Pending a strong performance and victory in Thursday night’s Frozen Four game, Boston College men’s hockey will compete in the NCAA Men’s Division I Hockey Championship—at the same time as the annual ALC Showdown dance competition.
But as the possibility of this conflict became apparent, preparation for Showdown was already too far underway, according to Yosan Tewelde, chair of the AHANA+ Leadership Council (ALC) and MCAS ’24.
“We had tentatively chosen our date around, I would say December, and I think it was at least fully confirmed at least by the beginning of the year,” Tewelde said. “Obviously, it was very unexpected when hockey went this far. When we realized it was on the same date and time, it definitely was a surprise.”
Due to the amount of preparation that goes into planning an event the size of Showdown, its date cannot be changed, Tewelde said.
“Showdown is a huge event, so most of the vendors and all the purchases and everything … that’s already done usually before the semester even begins,” she said.
According to Tewelde, ALC and UGBC work closely with BC Athletics to avoid scheduling conflicts while planning events.
“I think a common misconception is that ALC and UGBC work very separate from athletics, so we’re blindsided by each other,” Tewelde said. “But throughout the year, we were working in tandem to try to make sure that Showdown could be on a date where there’s no hockey.”
For students like Eesha Ampani, MCAS ’27, the potential event overlap forces a tough decision between attending the dance event or watching the hockey game.
“It’s definitely a conflict,” Ampani said. “I know I’m going to Showdown, but one of my friends is watching the game and doesn’t think she’s going to go [to Showdown] anymore because it’s at the same time.”
Shea Davidson, a member of BC Dance Ensemble (BCDE) and MCAS ’27, said that when she and her team first heard about the time conflict, they were worried about the potential for a low audience turnout at Showdown.
“We kind of just realized that it might be more difficult to get people to go to Showdown and that attendance won’t be the same as in the past,” Davidson said.
Despite concerns, Davidson said the BCDE seniors remain optimistic that students will show up to support dancers.
“[The seniors] have been confident that there’s still going to be a lot of people there—I mean, the floor seats are all sold out right now,” Davidson said. “It’s more of the general idea that it might be a little bit different than how it’s been in the past, but it’s still gonna be a good environment.”
According to Tewelde, the ticket sales for Showdown have not been impacted by the tentative hockey game overlap.
“Ticket sales are pretty steady honestly,” Tewelde said. “I don’t think they took a dip in the way that I was expecting to. We’re still almost sold out already. I think a lot of people will continue buying tickets, so I’m excited for the event, and I think it’s gonna be a hit no matter what.”
Chuck Bacciocco, MCAS ’26, said he finds the scheduling conflict amusing but assumes many people will choose to go to Showdown, as it is a BC tradition.
“I think it’ll be a very goofy BC moment,” he said. “Showdown always kind of wins out though. It’s Showdown.”
Come Saturday night, Bacciocco said he will be in Conte Forum for Showdown—hockey conflict or not.
“I have a lot of dancer friends,” he said. “I have to see them go crazy.”
Tewelde said ALC intends to stream the game for the audience before Showdown begins and provide score updates to the audience throughout the night.
“Hoping that we get to the finals, [they are] going to stream the game before Showdown starts to get people the opportunity to watch it in Conte together, and also just providing timely updates throughout the show to the audience,” Tewelde said.
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