Taking a break from their lab work and thesis papers to blow off some steam, about 50 graduate students hit the court Friday for an intense but friendly game of dodgeball.
Hosted by the Graduate Student Government every spring, the campuswide dodgeball tournament was a chance for teams of graduate students from all academic fields to get a reprieve from their studies and build team spirit. At the event, feet shuffled and skidded across the Armory basketball courts, with some players backpedaling to avoid incoming strikes and others charging to the center line hoping to strike and eliminate their opponents.
“We see it as a tradition in the [chemistry] department, but it is a good team-building exercise,” said Cathryn Gail Blakley, captain of the tournament’s biochemistry team, the Up and Atoms. “Especially with the pure sciences, once you’ve started your thesis work you get isolated in your lab, and these events help reconnect everyone. Also, a little friendly competition now and again never hurts.”
To level the playing field and promote friendly play, the participants wielded Nerf-like foam dodgeballs instead of the potentially painful rubber balls of their youth.
“I actually grew up playing with these dodgeballs, which is unlike a lot of people, so I like these,” electrical engineering graduate student Garrett Warnell said. “I heard many talking that were used to the traditional ones, but they could break your nose.”
From art to science students, many enjoyed the opportunity to peg opponents hailing from opposite ends of the campus. In the end, it all came down to two finalists — the Artful Dodgers, whose players represented a mix of departments, and the Up and Atoms. As the final match commenced, bodies twisted and spun to avoid the incoming threats as players attempted to knock out those on the other side of the court. After the dust settled, the Artful Dodgers came out on top and each team member won a new iPod shuffle.
However, that did not mean the rest of the teams went home empty-handed.
“My teammates and I play because it’s fun, it’s free, and if we win, we get free T-shirts,” said Michael Wiederoder, GSG legislative affairs vice president.
