On Thursday, Oct. 3, students eagerly took their seats in anticipation of St. Olaf’s beloved annual tradition, Champion of the Hill. The event was held in the Pause, with colorful and flashy lights adorning the stage. Mira Tomten ’25 and Kayla Gruenes ’27 were the night’s MCs, and they led the event with personality and enthusiasm. SGA President Zari Irving ’25 and Vice President Yolanda Pauly ’25 were judges, and Brandon Cash ’16 was featured as the “celebrity” guest judge.
Champion of the Hill is a long-standing campus tradition where Oles can nominate their peers to be a part of a comedy talent competition. Contestants can choose to perform any talent, from singing to stand-up. But only one will be crowned Champion of the Hill.
The event kicked off with the newlyweds game, where the five contestants brought on a friend, partner, or even parent to see how well they knew them. Sophia Kormann ’25 and her mom were a crowd favorite, as it was said her mom drove an hour to be there for the competition.
The next portion had the contestants strut across the stage, showing their best “catwalk.”
Ever Torres ’25 proudly waved the flag of El Salvador and snapped a hand fan in style, while Jacob Rozell ’27 lounged in a pool tube with a can of sparkling water.
Then came the part that everyone was waiting for — the talent portion. Each contestant was given a few minutes to showcase their talent, and hopefully get the audience and judges’ approval.
Ashley Briceno ’25 performed and sang an ABBA song. About halfway through, the song skipped and a group of people in swim gear came rushing on stage and danced goofily along with the track.
“Champion of the Hill was a fun time,” Briceno said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger after the show. “I found out about it 24 hours ago, so I had not that much time to prepare stuff, but honestly, it was a lot of fun.”
Ever Torres ’25 did a goofy performance of drawing his friend’s portrait while making witty remarks and jokes.
“My experience with Champion of the Hill was great,” Torres said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “I had a friend up there… I thought it was great, I loved it.”
Jacob Moore ’27 did stand-up and cracked jokes about stage fright, St. Olaf’s dry campus policy, and a cold that sent him to the ER. His sharp delivery awarded him second place in the competition.
“I feel like it went pretty well, all things considered. [It] was my first time doing stand-up, so I’m not really comfortable on stage,” Moore said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “Getting second place was nice.”
Jacob Rozell ’27 did a mock debate where he acted as Brandon Cash and his friend was Borat. The two left the show on a high note, evoking lots of laughs and reactions from the audience.
“Disappointed we didn’t win, we gave Borat everything,” Rozell said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “I feel like we had the crowd on the ropes. I think Brandon Cash shed a tear.”
Sophia Kormann ’25 was crowned the winner for the second year in a row with her hilarious song parodies of common St. Olaf experiences. Her “BAG TO GO!” song, expressing enthusiastic approval for Stav’s bag lunch, a parody of Chappell Roan’s hit “HOT TO GO!,” was a definite crowd-pleaser. It was a move that certainly helped secure her the crown.
Overall, Champion of the Hill 2024 was a hilarious way to spend a Thursday night and a strong way to kick off Homecoming weekend.
