Now that the womenıs soccer season is officially over, theyıve taken a new approach towards accomplishing their goals for next season. In an effort to raise money for a trip to California next fall, the womenıs varsity team auctioned themselves off to the highest bidders last week.

The players each agreed to donate three hours of their time to the person who bid the highest for them and would abide by "bidding rules" which were presented to each person that donated to the cause.

While the rules did not specifically declare what was allowed, they included suggestions for the "date" that were divided into three categories: general housekeeping, general personal assistance (which includes gift planning for the man without a clue), or general entertainment (on-campus coffee or cards), and stated that any requests outside of these rules would be denied.

Each player filled out a personality questionnaire and had their picture and nickname put on display outside of the Caf for fellow students to choose the soccer player that they most wanted to bid on.

"All the proceeds go to our team trip next fall," said junior, and future team captain, Hanni Wenker, "so itıs for a good cause." She added that "we thought it to be a fun way to raise the money."

The team got the idea for an auction from the international students, who did a similar event last year. However, the team chose to do a silent auction as opposed to the live auction in which the participants were bid on in front of everyone.

"We did the silent auction because we thought weıd get more money and wouldnıt embarrass anybody," said junior Katy Jensen. "People would be less shy to make a bid because they arenıt doing it in front of a lot of people."

This strategy paid off, literally. "We hoped to make around $100," said senior Stacy Gauger, "but weıve already exceeded that by a lot."

"We wanted to do something different and fun," said Gauger, "and this way, it was less embarrassing for both parties."

"Iım really happy with who picked me because heıs dreamy," first year Elizabeth Brandell said with a laugh. She was sold to one of her friends, junior Brian Smith, a member of the menıs team.

The auction was a huge success, with the team earning over $400. The highest single bid was brought in by first year Erin Albers. The lucky recipient was sophomore Mike Ludwig, who put down $50 for the opportunity to hang out with his girlfriend.

"The auction was a success because everyone was bid on and most people were bid on for more than $10," said Jensen. With the success of this Fund raiser, it will be interesting to see what the team is able to come up with next.

Jensen, incidentally earned the most with a $52 bid. However, it was a combined bid from sophomores Matt Karnas and Jon Cornell. No word as of yet whether each bidder gets three hours apiece or if they have to share her time.