Student organizations, sororities and fraternities competed against one another in one of the events kicking off Homecoming Week, “Kickball Tournament.”
Rachel Taylor/The Lion’s Roar
Homecoming Week had a new event this year in the form of a kickball tournament. Students gathered in North Oak Park on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 4 p.m. to play kickball in a knockout tournament bracket style. Fraternities, sororities and other student organizations competed, but team registration was open to all university students.
“Homecoming Week is not just for specific organizations and not just for Greeks,” said homecoming coordinator and SGA member Summer Carter. “Everyone has this stigma that homecoming is for sorority and fraternity life. It’s for everyone.”
Teams registered prior to the games with the option of creating a team from an organization or from a group of friends.
“We’re really working hard to try to get students involved in homecoming itself and trying to get them to understand that this is
a Southeastern event that anyone can participate,” said Carter.
Three of the fields in North Oak Park were utilized with simultaneous matches. Each match lasted 20 minutes, and the team with the most runs at the end of the match moved up the bracket.
The final two teams for the championship title were the Catholic Student Association and a team that combined members from Kappa Sigma and Alpha Omicron Pi. Kappa Sigma and Alpha Omicron Pi ultimately beat CSA.
Members of the combined Kappa Sigma and Alpha Omicron Pi team expressed excitement over their win while admitting that they had not done much to prepare prior to the matches.
“We had a little game plan before the first game, but that was it,” said Kappa Sigma member Colden Heckmann. “The game plan was just keep it short and have fun.”
Alpha Omicron Pi member Megan Mitchell elaborated on the team’s strategy.
“To keep the ball on the ground,” said Mitchell. “But we didn’t do that too well.”
President of CSA Daniel Cuevas stated that his team entered the tournament in a similar unprepared manner.
“We didn’t prepare at all,” said Cuevas. “We just came out to have a good time and to try to represent our organization.”
However, CSA placed well in the tournament.
“We had no expectations because we didn’t practice or anything, but coming out in second place, that’s big,” said Cuevas. “I’m super proud of my team and everyone that came to support.”
The “Kickball Tournament” was the one of the first events that students will be participating in this Homecoming Week.
“We have a huge committee that has worked very diligently to put this together this year,” said Carter. “We were trying to add more fun things that students could either come out and watch or come out and participate in.”
A team combining Phi Mu, Sigma Tau Gamma and Pi Kappa Alpha take on Kappa Sigma in the “Kickball Tournament” held on Oct. 1 in North Oak Park. They were two of the nine teams competing. Taking home the title of first place was the combined team of Alpha Omicron Pi and Kappa Sigma.
Rachel Taylor/The Lion’s Roar