The Big Dance is here. However, for this dance a rented tux and a corsage are not in the equation. Paper brackets and a constant eye on the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament mark the social event of the year.

The Staples High School Pool, informally known as The Big Dance, is one of the largest March Madness pools at Staples. The pool is open to students from each grade and about 120-130 people participate each year.

Yes, The Big Dance is your typical sports pool, but it is also recognized as a Staples tradition by the participating March Madness fanatics. One tradition is the naming of the pool’s head. Each year, the current head, a senior, selects his successor. For the 2011 pool the reigns have been passed down from Ben Schneider ’10 to Mike McGowan ’11, who has been in the pool since his freshman year.

“I’ve always done various pools for March Madness, but once I got to high school everyone said that I had to do ‘The Big Dance.’ I’ve been in it ever since my freshman year,” McGowan said.

As the March Madness frenzy commences, all participants of The Big Dance predict the winner for each of the 63 games up until the championship in the tournament. And for every game predicted right, points are awarded.

The higher the round, the more points a correct pick is worth. Whoever has the greatest point total by the end of the NCAA competition is declared the winner of the pool.

“Whoever wins it gets bragging rights over the school for the entire year,” McGowan said.

Tyler Jacobs ’11, who has participated in The Big Dance all his four years, agrees.

“It’s fun to compete against your friends for bragging rights,” Jacobs said.

However, it is not just bragging rights that the pool-member acquires. The winner also gets a cash prize.

“Every year there is over $1,000 put into the pool,” McGowan said.

Like most pools, the money is garnered via entrance fee from each member as The Big Dance participants are charged $10. At the end of the tournament the prize money is distributed amongst the first through fifth place winners.

Because of the monetary prize and the high school setting, the presence of the pool may seem controversial. However, Principal John Dodig accepts its presence.

“It’s such a part of American culture,” Dodig said.

“We’re smart, it’s not going to lead to addiction,” Everett Golomp ’11 said.

Similarly, other March Madness bracket-makers don’t think of participating as gambling at all, but do it more for the social aspects.

“I like making brackets and betting against friends. I definitely put a lot of thought it,” Max Hoberman ’12 said.

Conor Homscheid ’11, who doesn’t consider himself a better, also enjoys make one or two brackets every March.

However The Big Dance is not only about basketball and money. The group, which is organized on CBS’s online Bracket Manager, has a message board. As a part of the pool’s tradition, participants partake in playful trash talk with others in the group.

“Everyone talks trash to each other without any boundaries, but the best part is that no one takes it personally,” McGowan said.

Conor Mahoney ’11 also enjoys the pool’s message board.

“Everyone can say whatever they want and usually there’s trash talk between seniors and juniors. It’s all in good fun though,” Mahoney said.

For Staples boys, dances such as Counties, Red and Whites and Prom may be of importance, but The Big Dance is the kahuna of them all.