Athlete Mentors’ Dodgeball Tournament Gives Students a Welcome Study Break

The hype was high but the stakes low at this year’s end-of-the-semester dodgeball tournament, hosted by the athlete mentor program (AMP) in the multipurpose gymnasium. Nine teams of eight students each who hailed from varsity and club sports (including soccer, crew, golf, fencing, and lacrosse) participated in the tournament, as did other students and PERA faculty and staff. A round robin warmup was followed by a bracket of five-minute games in which teams competed for the champion title.

“It’s a great way to be active, de-stress, and have fun without it feeling like another obligation during finals,” said Krista Dong ’20, one of the AMP students who organized tournament,

“It’s like a fencing competition, but without the stress of having to win,” said Brie Maurer ’20, a member of the fencing team who played on the combined team of fencing and golf student-athletes. For many student-athletes, the tournament was a chance to be active without pressure. For students like Julie Fucarino ’22, who registered individually, it was an opportunity to blow off some steam during reading period and play a fun game she hadn’t played since she was a kid, she said.

The dodgeball tournament is one of many fun activities happening this week and next to give students a break from studying for exams. The Wellness Outreach Collaborative is also organizing the Take A Break calendar of events, allowing students to either “move their bodies” by attending fitness classes, “fuel their bodies” with study snacks, “feed their souls” with therapy dogs and arts and crafts, or just have fun. “We try to meet the students needs as best we can,” said Monica Verity, director of recreation. “I think the biggest message to students is that there are programs for them during this busy time of year—all they need to do is show up.”

With reporting from Lucy Norton ’21

Photo: Dodgeball participants from (L to R) Olivia Postel ’21, Maddie Lee ’21, Krista Dong ’20, Nico Santiago, assistant sports performance coach, and Elaine Harvey, assistant director for development and communications