Fall Ball is an annual event that takes place at Edmond Memorial High School, and this year’s Fall Ball occurred on Nov. 15. Everyone has a different experience surrounding the evening; some people go every year, while others make plans to avoid it altogether. To represent students’ different Fall Ball experiences, four Ruff Draft staff members decided to weigh in on their activities for the evening.
Erin:
Compared to last year’s Fall Ball, this year was not much different. One new thing I noticed was how people arrived at the dance in limousines and party buses, which was interesting considering nobody seemed to use those types of transportation in previous years. It was refreshing to see people finding unique ways to enjoy themselves and have a fun night at the dance.
I did not do much leading up to the dance itself. My day consisted of doing my nails and wandering from one bookstore to the next to waste time before the dance, which included spending my funds on Stephen King novels and items that would most likely be labeled as an impulsive purchase.
When I arrived at the dance, I was a bit surprised. I expected more upperclassmen to show up, and this year, the underclassmen overwhelmingly made up the crowd. It was nice to see the underclassmen show out this year.
The DJ set list was altered to include songs that are trending currently, such as Gabriella by KATSEYE, while still including Fall Ball classics like the Cupid Shuffle by Cupid. The set list energized the crowd and turned the event into a true dance.
This year’s Fall Ball did not have photographers walking around or the booth set up to take photos, which was a bit of a bummer since it is what made last year’s Fall Ball my favorite. Even without the photographers and photo booths, though, I still had a wonderful time just by enjoying the music and spending quality time with my friends.
I noticed that many students, including myself, went out to Andy’s Frozen Custard after the dance for a nice, sweet treat to end the night. Overall, I would say that this year’s Fall Ball was a success with creative ways to cater to the students’ tastes.
Anna:
While most EMHS students were putting on dresses, button-downs and dress shoes for this year’s Fall Ball, my Saturday looked a little different. Instead of heading to the school dance, I chose to spend the day at a football game and later at Sky Zone.
Fall Ball has always been a popular school event, but this year, I did not feel like going. I was not in the mood to dress up, take photos for an hour and then stand around at the school just for it to be called a dance. From dealing with hair, painting nails, finding a dress and being in the hot cafeteria with aching feet, it all just felt like an unwanted chore.
Because I now had a “free day,” I started my evening at the Langston senior night football game with my friends. The noise of the crowd, the sound of the band and the excitement of watching the teams play kept the night fun.
After the game, instead of heading home or going to Fall Ball, I ended up going to Sky Zone. A group of my friends and I decided that jumping around on trampolines sounded way more fun than standing around in heels or trying to dance to songs we were unfamiliar with. We played dodgeball, raced each other across the trampoline floors, played tag and tried flipping into the foam pit.
Even though I did not go to Fall Ball, I do not feel like I missed out. My night turned into something completely different, but still memorable.
Emma:
To be honest, the only reason I went to Fall Ball this year was because I had never gone, and since I am a senior, this was my last chance. The concept of awkwardly shuffling back and forth in heels in the sweaty lower commons while “Footloose” played for the 67th time never seemed appealing at all. However, since experiencing major FOMO since all of my friends were going, I decided to give in this year.
Despite my apprehensions, I actually had a good time that evening. My group took photos at the Will Rogers Gardens in Oklahoma City, which provided a nice backdrop for our group. After photos, we went to Othello’s, a popular Italian restaurant in Edmond. Then, after around four hours of photos and dinner, we finally arrived at the Fall Ball dance.
I enjoyed the dance a lot more than I thought I would. Even though we were only there for around 30 minutes or so, the music, decorations and lighting allowed for an entertaining vibe while I hung out with my friends.
After the dance, I finished off the night by going to the arcade and bowling alley at ShowBiz. This was the part of the night that I looked forward to the most, and I enjoyed it much more than the dance. It was surprisingly enjoyable to bowl and win prizes from claw machines while wearing a Fall Ball dress.
Overall, I think Fall Ball is worth going to at least once during high school. If not for the actual dance itself, the evening is still a fun experience with friends that is not worth entirely missing out on.
Taylor:
While I enjoyed my traditional Fall Ball experience last year, I wanted to switch it up for my junior year. This time, I was not too keen on picking out a dress and fussing over my appearance, but my friends really wanted to spend time with me, so instead, I offered to take their pictures.
To prepare, my friends smoothed out the details on attire, our brunch hangout, photos and dinner. Meanwhile, I organized my camera equipment by charging my battery, making sure my SD card was formatted, packing my adapter, borrowing the correct lens and neatly storing my camera body.
That might sound like a lot to remember, but since I have been a photographer for a little over a year now, it has become a necessary habit that puts me in the right mindset.
Another thing I took into consideration was potential camera settings to use. My friends decided to take pictures from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, so I had to think about what circumstances would be the most challenging thing to compensate for. I knew my shutter speed and aperture would stay relatively consistent, but since the sun was setting, I had to constantly adjust my ISO to make sure the pictures would look good in every area we visited.
This year, my Fall Ball experience was not what most people would think of, but I enjoyed every second of it. While I plan on participating in the traditional festivities again for my senior year, I would not change anything about my experience this time. Our plans worked out really well, and everyone had a fun time.
Fall Ball activities for each individual vary, but all make for a memorable experience. Whether it be dressing up to not attend, or going all out for the dance by showing up in a limousine and fancy attire, Fall Ball is sure to be a wonderful experience to look back on.
Contact Emma Lynch, Anna Vitiello, Erin Hamm and Taylor Brakenhoff at [email protected]
