Move over Boston Celtics, New York Yankees and San Francisco 49ers.

In what Cabot House students see as the establishment of a dynasty, the House's intramural (IM) sports team took home its fifth straight Straus Cup, given annually to the House with the most IM points.

"I think only one house has won it six years in a row," Director of Intramurals John E. Wentzell said. "That was Kirkland [House] in the mid-'60s, I think."

"Cabot has clearly been on the roll," he added.

And while the near-record fifth title was sweet in itself, it was made sweeter by the fact that it was the closest margin of victory for Cabot since the run began.

"At the beginning of the year, it was a three-way battle with Lowell [House] and Pforzheimer [House]," said Susie E. Miller '92, IM tutor for Cabot. "Pforzheimer was in the lead and Lowell was in second."

Lowell and Cabot continued with strong showings in the winter and spring sports while Pforzheimer faded to third.

In the end, though, it would be Cabot, buoyed by a strong showing in the IM swim meet, which would take the crown by fewer than 100 points.

"It was the narrowest margin in five years," said Jamil A. Ghani '99, captain of the Cabot A-league volleyball team. "In past years, the margin was 500 points."

The swim meet, a one-time spring event, is widely credited as being the event that pushed Cabot over the top. Though Dudley House had the most points for performance, Cabot's participation rate--34 people showed up--earned them the unofficial meet title.

"As I understand it, the swim meet was a pivotal moment," Ghani said. "Even in events in which we are not the best at, we still make a strong showing."

The year-long cup campaign was also bolstered by first-place finishes in squash, B-league volleyball in both the fall and spring, co-ed soccer and six-foot basketball. Cabot's hockey team finished in second place behind the first-year team, so Cabot earned the first-place cup points for that event.

"Yahoo!" said Cabot House Master James H. Ware. "It was really a thriller this year. It's a great thing for Cabot. I love it."

Community Building

In the age of randomization at Har-