Shaking hands brushed cold paint onto 25 squares of asphalt as students braved windy weather to paint Victory Lane.

Within five hours on Sunday, the strip of parking lot in front of Jack Trice Stadium was transformed into a 150-foot tribute to Cyclone spirit.

An ISU tradition for more than 25 years, painting Victory Lane is a Homecoming competition to help build excitement for the upcoming football game.

“This is all to start off the week on a good note for Homecoming,” said Chris Lursen, Homecoming Central Committee co-chair.

Lursen, senior in agricultural systems technology, said each participating organization is supplied with a square area, chalk and paint to depict this year’s Homecoming theme of “Living the Cyclone Moment.”

The pictorial interpretations are judged on overall appearance, originality and creativity, relation to the Homecoming theme and representation of Iowa State.

The winner of the contest, a joint effort by Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Sigma Phi and Kappa Sigma, was announced Wednesday during the Homecoming pep rally.

Their entry was a globe on a black background with a star signifying Iowa. A magnified depiction displayed important ISU landmarks, including Hilton Coliseum, the Campanile, Jack Trice Stadium and Lake Laverne.

Curt Loter, a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, created the piece on the spot.

“The [ISU] monuments play a key role in the tradition and moments we all experience at Iowa State,” said Loter, freshman in graphic design.

Alpha Chi Omega members Brook Sergeant, junior in political science, and Allison Rudig, junior in art and design, also worked on the winning entry.

“A lot of other people also had great squares,” Loter said. “It made for good competition but friendly competition.”

Among one of the hopefuls was Joe Portz, senior in agricultural studies, who led Alpha Gamma Rho to victory the past two years.

This year, Portz used scenes from the comic strip “Peanuts” to represent Cyclone moments. The block showed the cartoon character Lucy at graduation, Snoopy and Lucy during Campaniling and Charlie Brown playing in a football game.

Portz said he participates in Victory Lane each year to have fun and represent his fraternity.

“Basically, I’m the only one in our house who can paint,” he said.

The 25 squares of Victory Lane contained a variety of artistic interpretations of ISU experiences. Alpha Gamma Delta, Phi Delta Theta and Triangle’s painting “Savor the Cyclone Moment” sweetened Victory Lane with the picture of a Hershey’s Kiss. The Human Development and Family Studies Club featured the Campanile in its painting, along with symbolic references to the major’s four emphasis areas.

Painting Victory Lane, however, is about more than the competition.

“It’s a great experience, and it shows people dedicate a lot of their time to displaying Iowa State pride,” Loter said. “People come out in very cold weather and put their skills and heart to the test to be a part of Iowa State tradition.”

The victorious ISU football team traditionally crossed over Victory Lane after winning the Homecoming game, said JoAnn Ford, Homecoming general co-chair and junior in psychology.

Since the remodeling of the stadium, the team no longer crosses over the painted creation. The technicality, however, has not tarnished the tradition.

“The Alumni Association is the keeper of tradition,” said Homecoming Central Committee Adviser Dave Critchlow. “This is a tradition that we feel should continue every year, just to show the Cyclone spirit.”