By ERIN HURLEY
The Iceberg Lettuce Club held its first meeting of the year on Friday, Oct. 2, under a clear evening sky. It was quite the sight. 22 students gathered in a circle on the slab, each with a head of iceberg lettuce, tearing at the leaves with ferocity and no utensils. Students can bring anything to help the lettuce go down easier, including dressing.
The club, co-founded by Matt Connell (‘28) and Michael Schermerhorn (‘28) in spring 2026, aims to promote a sense of community through friendly competition. The goal is to see who can eat a whole head of iceberg lettuce fastest, though students share conversation and laughs throughout. “Iceberg lettuce is just really entertaining,” Connell shared. “And as silly as something like this is, this is a way to bring community together.”
Connell said when he toured the University of Washington’s Seattle campus as a high schooler, he saw an Iceberg Lettuce Club, which inspired him to start one here. Puget Sound’s Iceberg Lettuce Club is part of an unofficial network of similar clubs at universities and high schools across the country. The phenomenon began in 2017 at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics and has been growing ever since.
At other schools, the competition winner becomes the club’s next president, wittily dubbed, “Head of Lettuce.” Puget Sound’s chapter has yet to implement that stipulation, though current leaders Connell and Schermerhorn are considering adopting it.
Gavin Richard (‘29) was crowned winner at the most recent meeting for finishing his head of iceberg lettuce in 5minutes, 14 seconds. This beat reigning champion Schermerhorn’s time of nine minutes and 50 seconds last semester. After Richard’s impressive performance, he lamented, “I feel like a zombie.”
While some schools promote a, “Bring Your Own Lettuce (BYOL)” model, Puget Sound’s club supplies participants with lettuce purchased at Safeway. Theclub’s budget comes directly from ASUPS, and the leaders noted that they “blew through” its funds on their first meeting due to higher turnout than expected. They are planning to petition ASUPS for more funds.
Connell emphasized that inclusivity is the driving purpose of the club, adding that two professors also expressed interest in joining. “You can be any shape, any size, anything you want to be. You can be here.” If you would like to get involved, Connell recommends following the club on Instagram at @ups_iceberg_lettuce to stay updated on meeting dates and location.