The number 14 may have more significance than you think. A Shakespearean sonnet is composed of 14 lines. Caesar Augustus died in 14 A.D. Old English quantifies the space of 14 days in a "fortnight." The 14th periodic element has 14 protons and 14 electrons. In 1914, World War I began and Woodrow Wilson delivered a Fourteen Points speech concerning the foundation to post-war peace in Europe. French soccer player Thierry Henry is number 14 for Barcelona.

We endow symbols, places, and events with shared meanings. However, 14 has a unique meaning in Oxford, Ohio.

The 14-day Club at CJ's has already seen its first run of the 2009-10 school year.

Senior Andrew Borgia is a bartender at CJ's.

"The 14-day Club was started in the 1990s to generate attention for CJ's at the beginning of each semester," Borgia said.

CJ's manager Bill Gray said the bar sees revenue increase six fold during the 14-day Club.

Borgia said to become a member of the 14-day Club, contenders have to drink for 14 days in a row (excluding Sundays and holidays).

Leslie Haxby McNeill, Miami's assistant director of health education, said drinking over a .05 BAC level (about three drinks worth) impairs abstract thinking skills. She said this has long-term effects on problem solving, mathematics and logical reasoning.

UP THE ALLEY

CJ's, as we know it today, started in 1969. Before its run as a bar, CJ's (named for the owner, Chuck Joseph) was known as Purity Confections, a confectionary, from 1910 to 1945, Gray said.

The 21-and-over establishment is a break from the bigger bars like Brick Street.

"It's almost as if you have a sense of ownership in the bar," Borgia said.

And by the time students leave, they might have left a bit of themselves at CJ's too. The bar has a Miami University field goal post students carried from the field to CJ's when Miami beat Marshall in the 1970s, once the university's rival Gray said. Bar railings are old parallel bars from the men's gymnastic team.

"I think the easy-going atmosphere CJ's portrays is why everyone loves the bar," Bartender Rebecca Colin said. "It has a persona that no other bar in Oxford can imitate."

If you're not an athlete or notable alumnus, however, you can still make a mark at CJ's with the 14-day Club. Participants can buy a T-shirt and get to write their name on the green paneled wall with white pen.

"The club allows seniors to have their name put on the wall of the bar and gives them something to come back to after they graduate, which lets them reconnect with their college years," Borgia said.

LIP SERVICE

Though many people chose the beginning of this semester to tackle the 42 mandatory beverages in 14 days, Borgia said he predicts the number will be much larger at the beginning of second semester.

"Around 75 completed the club this September," Borgia said. "This number will be much larger, somewhere around 250 second semester. However, the club can be completed any time during the year."

Even before the semester started, Senior Emily Corbalis knew she wanted to be a part of this tradition.

"Participation in the 14-day Club is a quintessential Miami tradition," Corbalis said.

Another senior Tom Hoffman said he had heard stories about the club from older friends and knew he had to be a part of it.

Both Corbalis and Hoffman both made it through the 14 days.

McNeill said two drinks a day can be considered binge drinking. McNeill said binge drinking for fourteen days in a row could impair functions for thirty days after.

Colin started bartending at CJ's this year.

"I loved bartending during the 14-day club because I would see the same faces everyday and the atmosphere was more fun and lively than usual because everyone there had something in common," Colin said.

Borgia said he also likes bartending during the club.

"Seeing the same people over and over is awesome because you get to know your patrons on a more personal level," Borgia said. "I really enjoy talking to everyone and gauging how the process is going for them personally."

14-DAY DROP OUTS

Borgia said most people drop out in the first three to five days. 250 total dropped out, Borgia said.

"Once people make it to eight to 10 days you can almost guarantee that they will make it all the way through," Borgia said. "It's a point of no return for people - if they made it that far there is no sense in quitting."

A neon sign above the bar of CJ's advertised specials for the night of Aug. 25 and admonished "Day 2: ALMOST THERE."

Hoffman said he started the club with a lot of friends but only a few finished.

"A select few of us decided to persevere; we couldn't give up," Hoffman said.

By the fifth day, Hoffman began to reconsider.

"Days five through nine were the most grueling, but we all pushed through together," Hoffman said.

Corbalis hit the sixth-day slump Aug. 29 when she had her moment of weakness.

"Needless to say, after having participated in a Beer Olympics earlier that day, those may be the three hardest beers I ever have had to drink," Corbalis said.

Corbalis said she knew she could keep going.

"I knew were worse drinkers than me there and I thought to myself if that girl can keep going, than I can keep going," Corbalis said.

STRATEGY

Corbalis and Hoffman said strategy was the key to success.

"I went to CJ's each night promptly at nine and drank three Natural Light beers," Corbalis said.

But Corbalis said three drinks often opens the door to longer nights.

"I was almost always coaxed into staying out after my three drinks, either by a friend telling me to 'Step my game up' or by a generous bartender offering me some Hatorade shots, and it's just rude to refuse that," Corbalis said.

Senior Jeff Cleary is a bartender at Skipper's Pub. The 14-day Club doesn't seem to hurt business at area bars, rather, the club increases it.

The 14-day clubbers contribute to higher volumes at other uptown establishments, especially during the early part of the week when bars aren't as busy as on weekend nights.

"After the 14-day Club kids have finished their minimum three drinks, we tend to see them stagger into Skipper's, even Monday and Tuesday, when bar volume would normally be lower," Cleary said.

Once the first nine days were over, Hoffman said he knew lucky day 14 was just around the corner.

"The light at the end of the tunnel came much sooner than one might think," Hoffman said.

Corbalis didn't stop Sept. 9 but kept going until 17.

"I didn't take a night off until after Sunday, or 18 counting the Sunday after Labor Day," she said.

Fourteen-day drop-outs and wannabes can try for the wall in the spring semester.

"If you're going to do it, do it and do it right, go big or go home, no exceptions," Hoffman said. "A core group of friends and a general desire to stay away from King Library helps, too."