Dodgeball Gets Dressed Up for Tourney
Destinee Boutwell
A young man wearing a black wrestling singlet stepped forward and sized up his opponents. As the lone standing member of his dodgeball team, he taunted his rivals until they all fired upon him in unison. Somehow surviving the onslaught of projectiles thrown in his direction, he grabbed a green ball off the ground and began to ponder whom he would pick off first. But he missed his shot, and his opponents quickly gathered up the balls, returning them as quickly as they came. The wrestler tried to avoid a ball on his right side, but when he turned he ran face first into the wall, knocking him back and granting his foes an opportunity to find their mark.
Zombies, wrestlers and frat boys faced off on Thursday night in the PERC for the title of Costume Dodgeball Champion. Each dodgeball team was comprised of four Manchester students, who were encouraged to come in their best Halloween costumes. At 8 p.m., the teams were put into brackets and the competition began. The players fought hard for a spot in the next round as spectators cheered on their favorites and consoled those who did not move on.
The award for best team costume went to a group of girls dressed as frat boys in khaki shorts and button-up dress shirts with ties. The team consisted of Aireanna Parrish, Taylor Gandy, Darian Hahn and Katelyn Worland. The girls held their own in the competition, but lost to the winning team in the end.
Though the girls came into the competition with no strategy other than to have fun, they eventually sought help from a friend in the crowd and formulated a strategy. “We sent our two weakest players to the center to grab the balls and throw them back to the girls that had stronger throwing arms,” she said. “Katelyn talked trash to the other team to distract and disorient them while Taylor and Darian, our strongest throwers, pelted them with the balls.”
The costume dodgeball champions consisted of zombies, who remained undefeated the entire night. The members of the team included Josh Tribble, Zach Edwards, Greden Kelley and Matt McGowen. With tattered clothes splattered with blood, they were ‘dead-icated’ to defeating the competition.