Boyd Campbell is a senior Mass Media and Strategic Communication major and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
UT Martin’s Pike Fights are back.
After a two-year pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity will host the 31st annual Craig Long Memorial Pike Fights at 7 p.m. Friday, April 1, at 119 School St. in Dresden, Tennessee.
The event is being held in Dresden this year because the fraternity chose to donate the proceeds to disaster relief efforts in Dresden, which was badly damaged by an EF-3 tornado during the Dec. 10, 2021, tornado outbreak in Tennessee and Kentucky. Pi Kappa Alpha members said they hoped the event would highlight Dresden’s needs and bring people and business to the community.
Previously, proceeds from Pike Fights have been donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. In 2019, the event generated about $7,000 for donation, and Pi Kappa Alpha is working to raise even more money during the 2022 event to provide aid locally, which helps a neighboring community meet the needs of residents and businesses seriously affected by the December storms.
Tickets are $15 and currently available from any member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Tickets also will be available at the door on Friday night.
Eight fights have been scheduled, with pairings matched up by weight classes, and safety gear is required for every fighter. Fighters are representing UT Martin fraternities as well as academic departments across campus.
For example, Tyler LeMasters, a senior Public Relations major from Morton, Illinois, will represent the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication and hopes to bring home a trophy. LeMasters has experience in kickboxing and wrestling and has been in practice for about six years.
“We are honored to be able to host this event this year and very thankful for our alumni for providing a place to host the event in Dresden to help our community,” said Brennan Smith, Pi Kappa Alpha president and a sophomore Ag major from Martin.
For more information, contact any member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, or call the Pike house at 731-587-6858.
