Kill or be killed. That’s the kind of mentality associated with Country Day homecoming…particularly dodgeball. The gym class nightmare has always been a homecoming favorite. What’s not to love about getting the opportunity to peg some people with a foam ball while being cheered on like a gladiator in the coliseum.

This year has been especially interesting, with the incredible athletic being displayed by all grades. The teams are comprised of basketball, water polo, soccer, swim team, volleyball all stars; ensuring an interesting matchup. The rules are simple: ten minutes to hit the opposing team with foam balls, with the classic catching clause.

The first game between the senior and junior girls was intense. Both teams started off strong; when it looked like one team was sure to win, there would be a comeback. Eventually junior Lindsey Pierre and senior Michelle Berry were down to a good old fashioned Mexican standoff. When the clock ran down both teams were invited back on the court for two minute overtime. After a tough fight the juniors took the win by a hair. The freshman girls played the sophomores, and though each team put a good fight the win went to the sophomore girls, making the fight for third place between the seniors and the freshman, and first place between the juniors and the sophomores.

Though valiant efforts were made by the entire freshman team, particularly their last girl standing Laurel Ivory, the senior girls ultimately took third place leaving the freshman in last. The junior and sophomore girls’ fight for first place was intense. With an already heated rivalry between the two grades, after last year’s crushing defeat of the class of 2016 by the class of 2017, many egos were at stake. In the end, however, the sophomores took first place.

As a very pregnant Mrs. Smith knows, whenever the boys are given dodgeballs there is a 60% you are going to get hit square in the face. They look more like a firing squad from the revolutionary war then a bunch of high schoolers; they release all ammunition then wait to reload.

The of the boy’s games was between the freshman and juniors, in which the juniors had a sweeping victory. The senior verse sophomore match was much longer. When each team was down to three the seniors demanded a re-ruling, ejecting a sophomore and leading to a senior victory. The sophomore boys dominated against the freshman, thus winning third place, while the senior and junior game was stopped several times for rulings. After the controversial ejection of Corey Friedman for allegedly failing to catch a dodgeball, (though International Dodgeball Association states:

“You may block a thrown ball with a held ball. However, if you drop the blocking ball during the act of blocking, or if you fail to make a clean block (as in the thrown ball still ends up hitting or grazing your body afterwards), you are out.”) the seniors were up a man. With just three minutes remaining the seniors defeated the junior boys taking first place.

The annual homecoming dodgeball has taught us several things this year: First, Konen has some sick dodging abilities; Second, the juniors will cheer for anyone but the sophomores–and vice versa; And third, nobody is too good for screaming their faces off as they cheer for their team.