Tommy Waller
Staff Writer
Mira Costa’s Associated Student Body hosted the annual dodgeball tournament which started on October 25th and ended on November 2nd in the Mustang Mall at lunch.
There were a total of 33 teams in the tournament, with team “Goats and POs” finishing as champions. The team consisted of juniors Chris Penna, Nick Solan, Jesse Storey, Bash Alexiades, and sophomores Christian Bodlovich and Merrick Baldo.
“Winning the tournament meant a lot to us and it felt great,” Penna said. “It was a big tournament with a lot of amazing teams, and I was really happy that we got to showcase our skills.”
The team had to go through a total of 4 games before reaching the finals, with the final game being placed in the Mustang Mall for easy accessibility. There was an eruption of joy as viewers stormed the court after the last opposing player was ruled out.
“The final team we played was a really tough and worthy opponent,” Penna said. “We entered this tournament because we enjoy playing dodgeball and winning the tournament made it all the better.”
Link: Chris Penna player profile
Although one might believe that there is no strategy involved in the game of dodgeball, the “Goats and POs” believe it was one of the major reasons they won. According to Jesse Storey, the key to winning games is aiming low and catching.
“We like to let the other teams throw because catching is so important,” Storey said. “By catching the ball, not only are you getting a member of the other team out, but you are
bringing someone on your team back into the game.”
The tournament consisted of a wide range of teams, from freshman girl cheerleaders to senior boys water polo players. According to ASB’s junior class president Keeli Hartley, this made the tournament all the more fun.
“It was really cool to see every grade level compete,” Hartley said. “It brought the school together as a whole because everyone wanted to see how their friends or classmates did, and so having such diversity gave the games large crowds.”
During each day of the tournament, members of ASB had to set up the tennis courts for the games that day and ensure that the tennis nets were down, in addition to creating the bracket of the tournament.
“All of ASB really put a lot of work into the tournament,” Hartley said. “It was definitely worth it though as the tournament was a great success and everyone who played and those who watched really seemed to enjoy the tournament.”
Link: Dodge ball tournament from previous years
The next dodgeball tournament will be held in the second semester. After 33 teams signed up for this tournament, ASB is looking forward to more teams signing up. According to Jesse Storey, team “Goats and POs” are looking forward to competing hard in the next tournament.
“We had a load of fun competing in the tournament but as always we can improve,” Storey said. “Next semester we should look to be smarter with our throws and try to always stick to our strategies.”
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