Whether you’re a senior who’s been here for almost four years or a freshman who hasn’t completed a full year of high school yet, chances are, you probably have some knowledge or experience with the three tournaments our school holds each year.
There’s Spike Ball, dodgeball, and the end of the year volleyball tournament. These events tend to attract many different students, which is what makes them so competitive and exciting to partake in.
Spike Ball is the first one of the year, usually held right before Thanksgiving and hosted by the National Honor Society. The junior class’ annual dodgeball fundraiser is next on the list, taking place the day before everyone leaves for Christmas break. To finish off the year, the volleyball tournament is scheduled for the end of May and benefits the varsity volleyball team.
Though many students participate in these events, only one of the three seems to have the best reputation; dodgeball. According to a recently conducted school survey, dodgeball was the school favorite, receiving 56% of the votes. Volleyball took the other 44%, and Spike Ball was sadly left in the dust.
Senior Willow Danehy is a dodgeball tournament lover.
“It’s the most fun and disrupts the school day the most,” said Danehy.
Junior Grace Hensch shared a similar opinion.
“Dodgeball is easily my favorite,” said Hensch. “It’s so organized and a lot of kids do it.”
As much fun as everyone has at these events, some argue that they’re not as enjoyable unless you win or get close to winning.
Senior Aidan Jones voted that the #1 tournament is dodgeball, but then proceeded to mention that it’s his favorite because his team never loses; they’ve won the tournament two years in a row now.
“We’re the best team. We just ball,” said Jones. What a humble winner.
Hensch continued proving this point by noting that the most memorable moment in these tournaments was when her team made it to the semifinal game.
Sophomore Landon Harrison has been on the losing side of this though, and his frustration sometimes pushes at his enjoyment of the events. His favorite is the volleyball tournament, but he’s a very competitive player, so he gets sad when his team loses.
But Harrison doesn’t allow this to stop him from having a good time.
“Volleyball is the best because you get to play the most games,” said Harrison. “And I love playing with my friends.”
Based on the fact that he wants to participate as much as possible, it makes sense that Spike Ball came last in his ranking.
“Spike Ball is my least favorite because if you lose once, you can’t play again,” said Harrison.
This response was a common theme regarding the Spike Ball tournament.
Similar to Harrison’s opinion, Grace Hensch, as well as senior Macrina Robb, also mentioned that Spike Ball is their least favorite.
Hensch claimed that “it’s boring to wait so long to play,” and Robb said that this tournament is “lamer than the other ones”. There seems to be a negative view surrounding the amount of participation admitted to each team during this tournament. But considering the fact it successfully hosted around 55 teams this year, it’s safe to assume that just because it’s not as highly praised as the others, it’s still a popular event.
Dodgeball may have the best reputation, but all three tournaments are a very memorable piece of each school year. With competitive teams, creative team names, and funny apparel, these activities give students the chance to compete and have a good time with their peers in an athletic setting rather than an academic one. So don’t be afraid to get involved and have fun… remember, the volleyball tournament is coming up in May!
