Building on the foundation created by the SWC Spikeball Club’s vibrant community and eager participants, the 2024 SWC Spikeball Spring Intramural Tournament at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School proved to be an overwhelming success. The school’s largest club with over 200 members, called the SWC Spikeball Club, attracted many invested tournament participants through a variety of recruitment strategies. Sign-up sheets were extensively displayed at the Main Gym and advertised via Teams once specifics, such as supervision and obtaining the NSG grant, were settled. This resulted in a high turnout of approximately 50 participating students. Furthermore, by using our Microsoft Teams channel, our executive team was able to assess interest and choose the best weeks to hold the event. Score reporting and logging were substantially improved from previous years by using Challonge.com, an online tournament bracket generator. We would most certainly recommend this to future years of this tournament, as it saved us much time. When it didn’t rain, the SWC Spikeball Spring Intramural Tournament, which took place between mid-May and mid-June, occurred during lunch breaks, guaranteeing availability to all students. The structure, which consisted of two phases: a round-robin phase and a double elimination phase, promoted friendly rivalry and camaraderie among players while reducing the number of early eliminations and promoting long-term participation. Proactive communication methods allowed for seamless rescheduling, guaranteeing fairness and compliance with the tournament schedule, even in the event of potential forfeits brought on by absences. The event culminated in exciting championship matches and featured award ceremonies honoring the top three teams in each bracket in the second week of June 2024. In addition to awards for good sportsmanship, all participants earned participation prizes like protein bars and stickers, which emphasized the welcoming and encouraging culture of the SWC Spikeball community. We are so incredibily thankful for the funding provided by NSG and recognize that much of this would have been impossible without their support. Overall, the 2024 SWC Spikeball Spring Intramural Tournament demonstrated excellent planning, fervent engagement, and a strong sense of community, confirming the sport’s rising appeal at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School. In the future years, we hope that the SWC Spikeball Club’s widespread impact can inspire the introduction of Spikeball as one of the VSSAA’s official school sports. With the help of NSG, we established the standard for upcoming tournaments, guaranteeing ongoing success and participation in the years to come!
Share post:
