An annual Homecoming competition looked more like an early Halloween party last night in HUB Alumni Hall.

Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse and a slew of Smurfs dotted the crowd of about 500 students who attended this year's Homecoming Airband Competition. Some students put on cowboy hats and others donned feather boas as they waited to lip sync with other members of their organizations to compete for spirit points.

"You're here to have fun," Luke Adams, Undergraduate Student Government vice president, said to the crowd before the skits began. "If you hear a song you like and feel like getting up and dancing, do it!"

Many of the groups participating paired up to compete in the lip-syncing contest, Erika Fauth, Homecoming airband captain, said. There were 34 total acts, she said.

Fauth said there were a variety of songs, with each group's performance reflecting its theme for Homecoming.

"We have country, we have hip-hop," she said. "You name it, we got it."

After the preliminary competition, eight groups were selected by the judges to go on to the "lightning round." In the second round, each group spun a wheel to see what song their group would have to perform to in a spontaneous routine.

This year, Theta Delta Chi, 305 E. Prospect Ave., and the Orchesis Dance Company paired up to win the blue division, while the Lion Ambassadors won the white division for the second year in a row.

"They had a large crowd base, and they were pumped up," Fauth said. "They did a really good job."

The Lion Ambassadors won despite a technical malfunction in the first round: Halfway through their presentation, the group jumped and stomped on the stage in unison, and the music stopped.

"We blew a fuse apparently," Kayla Villa (senior-nutrition) said.

Despite the glitch, the Lion Ambassadors began clapping and urged the crowd to join them. They finished their routine without music.

"Hopefully they realize that we just kept going, even when the music stopped," Villa said.

Theta Delta Chi and Orchesis, who placed second in last year's competition, won this year's blue division lightning round after spinning "Tearin' up my Heart" by N'SYNC. Lion Ambassadors won in the white division, spinning "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" by Big & Rich.

"I think people realized how much work we actually put into everything," said Brian Bertges, Interfraternity Council vice president and member of Theta Delta Chi. "We knew we had the energy to do it."

Derek Snyder, also a member of the winning fraternity, credited the group's win to Orchesis.

"It would be impossible to get here with out them," Snyder said.

Some competitors said they were nervous before performing.

"I'd rather run two miles than do this," said Paul Cowen (freshman-professional golf management), a new member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, 328 E. Fairmount Ave.

Bret Holzwarth (senior-engineering), a member of Triangle fraternity, 226 E. Beaver Ave., said he was surprised when he got onstage and saw the crowd.

"It's nerve-racking," Holzwarth, dressed as Peter Pan, said. "There are a lot more people here than I was expecting."

Fauth said there are several elements the judges consider when they choose a winning team, but overall, whether or not a team wins depends on "how they wow the crowd and the judges."

Diana Maxham, Homecoming special events chair, said song choice is vital.

"I think the music choice is really important," Maxham said. "If you pick a song that's really upbeat, the crowd is more likely to get into it."

Jane Neitz, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life and an airband judge, said overall enthusiasm was important to the judges.

"The group that looked like they were having fun, I think scored the best," Neitz said.