Shannon KeoughA sense of excitement filled the Dixon Center as the Third Annual Fair Trade Wallyball tournament kicked off on Tuesday, Oct. 6. It started off with 16 teams but only one came out victorious.
This was not just an ordinary tournament; it was also a great way to raise awareness for fair trade.
“Wallyball is an opportunity to not only compete, but it’s a way to show students they can implement fair trade products into their everyday lives,” Chris Cantwell, senior CRS Vice President, said.
The two-time reigning champions, Team Triple Threat, came into the tournament with a bull’s-eye on their backs. But they walked away with yet another solid championship win.
“Everyone was out to get us which made being down a man the first three matches even tougher,” Patrick Gallagher, junior communication major, said.
The championship game atmosphere was one of intensity as Team Triple Threat took on Team Criminals.
The first match Triple Threat was down 11-5 and came back to win 13-11. The second match Triple Threat was up 6-0 but Team Criminals came back with a vengeance and won 13-9.
With both teams winning once, in a best of three series this called for a tie-breaking match.
The final contest was short lived for Team Criminals and their dreams of a championship slipped away.
Team Triple Threat won in a 7-2 victory and were crowned three-peat Fair Trade Wallyball champions.
“They gave us a hard fought match, but in the end we stepped it up and won,” Derreck Shenk, junior biology major, said.
This year there were a few changes made to the tournament and a consolation bracket was one of them. This gave teams an opportunity to enjoy the game of wallyball even more.
“This year was better then ever because we introduced modified double elimination, which means everyone is guaranteed at least two games, ” Orlin Jespersen, the assistant director of recreation, said.
The consolation bracket was between Team Hoop Dreams and Team Half & Half. In the end Half & Half came out on top in a 15-13 win over Hoop Dreams.
“Even though we didn’t win the championship we had a lot of fun for a cause that was worth our time and efforts,” Ryan Kaysen, senior Half & Half team member, said.
Jespersen was able to receive feedback from the last tournament and because of this he is now looking to expand wallyball further.
“We are doing an ultimate wallyball tournament in the spring and thinking about the possibility of creating a league with student and faculty divisions,” Jespersen said.
The Third Annual Fair Trade Wallyball tournament was a way for students to enjoy a game of wallyball and learn about fair trade at the same time. This tournament was able to bring together different groups of people, including the athletics and business departments, CRS and 16 different wallyball teams.
In the end, Team Triple Threat walked away with a championship and bragging rights until the next tournament.
“Twice is luck, three’s a dynasty,” Shenk said.
