A dodgeball showdown for the ages was held Saturday in Half-Acre Gym, allowing students to support Toys for Tots while whipping dodgeballs at the speed of light and possibly venting some late-semester frustration.
Students were able to pay $20 per team of 6-8 students to enter the tournament, which was hosted by the “Power of Play” first-year seminar class. After entering, the teams were put onto a bracket and played for victory. By the end, prizes were awarded to first, second and third place winners.
While only three teams placed, everyone who participated seemed to have a good time, including the students and professor, Tricia Johnson. Johnson, a College of Education associate professor, put on the tournament and worked ahead of time with students to make sure the event went smoothly.
“Students worked in teams related to different aspects of the project such as advertising, prizes/donations, registration/fees, charitable outcomes, and event specifics such as brackets, refereeing, rules, et cetera,” Johnson said. “As a group we decided that we wanted our work on this project to benefit the broader community, but also connect to our knowledge about play.”
The FYS class, “Power of Play,” focuses on the effects of play such as the benefits of creative play. For this class, students this semester had to choose a final project that would incorporate some of these effects, while also benefiting their community. They settled on the dodgeball tournament and began working towards making it a success, which proved to be the result according to Johnson.
“We collected $431,” Johnson said. “Several members of the class will take responsibility for purchasing high quality toys and books for children that will be donated. We are particularly focused on the quality of the toys. We have studied the benefits of creative play and would like to purchase toys that promote creativity as they learned that this type of play is lacking in many children’s lives.”
These toys will go to Toys for Tots, the program of the class’s choosing. Toys for Tots, national a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, distributes toys during the holidays to children whose parents can’t afford to buy them gifts. The organization was established in 1947 and is still running strong with donations from all kinds of places, such as the local tournament this past weekend.
For more information about Toys for Tots or to find out how you can also donate, visit their website at ToysforTots.org. If you have any questions about the first-year seminar “Power of Play,” email Johnson at tjohns39@uwyo.edu.
