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Queen's Grease Pole: Difference between revisions
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Queen's had lost possession of the 1955 goalposts by virtue of Western's "liberation", although they were not deterred. While "goalpost incidents" continued to take place throughout the 1950s, they were less notorious than the events of 1955 and likely received less press attention. | Queen's had lost possession of the 1955 goalposts by virtue of Western's "liberation", although they were not deterred. While "goalpost incidents" continued to take place throughout the 1950s, they were less notorious than the events of 1955 and likely received less press attention. | ||
In 1958, Queen's students returned once against to Varsity Stadium for an October 20 football game. At the conclusion of this game (which the Blues won 44-0), over a hundred Queen's undergraduate students rushed the north end of Varsity Stadium's field and after 45 minutes of fighting, successfully took the goalposts once again (it is not clear whether these were the same goalposts as installed in 1955 although it is likely to be the case). ''The Varsity'' reported in 1958 that an advance guard of Queen's students had nicked the posts the previous night which allegedly helped them steal the post after the game.<ref>"The great goalpost fight". ''The Varsity'' (October 20, 1958), p. 5 ([https://archive.org/stream/thevarsity78#page/124/ Archived]).</ref> | In 1958, Queen's students returned once against to Varsity Stadium for an October 20 football game. At the conclusion of this game (which the Blues won 44-0), over a hundred Queen's undergraduate students rushed the north end of Varsity Stadium's field and after 45 minutes of fighting, successfully took the goalposts once again (it is not clear whether these were the same goalposts as installed in 1955 although it is likely to be the case). ''The Varsity'' reported in 1958 that an advance guard of Queen's students had nicked the posts the previous night which allegedly helped them steal the post after the game.<ref name="Varsity_1958-10-20_1">"The great goalpost fight". ''The Varsity'' (October 20, 1958), p. 5 ([https://archive.org/stream/thevarsity78#page/124/ Archived]).</ref> | ||
University of Toronto stadium manager, Charles McElroy, was quoted at the time that "we've got more", referring to the stolen goalposts.<ref>"Blue Beam Blinds Tricolors". ''The Varsity'' (October 20, 1958), p. 7 ([https://archive.org/stream/thevarsity78#page/126/ Archived]).</ref> There was no recorded return for these goalposts in the following years. It is likely that the Queen's Grease Pole, at least for a period of time following this second event, was the 1958 version of the goalposts stolen from Varsity Stadium. | University of Toronto stadium manager, Charles McElroy, was quoted at the time that "we've got more", referring to the stolen goalposts.<ref>"Blue Beam Blinds Tricolors". ''The Varsity'' (October 20, 1958), p. 7 ([https://archive.org/stream/thevarsity78#page/126/ Archived]).</ref> There was no recorded return for these goalposts in the following years. It is likely that the Queen's Grease Pole, at least for a period of time following this second event, was the 1958 version of the goalposts stolen from Varsity Stadium. | ||
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The idea for a grease pole climb apparently came to the Queen's engineering orientation committee from one of its organizers and originated in an old high school tradition.<ref name="Goulem">Brigid Goulem, "[https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2016-08-01/in-focus/grease-pole-a-history/ Reaching for the tam: An almost-comprehensive history of the grease pole tradition]". ''Queen's Journal'' (August 2, 2016).</ref> According to those present at the 1955 Varsity Stadium football game and the first grease pole climb of 1956, the first grease pole used in 1956 was not from the goalposts from Varsity Stadium at all, but was a taller pole with a narrowing top.<ref name="Goulem"/> This is likely accurate, since Queen's was not in possession of the Varsity Stadium goalposts in the fall of 1956 as they were taken by Western students within a week of Queen's theft and returned to Varsity Stadium in November of 1955. The ''Queen's Journal'', which extensively reported on the goalpost incident in 1955, did not in its 1956 article about the first grease pole climb at all mention the provenance of the pole, although the photograph accompanying the article is not conclusive of the matter.<ref name="Journal_1956-10-16" /> | The idea for a grease pole climb apparently came to the Queen's engineering orientation committee from one of its organizers and originated in an old high school tradition.<ref name="Goulem">Brigid Goulem, "[https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2016-08-01/in-focus/grease-pole-a-history/ Reaching for the tam: An almost-comprehensive history of the grease pole tradition]". ''Queen's Journal'' (August 2, 2016).</ref> According to those present at the 1955 Varsity Stadium football game and the first grease pole climb of 1956, the first grease pole used in 1956 was not from the goalposts from Varsity Stadium at all, but was a taller pole with a narrowing top.<ref name="Goulem"/> This is likely accurate, since Queen's was not in possession of the Varsity Stadium goalposts in the fall of 1956 as they were taken by Western students within a week of Queen's theft and returned to Varsity Stadium in November of 1955. The ''Queen's Journal'', which extensively reported on the goalpost incident in 1955, did not in its 1956 article about the first grease pole climb at all mention the provenance of the pole, although the photograph accompanying the article is not conclusive of the matter.<ref name="Journal_1956-10-16" /> | ||
However, after the Varsity Stadium goalposts were taken again by Queen's in October 1958, it may be that the following years' grease poles were made from parts of those goalposts. | However, after the Varsity Stadium goalposts were taken again by Queen's in October 1958, it may be that the following years' grease poles were made from parts of those goalposts. The first story connecting the Queen's Grease Pole and the Varsity Stadium goalposts was apparently recorded in the ''Queen's Journal'' in 1965, where Bill Dewar, chief vigilante (i.e. chief orientation coordinator) told the story of the Varsity Stadium goalpost incident and connected it to the grease pole. According to Bill Dewar, "Apparently the Queen's students heard about the new posts, and cut them through with a torch the night before a big game. The next day, after the game, they took off with the posts again."<ref name="Journal_1965-09-28">"To the Pole! (Again)". ''Queen's Journal'' (September 28, 1965), p. 5 ([https://archive.org/details/queensjournal93/page/n13 Archived]).</ref> While this retelling did not explicitly reference the year and implies the 1955 incident, the quoted story closely matches ''The Varsity's'' description of the 1958 events.<ref name="Varsity_1958-10-20_1"/> | ||
However, according to Jim Shearn, a Queen's Mining Engineering '59 graduate who was involved in the first grease pole climb, the Varsity Stadium goalpost story was a fable, and in fact the first grease pole, which measured 20 feet high and 6 inches in diameter, was welded together by the Mechanical '59 class.<ref name="Journal_1965-10-29">"The Grease Pole Climb: A Case History". ''Queen's Journal'' (October 29, 1965), p. 6 ([https://archive.org/details/queensjournal93/page/n65 Archived]).</ref> He confirmed this version of events once again in a 2016 interview.<ref name="Goulem"/> | |||
Early grease poles were covered with axle grease, although beginning in around 1988, lanolin (a much thicker grease) began to be used because Queen's did not have permits to dispose of the non-biodegradable industrial waste from using axle grease. Lanolin had the side effect of being significantly more slippery than axle grease and made the climb more difficult.<ref>https://robburke.net/greasepole/LegendWeb/Legends/Ascents/events.htm#sci60</ref> | Early grease poles were covered with axle grease, although beginning in around 1988, lanolin (a much thicker grease) began to be used because Queen's did not have permits to dispose of the non-biodegradable industrial waste from using axle grease. Lanolin had the side effect of being significantly more slippery than axle grease and made the climb more difficult.<ref>https://robburke.net/greasepole/LegendWeb/Legends/Ascents/events.htm#sci60</ref> | ||