Annual Dodgeball Tournament Raises Hundreds for Charity

Julia Fasold clicked on the portable PA system to make announcements and remind players of the rules of the game. Rule number one: don’t argue with the referees. There was a nervous energy around the football field as the bleachers filled with students and staff eager to watch two teams square off during an elimination tournament of dodgeball.

Eighteen teams of six players registered for this year’s annual charity dodgeball tournament. This may have set a record for participation with 108 competitors ready to fight for their charity of choice.

“We were hoping for at least six teams,” says Fasold, a senior and member of the Orientation and Community Service Committee. “It was great to see eighteen teams register to compete.”

Each team was competing to have their selected charity receive a $540 donation from the registration fees. A variety of charities were represented by the students including St. Jude’s Children's Hospital, The Alzheimers Foundation, Wounded Warriors, and many more.

The tournament took place over a three-day period the week before the final exams. The games were held during the thirty-minute lunch break each day. Many of the teams were packed with dodgeball ringers.

“One team was made up mostly of baseball players,” says Fasold.

There were not a lot of girls in the tournament, but the girls who did register either as part of a mixed team or as an all-girls team received a lot of respect from the fans.

This annual tradition is the 2nd event in a series of student-organized competitions held throughout the year. In the fall, students play powder puff football, and in the spring they compete indoors with a March Madness basketball tournament.

This year’s winning dodgeball team was “Little Izeek” who chose to represent the Cayden and James Foundation, a charity that is connected to a family member of two of the players.

Dodgeball can be incredibly competitive as players fire away at their opponents in an attempt to eliminate them one by one. But the Berean Christian tradition is built on a spirit of generosity and fun rather than competition. During the Christmas season, generosity is at the front of the students’ minds as they remember the generous gift that God gave to the world through his Son, Jesus.

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