, Hodson, and Harry could all relate to the pressure, drive, and competitiveness that came with sports and academics, and I think that was truly a unique experience gifted to us from the university. I'll always remember my time at Rice as being full of incredible experiences and fond memories because of the people I met and the friends we became.
-RiceOwls.com-
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