Dodgeball Tournaments: Hit or Miss?

Focused, intense, and ready-to-win were the words of the day in the Love Gymnasium on Friday night as seniors and faculty competed in the Senior Dodgeball Tournament.

A labor of organization

The representatives of the class of 2013 and the class advisers came together to organize the series of dodgeball games. Seniors eagerly grouped into teams to participate in the hyped event, and many students asked faculty to join in the tournament roster.Organizing the tournaments required coordinating with the gym and custodial staff, as well as acquiring enough dodgeballs and whistles to use throughout the competition. "The reps for the class of 2013 were just amazing," Soucy said. "They did much of the work, and they’re the ones who put the teams into brackets and organized everything else.""We got a really good response with 18 faculty and two referees who agreed to play," senior class advisor Michelle Soucy said. "They really enjoyed it, and I even heard a faculty member say that we should do this more often."

"I especially enjoyed beating Dean Cosgrove's team, and beating him in squash as well."

Senior Hannah Dineen, a member of the winning senior team, enjoyed the company of the staff and noted the positive effect their presence had on her experience. "It was great to get the chance to play against the faculty," she said. "The group of teachers who came out were all extremely high-spirited and fun."

Faculty joined alike

Faculty members remarked on the attitude the seniors had throughout the matches. Science instructor Christopher Matlack enjoyed the friendly competition and felt that the tournament was a great way to spend a Friday evening."It was great fun playing dodgeball against the seniors," Matlack said. "They took it easy on us, and I appreciate that."In an effort to include the audience in the event, refreshments were situated behind the screaming crowd and ready to energize the students and faculty who showed up to support and cheer on their friends. "We knew there’d be people watching the dodgeball games, so we ordered pizza and worked with Grill to get the strawberries, brownies, cookies and drinks for everybody," Soucy said. "We had [the food] in a social area, so people that weren’t part of the tournament could still be part of the event."As one of the most anticipated events of Spring term, many teams not only coordinated competitive spirits, but also attire. With matching black t-shirts and bandanas, Soucy’s team was prepared to challenge the seniors. The winning senior team was dressed similarly, with black t-shirts and, by the end, first place medals. Senior Matt Ryan felt that the tournaments were a "great opportunity to get the seniors together and compete.""It was great to throw balls against faculty members," Ryan said. "I especially enjoyed beating Dean Cosgrove's team, and beating him in squash as well."Dineen agreed and went over the highlights of the game. "My favorite part of the tournament was when it was only Ihna and I left on the court against the entire faculty team," she said. "No one thought we could pull it off, but we managed to peg each teacher down one-by-one and win it all for our team."

A joyous experience

Soucy felt that the tournaments were successful for everybody involved, despite the losses many teams faced at the hands of the winning senior team. "It was exhausting, but I still thought it was a lot of fun," she said. "Most of us are twice the age of these youngsters, and they still kicked our butts.""Overall, it was a really fun event," Dineen said. "It's something that next year's class of seniors should be looking forward to."