Marketing students aim to get campus in Olympian shape with ‘OLINpics’

Series of Olympic-themed events planned to raise money for children's charity

Marketing students at Olin Business School are gearing up for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games with a series of events to educate, entertain and raise funds for an adventure camp sponsored by Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis.

The kick-off event for “OLINpics,” sponsored by the Olin Marketing Association (OMA), begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, in the Knight Center on the Danforth Campus.

Open to all members of the Washington University community and the public, the first “OLINpics” event will provide a primer on the upcoming winter games and athletes on large video screens.

Demonstrations of traditional sports from Asia, a hot wing-eating contest, a Wii Olympics tournament and judging of this year’s Olympic-related ad campaigns will be highlights of the event on the eve of the opening ceremony in Vancouver. Tickets for this event are $12 and available online. To register, visit apps.olin.wustl.edu/OrgEvents/oma/OLINpics/.

OMA will sponsor a second “OLINpics” event at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at Brandt’s Cafe in The Loop (6525 Delmar Blvd.), beginning with a trivia contest. No ticket purchase is necessary, but a $10 per trivia team donation is recommended. A portion of food and beverage sales will be donated to Variety’s Adventure Camp.

Participants in the “OLINpics” trivia night will not be required to pay a cover charge for jazz musician Erin Bode’s live performance if they arrive before the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Variety’s Adventure Camp is dedicated to enabling children with physical disabilities to participate in a day camp that engages in a range of fun, challenging sports, fitness, sensory art and music activities. For more information on Variety, visit variety.stl.org.

Sponsors of the 2010 OLINpicsinclude: Acropolis Investment Management, Brandt’s Cafe, EverBank, Krueger’s Bar & Grill, Nestle Purina, Sante Fitness & Wellness and Yesterday’s Bar & Grill.