HUNTINGTON BEACH : Sue-ee! Is a Call to Homecoming Week

The sounds coming from the quad of Golden West College Thursday were anything but stately.

The shrieking calls of “sue-ee, sue-ee,” amplified by loudspeakers, reverberated at noon throughout the campus area. The unusual noises sounded something like a farmer calling pigs. And it was, in fact, a pig-calling contest, with rows of students lined up to demonstrate their skill.

“It’s part of our Homecoming Week activities,” explained Steve Barnes, 23, a student-government member from Huntington Beach. “We have a Western theme, so we thought pig-calling would be appropriate. Also, since college students usually have good lungs, we thought this contest would be a good one.”

No real pig was involved. But Henrietta Hen, a pet chicken who is sort of a campus mascot, watched the proceedings from her pen on the outdoor stage.

Students and college staff members were dressed in cowboy outfits for the Homecoming Week games. Pig-calling was the leadoff event, and a college staff member, Valerie Venegas, said she coached some contestants.

“I learned how to pig-call by watching television,” said Venegas, director of student activities. “I was practicing on a balcony, and it brought some strange looks.”

Most of the students said they had never seen a real pig, let alone tried to call one. But they proved to be quick studies. They went to the microphone and loudly, if not mellifluously, began their pig-calling.

“The louder and the more obnoxious it is, the more students will come here to watch,” said student-government President Jennifer Lawson, 19, as she watched.

The winner, selected by a thundering ovation, was theater student Scott Prout, 34, of Westminster.

“My next stop is the Grand Ole Opry,” said Prout. He added that going into the role of a pig caller was a real stretch. “I’m a city boy from Orange County,” he said. “The only pig I’ve ever seen is in a supermarket.”

Next up was a contest in which five students strapped their feet to the same pair of oversize skis. The team going the farthest without falling won.

Each team of ski walkers was called a railroad train. The engineer was the lead student of each team.

The winning engineer was Rob Sanders, 23, a finance major from Huntington Beach. Sanders whipped his team into shape after donning a railroader’s cap and tooting a railroad whistle. With Sanders leading the cadence, team members shuffled on their ungainly skis to fame and applause.

Sanders said he used good leadership skills in getting his team to perform. “I threatened them,” he explained.

Finally, there was the Wild West Obstacle Course, with students riding stick horses to various stops and challenges, including bobbing for apples immersed in giant bowls of Jell-O, speed-chewing bubble gum and throwing lassos.

Homecoming Princess Jenifer Boyer, 20, of Santa Ana was among the obstacle course contestants.

“The hardest part was the apple bobbing because I have braces,” said Boyer. “And the Jell-O got all up my nose. “

Boyer said the lighthearted activities at the community college had a deeper meaning for her.

“It shows school spirit,” she said. “I think it’s real important that you get involved in school activities because it makes education more fun.”