Dodgeball in the Dark

by: Jordan Wales

Courtesy: Emilee Richards

 Delta Gamma held its first blacklight dodgeball tournament in Myrick gym, proving that you can play dodgeball in the dark, provided you add a little neon face paint and florescent lighting. The event was open to the entire campus and, provided you could find players, anyone could make a team to play.
Several Montevallo sports teams participated, including the Men's Cross-Country team and the Women's Soccer and Volleyball teams. Other teams were formed and comprised of more university athletes who played under the aliases the "Purple Cobras", "Thirsty Falcons", and "Tye-Dye".
 The turnout was good as the women had been selling tickets for several weeks before the event. If you bought your ticket before you got there, it was discounted and only cost a dollar. At the door, tickets were three dollars. You also had the opportunity to join in on the fun by getting your face painted with neon paint, or by purchasing glow sticks to adorn yourself in.

Courtesy: Emilee Richards

 Dee Gee set up women around the court to retrieve balls and protect the blacklights and disco balls from stray throws. This task proved more difficult than it appeared, as the men and women got competitive as the event continued. Players' throws became more like rockets and the dodgeballs turned into meteors. One light set actually did bust after a male player launched a ball towards the back of Myrick. However, the environment was positive and fun as a DJ played dubstep mixes during each match to keep the party and energy going. Jalen Thompson, a member of Fiji, gave a little advice to DG for next year. "They need to protect the lights. So I think if...I don't know if you could build something and have something like right there or just something to protect the lights because I heard they were very expensive," Thompson said.

Courtesy: Emilee Richards

  Hannah Bell played for the Panhellenic team and mentioned this was her first time playing the sport as an adult. "This definitely was my first experience playing dodgeball outside of like elementary school P.E. I actually didn't play, I was an alternate thankfully, but my team I think did...We had fun. My team had a lot of fun," Bell said. Like many others, Bell's Panhellenic team lost early in the tournament. Each round was only one game and that one game determined whether you moved on to play the winners from another bracket. At the end of the night, the Women's Soccer team and the "Purple Cobras" took home the overall victory. All proceeds from the event went to Delta Gamma's philanthropy, Service for Sight.