Prefect Council organizes tournaments

Andre+Birotte+%E2%80%9923+spikes+the+ball+to+his+teammate+Patrick+Yeh+%E2%80%9923+as+opponents+JT+Federman+%E2%80%9924+and+Brock+Getson+%E2%80%9924+watch+in+anticipation.+Getson+and+Federman+took+the+set+with+a+score+of+2-0+but+were+later+defeated+in+the+final+round+of+the+quarterfinals.+

Alex Hahn/Chronicle

Andre Birotte ’23 spikes the ball to his teammate Patrick Yeh ’23 as opponents JT Federman ’24 and Brock Getson ’24 watch in anticipation. Getson and Federman took the set with a score of 2-0 but were later defeated in the final round of the quarterfinals.

Alex Hahn and Will Sherwood

Prefect Council held a schoolwide dodgeball tournament throughout the week of Oct. 17, followed by joint Spikeball and Ultimate Frisbee tournaments that took place Nov. 2.

The dodgeball competition began with 16 teams of eight, with Team “Baldwin N’ the Boys,” who were captained by Josh Barnavon ’23, winning the tournament Oct. 22.

Member of winning team JT Federman  ’24 said emerging victorious against older peers felt highly rewarding. 

“It feels great to not only win the first [dodgeball] tournament at the Upper School but also to win with a team of seven sophomores,” Federman said. “I know our team is already looking forward to the next one.”

Because the Spikeball and Ultimate Frisbee tournaments took place during the same Community Flex Time period Nov. 2, students had to choose the one activity they wished to participate in. Sophomore Prefect Dillon Ring ’24 said Prefect Council hoped to build on the positive feedback and turnout from the dodgeball tournament while planning the Spikeball and Ultimate Frisbee games.

“We saw how much the student body loved [dodgeball], and we wanted to continue to provide fun activities for everyone to bond over and enjoy,” Ring said. 

Ring said given the popularity of these two tournaments,  Prefect Council will likely plan more schoolwide athletic tournaments and activities.

“[We] were glad to see the continued success of these school-wide activities,” Ring said. “Students should definitely be on the lookout for more of their favorite sports to come.”

Rasak Ayeni ’23, who played for Team “Risky Crispy Discky” in the Ultimate Frisbee contest, said he enjoyed participating in the tournament despite losing 4-3 in the final round to Team “Disc it for the Biscuit.” However, Ayeni said each game would have benefitted from more focus on officiation from the prefects. 

“I had a great time, as competing with my friends is always fun,” Ayeni said. “But while I think the tournament was organized well, it would have been better if the referees were always watching the game.”

The Spikeball competition, refereed by the prefects and head fanatics, included a total of 25 teams with two members on each team.  After a series of preliminary rounds, the four duos with the largest aggregate score advanced to the final round and competed for a chance to play in the championship.

 Mikey Schwartz ’22 teamed up with Jordan Assil ’22 to win the tournament following their victory over duo Teddy Ingold ’24 and Aidan Greenfield ’24.

Member of Team “Disc it for the Biscuit” Natalie Prezhdo ’22 said she enjoyed winning the contest despite coming into the championship disadvantaged.

“Ultimate Frisbee is a great game, and playing with my friends made it really fun,” Prezhdo said. “Our teamwork was really on point, which is what I think helped us win against teams that had 10 players as opposed to our five.”