A 'FOR-MUD-ABLE' GOOD TIME

Thirteen-year-old Jenni Emanie was muddy from head to toe Saturday afternoon and loving every minute of it.

In fact, it was difficult to tell her apart from the 70-some other teenagers who also were covered by a thin, sticky layer of mud and enjoying themselves just as much.

"We're going to have to hose ourselves off, and hopefully our parents will let us in the car afterward," Emanie said as a friend walked up and smeared more mud on her. "It's so much fun. It's so squishy."

Muck and mayhem were the name of the game as the teenagers competed in the La Croix United Methodist Church Mud Olympics.

"You get to get dirty for once and have fun while you're hanging out with friends," said Emanie, who lives in Cape Girardeau.

During the Mud Olympics, the youngsters competed in mud volleyball, tug-of-war, relays and mud sliding. Winners of each competition received T-shirts, and organizers and parents served refreshments afterward.

Kasey Warren, a youth leader at the church, said the Mud Olympics was meant to be an outreach event.

"We thought mud would be adventurous and would be a draw," she said.

"We wanted the kids to come out, including ones who don't attend (La Croix). We wanted them to see what we have to offer, and we wanted them to know that even if they decide they don't want to get plugged in here, that they can get plugged in somewhere else."

But, Warren said, the event was not without a lesson.

"When we're finished, we're going to spray down a student to show that God is inside of you," she said. "We want them to understand that we can get them clean on the outside, but only One can get them clean on the inside."

As the teenagers ran screaming and laughing from the straw bale-lined pit of mud, not even the parents who tried to keep a safe distance were able to avoid getting muddy.

Karen Muir, whose daughter Laura, 14, was playing volleyball in the pit, said she thought the competition was a good way for the youngsters to have fun and learn about their faith.

"It shows kids it's not boring to love Jesus. You can still have a good time," she said. "A lot of these kids may not go to church, but they can still come out and learn about Jesus."

Jennifer Morris, 13, said she could think of few things that are as much fun as sliding around in a pile of mud.

"I think it is totally awesome," Morris said with her hair, clothes and legs covered in mud. She added that she opted to wear one of her brother's shirts that day.

Emily Morse, 14, and others from her team, The Chickens, said they made it a point to roll around in the mud before the competition even began.

"It's so much fun," Morse said as her brown eyes and wide grin peeked out from the mud that was smeared all over her face and neck. "This isn't even the muddiest I've ever been."