by J.T. Buchheit
News Editor
jbuchhei@jccc.edu
The dodgeball tournament at the college took place in the gymnasium on Friday, April 15. Four teams participated with six players per team, all vying for the grand prize.
“We’re playing to win Worlds of Fun tickets,” said student Sean Potter of the team All Dodge, No Balls. “And to have fun, of course.”
Potter’s team prepared heavily for the tournament, making sure to emphasize health and nutrition, as well as practicing for the big game.
“We’ve been screaming at each other all week, we‘ve been throwing basketballs at each other against the wall,” said student Matt Knight, also on All Dodge, No Balls. “We’ve been eating healthy, we’ve been watching motivational videos. It’s all about getting psyched up.”
All Dodge, No Balls won the first game, although it fell to the Wenckebachers in the second round. The Wenckebach is a type of heart rhythm. Another team, the JCCC International Club, had decidedly lower winning expectations, though the students looked forward to playing and representing their club.
“I thought it would be a really, really cool experience,” said student Joel King, who is a member of the organization. “Even though I’m not really that great at dodgeball, I think it will be fun.”
The International Club didn’t fare very well in the tournament, losing each of their series, although they stayed in their first game longer than many anticipated.
“I feel great,” said King after his team’s first loss. “I feel like I tried my best. I mean, we survived way longer than I expected. For people who have never played dodgeball before, most of them, I was impressed.”
Since many students in the International Club are from other countries, dodgeball is something many of them have never been exposed to, including Kenyan student Berther Ondiek, one of the team’s standouts with her dodging prowess.
“I liked it. We had a lot of fun,” she said. “We want to play it again. It was pretty easy — we didn’t need experience to play that.”
The team that ultimately won was the Wenckebachers, whose members are in the college’s paramedic program.
“I feel great,” said student Jack Stallbaumer of the Wenckebachers after their victory. “I gave 100 percent, my team gave 110 percent. I really love it. I loved what I saw out there. Let’s go Wenckebachers!”