On Saturday morning, Feb. 6, Chi Omega sorority partnered with Phi Sigma Kappa and Iota Phi Theta to host a knocker ball tournament fundraiser at the UT Martin Student Recreation Center.
Chi Omega hosts a sports tournament every spring to raise money for Greek Week’s Service Night. “We had a lot bigger turnout today than last year’s dodge ball,” said the organizer of the event, Chi Omega’s Brooklyn Burress. “This is a lot of fun, and people are just more into it. There were so many players that it was rough trying to bracket teams. People just kept showing up. We finally just said, ‘Don’t come!’ ” The hard work and weeks of organization paid off; Chi Omega was able to raise over $2500 from the tournament.
In knocker ball each player is strapped inside of a giant, air-filled ball with only their legs exposed. The game is similar to soccer, but there are no goalies, and players are encouraged to “knock” into each other throughout the game. There are two 3-minute rounds per game separated by a 90-second break. The team that is able to score the most goals wins.
Comprised of five-player teams, the tournament was a single-elimination bracket and open to all students. It was $5 to participate, and all proceeds from the tournament went to the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Each player on the winning team received a $10 gift card courtesy of Chi Omega.
The last two games of the tournament were played with only four players due to two of the knocker balls leaking air. The last two teams standing were the Commando Squad from Sigma Chi, and the Footballas from the UTM football team.
The championship game ended with a tie and then went into 2-minute overtime. Finally, with just 42 seconds left on the clock, the Footballas scored the winning goal. After the chest bumps, handshakes, high-fives, congratulations and pictures, the Footballas had this to say about their victory: “We lit.”
