SPEARFISH - Cheryl Anagnopoulos had a sinking suspicion 10 minutes before race time that she wasn't going to win this year as soon as the snow-white, pink-eyed rat named after her went straight to the corner of its cage and curled up into a ball for a nap.
About 50 students and faculty members gathered Wednesday on campus to watch and bet on the 2007 Black Hills State University Rat Race, sponsored by the psychology club. The event was part of Christmas on Campus week, which included other activities such as origami making, letter writing to troops, caroling and a holiday budget seminar.
The rat race, a popular annual activity, involves naming six rats after university professors and betting on which rat will race through a maze the fastest. The names of people that bet on the winning rat are included in a drawing for prizes, and this year, the person that guessed closest to the winning time won $50.
The rats are given away to students and faculty members at the end of the race each year.
The pun is definitely intended when it comes to having the rat race during this time of year, Anagnopoulos said.
"It's a rat race: the chaos of the holidays, the Christmas week, final projects," she said.
Shelley Stoltenberg, BHSU student engagement and programming coordinator, said the Christmas activities are scheduled before finals so students can enjoy them.
"They need a little cheer. They get worn down," she said. "With the impending finals and the holiday rush, they need an outlet. They enjoy the distraction."
The rat race also serves as a fundraiser, psychology club president Casey Allington said. The club is raising money to attend the Rocky Mountain Psychology Association meeting in Boise, Idaho, this year.
Allington said the rats are trained in the maze for two weeks before the event, and the rats are assigned to a professor's name the day of the event.
"Most professors will come and cheer on their own rat," he said.
And that they did.
"It's been a while since I've won, and I think I'm due," Anagnopoulos said, who added that she's "had the honor of having a rat named after me for years."
But it wasn't her year.
Anagnopoulos (the rat) sniffed his way to the handful of Kix cereal in 31.9 seconds with Anagnopoulos (the professor) cheering "Go little buddy," but the rat Hess, named after professor James Hess, ran it the fastest, in 16.4 seconds.
Each year, most of the rats complete the race in less than 30 seconds, said Diana Sullivant, psychology club vice president. But last year, she said, one rat stayed in the maze for three minutes because it kept stopping to groom.
"Seven times, he stopped," she said, laughing. "He looked nice at the end."
This year, James Hess was also the winner of the time contest by guessing that the fastest rat would complete the maze in 18.14 seconds.
Scott Stoltenberg, whose rat came in at 25.78, watched Hess' rat claim the victory.
"That is a focused animal there," he said.
With $50 on the way and the new reigning champion of the 2007 Rat Race, James Hess looked at his fellow professors and smiled.
"If you guys want lessons later, I'll show you."
Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com
