By Naomi Gish
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Dodgeball competitors dart, bolt, dive, lunge and leap at the 2016 Blacklight Dodgeball tourney. – Photo by Giovanni Roverso
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Cao Ngọc Cường looking for someone to hit. – Photo by Britainy Gurr
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Mareisha Winters and Mya Delanao fight for survival. – Photo by Britainy Gurr
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Jeremiah Johnson prepares the field for another round. – Photo by Giovanni Roverso
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Dodgeball competitors dart, bolt, dive, lunge and leap at the 2016 Blacklight Dodgeball tourney. – Photo by Giovanni Roverso
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Dodgeball competitors dart, bolt, dive, lunge and leap at the 2016 Blacklight Dodgeball tourney. – Photo by Britainy Gurr
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Team Jose win the touornament. – Photo by Britainy Gurr
“The five rules of dodgeball are Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge.” – Zach Hoskins, the ASC Vice President, quoting the movie “Dodgeball”.
The second annual dodgeball tournament in the black-lit gym featured up-beat music and swirling colored lights complete with referees’ whistles being blown every few seconds.
The crowd is cheering louder than they have all night as the two first-rate teams, Team Jose and Team Malik face off in the final round.
Earlier in the evening, sixteen teams of six players and two reserves, were set up in a schedule of timed rounds, assuring that each team would play three games each. The teams featured included people’s of certain nationalities, sports teams, clubs, and a “Free Agents” team made up of those without a team who wanted to play.
“The atmosphere drew out the inner warrior in every player!” an enthusiastic Mya Delano said of the event. Participants and spectators alike filled out the bleachers for the rowdy evening of fun provided by the ASC. Zach Hoskins said of the night’s activities, “It brings us all together and forces us to mingle. We’ve got international students and soccer and basketball teams playing together.”
“I came to support my Indonesian friends. We play at home but we don’t make it a big deal like this, so this is very fun!” one spectator, Yohana Alverina, mentioned. Other international students, who formed a team exclusively of people from their own culture, were excited to be taking part in the college’s events of Pirate Pete Week.
“We decided to make a team because we’ve never played before. We don’t have dodgeball at our schools in Malaysia,” said Insyirah Rashid. And even though she got eliminated in the third round, Rashid’s teammate QiesTieyna HaliEym said, “I hope there will be another one next quarter!”
It really came down to the team with the most “swag.” When Salvador Vargas of Team Jose threw the winning shot during overtime, the team of Peninsula College soccer players, was obviously pumped about their victory. Referencing the men’s NWAC soccer championship made in November, Vargas said, “It felt cool winning another back to back championship for the team!”