Javelina gamers converged on the recreation complex last week to throw their hat into the dodgeball arena.
Participating teams included the Cobras, Balls in your face and Tachuaches.
The year’s first open-registration competition included five sets of games, a cinematic, come-from-behind victory and a dislocated pinky.
Rebecca Johnstan and Hector Rivas supervised the competition and plan to hold more competitions in the coming weeks.
“We host a tournament every Wednesday after the second week of school. There’s kickball, pickleball, there’s different ones through the semester,” Rivas said.
Rivas enjoys watching the students engage in friendly competition and appreciates the mental and physical benefits of such tournaments.
“It’s a ways to get some stress out and at the same time exercise,” Rivas said.
Faced with a double-elimination, Balls in your face fell behind 1 game in the final found. In Cinderella fashion, they won four games in a row to survive elimination and claim the crown.
Tournaments and competitions hosted at the rec provide students with an opportunity to compete athletically without bearing the commitments required of NCAA student-athletes. It also provides ex-student-athletes with a place to continue physical competition.
“I’ve been a baseball player for four years now, this is my fifth year so I’m a super senior. I like throwing stuff, it’s cool…It was fun do this, plus I’ve got a great group of friends,” Joshua Valdez, civil engineer student, said.
Business marketing student Caleb Hanks and his roommates participated in Wednesday’s event, hoping to capitalize on the open opportunity to engage in the friendly-firefight.
“We are all roommates and it’s cool that we get to do this [participate in tournaments] in school…It’s a lot of fun with a little bit of competition,” Hanks said.
Information on the student recreation center is available online and on all social media outlets.