Prefect Council hosted a schoolwide dodgeball tournament beginning Nov. 30 in Taper Gym during lunch. The competition ended with semifinals Dec. 8 and finals on Ted Slavin Field Dec. 9 and 12. 

Each team consists of eight athletes and up to one teacher on their roster. The finals are between teams “Baldwin N The Boys” and “AFOOFAYRIJWROWMCO,” who tied 1-1 in the first part of the final during lunch Friday and will face off again in a rubber match Monday. 

Junior Prefect Nyla Shelton ’24 said she appreciates the positive energy surrounding the dodgeball games. 

“My favorite moment of this event thus far was watching two teams talk with [Mathematics Teacher] Dr. Helston, one of the referees, about a call made during the game,” Shelton said. “Though the teams were competing, their discussion was filled with laughter and remained lighthearted and fun. It was great to see students bonding with one another and enjoying some friendly competition.”

Shelton said that the format of the tournament has been adjusted since last year for more efficient and inclusive competition.

“The tournament has run much more smoothly this year because we decided to only play games best of three [games] for the semi-finals and finals,” Shelton said. “This change has provided a great benefit, as it has shortened the length of games and allowed us to include many more teams.”

Cutter East ’24, a member of the team “Rutherfordium,” said he has enjoyed the tournament thus far, but that his team was affected by the new changes.

“It’s fun when you’re just in the moment competing against another team,” East said. “One thing that has hindered though, is the 10-minute time limit, which has not let us finish more than one game in the two out of three [format].”

East said it was easy for him to put together a team. 

“I knew that I wanted to play in the dodgeball tournament, so I just contacted some friends to play on a team while in the library,” East said. “The only hard part was agreeing on a name.”

JT Federman ’24, a member of team “Baldwin N the Boys,” said he enjoys the competition because it allows him to unwind during the school day.

“Dodgeball is a great way to relax between classes during the day,” Federman said. “I hope I can continue to participate in the dodgeball tournament, and the best part about the tournament is the amount of people who go to the gym to watch games and support their friends.”