The skies were clear and the sun was shining this year over Program Board’s “X-treme Spring Fling” on the Quad as students were treated to live music, free food and games.

“Spring Fling is a totally free event put on by the Program Board for the students,” said PB Parties Chair Shreema Sanghvi. “It is supposed to be a comfortable day before reading week and finals.”

The event included a padded boxing ring, a Velcro jump and nine holes of miniature golf. Sanghvi said the only problems PB encountered were a result of the NATO summit, which slowed deliveries slightly. But by Saturday, the plans and fun ran according to schedule.

GW student bands provided musical entertainment. PB Concerts Chair Ian Zeitzer said he wanted to showcase student talent at this year’s event.

“It allowed us to open the music up to a wider audience,” Zeitzer said. “We think more people will come to see these bands than one headliner.”

Spring Fling gave GW band Juniper Lane its largest audience. The band will release its first CD in a few weeks.

“It was a new experience for us,” said Juniper Lane guitarist Chris Bonavia. “Our set went very well and we think we got a good response from the audience.”

Students said they enjoyed the diversity of the bands and chance to see their peers perform.

“The music this year is excellent,” sophomore Bob Weir said. “I could listen to some of these bands jam all day.”

PB distributed free T-shirts and cups. The sports theme of the event was evident throughout the Quad. Students played basketball, juggled hackey sacks, threw Frisbees, worked out their differences in the boxing ring and threw themselves at a Velcro wall.

One of the more popular events, the condom races, caught the crowd’s attention.

Several students raced to apply condoms to cucumbers to demonstrate the proper method of protection. An AIDS quilt served as a more serious reminder of the dangers of unsafe sex.

Greek-letter organizations provided food, and a few prospective students toured the festivities with their campus guides.

Although organizers were forced to buy more food around 2:30 p.m. to accommodate all the students, Sanghvi and Zeitzer said they thought the event went according to plan.

“Spring Fling and Fall Fest were wonderful bookends to this GW year,” Zeitzer said.